Thursday Devo
Scripture:
Acts 15
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:
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.
Questions:
- Being the leader of the church in Jerusalem, James gives his ruling on the issue in question, namely whether or not Gentiles would need to basically convert to Judaism and be circumcised in order to become a Christian. He rules that they shouldn't make it difficult for Gentiles to turn to Jesus by putting extra requirements on them. Like Clayton said this past Sunday, it's Jesus + NOTHING. In his ruling he basically gives Gentiles two parameters. The first is to love GOD. He implored them to not eat any food that had been offered to idols and by adopting God's view of sex. In other words, if you love God, you're not going to participate in anything that goes against the moral law of God. He's saying new believers should repent of idolatry and law breaking and follow Jesus as Lord. To love God is to obey God. How would God Himself gauge your level of love for Him? How obedient are you to God's Word and His moral law?
- Next, James also told them to love OTHERS. His message to new Gentile converts was to be gracious and sensitive to their Jewish brothers and sisters by doing their best not to offend them. He was telling them that it would right of them to forsake some of their own freedoms for the sake of evangelism. How strategic are you in this area? What would it look like to alter your own behaviors and freedoms in order to strategically reach someone in your life for Jesus? How sensitive are you to other peoples' beliefs in order to not needlessly offend?
Prayer Topics:
- That you would show your love through your obedience.
- That you would become a strategic evangelizer.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
3. Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Since “all have sinned” and the “wages of sin is death,” Jesus had to die on the cross to pay the fine for my sin so I could be right with God.
(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:21-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22)
(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:21-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22)
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