It’s been said that there is more confusion about Acts 15 than almost any other chapter of the Bible. How are we to understand what was at issue? What was the actual decision reached, and how was it reached?
The important question for us is what are the implications for us as Christians in terms of obedience to God? In order to understand we must take a closer look at the historical and Scriptural background and at how the Church arrived at its decision.
Are Christians required to keep the Law of Moses? If someone were to ask you this question, how would you answer? If Christians are required to keep the Law of Moses, what does that mean? If they are not, what does that mean?
This very question was a thorny one for the early Church, and it led to considerable controversy. It has remained a key question among those calling themselves Christian ever since then.
Did the decision of the Church recounted in Acts 15 negate the requirement that Christians must obey God’s commandments? Are Christians free to sin with impunity, based on the results of this conference? And if not, what is the controversy about and what are the ramifications of the decision made?
Learn from the Bible the answers to these questions.
Is the law revealed in Scripture a curse, bondage, not relevant for a Christian because it’s been replaced by Christ? Are the ten commandments outmoded “Old Testament” law that can be safely ignored, as many believe? The Bible speaks of the commandments as the “law of liberty.” Which is it? The law of liberty, or of slavery?
We are told in Scripture that the “law,” which often in the New Testament refers to not just a law code but to the Old Covenant system, “was our tutor to bring us unto Christ” (Galatians 3:24, NKJV). In the King James Version is “schoolmaster” in place of tutor. The Greek word is “paidagōgós,” and the role includes not only instuction, but “guardianship,” both training of and constant attendance to the conduct and safety of a child.
Can one become a party to the New Covenant merely by “confessing the name of Christ?” Does one have to be a member of this or that particular church organization or body to be party to the New Covenant? Is the Covenant individual or collective? How long is the Covenant to remain effective? Once entered into, can it be broken? These questions must be answered if we are to know where we stand before God and with relation to His Covenant.
“The Two Covenants — Part 7” audio recording by Rod Reynolds, COGMessenger is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.