Acts 15 - 16

Letting Go Of The Law

Acts 15 has always been an interesting chapter to me because it highlights the difficulties of human nature and the fear of change.  In many ways, people learn to live with something, even when they know it is not good for them, because the fear of change, even with the promise of something better, is too great. Think of some extreme examples: a woman stays with an abusive mate because the fear of being alone outweighs the fear of living with a devil; a person remains in a dead-end job because the fear of failure in something new is too uncomfortable; a believer remains locked in denominational creeds because the fear of rejection by friends and family for being a "religious fanatic" is too daunting.

In this chapter there is a group of Jewish believers who want the benefits of Christianity (grace, forgiveness) but still want to remain under the oppression of the Law.  All of this is hidden in self-righteousness and a desire to control others through fear.  In verse one their edict is stated, "Unless you are circumcised as required by the Law of Moses, you cannot be saved." This sounds okay, but is absolutely anti-Christian and anti-Word. Ironically, it is not even doctrinally sound under the rubric of the Law itself.  There is no place in the Law that equates salvation with the act of circumcision.

The inchoate church was vulnerable to this type of heresy.  Since Jesus was sent to the Jews and all the Apostles and early converts were Jews, then it is understandable that the Law remained a huge influence in the early church.  However, the exponential growth of Christianity and the prevalence of the Holy Spirit in Jews and Gentiles had to cause this attachment to the Law to be questioned.  Thank the Lord, Paul and Barnabas "vehemently disagreed with them" to the point that a council was set up in Jerusalem to discuss the matter. It is no surprise that Peter, the one to whom the keys to the Kingdom had been entrusted, spoke questioning those promoting the Law, "So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a yoke that neither we [the Jews] nor our ancestors were able to bear?" (v. 10, emphasis mine).  The council correctly decided that the Law and circumcision were not required for salvation, but the early church continued to be influenced by this spirit.

Amazingly, this spirit still lives on today.  It does not point specifically to the old Mosaic Law, instead it points to rituals, liturgies, legalism, and other man-made requirements that have absolutely nothing to do with salvation through Jesus Christ.  So while the early church vehemently fought against the ideas of "Law requirements," the battle was not won on the grand scale.  Far too many Christians, yet today, still think their salvation is dependent on their actions instead of the Grace of God.  This is a war that Satan will wage until Jesus returns.

May God bless you and bless the reading of His Word.