August 15 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden that these necessary things; That you abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if you keep yourselves, you shall do well. Fare ye well (Acts 15:28-29). The General Council conducted in Jerusalem saw, for the first and only time, all of the original Apostles, along with Paul and Barnabas, gathered together “for to consider of this matter” (Acts 15:6). It was conducted at the Church at Jerusalem, which was, in essence, the first Church, and of which James the Lord’s brother was the Senior Pastor, so to speak. Even though we say “Church,” they didn’t have a building, and for many and obvious reasons. In a sense, the Temple continued to serve as their “Church” in Jerusalem. There were probably as many as 20,000-30,000 people who were members of this “Church,” virtually all of them Jews. From the Text, it seems that Peter spoke first, and rightly so, because he was much better known to all the people; furthermore, even as Peter said, “You know how that a good while ago (approximately ten years) God made choice among us that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the Word of the Gospel, and believe” (Acts 15:7). This had to do with Cornelius and his household, all Gentiles. Then Paul and Barnabas addressed the crowd. The great question concerned the “Law” and “Grace.” After they come to Christ, is it right to demand of the Gentiles that they also keep the Law? At this Council, the Holy Spirit made the decision that the Gentiles would not have to keep the Law. In other words, they were saved by trusting Christ and Him alone! There were four requirements for the Gentiles, and all four, in a sense, had to do with the Cross. They are: 1. “That you abstain from meats offered to idols”: These were lambs or heifers which had been offered in sacrifice to idols, a custom which, of course, was nurtured and fostered by Satan to say, in effect, that the sacrifice of Christ on the Cross was of no consequence. After these animals were offered in sacrifice, the carcass was then offered for sale in the meat markets of the city, and whoever purchased this cut of meat was believed to have good luck, etc. As should be obvious, Christians should not be involved in such. 2. “From blood”: Under the Law, the Jews were strictly forbidden to eat blood (Lev. 17:14). To be brief, Christ would shed His Life’s Blood on the Cross, which meant the pouring out of His Perfect Life, with faith in that securing Salvation for all who believe. 3. “From things strangled”: This referred to the carcass of animals which had not been properly drained of blood; when this meat was eaten, blood would also be imbibed, which is forbidden. Once again, it goes to the Cross. 4. “And from fornication”: This spoke, obviously, of immorality; even more so, however, James is using it in the Old Testament sense of being unfaithful to the Lord. When a Believer trusts in anything except Christ and the Cross, he is, in effect, committing spiritual fornication with that thing, whatever it might be. Each Believer is married to Christ. Christ Alone meets our every need, as He Alone can meet our every need (Rom. 7:1-4). Therefore, our faith is to be exclusively in Him and what He has done for us at the Cross; otherwise, we commit spiritual fornication. That’s the reason it is imperative for every Believer to make Christ and His Cross the exclusive object of one’s faith, and that alone! There is nothing more important than that! blood (Lev. 17:14). To be brief, Christ would shed His Life’s Blood on the Cross, which meant the pouring out of His Perfect Life, with faith in that securing Salvation for all who believe. 3. “From things strangled”: This referred to the carcass of animals which had not been properly drained of blood; when this meat was eaten, blood would also be imbibed, which is forbidden. Once again, it goes to the Cross. 4. “And from fornication”: This spoke, obviously, of immorality; even more so, however, James is using it in the Old Testament sense of being unfaithful to the Lord. When a Believer trusts in anything except Christ and the Cross, he is, in effect, committing spiritual fornication with that thing, whatever it might be. Each Believer is married to Christ. Christ Alone meets our every need, as He Alone can meet our every need (Rom. 7:1-4). Therefore, our faith is to be exclusively in Him and what He has done for us at the Cross; otherwise, we commit spiritual fornication. That’s the reason it is imperative for every Believer to make Christ and His Cross the exclusive object of one’s faith, and that alone! There is nothing more important than that!
Posted on: Fri, 16 Aug 2013 02:15:19 +0000
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