One of the things that I find refreshing when I read the Bible is that the men and women that are described there do not have perfect lives. I think sometimes we look at the miracles, the amazing mission work, the courage and powerful witness of these early saints, and we think that they never had any troubles. That is simply not the case. Nor were their troubles only outside the church in the form of persecution from wicked tyrants. In Acts 15 we read about the church in conflict with itself.
The issue at hand was how much of the Old Testament Law non-Jewish believers had to follow. Some of the Jewish converts had been Pharisees. They knew and loved God’s Law, and they felt that every time a Greek, Roman, Cyrene, Egyptian, etc. became a Christian, they should be circumcised and begin to follow all the dietary laws, etc. Neither Peter nor Paul had followed that practice as they had been sharing the Gospel, so this was hotly debated, and people were very emotional on the topic.
To us, almost 2000 years later, we look at that conflict and shake our heads. How could they get bent out of shape over something like that? Yet, these were matters that were very near and dear to the hearts of all those involved. Their whole faith had revolved around the Laws of Moses, and now, in their mind, these new Christians were disregarding their heritage and faith. Make no mistake; this was a very emotional issue.
How did they resolve it? They called a council in Jerusalem. They selected leaders to gather and discuss the matter and pray. Some of those leaders presented the concern. Others gave witness to what God had been doing in non-Jewish people’s lives as they came to faith. They interpreted events and looked for guidance from the Scriptures. They came to a conclusion. They shared the conclusion with their followers. The walked in faith together.
Later in the chapter, Paul and Barnabas experienced a sharp disagreement. These dear friends actually decided to part ways. They still recognized one another as brothers in the Lord, but they were not going to work together for that trip.
In the interest of full disclosure, the decision of the council was not accepted by everyone. The issue of circumcision continued to be a point of contention in the early church, and a highly emotional topic on both sides of the debate. Perfect unity will never take place on every front in our lives this side of heaven, and we will remain a people who depend on forgiveness as long as we draw breath. However, Paul, Barnabas, and John Mark were eventually reconciled, and it is good and right for us to seek reconciliation in the midst of our disagreements, too, striving to submit ourselves to God’s Word, remaining faithful to the Gospel, and clinging to forgiveness.
How we handle conflict is very important, because despite our disagreements, there is a unity that we have that supersedes any differences we might have. That unity is found in our hope for salvation in Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Father, thank you for showing me that You work in the midst of our conflicts. I have not always handled conflict well, or treated people with the love and respect they deserve as we have debated. Help me to preserve to bond of peace and to remember that we are united in the hope of salvation through Jesus Christ so we may share that hope together. Amen.
The issue at hand was how much of the Old Testament Law non-Jewish believers had to follow. Some of the Jewish converts had been Pharisees. They knew and loved God’s Law, and they felt that every time a Greek, Roman, Cyrene, Egyptian, etc. became a Christian, they should be circumcised and begin to follow all the dietary laws, etc. Neither Peter nor Paul had followed that practice as they had been sharing the Gospel, so this was hotly debated, and people were very emotional on the topic.
To us, almost 2000 years later, we look at that conflict and shake our heads. How could they get bent out of shape over something like that? Yet, these were matters that were very near and dear to the hearts of all those involved. Their whole faith had revolved around the Laws of Moses, and now, in their mind, these new Christians were disregarding their heritage and faith. Make no mistake; this was a very emotional issue.
How did they resolve it? They called a council in Jerusalem. They selected leaders to gather and discuss the matter and pray. Some of those leaders presented the concern. Others gave witness to what God had been doing in non-Jewish people’s lives as they came to faith. They interpreted events and looked for guidance from the Scriptures. They came to a conclusion. They shared the conclusion with their followers. The walked in faith together.
Later in the chapter, Paul and Barnabas experienced a sharp disagreement. These dear friends actually decided to part ways. They still recognized one another as brothers in the Lord, but they were not going to work together for that trip.
In the interest of full disclosure, the decision of the council was not accepted by everyone. The issue of circumcision continued to be a point of contention in the early church, and a highly emotional topic on both sides of the debate. Perfect unity will never take place on every front in our lives this side of heaven, and we will remain a people who depend on forgiveness as long as we draw breath. However, Paul, Barnabas, and John Mark were eventually reconciled, and it is good and right for us to seek reconciliation in the midst of our disagreements, too, striving to submit ourselves to God’s Word, remaining faithful to the Gospel, and clinging to forgiveness.
How we handle conflict is very important, because despite our disagreements, there is a unity that we have that supersedes any differences we might have. That unity is found in our hope for salvation in Jesus’ death and resurrection.
Father, thank you for showing me that You work in the midst of our conflicts. I have not always handled conflict well, or treated people with the love and respect they deserve as we have debated. Help me to preserve to bond of peace and to remember that we are united in the hope of salvation through Jesus Christ so we may share that hope together. Amen.
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