Some of the sect of the Pharisees who had trusted stood up, saying, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.” The apostles and older men 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 trust. 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 trust. 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 trust it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.” (Acts 15:5-7)
Here in the narrative of Acts Peter clearly says that Gentile Christians are not required to keep the law of Moses. Peter points out that neither the Apostles nor any Jew in history was able to bear the yoke of the law. Peter also said that it is testing God to require people to keep the law.
Unfortunately, the bottom line of the Council of Jerusalem imposed certain dietary restrictions on the Gentiles.
ReplyDeleteToday, we scoff at dietary laws but in the first century the Gentiles were expected to observe them. James did not trust Paul and Barnabas to take this edict back to the Antioch Christians and so he sent his brother Jude and a guy names Silas to make sure this new law wouldn't slip through the cracks.
Later on, in his epistles, Paul told the Gentiles that it didn't much matter what you ate as long as you don't offend your brother with your eating.
I don't know much about drinking blood but fornication could lead to diseases.
ReplyDeleteIt is possible these things were given as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 8, "so they would not offend the weaker brothers or cause them to stumble" since those who keep extra rules were considered to be the weaker ones.
Other than those things I would have no problem with saying that they messed up.