A Decision is reached
Acts 15:6-21
6 The apostles and the elders met together to consider this matter. 7 After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, ‘My brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that I should be the one through whom the Gentiles would hear the message of the good news and become believers. 8 And God, who knows the human heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us; 9 and in cleansing their hearts by faith he has made no distinction between them and us. 10 Now therefore why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? 11 On the contrary, we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.’
12 The whole assembly kept silence, and listened to Barnabas and Paul as they told of all the signs and wonders that God had done through them among the Gentiles. 13 After they finished speaking, James replied, ‘My brothers, listen to me. 14 Simeon has related how God first looked favourably on the Gentiles, to take from among them a people for his name. 15 This agrees with the words of the prophets, as it is written,
16 “After this I will return,
and I will rebuild the dwelling of David, which has fallen;
from its ruins I will rebuild it, and I will set it up,
17 so that all other peoples may seek the Lord—
even all the Gentiles over whom my name has been called.
Thus says the Lord, who has been making these things 18 known from long ago.”
19 Therefore I have reached the decision that we should not trouble those Gentiles who are turning to God, 20 but we should write to them to abstain only from things polluted by idols and from fornication and from whatever has been strangled and from blood. 21 For in every city, for generations past, Moses has had those who proclaim him, for he has been read aloud every sabbath in the synagogues.”
This is the minutes of the debate about the process by which Gentiles would be received as followers of Jesus (recognized as Christians). Would Gentiles need to obey all of the law of Moses or not? Only content from two of the speeches are included, although there were many speeches – vs. 7 says there was “much debate”.
After many people had spoken, Peter spoke, the center of his argument was that God cleansed the hearts of the Gentiles by faith, giving to the Gentiles the Holy Spirit just as God had done for the Jewish Christians. Peter is saying all human beings have things in their lives that need to be cleansed, washed clean. Both Jews and Gentiles, everyone, can be cleansed by faith in the good news about Jesus (vs. 7). Forgiveness of sins is to be found in Jesus Christ, and by the power of the Holy Spirit new life is given to those who believe.
Later James, the half-brother of Jesus, an important leader in the Jewish church in Jerusalem, spoke, in many ways summarizing the direction the discussion that had taken place. The good news was for the Gentiles and the Jews. James proposed guidelines for the Gentiles to follow in their lives – three related directly to idol worship and worship in the temples of the various Roman and Greek gods (“things polluted by idols” which is given further definition “whatever has been strangled and from blood”. Strangling animals was the preferred method of some of the sacrifices in the temples of the Roman and Greek gods.) The call to avoid “fornication”, was a call to sexual morality. Many women in the Greek and Roman world turned to Christianity, because its call to sexual morality contrasted with the sexual practices of the Greek and Roman world which degraded women.
Vs. 21, reminded everyone that Christians needed to show respect towards their Jewish neighbours even as they followed Jesus Christ, and not the law of Moses.
PRAYER:
We rejoice, O Lord, that a way was found for the Gentiles to become part of the church. May we be people who are drawn into the worship of idols in our day, keep us from loving the idols of our world more than we love your Son, Jesus Christ. In whose name we pray. Amen.