Christian Living
Acts 15.1-35
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I have chosen for my New Testament article, Acts 15.1-35, which is one of those theological situations where the Church, with all the potential which she has within herself, is either going to advance effectively in a multiplicity of different directions, or, she is going to stay where she is and eventually stagnate and die.
Who or what would cause such a predicament to come into being, especially when it was God Himself who has brought the Church into existence? The enemy, through an attitude of legalism, had infiltrated the church through deceitful methods and was endeavouring to entwine and entrap her where she was, with the many different strands of legalistic behaviour.
The early Church had already faced many problems, along with varying degrees of persecution, but now, the enemy was active inside the body of Christ and he was planning to utilise his position and do as much harm as possible.
Luke, with precision-like accuracy, portrays the converted Pharisees as the major antagonists. Paul, Barnabas, Peter and James as those who constituted the theological and orthodox defence and the general assembly of the apostles, the elders and the congregation as those with the casting vote.
The enemy hates incidents like this one. For in its outcome, he can see his doom clearly unfolding. He did his best here by placing those who were available and willing to do evil, men in strategic positions, and yet, the passage ends with the Church as one man keeping in step with the Spirit and the rest of the body and leaving the enemy in disarray.
However, as most of us know through experience, personal problems and persecution were and still are good breeding ground for spiritual development.
For example, in this chapter, as also in [Acts 6.1-7; 19.9-10], we are able to see God take control of the evil, which the enemy has secretly manufactured and set in motion. And yet, despite this, God enlarged and expanded the influence of the church [Acts 15.35].
To be honest, this was probably the worst enemy the young church could have faced at this time, for they were believers but they were also strongly committed to the principle of circumcision as well as the Law of Moses. The enemy will often come against the church with the right-sounding words, accompanied with a deadly, hidden agenda.
The majority of these men came from Judea to Antioch in Syria where God, through Paul and Barnabas, was doing a good and a permanent work among both Jews and Gentiles, who were working and worshipping together.
These men had woven their way into this group and advocated that the latter group of people needed to be circumcised, therefore creating division between Jews and Gentiles. Obviously, this teaching was clearly opposed by God’s anointed messengers.
Incidentally, one of the unmistakable marks of a cult is that they pay homage to Jesus but they also teach the people that they need … in this case, circumcision.
As this disagreement grew, it created confusion and division among the new believers. As all the determined efforts of the mature believers failed to stop the perpetual onslaught of the enemy, as a last resort, it was decided to ask the Apostles and Elders in Jerusalem for their advice.
15.1 "Some men.... began teaching.” George Stokes has uncovered and explained just what these people were really like,
“These religious agitators, with their narrow views about life and ritual, displayed the characteristics of like-minded men ever since. They secretly crept into the church. There was a want of manly honesty about them. Their pettiness of vision and of thought affected their whole nature, their entire conduct. They loved the by-ways of intrigue and fraud, and therefore they hesitated not to claim an authority, which they had never received, invoking apostolic names on behalf of a doctrine, which the apostles had never sanctioned.” 1
Paul and Barnabas, left Antioch and after visiting some churches, arrived in Jerusalem and were both warmly welcomed by the Church leaders.
Luke does not tell us who was responsible, but whoever decided that Paul and Barnabas should open the conference, played a masterstroke.
Here there were two anointed Pastors and Missionaries setting out the spiritual temperature of the Council by openly declaring and testifying to what God had accomplished both in Antioch and what He had done among the believers while they were on their way to Jerusalem.
The Pharisees who advocated that those Gentiles who had been converted must be circumcised and required to keep the Law of Moses followed them
Understandably, much discussion followed both of these parties, especially as there was no theological connecting ground between the first two groups.
C.K. Barrett has clearly defined the expression, “Much discussion” as “ … To search for truth through public inquiry and debate, and it will shortly appear that the leading figures are agreed.” 2
Peter stood up, as was normal, and testified to God’s call upon him to go to the Gentiles and he then referred those present to what had happened in the house of Cornelius 10-12 years ago when as he was speaking to a house full of Gentiles, God, in one specific act of regeneration, cleansed their hearts by faith, sealed and filled them with His Holy Spirit, just as He had done with the disciples on the day of Pentecost.
He is still doing the same today as I Howard Marshall adds from Acts 15.14,
"Among the Gentiles a people for His name.” “The paradox inherent in the contrast between "Gentiles" [or nations] and the "people" is striking, since the latter term was often used of the Jews as the people of God in contrast to the Gentiles. Now it is being urged that God's people includes the Gentiles.” 3
The whole assembly was quiet as Barnabas and Paul then spoke about the accompanying divine affirmation when God, by His Holy Spirit, manifested signs and wonders among the Gentiles [15.12]
James wholeheartedly agreed with Peter, Barnabas and Paul and he carefully added the words of Amos, one of the four 8th century prophets, which were confirmed by Simeon just before his death, that it was God’s intention to save the Gentiles [Amos 9.11-12; Luke 2.29-32].
These four formidable testimonies, to God’s work, past and present, carried a lot of theological weight in comparison to the minor contribution of the Pharisees.
They were noticeably quiet as these men of God told the whole truth about His will and His heart. They had no one to call on who had had a life-changing experience or a revelation of divine power through either circumcision or legalism.
15.20 Note here that the “The Western text omits the reference to things strangled [15.20, 29] … the omission allows the prohibition to be interpreted as touching simply on ethical matters, namely, idolatry, immorality and blood, that is, murder … ” 4
Now, in our day, we do not have the men in place that they had in the Acts of the Apostles. However, it is worth remembering that the measuring rod, which defused and defeated the enemy until they stood powerless as the men of God, walked on by and into new territories is still available to us today.
Their trust was in the Spirit of the Lord. It seemed good to them and to Him to make the ruling which they then put in writing and sent it out by the hands of men who loved God and who genuinely cared for the churches.
Wherever they went they destroyed the work of the enemy and enabled the churches to continue to walk in love and liberty.
Footnotes
1 George T. Stokes. Page 233
2 C. K. Barrett. Page 713
3 I. Howard Marshall. 1983. Page 251
4 David J. Williams. Pages 267-268
Bibliography
The Acts of the Apostles. Volume 2. T and T Clark. C. K. Barrett. 1998
Acts. New International Biblical Commentary. Hendrickson Publishers. David J. Williams. 1990
A commentary on the Acts of the Apostles. Adam and Charles Black. C. S. C. Williams. 1978
Acts. The Tyndale Press. E M.Blaiklock. 1969
The Acts of the Apostles. Hodder and Stoughton. George T. Stokes. Undated.
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