Thursday 26 May 2011

Background

Today's passage from Acts continues the account of how the earlychurch resolved the question as to whether male gentile (nonJewish) believers should be circumcised before they could becomefully part of the Christian community. We have a picture of a veryorderly and courteous debate. Feelings may be running high but weare told that as Barnabas and Paul spoke about their missionarywork among the gentiles "the whole assembly kept silence" (v. 12).No heckling or barracking but respectful silence. Certainly thegathered Church leaders in Jerusalem create a different atmosphereto some church meetings and to debate in the Houses of Parliament!Peter had already set the tone for the conversation and also givena lead as to his own mind, when he made it clear that no-one shouldhave to be burdened with a yoke that even the most devout Jewishbelievers have found hard to bear. It was proving impossible forpeople to fulfill every aspect of the law and salvation was notpossible by adding barriers that would get in the way of faith.Rather it is through the grace of Jesus that both Jewish andgentile Christian will be saved.

James sums up the debate after hearing a number of speakers byusing the authority of the prophets to show that the new "dwellingof David" (v. 16) - the temple or Jerusalem or even Israel itself -would be rebuilt in a way that would help all people seek the Lord.He declares his decision that circumcision should not be a barrierto the gentile believers but does make some requirements regardingdiet. The decision about a freedom of diet is one that will bedealt with later in the story of the early Church, made clearfollowing a vision Peter had in which God declares that nothing Godhas made should be considered unclean (Acts10:9-15).

Whenever Christianity is treated as a club with strict rules andentry requirements it becomes exclusive and a poor copy of the Bodyof Christ. No amount of jumping through hoops will ever be enoughto bring us into the presence of God. Jesus Christ has already doneall that is sufficient and through his grace we are all welcome andall able to know his liberating salvation. Yet human nature leadsus to look for rules and barriers, which inevitably leave some onthe inside and others outcast.

To Ponder

Who would be welcome in your ideal church? Arethere people you would not want to welcome into the faithcommunity? How might you change this?

Are there rules in your church that are helpfulor unhelpful? What changes would you make?

What rules do you think people outside the Churchbelieve we have that might prove a barrier to them? How might youovercome this?