Session 7

The Jerusalem Council – The Question

The Jerusalem Council – The Question

The Jerusalem Council – The QuestionThis may seem to be a moot question from where we sit in the 21st century. But let’s keep in mind that in 50AD there were two great centers of Christianity:

1 – Jerusalem which was largely Jewish and controlled by former Jews and Pharisees.

2 – Syrian Antioch which was largely Gentile and concerned about having a large portion of their membership having to go through the long and drawn-out process of becoming Jewish before they could be admitted into the Christian church.

The Jerusalem Council – The CompromiseThe end result was a compromise between the Jewish and Gentile factions.

There were four stipulations:

1 – No food that had been sacrificed to idols

2 – No blood (most probably meat with blood still in it).

3 – No meat from animals that had been strangled.

4 – Refrain from sexual immorality.

The Jerusalem Council – What it MeantWhile the Jerusalem Council speaks directly to only two issues – dietary stipulations and sexual practices – it’s decision was far reaching.

By ONLY including dietary restrictions, the Council is in effect saying that Gentile believers are not bound by the ritual requirements of the Mosaic law.

By including sexual morality, the Council is saying that Gentile Christians ARE bound by the moral component of the Mosaic Law.

When we examine the practices which Paul condemns in his letters, we find that almost all of the “sin lists” contain only moral considerations (see 1 Cor. 6:9-10; Gal. 5:19-21; Eph. 5:3-5; and 1 Tim. 1:9-10) and not violations of ritual laws.

The Jerusalem Council – What it MeantThis separation of ritual and moral law has been a thorn in the side of Christianity for over 2,000 years.

Most of the ambiguity is contained in what we call the “Holiness Code” (Lev. Chaps 17-26).

The Jerusalem Council – What it MeantThis separation of ritual and moral law has been a thorn in the side of Christianity for over 2,000 years.

Most of the ambiguity is contained in what we call the “Holiness Code” (Lev. Chaps 17-26).

It would have been nice if Moses had written this section of Leviticus in two parts:Part 1 – The ritual lawPart 2 – The moral code

That way we could simply refer back to Leviticus and quickly ascertain whether or not a specific act violated ritual or moral law and if it was still binding on Christians.

But, the two are mixed together and require that we read larger and larger passages before making the call. In short it’s a bit inconvenient and therefore the modern solution seems to be to toss the whole thing altogether.

The Jerusalem Council – What it MeantPaul, Barnabus and the Antiochene delegation return home with Judas and Silas and word of the Jerusalem Council is spread throughout the land.

Judas and Silas stayed for a short time and returned to Jerusalem

Paul begins to yearn to travel back to the area where he and Barnabus spent their time on their first missionary journey.

Paul and His LettersWe have reached that part of Paul’s ministry where he begins to correspond with the congregations he started.

There are a couple of things we need to keep in mind as we look at Paul’s letters:

1 – We do NOT have all of Paul’s correspondence.

2 – Paul did NOT date his letters.

3 – Paul frequently used an amanuensis (secretary or scribe)

Even though we know a lot about Paul and his letters, there remains a measure of uncertainty and speculation.

Paul and His LettersWe have reached that part of Paul’s ministry where he begins to correspond with the congregations he started.

There are a couple of things we need to keep in mind as we look at Paul’s letters:

1 – We do NOT have all of Paul’s correspondence.

For example:1 Corinthians 5:9 – I have written you in my letter not to associate with

sexually immoral people—

Ephesians 3:3 – that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.

Colossians 4:16 – After this letter has been read to you, see that it is also read in the church of the Laodiceans and that you in turn read the letter from Laodicea.

Paul and His LettersWe have reached that part of Paul’s ministry where he begins to correspond with the congregations he started.

There are a couple of things we need to keep in mind as we look at Paul’s letters:

1 – We do NOT have all of Paul’s correspondence.

2 – Paul did NOT date his letters.

There is significant debate and disagreement in scholarly circles about when and where Paul wrote the various letters. Case in point is the letter to the churches in Galatia we have been studying.

Paul and His LettersWe have reached that part of Paul’s ministry where he begins to correspond with the congregations he started.

There are a couple of things we need to keep in mind as we look at Paul’s letters:

1 – We do NOT have all of Paul’s correspondence.

2 – Paul did NOT date his letters.

3 – Paul frequently used an amanuensis (secretary or scribe)

Ancient authors often employed amanuenses or scribes to take down letters and even whole books dictated by others.

This practice was used in biblical writings as well.

Paul and His LettersAncient authors often employed amanuenses or scribes to take down letters and even whole books dictated by others.

This practice was used in biblical writings as well.

Consider:Jeremiah 36:4 – So Jeremiah called Baruch son of Neriah, and while Jeremiah

dictated all the words the LORD had spoken to him, Baruch wrote them on the scroll.

1 Corinthians 16:21 – I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand.

Galatians 6:11 – See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!

1 Peter 5:12 – With the help of Silas, whom I regard as a faithful brother, I have written to you briefly, encouraging you and testifying that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.

Paul and His LettersThe Bible contains 13 letters attributed to Paul.

In the order in which they appear in the Bible:Romans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemon

Paul and His LettersThe Bible contains 13 letters attributed to Paul.

In the order in which they were most probably written:Romans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemon

Paul and His LettersThe Bible contains 13 letters attributed to Paul.

In the order in which they appear in the Bible:Romans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemon

Why do our Bibles list them in this order?

They are arranged in descending order of length (for the most part).

Paul and His LettersPaul’s letters are much different in both content and character from the gospels.

The gospels tell the stories of Jesus and his teachings.

Paul’s letters are occasional – meaning they are written to very specific audiences to address very specific issues.

It’s like comparing blunderbuss to a deer rifle.

Paul and His LettersThe gospels were written to a much larger audience (with the possible exception of Luke/Acts).

Even though they were widely circulated both before and after Paul’s death, the epistles were written to very narrow audiences.

This may help explain why some of Paul’s correspondence is missing.

Paul and His Letters TodayDoes this occasional nature and very focused audience mean that Paul’s letter have little or no use for modern Christians?

Paul and His Letters TodayWhat it does mean is that we have to be very careful to fully understand the context of what Paul is saying before we jump to the conclusion, “Thus saith the Lord!”

It means reading much larger passages, perhaps even the entire letter to understand the issues that Paul is addressing.

Sadly, this doesn’t always play well with 21st century Christians who want everything is 20 second sound bites.

Paul and His Letters TodayLet’s look at Paul’s letter to the churches in Galatia as an example.

On the surface one might say that Paul is writing to combat the Judaizers who came telling Gentile Christians that they had to become Jewish before they could become Christian. To my knowledge this is not a major problem in American churches.

But a closer look at the letter reveals that there is much here that is useful for our Christian walk today.