Scripture: Acts15:1-21 (#11)
In
the U.S. culture of today, everything has become “relative” to individual
understanding, and absolute truth has been declared a fantasy. And even more than that, there is no longer
any respect for the thoughts that others may have – the rule has become “my way
is right, and your way is banned”! What
ever happened to “love your neighbor”?
What ever happened to “unity in spirit”?
This isn’t a new issue, though. Since time immemorial, family relationships
have been damaged, wars have been fought, and nations have fallen because of
this same lack of respect for others! And
religious faith, including Christianity, is no exception. Consider Methodism itself – I recently read
that there are over 30 different denominations that practice some form of
Wesleyan theology! And to think that
John Wesley never intended to establish even 1 new denomination – his desire
was to spiritually reform and refocus existing ones!
But on the other hand, ancient Israel was so
focused on the law of Moses, that nothing else was acceptable, and they
completely missed out on the coming of Messiah in Jesus! For the religious elite, it was far more
important to DO what was necessary in faith, than it was to BELIEVE in the
truth of faith.
Today, we consider lesson #11 that comes to us from
the Book of Acts – the struggle that the earliest followers of Jesus experienced
between the law of Moses that had always been their way, and the Law of God
that Jesus had come to explain and “fulfill” (Matthew 5:17-18).
Read Acts 15:1-4
We may not see this as a very important issue, but
for Israel, there were two tests to prove that you were truly Jewish – 1) that
your mother or grandmother were Jewish, and 2) for a male, that you had been circumcised. The second held true for all, whether you
were born into the faith, or whether you freely chose to join the faith as a
proselyte (which is a non-Jew who wishes to become a Jew).
This law became ever more important to many as the
Way of Jesus was being opened wider and wider to the Gentile world. They felt that the traditions of Judaism should
be saved, even as faith in Jesus was added to their lives. But somehow, they had forgotten Peter’s
sermon at Pentecost, when he shared the prophet Joel’s words, first that God
would pour out His Spirit on all people (Acts 2:17),
and second, that faith for all was based in calling upon the name of the LORD,
and when they did, they would be saved (Acts 2:21). Not a word about the things that we must do!
Faith would no longer be determined by what people did,
but by what they believed and followed.
And the act of circumcision was about to be challenged as an unnecessary
and insufficient demonstration of faith.
So Paul and Barnabas, as well as some others, were chosen by the church
in Antioch to speak before the Council of Jerusalem in opposition to this movement.
Remember who Saul the persecutor was before Paul’s
conversion to Jesus? Remember how he
hated Jesus and all who were following Him?
His vendetta against the faithful was known far and wide, but now he had
become the strongest proponent for the faith!
But would he be able to convince the Council hierarchy?
Read Acts 15:5-11
It would seem that Pharisees show up in the
strangest places – including within the Church!
This doesn’t mean that they don’t believe in Jesus – they do! But they can also be rather legalistic at
times, and several of them were present at the Council meeting to ensure that “the
law” would be upheld! It would seem that they still aren’t quite up to speed
with “love your neighbor”, Christian hospitality, forgiveness, and all that these
imply!
And even Peter now has to assume the position of
contributor to the conversation, and is no longer leading the Council. But his passion and words on behalf of the
gentiles is just as strong as it was at Pentecost. And his comments strike to the core of the
issue – that it was God who has sent them to the Gentiles, and not through
their own choice, and that the Gentile’s salvation has to come through the same
basis as their own – by faith, not works.
This brings us back to a version of that age old
question – “Which came first – the chicken or the egg”? But to put it in the context of this
discussion, the question that we should be asking is “Which must come first –
faith or works?” The Pharisees put works
first, but as we consider all that Jesus taught, he would tell us that once we
trust and believe in all that He has given us, the works that come from it will
bring glory to the Father. But when our
works are given first place, the only glory that develops will rest on the
workers, not on the LORD! (John 15:5-8)
Peter tells us that it is always about Jesus, His
word, and His truth. And he reminds us
that the burden of following that truth is upon us! We don’t get to rework His words to make His
truth easier to follow, or to make His humanity appear greater than His
divinity, or to explain His call in ways that it becomes oppressive instead of
blessed. Thank you, Peter, for reminding
us that it is through the grace and truth of Jesus that salvation has become
available to all who come to Him by faith.
Read Acts 15:13-18
From the days long before Jesus ever came to teach what
the Council should have known all along, the prophet Amos proclaimed the
ancient and Godly truth, that Israel would fall, and be rebuilt through the
inclusion of the Gentiles – those people who Israel never saw as being worthy
of God’s grace. And the disciples Peter
and James remind us that it has always been the LORD’s intention to open His
kingdom to all, simply by faith, and not by heritage!
Notice that the prophecy does not say that the
Gentiles will become Jewish! It says
that all who bear the name of the LORD will be welcomed in. It isn’t that we have to become worthy before
God accepts us – Romans 5:8
is the answer. “But God demonstrates
His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us”
Worthiness was created for us and all
people, long before anyone ever came to the LORD.
Read Acts 15:19-21
And James begins to agree that the law has no connection
to salvation, until he trips! He admits
that they shouldn’t heap difficulties upon the Gentiles, but then, instead of
requiring circumcision, he heaps other demands upon them. Each of those three requirements comes from
the law of Moses!
Abstinence from eating food that had been dedicated
to idols was a law, but in 1 Corinthians 8:4-6,
Paul writes, basically, that “an idol is nothing in all the world”, so anything
dedicated to a non-god is meaningless. There
is only one God, and He is the only one we need to honor.
Avoidance of sexually immoral acts is not only a law
of Moses, but is also one of God’s.
There are countless references to these acts throughout both the Old and
New Testaments, and every passage condemns the act. (ex. Romans 1:24-27)
Not eating meat that came from a strangled animal
was a law of Israel, but scripture makes little reference to the practice,
except in this chapter of Acts. It is
certainly a cruel way to kill an animal, but we read nothing about not eating
their meat.
And blood – the only definitive reference to this
act is in John 6:50-60 in
which Jesus is setting the stage for the significance of Holy Communion.
But James, in trying to placate the legalists, is,
none the less, establishing works as means to salvation for the Gentiles, all
of which will, in later times, be shown to be insignificant in matters of faith.
The Church must always be careful that we never
establish rules of faith that are out of sync with Jesus’ teaching. Be discerning of the way of God, but never
judge others by what you believe! You
never know who is walking in God’s favor – just like the Jews did with the
Gentiles!
May we always seek out the truth of God’s laws, to
walk in His ways, to follow the example of Jesus, and to listen only to the
guidance that comes from the Holy Spirit of God. The world will object, though, and want to implement
their own rules to define the means to faith and salvation. But the LORD would have us shun the
laws and ways of the earth, and to place our hope in Him and Him alone.
May it be so for all who claim the name of Jesus.
