Central Truth

Paul and the first century church elders and apostles wrestled with the important question of whether or not the Gentiles should be required to adhere to the laws of Moses, specifically circumcision.

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Reflections

Upon first reading my assigned passages in Acts I had a hard time seeing how they applied to me, and how I could write about such an ancient and gender-specific problem! I read commentaries and researched footnotes, but had no more clarity. After I prayed for guidance and meditated on how even this portion of God's Word applied to me, the Lord showed me that although there may be some differences, the truth of the Word does not dim with age or circumstances. 

In Acts 15, there was a difference of opinion between church members in what rules to apply to those who were new to the faith -- the Gentiles. There was a faction of Jews that required the strict observation of the laws of Moses (kosher diet, circumcision, etc.) in order to practice their Jewish faith, and they believed it applied to the Gentiles as well. 

Similarly, after I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior in 1998, I turned away from the rules and regimen that I learned in my years of attending Catholic church. There were times during my early years as a believer when I yearned for the comfort and the routine of rote prayers, knowledge of when to sit, stand or kneel during mass, or the strict dietary rules during Lent. But what I came to understand was that Jesus was not impressed with my "perfect performance." He was more concerned with the condition of my heart. When I reeled off those memorized prayers I often was not speaking from my heart, but out of habit. When I shook off that yoke I could see that the grace of Christ is my only way to salvation, and that grace is not found in performance but by accepting Jesus and asking that His will, not mine, be done in every aspect of my life. Thank God that He conveyed this wisdom to the early Church fathers so that today all can learn of Christ's gift of salvation whether Gentile, Jewish, or otherwise.

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Discussion Questions

1. Are there times when you still believe that works, not faith, will save you? If so, why?

2. Have you ever had difficulty seeing the point of a Bible passage and how it applied to your life? If so, how did you get clarity?

3. How can we as believers use the discontent of others with their "religion" to help bring them into the body of Christ?

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