Acts 15--New Challenges

It has been said that there are doctrines and practices of the faith that we write in pencil because we think we understand what scripture teaches on the subject, but we are open to being wrong. There are some things we write in ink because we see clear and compelling scriptural evidence for that teaching. Then there are some things that we write in blood, because not only is scripture clear on it, but the very future of the faith depends upon it.

Acts 15 is a blood moment for the church. The church was pressed with the challenge of having new gentile believers take upon Jewish practices as evidence of their faith. This was an important crossroads for the church. To choose circumcision would have bound the faith up into a particular culture forever. It would have enslaved the gospel to a culture. The gospel is different. It bears fruit and crosses cultures (Col 1:4-6).

It is easy to be hard on the Pharisees over this matter. Rather it is probably a good time for some self-reflection of our own. Are there signs that we look to in order to confirm to us a sense of peace, well-being and rightness with God. Ask this of yourself. What causes you anxiety? What has your attention? Are there things that give you a sense of superiority over another person? Maybe you are trusting in these things and not in Jesus Christ for your identity, your sense of approval or to use the Biblical term—your righteousness.

Later in the chapter, there is another dispute, but this is a pencil thing. Paul doesn’t want to give Mark a second chance. Barnabas does. Barnabas was right on this one. John Mark proved himself faithful the second time. Even Paul recognized it himself (2 Tim 4:11). That is how grace works. You don’t have to be right, to be right with God. Even if you are wrong or you fail, God can still make it right.

The title above is a link from the blog to this passage on http://www.biblegateway.com/. If you are reading this in an email, click the title to get to the blog and then click it again to get to the passage.