ACTS 15:1-35
The earliest Christians were fundamentally Jewish people. There were Jewish people who lived in Jerusalem, and there were Jewish people who lived in other parts of the world who happened to be in Jerusalem when Peter and the others burst out of their upper room and declared the greatest news of all time.
But they were all Jewish people.
And then came this guy named Cornelius, and this issue that had been lurking beneath the surface bubbled up. If a Gentile heard about Jesus, would that Gentile have to become Jewish first in order to become a Christian?
This issue brought up a whole bushel of issues. What about circumcision? What about sacrifices? What about the Temple and the dietary laws and the Sabbath and all the stuff that comes with being Jewish?
The underlying question was this. Is faith in Christ enough, or should there be something else — something more?
Jewish people had always made provision for outsiders who wanted to join them, but the provision involved some external ritual — namely, circumcision. Now, however, saying that a person had to be circumcised in order to be saved sounded like Jesus didn’t really accomplish everything, like maybe He needed some help from us, a little boost.
That didn’t sound right.
As you might imagine, there were debates and discussions and diatribes. (Religion has always been a touchy subject, and the first century was no exception.) But because the earliest leaders of the Church relied so heavily on the Holy Spirit’s guidance, cooler heads prevailed. Gathering all the concerned parties in Jerusalem, a meeting was held to sort things out. They discussed the issues openly and honestly. Their conclusion was clear and decisive.
Jesus Christ, their Messiah, had accomplished everything necessary for salvation through His sinless life, sacrificial death and victorious resurrection. Nothing else must ever be added to that. In doing so, He opened the way for people of every nationality and ethnic background to come to God. The only way to God is Jesus. Period.
With that in mind, it also seemed wise for them to make two suggestions. First, if you want to follow Jesus, you have to commit to holy living. Second, it’s a good idea to be sensitive to one another and not do things just to aggravate each other. These aren’t conditions of your Christianity, they are expressions of your Christianity. The motivation for living this way isn’t obligation, it is love.
Seems like Jesus had said something about love, hadn’t He? Oh, yeah — that bit about love being the way people would know we are really His followers.
Prayer
Lord God, Your Word clearly demonstrates the need for a quality of righteousness that cannot be earned by us but must be credited to us. All of us fall so short of Your glorious character that the differences between the best and the worst people who ever lived are trivial in comparison to the standard of perfection that You require. The Mosaic Law was a tutor to lead us to our need for faith, because no one can be justified in Your sight by the works of the Law. The Law reveals the problem of sin; but only in Christ, who is the fulfilment of the Law, can righteousness before You be found. I praise and glorify Your Name for Your righteousness, which comes through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe. Through His gift of redemption, You have justified all people who transfer their trust from themselves to Him.
In Jesus’s name, Amen
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