Acts 15

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.” 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. 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 believers very glad. 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 keep the law of Moses.” The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 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 did not discriminate 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 Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors 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.” 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. When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for His name from the Gentiles. 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. 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 the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.” 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, men who were leaders among the believers. 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. So 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 believers. After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them. But Silas decided to remain there. But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord. ‭‭Acts‬ ‭15‬:‭1‬-‭35 ‭NIV‬‬

Living a Christian life should bring joy and freedom, not the burden of following religious rules and ceremonies.  This is precisely what was being debated at the Council of Jerusalem in 50 AD.  Specifically, the disciples were discussing whether Gentiles should have to become Jewish prior to converting to Christianity.  God’s clear answer to this is “No.”  Everyone who believes in Jesus and puts their faith in Him can call themselves a Christian, and can enjoy the freedom that this new relationship allows.  Notice how Revelation 3:20 uses the word ANYONE: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with Me.”  In today’s world, most people are far removed from the Jewish laws, but there are still some ways that we can fall into the same trap that these early Christians did.  Whenever we are leading others to Christ or interacting with fellow believers, we need to make sure that we are not adding any unbiblical requirements or developing a set of rules that we or others are expected to follow.  The danger is that we can develop a system called legalism, which is defined as “a strict, literal, or excessive conformity to the law or to a religious or moral code” (Merriam-Webster dictionary).  Of course, there are rules that we are expected to follow as Christians.  What is unique about Christianity, however, is that doing good works and obeying laws are not requirements for salvation.  The commands outlined in the pages of the Bible are there to guide us and help us with moral and ethical issues in life, and are there for our own benefit.  Living our lives the way Jesus showed us ensures that we will have abundant and productive lives filled with joy and contentment.  Legalism creeps in when we start thinking about our level of commitment to our faith and the amount of good deeds we do compared to others.  We may expect others to give as much as we give, volunteer as much as we volunteer, pray as much as we pray, attend church as much as we attend church, read the Bible as much as we read the Bible, etc.  This is a prideful path that should be avoided, as it leads to us judging others based on OUR own criteria and not God’s.  The extent of a person’s time commitment to Bible Study and prayer, and the time and financial investment he/she makes in furthering God’s Kingdom is a matter between that person and God.  Legalism can destroy the freedom that Christ died to give us, so stay away from it and, as always, let Scripture be your ultimate guide.