Sermon from February 15, 2004
This sermon takes place in debate form between Pastor Bo Matthews and Pastor Mark Smith, with Pastor Karl Nockengost reading the Scripture.

Karl: Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them.

Bo: As usual, Luke understates what happened. People were angry at each other. I don't like to see Christians at odds with each other like this. It is distracting. But, it has to be this way. Circumcision is the sign of God's covenant with His people. He has only one people, and Gentiles are welcome to be part of us, but only if they accept the sign of the covenant.

Mark: It doesn't have to be this way any longer. In city after city Gentiles have believed in Jesus just like we do. What are we going to do, ask all the men to be circumcised? And if they don't, what do we do with them, ignore them? They believe like we do. We can't abandon them or treat them like second class citizens. It's a new day.

And I don't like to see Christians at odds with each other either, and I agree that we need to be in harmony with each other, but not at the expense of truth.

Karl: So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.

Bo: Paul and Barnabas had to go. They made the decisions that caused this uproar. I think Paul is chiefly to blame. He's too extreme about everything. Barnabas is such a gentle man that he wasn't going to stand up to Paul about this. Paul's influence probably persuaded Barnabas that he actually believed what Paul was pushing.

I've also heard – I don't know for sure, but I've also heard that was why John Mark left Paul and Barnabas in the middle of their missionary journey. He didn't agree with Paul about ignoring the sign of the covenant and baptizing Gentiles, as if they were on an equal footing with us Jews.

Mark: This had to be debated at the highest levels of our faith. Otherwise, we would run the risk of dividing the Church. If it's possible, Paul and Barnabas have to find common ground with Peter, James and the other apostles. The Church is at a crossroads. We're moving into uncharted waters. We've got to have one mind in this matter.

Now, I don't know what happened with John Mark. I respect his right to disagree with Paul and Barnabas, and if he did, then he should have left them. They faced enough dangers on that journey; they didn't need to be fighting among themselves.

Karl: The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad.

Bo: I don't like that. They're trying to put pressure on the apostles. It's politicking pure and simple. They're acting like they're right, and it won't matter what the apostles say. I expect that from Paul, but I'm really surprised at Barnabas.

Mark: Well, what are they supposed to do, say nothing? Whatever you think about the circumcision issue, those two men have had remarkable adventures. People would want to hear about them. The apostles won't be influenced by that kind of thing.

Karl: When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them. Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses." The apostles and elders met to consider this question.

Bo: I'm so glad they put it that way. That's exactly the issue we've got to solve.

Mark: I'm so glad the apostles and elders agreed to this council. This issue is not going away, and the Church has to know its own mind.

Karl: After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are."

Bo: I always was uneasy about that business with Peter and Cornelius. I thought at the time that we didn't have nearly enough discussion about it. I agree that God makes no distinction between Jew and Gentile. The coming of the Holy Spirit on them made that clear, no matter how hard it was for us to take at first.

But that didn't do away with the sign of the covenant, and I don't think anyone dreamed that Paul and Barnabas would completely ignore the sign of the covenant on their missionary journey.

I still don't understand why Peter and the rest didn't insist that Cornelius and his people be circumcised; and as far as I'm concerned they will never be on an equal footing with the rest of us until they are circumcised.

Mark: When the Cornelius experience happened, I agree that none of us could have anticipated that Paul and Barnabas would interpret it as giving them permission to do what they did on their missionary journey. But I think they saw something about the Gospel none of rest of us saw, and what they saw has enormous consequences for our understanding of the gospel and of salvation.

Let me show you what I mean. Our brothers in Antioch say that "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." If we believe that, then we deny salvation to all those Gentiles (Cornelius included), who believe in Jesus but haven't been circumcised. But how could God give His Spirit to someone who was not eligible for salvation? Peter's speech made it clear that faith in Jesus Christ alone is decisive for salvation. There's nothing wrong with the sign of the covenant, but it's not the decisive issue.

Karl: The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them.

Bo: I am so glad they let Barnabas speak first. He's been with us from the beginning, and everyone trusts him. He stories really were compelling. I just don't see how he could go along with Paul on this Gentile business.

Mark: I'm amazed they let Paul speak at all. Memories of how he persecuted the Church are still fresh, and then to be seen as next thing to a heretic did not make him the most welcome person in Jerusalem. It shows the grace and wisdom of the apostles.

Karl: When they finished, James spoke up: "Brothers, listen to me. Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: 'After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things' that have been known for ages."

Bo: James is Jesus' brother, you know. But the fact is that he is such a godly and wise man. He is beyond reproach among the Church and among the Jewish population as well. People listen when he speaks. He is right to quote the prophet Amos. Our Jewish faith was always intended for the rest of the world. And we know that Jesus and the giving of the Holy Spirit have made that possible. It's an exciting prospect, and we're witnesses to it. But, respectfully, I think that if James doesn't impose the sign of the covenant on Gentiles, there'll be trouble. I mean, why not impose it?

Mark: I didn't expect James to say as much as he did. He is such an upright, irreproachable man among all Jews that I was almost surprised to hear him quote that passage in Amos about the Gentiles. But, respectfully, I have to say that if he ignores the deeper theological issues of salvation, I don't see how the Church can truly know its own mind on this divisive issue. He's in a tough position, but I'm afraid there'll be trouble, if he ignores Peter's points.

Karl: It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.

Bo: Well, I see what James is doing. He is envisioning Gentile Christians worshiping and fellowshipping with Jewish Christians, and he is asking them not to offend Jewish sensibilities about food and sexual behavior. He is asking them to be courteous to people, who are going to be stunned by this decision. And, respectfully, I have to say that reading Moses in the synagogues on every Sabbath doesn't mean much, if people are free to disregard the most fundamental things Moses had to say about the sign of the covenant.

Mark: James's proposal leaves a lot unsaid. I can see trouble ahead for the Church. Gentiles buy their meat in the open market and don't ask questions, don't care really about whether the meat had been used in idol worship. Their sexual behavior can be very loose. Respectfully, I wish James had given us more to work with. On the other hand, these abstentions are a small price to pay for the free hand this will give to Paul and others in evangelism.

Karl: Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, two men who were leaders among the brothers. With them they sent the following letter:

The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings. We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul – men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.

Bo: Well, that's that. Paul and Barnabas got their way. But if anyone thinks there is unanimity within the Church about this decision, I'm here to tell you there isn't. I know some guys who aren't going to let it rest. They are saying they are going to visit all the places Paul and Barnabas went to and tell them they have to submit to the sign of the covenant. Some of them claim there are Jerusalem elders and even apostles, who support what they intend to do. This council didn't solve anything. It just made things worse.

Mark: The deed is done, but the natives are restless. I've heard that some of the brothers intend to ignore the Council's decision and visit all the churches Paul and Barnabas founded and try to coerce them into a thoroughgoing obedience to Jewish law. Difficult days lie ahead, but the apostles and the elders have spoken. They could have said so much more, but at least they gave us a free hand in preaching to Gentiles without the constraint of strict Jewish laws. For that I am deeply thankful.

Karl: The men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers. After spending some time there, they were sent off by the brothers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them.

Bo: Antioch has always been hard to control. I guess they are feeling pretty smug.

Mark: This ruling of the Jerusalem Council confirms the unique place the Church of Antioch has in the worldwide spread of Christianity. To whom much has been given much is required. I hope we are equal to the opportunity.

Karl: But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord. Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing."

Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

Bo: God is not a God of disorder. If the Spirit of God had been in this decision, we would have peace. But what do we have? Strife and division. Even Paul and Barnabas can't agree with each other. I'm glad Barnabas looked after Mark. Paul sure wouldn't. But that doesn't change the big picture. There's nothing but trouble ahead.

Mark: I'm glad Barnabas was willing to take Mark with him. That's just like him to encourage the underdog. At the same time I can understand Paul. He's not sure that Mark sees eye to eye with him, and he doesn't want to take the chance of another falling out. These things happen when people care deeply about the deepest things in life. I think some very tough days lie ahead, but our mission is clear. Let's trust God and push on.

Karl: "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us." James captured something profound when he said that. "Without God, we cannot. Without us He will not." We alone with our strife and division would fail Christ utterly, if our God did not intervene. Without us, complete with our strife and division, God is unwilling to act. Thus does the kingdom advance. Thus does the kingdom come. Let the Name of the Lord be praised!