One thing I remember struggling to reconcile with Jesus Christ being the end of the Law of Moses for all who believe were the commands given by the Holy Spirit and the church leaders in Jerusalem to Gentile believers. It seems the Jews struggled with it too, as they mistakenly believed to be saved it was necessary for Gentile believers to be circumcised and keep the Law - a Law which they themselves could not keep and could only condemn. God did not call Gentiles to live as Jews or Jews as Gentiles, but having made the two groups one they were to love one another as Jesus loved them.
The context is key to understanding and applying the Acts 15 passage personally. The background of the Jews and Gentiles could not have been more different: Jews were monotheistic, kept the Law of Moses and the feasts in Jerusalem, and it was forbidden to fashion any image. The Gentiles were pagan and had countless deities they worshipped through drunken feasting and fornication. Every man did what was right in his own eyes. Though the Gospel was first preached among the Jews by Jesus and other Jews, it was rejected full-stop by the Pharisees, chief priest, and scribes in Jerusalem. Fierce persecution scattered thousands of Jewish Christians throughout the world and Gentiles in droves came to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
Paul's custom when he entered a city was to go straight to the Jewish synagogue and reason with the Jews concerning Jesus being the promised Messiah and Saviour of the world. When the Jews refused to listen, Paul took the message of salvation by grace through faith to the Gentiles and many believed. These Gentiles became Christ's ambassadors in their towns and cities to pious Jews who dwelt among them. Because the background of the Gentiles was pagan and their practices unclean under Law, they had absolutely no credibility among the Jews and would be shunned. So how could the gap be spanned? This was done not by Law but by the love of Jesus Christ in these Spirit-filled Gentiles as they implemented lifestyle changes as God determined necessary.
After much discussion in Jerusalem, the decision of the church concerning the conduct of Gentiles was delivered in Acts 15:28-29: "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: 29 that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell." These directives are found in the Law of Moses and put very simply for these Gentiles to implement. It was not a condensed or abbreviated new set of laws to govern men, but to aid Gentiles to understand what tripped Jews up in Gentile society. Greek or Roman Law did not forbid any of these things; it was a foreign concept entirely that meat offered to idols was offensive or eating raw meat, or sleeping with temple prostitutes or having child lovers was an issue.
I believe the response of the believers showed they were filled with the same Spirit, they were edified. Acts 15:30-31 reads, "So when they were sent off, they came to Antioch; and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter. 31 When they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement." The prohibitions delivered to the Gentiles are not a new set of laws for us to observe, but the way Gentiles could walk in love towards people whose strict lifestyle they were entirely unfamiliar with. The principle behind these commands is in full force for all followers of Jesus Christ today, that out of love we would be sensitive to the feelings and background of others. With a desire to see other people follow Jesus we should not cater to sin, but ensure we do all we can to avoid laying stumbling blocks in the way of others and walk in love.
The context is key to understanding and applying the Acts 15 passage personally. The background of the Jews and Gentiles could not have been more different: Jews were monotheistic, kept the Law of Moses and the feasts in Jerusalem, and it was forbidden to fashion any image. The Gentiles were pagan and had countless deities they worshipped through drunken feasting and fornication. Every man did what was right in his own eyes. Though the Gospel was first preached among the Jews by Jesus and other Jews, it was rejected full-stop by the Pharisees, chief priest, and scribes in Jerusalem. Fierce persecution scattered thousands of Jewish Christians throughout the world and Gentiles in droves came to saving faith in Jesus Christ.
Paul's custom when he entered a city was to go straight to the Jewish synagogue and reason with the Jews concerning Jesus being the promised Messiah and Saviour of the world. When the Jews refused to listen, Paul took the message of salvation by grace through faith to the Gentiles and many believed. These Gentiles became Christ's ambassadors in their towns and cities to pious Jews who dwelt among them. Because the background of the Gentiles was pagan and their practices unclean under Law, they had absolutely no credibility among the Jews and would be shunned. So how could the gap be spanned? This was done not by Law but by the love of Jesus Christ in these Spirit-filled Gentiles as they implemented lifestyle changes as God determined necessary.
After much discussion in Jerusalem, the decision of the church concerning the conduct of Gentiles was delivered in Acts 15:28-29: "For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: 29 that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell." These directives are found in the Law of Moses and put very simply for these Gentiles to implement. It was not a condensed or abbreviated new set of laws to govern men, but to aid Gentiles to understand what tripped Jews up in Gentile society. Greek or Roman Law did not forbid any of these things; it was a foreign concept entirely that meat offered to idols was offensive or eating raw meat, or sleeping with temple prostitutes or having child lovers was an issue.
I believe the response of the believers showed they were filled with the same Spirit, they were edified. Acts 15:30-31 reads, "So when they were sent off, they came to Antioch; and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter. 31 When they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement." The prohibitions delivered to the Gentiles are not a new set of laws for us to observe, but the way Gentiles could walk in love towards people whose strict lifestyle they were entirely unfamiliar with. The principle behind these commands is in full force for all followers of Jesus Christ today, that out of love we would be sensitive to the feelings and background of others. With a desire to see other people follow Jesus we should not cater to sin, but ensure we do all we can to avoid laying stumbling blocks in the way of others and walk in love.
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