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What do we mean by
Christian liberty? There are many modern-day
activities that the Bible doesn’t say are
specifically wrong that some people feel
perfectly free to engage in while others do
not. Most of these activities revolve around
social “do’s” and “don’ts, such as wearing
certain kinds of clothes, make-up, jewelry,
tattoos, piercings, and even watching
certain types of movies and videos. Some
Christians believe they are free to go
dancing, smoke, and gamble, while other
Christians believe these types of activities
go contrary to the will of God. The guiding
principle in all of these activities is that
we shouldn’t do anything that can cause
another Christian to stumble in their walk
with Christ (Rom. 14:12-16).
The
most common problem confronting the early
church was the ongoing clash between Jews
and Gentiles over whether or not the
Gentiles had to keep the laws of the Mosaic
Covenant (see Acts 15). Were the cleanliness
laws still in effect? Were the unclean meats
from Leviticus 11 still forbidden? Did God
expect Christians to keep the Sabbath and
the other Holy days from the Old Covenant
(Lev. 23)?
It was a very real
problem in the context of their continuing
social relationships.
The Apostle Paul had to deal with that same
issue repeatedly in Romans 14; 1 Corinthians 8-10;
Galatians 1-6; Ephesians 2; and Colossians 2.
Regarding the keeping of Holy days, Paul said, “One
person esteems one day as better than
another, while another esteems all days
alike. Each one should be fully convinced in
his own mind.” (Rom. 14:5).
What Paul is saying is that
some people held a certain day higher, or
with greater esteem than another day (a
Sabbath day, Feast days, and fasting days
are all in view), while the strong believers
held all days with the same regard.
Some feel that this refers primarily to the
Sabbath, but it is most likely referring to any
special day a person feels compelled to set
apart for God. All days are to be dedicated
to God through holy living and godly
service. The importance of personal
conviction in disputable matters of conduct
runs through this entire passage (see Rom. 14:14, 16, 22, 23).
Paul was not saying that it is wrong to have strong convictions, but
that all people have a right to their own
personal beliefs on disputable matters. This
principle is basic in dealing with
controversial issues.
The weak Jewish
believers felt compelled to observe the
Sabbath and other special days associated
with Judaism (Gal. 4:9-10; Eph. 2:11-15;
Col. 2:16-17); and the weak
Gentile believers wanted to separate
themselves from the special days of
festivities associated with their former
paganism because of its idolatry and
immorality (1 Cor. 8; 10).
The covenant sign of
circumcision and observance of all the laws
of Moses were an issue in the early church.
A church council was convened in Jerusalem
around A.D. 49/50 and the Church leaders debated over
which of the laws Moses had written applied
to Christians. During that council, the
members settled upon four laws for Gentile
converts.
Acts 15:1-5 says, “But
some men came down from Judea and were
teaching the brothers, “Unless you are
circumcised according to the custom of
Moses, you cannot be saved.” And after Paul
and Barnabas had no small dissension and
debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some
of the others were appointed to go up to
Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders
about this question. So, being sent on their
way by the church, they passed through both
Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail
the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought
great joy to all the brothers. When they
came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the
church and the apostles and the elders, and
they declared all that God had done with
them. But some believers who belonged to the
party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It
is necessary to circumcise them and to order
them to keep the law of Moses.’”
After
hearing the complaints of the Pharisees, the
Apostle Peter spoke to the gathering.
Acts 15:7-11 says, “And after there had been
much debate, Peter stood up and said to
them, “Brothers, you know that in the early
days God made a choice among you, that by my
mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of
the gospel and believe. And God, who knows
the heart, bore witness to them, by giving
them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us,
and he made no distinction between us and
them, having cleansed their hearts by faith.
Now, therefore, why are you putting God to
the test by placing a yoke on the neck of
the disciples that neither our fathers nor
we have been able to bear? But we believe
that we will be saved through the grace of
the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” (cf.
Gal. 5:1-6).
The Council’s Decision:
Acts 15:22-29 says, “Then it seemed good to
the apostles and the elders, with the whole
church, to choose men from among them and
send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.
They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas,
leading men among the brothers, with the
following letter: “The brothers, both the
apostles and the elders, to the brothers who
are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and
Cilicia, greetings. Since we have heard that
some persons have gone out from us and
troubled you with words, unsettling your
minds, although we gave them no
instructions, it has seemed good to us,
having come to one accord, to choose men and
send them to you with our beloved Barnabas
and Paul, men who have risked their lives
for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We
have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who
themselves will tell you the same things by
word of mouth. For it has seemed good to the
Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no
greater burden than these requirements: that
you abstain from what has been sacrificed to
idols, and from blood, and from what has
been strangled, and from sexual immorality.
If you keep yourselves from these, you will
do well. Farewell.”
Notice that it was the “Holy Spirit” who made those
few
requirements and the Apostles were careful
to say that “no greater burden” was to be
laid upon the Gentiles than those four
requirements. The Church leaders wanted to
make it clear to all the churches that they
would never place the burden of keeping the
Mosaic Law upon the new converts (Acts 15:22-29).
“The apostles and elders were confident that
the Holy Spirit had guided their decision
making process. They were not requiring
circumcision and observance of the entire
Mosaic law (Acts 15:10), for salvation is by
grace alone (Acts 15:11).”
[1]
The decision was
made that none of the Holy
Days or dietary restrictions of the Mosaic Law (including the
Sabbath) were required for
Christians to keep under the New Covenant.
“The few
requirements James suggests they impose are
representative of the handful of laws Jewish
tradition declared that God gave Noah.
According to the more lenient Jewish
position, any righteous Gentiles who kept
those basic laws would have a share in the
world to come. Because even stricter
Pharisees had to get along with the majority
of more lenient people, these teachers did
not try to invalidate other teachers’
rulings if they had majority consent.”
[2]
In Romans 12-15, Paul
laid down principles for the Jews and
Gentiles to come together.
The stronger
brother should care for the weaker brother.
As strong Christians, coming from different
backgrounds, we don’t want to cause a weak
brother to stumble over our beliefs — even
though they are correct. Each Christian must
follow the dictates of his own conscience in
matters not specifically commanded or
prohibited in Scripture.
Romans 15:1 says, “We who are strong
have an obligation to bear with the failings
of the weak, and not to please ourselves.”
Paul was strong in
his faith but he willingly
placed restrictions on his personal conduct for the
sake of the weaker believers.
1 Corinthians 9:19-23
says, “For though I am free from all, I have
made myself a servant to all, that I might
win more of them. To the Jews I became as a
Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under
the law I became as one under the law
(though not being myself under the law) that
I might win those under the law. To those
outside the law I became as one outside the
law (not being outside the law of God but
under the law of Christ) that I might win
those outside the law. To the weak I became
weak, that I might win the weak. I have
become all things to all people, that by all
means I might save some. I do it all for the
sake of the gospel, that I may share with
them in its blessings.”
Paul said he wasn’t under the Old Covenant
law of the Jews because he was now under the
law of Christ. The law of Christ contains
some new commands (1 Tim. 4:4), some old
ones (Rom. 13:9), and some revised ones
(Rom. 13:4, regarding capital punishment).
The only laws Christians are required to
keep are the laws expressed in the New
Covenant (James 2:8-13). Not a mixture of
laws from both the Old and the New
Covenants.
In Romans, as in 1 Corinthians,
Paul was discussing the proper attitude
Christians should have toward each other in
debatable areas of conduct (things that are
not clearly stated to be right or wrong). He says, (1) that we are not to judge one another
regarding such
matters because God has received both the
weaker and stronger believer; (2) because we can differ in good
conscience; and (3) because we
shall all be judged by the Lord (Rom. 14:1-3; 14:4-6; 14:7-12).
Romans 14 goes into great detail concerning
issues about food and what can be eaten.
Some commentators say that this section of
scripture is dealing primarily with fasting
days but Israel had no required days of
fasting that didn’t require total abstinence
from food. Romans 14:1-2 says “the weak
person eats only vegetables.” This shows
clearly that the issue facing the Roman
Church was not fasting, but food that had
been forbidden under the Old Covenant, or
meats sacrificed to an idol in the pagan
temples.
Those who were weak in the
faith were not without faith altogether,
they had trusted in Christ. Some in Rome
might not have accepted Paul’s teaching
concerning certain practices, such as
accepting that all food was clean if
received with thanksgiving (see 1 Tim. 4:4-5), instead, they ate only vegetables.
The strong in the faith are told to receive
the weak brother and not to dispute over doubtful
things, which literally means “reasoning’s”
or “opinions.” Paul was clear that the more
mature believers were not to pass judgment
on their weaker brother or sister and enter
into disputes over non-essential matters.
“For the kingdom of God is not a matter
of eating and drinking but of righteousness
and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
(Rom. 14:17)
And Colossians 2:16-17
says, “Therefore do not let anyone judge you
by what you eat or drink, or with regard to
a religious festival, a New Moon celebration
or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the
things that were to come; the reality,
however, is found in Christ.” (NIV)
Romans 14; 1 Corinthians 8-10; Galatians 1-6; Ephesians 2; Colossians 2 and Acts 15 are all concerned with how
Christians from different backgrounds can
come together for fellowship, and the greater
issue of what parts of the Mosaic Covenant
(if any), the New Covenant believer was
required to keep. The New Testament teaching
is clear, Christians are not under any of the
legal requirements of the Old Covenant law. We
have the New Covenant of Jesus Christ as our
guide.
“For you were called to freedom,
brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an
opportunity for the flesh, but through love
serve one another.” (Gal. 5:13)
References:
1. ESV Study Bible: Acts 15:28.
2. The Bible Background
Commentary: New Testament. Acts 15:19-20.
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