Today’s Scripture Reading (November
15, 2014): Acts 15
I continue
to come into contact with people intent on a sharp exclusion model for the
Christian faith. They continue to raise barriers that are intended to keep
people out of the faith. And when anyone suggests that the walls that are being
built are too high, or too thick, the accusation is that those who would make
such suggestions are not really Christian. It doesn’t seem to matter what the
issue is, and often it seems that if there is no ready issue then one can be
quickly invented, but the purpose is always the same – to keep Christianity and
Christians operating within very narrow boundaries. And anyone who opposes
these barriers often finds themselves ejected. Letters are written and
complaints are lodged. According to the exclusion model of Christianity, the
integrity (often meaning the rules of the church) must be maintained and the
faith protected if it is to honor God.
But the
truth is that Christianity has never been based on exclusion. And the height of
the Christian inclusion is found in this passage. So James talks about his “judgment.”
As the head of the church it seems that he has made the decision. He has not
leaned on councils, he is not willing to share the “blame” with the other
disciples – this is his decision and his judgment. It is a decision that
evidently James had reached with the support of the Holy Spirit; but it was not
a legislative act.
It also need
to be noted that despite the many Greek verbs that carry the idea of
commanding, here and in the verses that follow absolutely none of them are
used. At best, James seems to be making a suggestion. Maybe he simply realized
that a command often brings an equally strong response – and because of the
nature of this suggestion, standing as it does against some of the laws of
Moses, it was likely to bring out all of the legalists to stand united against
James’ assertion.
So what we
have is this “grand suggestion,” a suggestion that was not immediately embraced
by the early church. Even Peter, who was intimately involved with the events
that led up to this decision, struggled for a period of time in trying to
understand it. It took more than just James decree and more than just the experiences
of Peter; it took the one who became the early church’s theologian in order to
make the suggestion of James a reality. That would have to wait for the
ministry journeys of Paul.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Acts 16
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