Wednesday Devo
Scripture Reading:
Acts 15:19-21
19 “And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead, we should write and tell them to abstain from eating food offered to idols, from sexual immorality, from eating the meat of strangled animals, and from consuming blood. 21 For these laws of Moses have been preached in Jewish synagogues in every city on every Sabbath for many generations.”
19 “And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead, we should write and tell them to abstain from eating food offered to idols, from sexual immorality, from eating the meat of strangled animals, and from consuming blood. 21 For these laws of Moses have been preached in Jewish synagogues in every city on every Sabbath for many generations.”
Commentary from the ESV Study Bible:
15:19–21 James agreed with Peter that they should not trouble the Gentiles with the ritual laws. But he knew that Gentile Christians would have contact with Jewish Christians who still kept the ceremonial provisions, including laws about sacrifices, festivals, unclean foods, and circumcision. He offered a proposal by which Gentile Christians could have fellowship with Jewish Christians and avoid giving unnecessary offense. The word for (Gk. gar) at the beginning of v. 21 gives the reason for James’s proposal: the Gentile Christians should abstain from certain things because “in every city” there are still Jews who observe these ceremonial laws and think them to be important. The first three requirements seem to be contextually sensitive and designed for these specific circumstances: abstention from food offered to idols, from blood (meat with the blood in it), and from strangled meat (which would also have blood in it). (But Paul in other circumstances permitted believers to eat food offered to idols; see 1 Cor. 8:1–11:1.) The fourth requirement, dealing with sexual immorality, was of course not a contextual or optional standard of obedience like the other three. It may have needed special emphasis and clarification because many Gentiles’ consciences were so corrupted that they did not hold to a high standard of sexual purity. This reaffirmation of the believer’s need to maintain sexual purity also serves as a reminder that the moral standards of the OT still need to be obeyed. James concludes his appeal (v. 21) by noting the widespread (in every city) teaching and affirmation of the Mosaic law, thus suggesting that there is no need to give unnecessary offense either to Jewish believers or to unbelieving Jews who might otherwise consider becoming Christians in the future.
Study Questions:
- The third point from Sunday was, the GOSPEL is EASY to CARRY. The scribes and religious lawyers prided themselves in making it SO difficult to be a faithful Jew. They were proud that they were the only ones that were able to perceive and understand God's Word. They didn’t understand God's way of making us right with himself. They were confused by what it meant to be righteous. The Law says, "keep all the Law." Faith says, "I can’t keep the Law, so I need a Savior." Religion says, "do," while the Gospel says, "done."God came down to us so that we don’t have to work up to him. Does living for God feel like a heavy burden at times? Do you know what it's like to rest in the freedom of his grace? How do you know which way you tend to view the Gospel?
- In the book of Acts, there was some disagreement between Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians who were part of the same church. The Jewish Christians were trying to get the Gentiles to observe certain Jewish customs saying they were necessary to be a Jesus follower. So James, the brother of Jesus, stood up and declared that they were making things way too difficult. Salvation should be about faith in Jesus, and nothing else. Do you think you are guilty of complicating the Gospel with your own sets of rules and standards? Do those have more to do with outside behaviors or with the condition of your heart?
Pray:
- That you wouldn't add to the Gospel.
- That you would remember that "it is finished."
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
4. Can a person be good enough to go to heaven? No. Because Jesus rose from the dead proving He is God, I believe a person is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
No Comments