Parts of God's Law have been abolished for Christians. What does this mean for you?
Acts 15:1-21 (NIV)
Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3 The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.
5 Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”
6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? 11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”
12 The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them.
13 When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. 14 Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. 15 The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:
16 “ ‘After this I will return
and rebuild David’s fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild,
and I will restore it,
17 that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
even all the Gentiles who bear my name,
says the Lord, who does these things’ —
18 things known from long ago.
19 “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21 For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”
Listen to passage & devotional:
Belgic Confession of Faith, Article 25: The Fulfillment of the Law
We believe
that the ceremonies and symbols of the law have ended
with the coming of Christ,
and that all foreshadowings have come to an end,
so that the use of them ought to be abolished
among Christians.
Yet the truth and substance of these things
remain for us in Jesus Christ,
in whom they have been fulfilled.
Nevertheless,
we continue to use the witnesses
drawn from the law and prophets
to confirm us in the gospel
and to regulate our lives with full integrity
for the glory of God,
according to his will.
Summary
It might be easy to think that church disagreements are a modern phenomenon, but Acts 15 reminds us that Christians have come to different theological interpretations of various issues ever since the Church's inception. This first big controversy was over how it was that newly converted Gentiles needed to conform to Jewish religious rituals that had been set forth in the Old Testament - especially in regards to circumcision.
The Pharisees who'd become Christians remained steadfast that these converted Gentiles needed to comply with all of the requirements set forth in the law before they could be considered as God's people, but other church leaders like Peter spoke up and pointed out that God had already blessed these converts with the Holy Spirit which indicated that He'd accepted them apart from religious ceremonies.
The early Church didn't let this "sharp dispute" fester. They did what churches ever since have done when issues and disagreements arise. They called a meeting and worked it out. Notice in this passage how each side could present their case, and also how James based his decision upon scripture (he quotes Amos and Isaiah).
Ultimately, this room full of passionate, strong personalities was led by the Holy Spirit to recognize how religious rituals and customs, set forth in the Law of Moses, which guided God's people for centuries, had been fulfilled by Christ. Christians, as Peter said, are saved through grace. This is why our Confession says that "the use of ceremonies and symbols... ought to be abolished among Christians."
Dig Deeper
It's important to note what James does, and does not, set aside. He puts an end to the ceremonial aspects of the law. We know from the book of James, which is a collection of his sermons, that he still expected believers to uphold the moral parts of the law (see especially James 2).
James also limits the exercise of Christian freedom. Gentile converts must not do things that their Jewish brethren would find offensive, especially in regards to the types of food they ate. Nor did the fact that Christians are saved by grace make it acceptable for them to do things God had clearly designated in His law as being sinful, like sexual immorality. Even Peter, who advocated for the ceremonial law to be set aside, calls for Christians to continue to keep God's moral law and to not fall into the "error of lawlessness" (2 Peter 3:17).
As we learned yesterday, even though it's not always easy, and good Christians come to different conclusions about different parts of God's law, it's critical to understand the distinctions the Church makes in order to properly determine how to live according to God's law as people saved by grace.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who has accepted us by giving us His Holy Spirit;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray for the wisdom to know and discern God's will as it's communicated in His law;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: 1 Corinthians 6
Comments