The largest theological challenge for the early Jewish church was the fact that God, as confirmed by the Holy Spirit, was willing to justify, atone, and save all believers, including non-Jews, by faith alone. In Acts chapter 10, God demonstrated that a Roman centurion and his household could be saved by faith in Jesus Christ apart from any work of the flesh.
Cornelius and his household believed the message about Jesus Christ and received power to speak in foriegn languages through the Holy Spirit of Yahweh. Even baptism waits until after the Holy Spirit has been poured out upon these people. This precedent, precipitated by the Lord himself (Acts 10:9), opened the door for the mass evangelization of the Gentiles.
Jewish understanding had traditionally held that the absense of physical circumcision was a barrier to salvation (convenant relationship). However,God demonstrates here that his primary interest was a "circumcised heart". God clarifies his original intent for the benifit of the Jewish believers that the circumcision of the flesh was from its inception only an outward sign of an inward condition (Romans 2:28). The apostle Paul makes the observation that it was the inward circumcision (faith) that justified Abraham, the recipient of the promise of blessing.
Salvation and justification before God are attained by faith and not by any act of obedience. Is this a new teaching? The answer is "No". This had been true for the Jew all along (Romans 3:9).
It is just as clear, however, that obedience is not, suddenly, unimportant to God. Obedience has a significant role in our identity as Christians. Obedience has its rewards, yet it is not the source of our confidence before God. A thorough investigation demonstrates that obedience alone had never justified anyone either in the OT or now in these last days.
After a lengthy discussion (Acts 15:1), the assembly in Jerusalem (incl. Peter & James) agrees that faith is what saves both Jew and Gentile alike. "After much debate", Peter reminds the believers that the same faith which caused the Holy Spirit to be poured out on Cornelius saves the Jew as well.
The Way in Jerusalem determines not to "test God" by requiring physical circumcision and obedience to the law before fellowshiping the Gentile converts. The Way in Jerusalem, however, decides to require four things.
Abstain from food polluted by idols.
From sexual immorality
From the meat of strangled animals
And from blood.
It is interesting to note that these requirements come directly from the Old Testament "Law". One has to do with morality and three with food. What was the purpose of these requirements? Are they now, in the next breath, hypocritically "testing God" with burdensome requirements on behavior and food?
I believe that these restrictions were intended to facilitate fellowship. If the new convert brought these things as food or this behavior into the assembly, the Jewish church would have problems eating with, thus fellowshiping a Gentile.
But what about stealing, lying, hating, coveting, idol worship, keeping the Sabbath, etc. There are many other things the New Testament writers later condemn not addressed in this short list. Did the Church leadership have no further expectations of the Gentile? I believe the next verse points to the rational of the Jerusalem apostles and elders of the Lord's first "church".
Why require so little from these fresh converts?
"For (or because) Moses has been preached in every city in the synagogues on every Sabbath." Acts 15:20
The elders in Jerusalem expect that these new believers will have ample opportunity to grow and mature in their knowledge of the scriptures by attending Synagogue on the Sabbath.
...Called To Holiness The modern conclusion concerning this first church council is that the God has now repudiated the law of Moses itself. That is, James might be paraphrased as saying, "only require four things because Moses has been preached forever and what good has it ever done." This interpretation is built upon Acts 15:10.
"Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are." Acts 15:10-11
The more common interpretation says that the unbearable yoke is the Law itself. A second interpretation says that the unbearable yoke is a dependence on the law for justification.
What does the scripture say? We are saved by faith but what comes next? How shall we respond to such a great and free message of salvation?
If you really believe a train is coming you will get out of the way. If you just stand there, what does that say about your "faith". Likewise, if you "believe" that Jesus suffered for you transgressions and you are in his debt, you will not hold such love in contempt. You will return that love. Jesus taught that obedience was the "response" God was looking for. Obedience is meaningless apart from the covenant relationship initianted by God through faith but within the context of faith, obedience has great reward attatched to it.
Throughout God's word, it is clear that a faith that allows the convert to continue practicing evil is not really the faith God requires. Believers are encouraged throughout the New Testament to be Holy even as God is Holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). James, the very elder who makes only four initial requirements from the Law writes,
"What good is it my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such a faith save him?" James 1:14
"But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he heard, but doing it - he will be blessed in what he does" James 1:25.
To what law is James referring? James is thinking of none other than the "Law" or Torah of God. It makes no sense, as some have done at this point, to concoct an imaginary "Law of Christ" taught nowhere in the scriptures. The only "Law" Jesus ever referred to was the Torah. If there is a "Law of Christ", what does it contain? Compare the following Old Testament description of the "Law" to that of James 1:25.
"Do not snatch the word of truth from my mouth, for I have put my hope in your laws. I will always obey your law, forever and ever. I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts."(Psalms 119:43-45)
"If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your forefathers. He will love you and bless you and increase your numbers. He will bless..." (Duet 7:12)
I do not think it too much to suggest that the Jerusalem assembly "assumed" these Gentile converts would progress beyond their fragile beginnings and mature in their understanding of the scriptures and their obedience to God's commandments (Torah). But it was deemed wise not to burden them with the full Torah before they understood its balanced relationship to salvation by faith.
I do not think it is reasonable or consistent with the rest of scripture for Gentile believers to use Acts 15 as an excuse to "pick and choose" which acts of obedience they want to live under as if "Love and good works" was now a democratic initiative and a matter of personal interpretation.
The apostle Paul said, "There is no difference between Jew and Gentile". We like to assume that this means the Jews now have to give up and join us. What is more accurate is that every believer is now under the same covenant, obligation and guidelines that the Jew has been under from the beginning. The covenant to love God according to HIS righteousness.
We are now able, through the sacrifice of the Jewish Messiah, to join with the Jew in following the God of Abraham, Issac and Jacob. The faithful Jew is already mature in the ways of God's will. It is time for the Gentiles to grow beyond the milk of salvation and baptism and go on to a mature knowledge of what obedience and love are all about. Generally speaking, we stubbornly remain children in the playroom of grace but God wants us to grow up in the truth, into true sons and daughters of the Father in Heaven. Click below for the next article in the series |
