Theological Crisis in the Early church

A Christian couple both believed that because they loved each other and they loved the Lord, they were going to live in peace and never have a disagreement or an argument. And they soon discovered, it didn’t work that way! The longer they were married, the more they disagreed and the more they argued. The wife was really disturbed; she didn’t believe in divorce. So, finally one day she said to her husband, “Honey, let’s just pray to the Lord that He will take one of us home and then I’ll go live with my mother!”

The birth of the church at Antioch, followed by the first missionary journey, brought many Gentiles into the household of faith. After evangelizing, discipling and enfolding believers into reproducing churches during Paul’s first missionary journey, they returned to Antioch to celebrate what God had done over the past year. Acts 14:27 says “and when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.”

Acts 15 describes the first major theological crisis in the early church.“Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved” (Acts 15:1).  At first glance, what these Judaizers were demanding may not have seemed that much to ask. But the rite of circumcision was a symbol and it implied much more. Circumcision was central to Jewish identity and religious practice.

The Jews believed that the messiah had come to save them alone. Any Gentile who wished to benefit from Gods promise to Abraham must be circumcised and adopted into the Jewish race.  This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. 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” (Acts 15:2).

Therefore, after being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they were bringing great joy to all the brothers and sisters” (Acts 15:3).  Given that they had a year's worth of experiences in their first missionary journey, this would have been quite a memorable detailed description.

Paul and Barnabas intentionally and purposely took time in Phoenicia and Samaria to describe what God had done. Even though they were focused on defending the faith, they took time to celebrate the conversion of the Gentiles. They went around “declaring the praises of him who called you (the gentiles) out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). The news brought great joy to all believers.

 Barnabas had rejoiced at the Gentile conversions in Antioch (Acts 11:23). We should rejoice when precious souls are rescued by God's grace from the horrible fate of eternal punishment! Salvation of lost souls generates joy on earth and in Heaven. In the parable of the lost sheep (Luke 15:1-7) the shepherd called together his friends and neighbors, to rejoice with him over the restoration his lost sheep! Jesus added that likewise there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents.

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... The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them” (Acts 15:4,12).  After the missionary journey Paul and Barnabas had “reported all that God had done through them” (Acts 14:27).

Paul repeatedly attributed his success to God and never to his own effort. He said “I will not venture to speak of anything except what Christ has accomplished through me in leading the Gentiles to obey God by what I have said and done” (Rom. 15:18). In Acts 9:14 Jesus' described Paul as "my chosen instrument "..The missionaries were not superhuman, they were simply God's "instruments" and God acted through them.

The disciples were mere men who were pliable, willing instruments in the hand of the Almighty God. They were "vessel for noble use, consecrated and useful to the master of the house, ready for any good work" (2 Tim. 2:21). We “have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us” (2 Cor.4:7).  We submissively, humbly and willingly allow God's hand to do with us and through us what He wills to be done for our good and His glory! 

Paul wrote to the Colossians that he had become the church’s “servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness... Christ in you, the hope of glory.  He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me” (Col 1:25-29).

In the Jerusalem council “some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses”. The apostles and elders met to consider this question (Acts 15: 5-6). These individuals were born-again believers from a Pharisee background. While they believed in Jesus, they added, as a requirement, a layer of works to earn salvation.

The Pharisees sect had abandoned true religion and focused on rituals and externally keeping the law. In Matthew 15:1-14 we are told that some Pharisees asked Jesus, “why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? Jesus replied, “and why do you break the command of God for the sake of your tradition? You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you … ‘they worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules’ … they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.”

“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. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear?”(Acts 15:7-10)

Peter had a similar experience 10 years earlier with Judaizers. God had sent him to a gentile called Cornelius; his household  believed and instantly received the Holy Spirit (Acts 10). When Peter went back to Jerusalem, the circumcised believers criticized him for going into the house of uncircumcised men and eating with them. But, when they heard that the gentiles had received the Holy Spirit, ‘they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, even to Gentiles God has granted repentance that leads to life’” (Acts 11:18).

Peter’s argument is merely a reminder of the events of Acts 10 and 11, and the conclusion which this same group had reached. God poured the Holy Spirit on the uncircumcised Gentiles the instant that they believed. He would not give His Holy Spirit to people who were unclean in their hearts. God was already saving Gentiles without any ritual. “Since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith (Rom. 3:30); why insist that Gentiles be burdened with circumcision.

The assembly held their peace after Peter's speech and attentively listened to Barnabas and Paul. “The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them” (Acts 15: 12). Jewish people were used to God doing signs so when these miracles took place among the Gentiles; it was a powerful witness of His work.

In his sermon on the day of Pentecost, Peter said  that  “Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him”(Acts 2:22).  The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people (Acts 2:43; 5:12). Now, Barnabas and Paul describe the same miraculous phenomena when they preached the gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 14:3). To the Jews the miracles were God's "stamp of approval" of receiving uncircumcised Gentiles into the church.

When they finished, James spoke up;“Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. ..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 rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things’   things known from long ago. “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God” (Acts 15:13-18).

When there was nothing more to be said, the apostle James, president of the Jerusalem Council, articulated his solution. It is notable that it was James, not Peter, who presided over the council. James was the half-brother of Jesus (Gal.1:19). James does something that the three before him have not done – he cites Scripture. Thus, the decision that is reached is based both upon Scripture and on experience.

James quotes the words of Amos 9:11-12 to establish his point. His main purpose for the quote is to show to the legalistic Jews that God has always promised a place for the Gentiles in His plan of redemption; in that plan they did not have to first become Jewish proselytes but were simply to earnestly seek Him.  Salvation of Gentiles should come as no surprise to his Jewish brethren. They should not impose upon these Gentiles burdens that God did not lay on them.

Moses promised the Israelites that “your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live” (Deut. 30:6). “A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God” (Rom. 2:28-29).

In Romans 10:1-3 Paul says, “my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved; For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness”. Legalism can creep into the church; we must guard against it by evaluating church traditions and rituals to ensure they align with the Scripture.

Conflict in the church is not new it existed in the early church, despite its apparent pristine condition. Wherever you have a group of people who care about their organization and are motivated to be and to do everything to the best of their ability, you are likely to encounter conflict. When a group of people never has a difference of opinion and where uniformity is the order of the day, you may have an apathetic group of people.

Paul and Barnabas teach us that it is right to contend if the foundation of the Gospel is undermined by false teaching. No church should settle for politically expedient peace at the expense of doctrinal purity. At the same time, Antioch's decision to appeal to Jerusalem shows us that doctrinal purity maintained in an atmosphere of contentiousness at the expense of peace is an equally wrong situation.

While conflict usually has a negative connotation, some conflict is good. As long as the parties behave as mature Christians and if the conflict is handled properly, it can gives rise to a healthy exchange of views, or make people think through their beliefs, traditions and relationships. Healthy conflict is evidence of healthy life in the body of Christ. Some of the best decisions are spawned in the soil of good conflict.