The Bible CourseSample

Controversy, the council, and the conclusion – simply grace

Reflect:

In the world of sport, ‘transfers’ happen all the time. In the Premier League, when a transfer completes, a player’s allegiance changes. He has a new training ground, new kit colours, a new team culture to buy into and, for foreign players, perhaps a new language to learn.

Change can be disorienting and difficult. It can also take longer than we’d like. The gospel brings about a new normal – it’s our own transfer! We have a new team, new purpose, and a new way to live – but let’s not downplay the fact that sometimes gospel change can be trickier and slower than we’d like.

What was the issue facing the Church and why was it crucial for the Church to address it?

Let’s not underestimate the scale of the change the gospel brought in the days of Acts.

In the Old Testament, Israelite males were required to be circumcised as a symbol of their covenant relationship with God, and all of the people of Israel were required to keep his laws. These included restrictions on the foods they could eat and the extent to which they should associate with non-Jews. Gentiles who converted had to be circumcised to belong to the people of God and then keep the same laws.

But the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus had changed everything. In his life, he perfectly fulfilled God’s covenant law; in his death, he atoned for the sins of everyone – both Jews and Gentiles – who had sinned and broken that covenant; and in his resurrection, he gave his followers salvation and new life. Anyone, Jew or Gentile, who believes in Jesus is no longer under the condemnation of the law, but alive in Christ. They’ve entered into a new kind of covenant relationship.

Today’s passage sees some Jewish Christians struggling to catch up with the new normal. They weren’t sure if they had to continue operating under the old ways or what should be required of the Gentiles who were coming to faith. There was a lot of confusion.

So this is why a crisis meeting took place in Jerusalem. The apostles and the elders of the Church needed to consider what was at stake and make an authoritative decision for believers everywhere. The message went out, it’s not keeping the law that saves you, it’s your faith in Jesus. You don’t need to live under the heavy burden of all the old laws.

What are the implications for believers today?

God never intended for Gentile believers to remain on the outside. He promised a tent so large it would reach to the ends of the earth. God always intended the good news to be for all the nations. ‘He gave his one and only Son, that everyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life’ (John 3.16).

Believing in Jesus is all that matters. This truth remains powerful today – being saved does not require Jesus PLUS being born in a Christian country, giving to charity or any other outward show of commitment. It all centres on Jesus.

Respond

Consider: Do we create barriers that make it more difficult for people to receive the good news about Jesus today?