Acts 23
A while ago I had the opportunity to sit
down for a cup of coffee with one of the officials of the fair city in which I
serve. He talked about being active and
involved in different initiatives and being a voice in community meetings. He spoke of the need for community and
relationships in our town, and the separation and isolation that many people
experience. He also commented on the
division among the churches in our town diluting our message and efforts.
As Christians we often grieve the
division that exists within the body of Christ.
It was interesting to read in Acts 23 that this division is nothing new
among God’s people; nor was it specific to Christians. In fact, Paul took advantage of this division
to get out of a tight spot.
There were two main religious groups
within Judaism at Paul’s time: two
denominations. The Pharisees were the
back-to-the-Bible group wanting to keep the Law so zealously that they invented
rules to keep people from breaking God’s law.
The Sadducees were less literal.
They wanted the Law to be a basic guide for morality, and denied the
existence of angels, miracles, and the like.
It’s important to ask ourselves how such
a big difference could come into being.
The answer has to do with authority.
In both the Pharisees’ and Sadducees’ cases they had substituted a
different authority for God’s Word. The
Pharisees had added their own human laws to God’s Law. The Sadducees had been influenced by Greek
philosophy and their human reason trumped God’s Word.
This is at the heart of the sinful
separation within the Church, too. In
many cases we have allowed our ideas of who God should be, what He would or can
do, or what His will is for our lives overrule what the Word itself says. We have made ourselves the arbiters of
truth.
To be faithful we must continually come
back to God’s Word for the authority and power for our faith. It is there that God speaks His will and
tells us what the Truth. Especially this: We do or earn our salvation, but we receive
it as a free gift from His gracious hand though Jesus’ life death and
resurrection.
O God, help me to always trust Your Word and
submit to You. Amen.
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