Acts 15
The Council at Jerusalem
1Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." 2This 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. 3The 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 brothers very glad. 4When 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.
5Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses."
6The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7After 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. 8God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10Now 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? 11No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are."
12The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 13When they finished, James spoke up: "Brothers, listen to me. 14Simon[a] has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself. 15The 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,
17that the remnant of men may seek the Lord,
and all the Gentiles who bear my name,
says the Lord, who does these things'[b]
18that have been known for ages.[c]
19"It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20Instead 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. 21For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath."
The Council's Letter to Gentile Believers
22Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, two men who were leaders among the brothers. 23With them they sent the following letter: The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings. 24We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— 26men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.
30The men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. 31The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. 32Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers. 33After spending some time there, they were sent off by the brothers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them.[d] 35But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.
there were 4 "laws" that the Councel gave. It was Made up of Peter (the rock), James (the brother of Christ) and other elders and apostoles we are told. Paul in this case (with barnabas) is argueing that the Gentiles (which is the people who are the ancestors of the modern church) should not be under the law that they Jewish Christians could not even follow.
I find it very Ironic that we see Paul as such this hard person, who is unchanging...and here he is the one who is argueing in favor of not holding the new converts to the old law.
Then we have James, brother of Jesus, who hands down the laws that the followers must follow.
1. No Sacrifices Basically
2. No Sexual Intercourse outside of the Marriage bond as described in Leviticus
3. No eating of Strangled Animals
4. No eating of blood. as they believed that a blood contained an animals spirit.
so on issues such as homosexuality...was paul really the "bad guy of the new testement" in not allowing homosexuality relationships...or was it really the Council and James? And if Paul was in fact, just following what was decided by the Elders of the baby religion... Why do we blame him today? People are happy to just "do away" with Paul's teaching because they say he did not "walk with Christ" But here....we have someone else telling the story. Peter steps up and says...Remember...I was called first to do this (the story of Peter in prayer seeing the table cloth lowered and God telling him to eat the unclean food 3 times. and that God makes it clean....and peter knowing this is the message that others could recieve God's holy word. Peter goes in and "backs up" what Paul has been doing basically. And again, this is not Paul's telling of the events that happened...they are Luke's.
My question is, why on this one issue....does Paul take the "blame"? Doesn't this scripture prove that this was not his decision? That he was the radical proclaiming that the Gentiles should not be held to the old law that not even Jewish Christians could follow?
No comments:
Post a Comment