The Council of Jerusalem- Resolving Differences in Ministry and Theology between Paul and the Church

The Council of Jerusalem- Resolving Differences in Ministry and Theology between Paul and the Church

The Council of Jerusalem was a meeting of the Christian Apostles in the city of Jerusalem. This meeting was held to solve conflicts between the believers. It decreed that Christians who were Gentiles did not have to follow the Mosaic Law that the Jews adhered to. This conference was occasioned by the maintenance of a specific group of Judaic Christians in the city of Jerusalem. The Christians from Antioch, who happened to be Gentiles, should obey the Mosaic tradition of circumcision.

Following this dispute that gradually meant more than just circumcision was further escalated by converted Pharisees who posited the essence of circumcision, which infuriated Paul and Barnabas. “Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” ² This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. “(“Bible Gateway passage: Acts 15 – New International Version”, 2011). It led to the appointment of Paul and Barnabas, aided by other Believers, to go to Jerusalem and meet up with the Apostles and the elders concerning this question. Do you need help with your assignment ? Get in touch with us at eminencepapers.com.

Other matters to be addressed also arose at this conference. The point of conflict was between believers such as James, who believed that the Church had to follow the Torah. These rules governed traditional Judaism because it was from Moses that God established a potent relationship between Himself and the Israelites. “…Moses acts as the mediator in the formal agreement between God and Israel, it stipulates hundreds of laws, statutes, and ordinances that the Israelites must obey to ensure Yahweh’s favor” (Harris, 2015).  Conversely, Paul disagreed with this postulation and considered it unnecessary. At this Council, Paul and Barnabas described their ministry’s account among the Gentiles. The book of Acts provides James’ restatement as well as the Elders in the city of Jerusalem concerning the contents of the letter on Paul’s last visit to the city, just before his arrest at the temple grounds. The Elders went to speak with Paul concerning the matter of the Jewish believers, who accused him of teaching the Jewish converts in the diaspora to Christianity to abandon the teachings of Moses. They argued that he told them not to have their children circumcised or follow the customs of other Jews in Jerusalem.

In the assembly, they maintained that Gentiles who believed in Christ had received a letter with the Apostles’ judgment on the matter. The letter cautioned them to refrain from what sacrifice had been offered to idols and also from blood. They were to abstain from strangled animals and maintain sexual purity. It was a direct contrast to Paul’s message to the Gentiles in Corinth to feed on whatever was sold in the markets that sold meat. Later, the ensuing conference of the Apostles, headed by James and Paul, opted to issue the matter in favor of the Gentile Christians and Paul’s stance. From this point, henceforth, the Christians who were Gentiles were not held within the bounds of the Laws of Torah. With this in mind, the Council of Jerusalem portrayed the willingness of the leaders of the Church to compromise on certain issues to maintain unity, peace, and harmony in the Church.

From these events that happened during the time of the Apostles, the modern Church can learn from their sharp split to keep the Church together. Today, the Church is extensively divided, especially following the doctrines that individual churches believe in. For instance, the primary division in the Church can easily be stemmed down by looking at the more fundamental reasons and factors, which is winning more people to Christ, instead of creating situations that can escalate the tensions such as doctrines. By overlooking certain aspects, the modern Church can hold itself together instead of disintegrating into many branches that would reduce the efficiency of the Church today.

References

Bible Gateway passage: Acts 15 – New International Version. Bible Gateway. (2011). https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Acts%2015&version=NIV.

Harris, S. L. (2015). The New Testament: A student introduction (8th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

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The Church’s first council in Acts chapter 15 revealed some differences in ideas of ministry and theology between Paul and the Church in Jerusalem.

The Council of Jerusalem- Resolving Differences in Ministry and Theology between Paul and the Church

What was the council about? What were the differing opinions between the parties present? Do you think that the early church’s experience in dealing with these differences can be helpful for dealing with differences in the church today?