Acts 15:5-6 - But then some of the men who had been Pharisees before their conversion stood to their feet and declared that all Gentile converts must be circumcised and required to follow all the Jewish customs and ceremonies. So the apostles and church elders set a further meeting to decide this question.
A debate had begun between the Jewish and the Gentile converts. The Jewish converts insisted that salvation was dependent upon keeping the Jewish laws and customs intact. Circumcision was one of the biggies. But the Gentiles were not sold on this idea completely and they went to Barnabus and Paul for their opinion. A meeting was called to discuss it at length…and it was finally decided that no Jewish law decided salvation…but that the laws that kept them from eating meat sacrificed to idols….and dealing with raw blood would need to be a part of their new thinking….for these would please God.
The laws were written based on the10 commandments. They were meant to be a guide…a teacher of God’s ways…a way to understand the God they vowed to serve and show Him they loved Him back. They were meant to help them identify sin in their life. They were never meant to bind…or confuse…to limit ones relationship with God. They were never meant to become a means of salvation….only the blood of an innocent animal and the confession of sins would do that.
Moses was given 10 commandments from God…and that is all we need to think about today to please God. Love God…only God…and never profane His name. Love each other as much as we love ourselves. Pick a day to worship and rest. Respect and honor our parents and never covet anyone else’s things. Don’t lie on others….cheat…or murder. Respect the bonds you make with your spouse by not entering into adultery.
The world has tended to recreate that list of extra rules. It seems that a simple 10 is not clear enough for some. God doesn’t want us to redefine what he meant by these rules…he meant for each of us to study His word and decide if what we were thinking about doing was a good thing or bad thing according to what he told Moses so long ago.
One last thought…this chapter ends with a great letter to the Gentiles that had asked the questions. Paul and James wrote a beautiful…loving answer that explained all that had been discussed. They knew how important it was to deliver the truth to these new Christians…so they could see and study for themselves. The choice would ultimately be theirs. They never wanted to lose any respect by imposing their thoughts on others…they simply presented the truth and let them make their own decision.
I needed the reminder today that God expects me to love him by keeping His rules of order and guidance. He wants me to search the scriptures for my answers and meet with other Christians to hear their interpretation. Then He expects me to make a choice…to follow what the Spirit and His word have guided me too. Those rules were made to help ME identify sin in MY life....not get on a soapbox and batter others with accusations. Remember Luke’s words in 6:42 … How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.
Father….thank you for the reminder that I need to show my love for you by keeping the rules you gave Moses. Forgive me for the times that I have broken rules…..twisted rules…justified rules…or ignored them completely. Help me to see the value in keeping all your rules…and delivering their truth to others in love only when you call me too. Amen.
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