Acts 21:15 ¶ And after those days we took up our carriages, and went up to Jerusalem. 16 There went with us also certain of the disciples of Caesarea, and brought with them one Mnason of Cyprus, an old disciple, with whom we should lodge. 17 And when we were come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. 18 And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present. 19 And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry. 20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law: 21 And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. 22 What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come. 23 Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them; 24 Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law. 25 As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication. 26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.
We see here again that the Jewish converts are still being told
that they must obey the Law of Moses. In verse 20 it is said that the thousands
of Jews that believe are also zealous of the Law. Later we will see Paul’s
argument against such teaching.
Galatians 3:1 ¶ O foolish
Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before
whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
2 This only would I learn of you,
Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the
Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
Paul is accused of telling the Jewish Christians not to obey Moses
or have their children circumcised. He doesn’t exactly say that. He says we are
not justified by the Law and for an adult Christian to be circumcised for
religious reasons is bending to the Law and not to Christ.
Galatians 3:24 Wherefore
the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be
justified by faith. 25 But after that
faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster.
Galatians 5:1 ¶ Stand fast
therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not
entangled again with the yoke of bondage. 2
Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if ye be
circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. 3 For I testify again to every man that is
circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law. 4 Christ is become of no effect unto you,
whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from
grace. 5 For we through the Spirit wait
for the hope of righteousness by faith. 6
For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision
availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by
love. 7 Ye did run well; who did hinder
you that ye should not obey the truth? 8
This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. 9 A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.
But Paul did surrender to this notion for the Jews’ sake with
regard to Timothy in Acts 16, which goes against what he himself will believe
is right.
The elders at Jerusalem appear to accept a division between Jew
and Gentile Christian, with the Jew obeying the law and the Gentile not having
much required of them. But, the Holy Spirit through Paul will show us all that
there is Jew and Gentile and then there is the Church composed of both Jew and
Gentile believers in one faith not two separate religions.
Ephesians 2:11 ¶ Wherefore
remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called
Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by
hands [Jews who practice circumcision]; 12 That at that time ye were without Christ,
being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants
of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: 13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were
far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
14 ¶ For he is our peace, who hath made both [Jew
and Gentile] one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between
us [Jew and Gentile}; 15 Having
abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in
ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
16 And that he might reconcile both unto
God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: 17 And came and preached peace to you which were
afar off, and to them that were nigh. 18
For through him we both [Jew and Gentile] have access by one
Spirit unto the Father. 19 Now therefore
ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints,
and of the household of God; 20 And are
built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself
being the chief corner stone; 21 In whom
all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:
22 In whom ye also are builded together
for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Perhaps it took chaining Paul to a Roman soldier in a rented house
in Rome to straighten out his doctrine. Here, James and the elders instruct him
to take four men, presumably Jewish Christians, to the temple to take a vow and
show obedience to the Law of Moses perhaps as a Pharisaic extension of
regulations in Numbers 6 and other Old Testament places. At the same time they
reinforce what few things are expected of the Gentile Christians.
I noted previously that animals which were strangled would not
have the blood properly removed from them, which is the interpretation used by
most commentators. But consider the context. Things offered to idols, eating
things offered to idols, is the first proscription. So, now we are in
the realm of heathen worship. Then comes mention of fornication, which we do
note as practiced in rites of certain goddesses. Keeping in the context of
pagan worship we have things strangled and from writers like the Greek
historian, Herodotus, we know that certain tribes practiced ritual
strangulation in some of their ceremonies. We then come to the forbidding of
eating blood which is banned before the Law;
Genesis 9:4 But flesh with
the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
Under the Law given to Moses;
Deuteronomy 12:23 Only be
sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou mayest
not eat the life with the flesh.
And, of course, here. Drinking blood was commonplace among many
religions of the ancient world including Egypt just as it is a practice in
witchcraft.
Psalm 16:4 Their sorrows
shall be multiplied that hasten after another god: their drink offerings of
blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.
So, taking these admonitions to the Gentiles in context it is at
least arguable that they were from more a desire to keep Gentile Christians
from the pollution of pagan worship than from a desire to make them a little
Jewish. These forbidden practices defined ancient religion in its expression.
Paul will go into more detail in Corinthians.
This confusion in the early church must be straightened out. As we
saw earlier, first God had to motivate them to get out of Jerusalem and fulfill
His commissions for them.
Matthew 28:19 Go ye
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:
and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.
Acts 1:8 But ye shall
receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be
witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and
unto the uttermost part of the earth.
He will plant Paul in bondage in Rome to have him give us the
beautiful doctrine of his letters which must be very, very important to God.
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