Road to Rome: The Reunion

 

Reunions are great.  Paul had been gone for a few years. Now, here was Paul returning to Jerusalem with news of his ministry. They received him gladly. The travelers were probably tired after traveling from Caesarea and needed rest. After a night of rest, they will meet with the church leaders to share their stories and concerns about the Gentile churches.

The next day they go to visit with James. All the elders of Jerusalem were present, and Paul shared what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. Then, they discussed church doctrine concerning the matter if Gentiles should follow all of Moses laws. Specifically, should Gentiles be required to be circumcised. They concluded that the Gentiles which believe will not be required to be circumcised but ‘keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.’ (21:25) After settling the question of doctrine, they prepared themselves to go to the temple the next day. 

I wonder if this situation was frustrating to Paul.  He comes to Jerusalem sharing the wonderful news of many people coming to God, but the church in Jerusalem wanted to discuss doctrine. This couldn’t have been a short discussion.  Should the Gentiles be circumcised?  Should all the laws written for the Jews be forced on the Gentiles? After circumcision, there are the laws concerning food, cleansing the body for purification, and method of preparing for worship. Didn’t Jesus teach that spiritual cleansing comes from faith not works? Didn’t Jesus and his disciples gather food to eat on the sabbath and without washing their hands? Did Jesus’ disciples forget the lessons Jesus taught them? Yet, Paul had to argue these laws with the disciples in Jerusalem.

Paul wrote to the Romans about these laws. “The righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God has set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness; that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believes in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No: but by the law of faith. Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith without deeds of the law… Do we then make void the law through faith? God forbid! Yes, we establish the law.” (Romans 3: 21-31)

When we live by faith, we don’t put away God’s laws. Through repentance of sins and believing in salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ, we become children of God. God gives us the Holy Spirit to abide in us and lead us in the way we should go.  We make the Word (Holy Bible) our compass for our life.  Yes, we establish the law through studying God’s Word and seeking His will in our daily lives. We draw closer to God through prayer and meditating in His Word. We obey. We believe. We live out our faith.