Settling Church Conflict - Acts 15

¹² The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. ¹³ When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. ¹⁴ Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles.¹⁵ The 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, ¹⁷ that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things’— ¹⁸ things known from long ago.

They hear of the signs and wonders that God miraculously did through Barnabas and Paul in their reaching out to the Gentiles.  This adds much significance to the importance that God is putting on sharing the Message with them and upon their belief. 

The tradition of the church is that this James is the brother of Jesus.  However, he could have been James, son of Alphaeus, which was one of the twelve.  Either way, he is the one who speaks up and is heard as making the judgment on this matter.  He is the leader of the church in Jerusalem. 

He quotes Amos 9:11-12.  He uses this to back his statement that God is calling out a people for His name from the Gentiles.  God is calling out from every tribe and nation, every color, every language, every climate, every race, a people - a body of Christ - who will bear His name. 

¹⁹ “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. ²⁰ Instead 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. ²¹ For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”

The points of their considerations are:

1.   Do not make it difficult for those who turn to God.  They are not to be put under the Mosaic system.  This is something that we should all remember to apply today; do not make it hard for people to believe in God or show up to church.  We should do our best to welcome anyone who is willing to hear the Word of God.

2.   Write to them to encourage them not to worship idols and and from eating strangled animals and blood.  

There is some courtesy involved with the meat offered from idol worship.  In that day, it was not uncommon for people to take their best animals and offer them to a pagan god, they would offer the spiritual animal and that god would supposedly eat the spiritual animal.  This allowed for them to sell their best animal at the marketplace.  It was of no conscious to a Gentile to buy their meat at this marketplace, but for a Jew it was unthinkable.  So, if a Christian Gentile had a Christian Jew over for dinner, should the Christian Jew have to be rude and not eat the offering of his fellow brother or sister in Christ?  This isn’t about the law, it’s about not being offensive to a fellow believer.

The same is true for the strangled animals (violent death) and the blood.  These would also be very offensive to their Jewish brothers and sisters.  Blood, for a Jew living by the Mosaic law, represented life given by God.  It also represents a ransom payment as a sacrifice for sins.  Therefore, it was sacred and not to be consumed. (Gen 9:3-6; Lev 17:10-14, 16:16)

When Jesus shed His blood, He willingly gave up His life and paid the ransom payment for all of our sins.  This is why there is much said about the blood.  It had sincere meanings and is written about in the Old Testament as a part of relation with God to His giving of life and forgiving of sin.

3.   Don’t participate in sexual immoralities.  The society at that time was very pagan and the morality the Jews were familiar with regarding adultery, fornication, etc. may not have been regularly practiced by Gentiles.

If they had been to synagogues or had started going, they would have heard the teachings of the law of Moses.  How would this apply to new Christians who were not Jews?  Here is an abbreviated list to help.

Seems like they would have written to them and outlined the ten commandments indicating how following these would help them lead a Godly life if they had no other instruction.  Anyway, this is the start of the Christian church centers sending letters to the small and remote missionary churches.  It is also the first corporate church resolution where the church is scattered.  The church as a whole is still working as a body of believers.  

They observed where God was working through the testimonies of Paul and Barnabas then sought how to not impede God in that work.  Too many churches make decisions upon what they have always done or want to do and not upon where God is actively working.  This should be an example for church decisions today.