It is absolutely certain to me, though not to others, that early church Jews who believed in Jesus as the Messiah continued
to keep the commandments. Since this is not
a widely accepted view, I decided to summarize my position by listing ten reasons why Jewish
believers in the early church continued to keep the commandments contained in
the Law of Moses.
1) “My gospel” (Rom 2:16), was Paul’s unique
revelation that access to the covenant promises of Abraham was possible for Gentiles through
the Messiah, apart from a personal connection to the lineage of the Jewish
people. So controversial was Paul’s
position, even among the majority of the Church, that Paul initially feared
that he “might be running, or had run, in
vain,” (Gal 2:2). For this reason Luke, the author of Acts, was
compelled to provide a detailed record on the debate and the determination of the Jerusalem
Council for the understanding of future generations, (Acts 15:1-35). At the
conclusion of this meeting, James determined that Gentiles
would only be required to “abstain from things
contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from
blood,” (Acts 15:20). Since the decision only impacted Gentiles,
the letter from the apostles and elders was only addressed to Gentiles,
to “the brethren in Antioch and Syria and
Cilica who are from the Gentiles,” (Acts
15:23). If
Paul had intended to modify the requirements of worship for Jewish believers, than
Luke, a close companion of Paul on his missionary journeys, certainly would
have incorporated that understanding into the Book of Acts. We can find no reference in Acts indicating
that Jewish believers were released from the greater obligation to the Law.
2) Over ten years later, around
58 A.D., Paul returned to Jerusalem to find Jewish believers unchanged in their
commitment, “all zealous for the Law,”
(Acts 21:20). Ten years was a sufficient time to
contemplate and discuss the matter, yet no change had occurred to the position
of Jewish believers. The actions of
Jewish believers remained consistent with their actions prior to the decision
of the elders in Acts chapter fifteen. For
this reason, James requested that Paul participate with four men in the
conclusion of their Nazarite vow so that “all
will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about
you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law,” (Acts 21:24). Further, James reiterated the previous
decision, “Concerning the Gentiles who
have believed, we wrote, having decided that they should abstain from meat
sacrifice to idols and from blood and from what is strangled and from fornication,”
(Acts 21:25). If there is any doubt, the position of James, the brother of Jesus,
should be seen as having authority over Paul based on the hierarchy of the
early church, to which Paul submitted himself.
3) Nowhere in the Gospel
accounts, nor the Book of Acts, nor any of the epistles, are Jewish believers
specifically directed to forsake the Law of Moses. Any warning in the epistles against
encumbering a believer under the greater burden of the commandments is directed
solely toward Gentile believers coming into the faith, warning them against
becoming Jewish proselytes. According to
Paul’s gospel, both Jew and Gentile are saved through the Messiah, “in Christ,”
as Paul wrote, “You are all sons of God
through faith in Christ Jesus…There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is
neither slave nor free male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus,”
(Gal 3:26-28). Paul’s words do not preclude physical differences
or differences in obligation, because a slave is not the same as free, nor is a
male the same as a female. Just as a
husband and wife can become “one” (Matt
19:5), while still maintaining their individuality, so also, Jewish
believers and Gentile believers can be united “in Christ Jesus,” while at the same time unique in their
lifestyles preserving their individual callings. “Unity” does not mean “uniformity” in all
aspects of worship.
4) Gentile believers were first
called “Christians” at Antioch, (Acts 11:26), but Jewish believers were
separately, and earlier, known as “the
Way” (Acts 9:2), reflecting the
words of Jesus, “I am the Way, and the
truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me,” (John 14:6). The name “Christians”, first applied to
Gentiles believers at Antioch, but not Jewish believers. Jewish believers continued to be called “the
Way” ten years later when Paul spoke to Jews in Jerusalem, (Acts 22:4). When Paul stood
before Felix at Caesara, he admitted that “According
to the Way which they call a sect I do serve the God of our fathers,
believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written
in the Prophets,” (Acts 24:14,
24:22). The fact that two separate
and unique names co-existed for believers indicates that a difference of
obligation remained between the two groups.
When twelve Jewish disciples of John the Baptist became believers in
Ephesus, they were referred to as “the
Way” (Acts 19:9, 19:23), despite
the fact that these believers lived in a Gentile area, where Gentile believers were
called “Christians” since the days of Paul’s first trip to Antioch, (Acts 11:26).
5) Unknown to most believers,
Paul wrote, “This…rule I lay down in all
the churches. Was a man already
circumcised when he was called? He
should not become uncircumcised. Circumcision
is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing.
Keeping God’s commands is what counts.
Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called
them,” (1 Cor 7:17-20, NIV). Why remain as called, because “the body is not made up of one part, but of
many…(whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free),” (1 Cor 12:13-14). This
statement of Paul appears to be straight forward. A believer who was called as a Jew, should remain
a Jew, and a believer called when a Gentile, should remain as a Gentile. A person remains Jewish by living a lifestyle
of obedience to the commandments. This understanding
best explains why Paul circumcised the Jewish Timothy (Acts 16:3), but did not circumcise the Gentile Titus, (Gal 2:3). To say that Paul was just being all things to
all people, runs contrary to Paul’s own directive, “I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is
under obligation to keep the whole Law,” (Gal 5:3). If believers were
to become either all Jewish or Gentile, than the argument would be for the
former since Gentiles are grafted into the Jewish vine, (Rom 11:17). If all believers
are to become as Gentile, to what purpose does Paul speak when he wrote, “What advantage has the Jew? Or what is the
value of circumcision? Much in every
way. To begin with, the Jews were
entrusted with the oracles of God,” (Rom
3:1-2).
It was a blessing to see everyone last week in Midland. - Scott
No comments:
Post a Comment