Struggle and Growth

MEMORY SELECTION: “Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.” —Acts 11:18

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Galatians 2:11-16; Acts 11:11-18

IN THE Lord’s providence the Apostle Peter was given the privilege of bringing the first Gentile convert, Cornelius, into Christ. This was the event that marked the opening of the Gospel to the Gentiles and was in itself the beginning of a fulfillment of many prophecies concerning the favor that would, in God’s own due time, be shown to the Gentiles. In Deuteronomy 32:21 Moses, as the mouthpiece of God, stated, “I will move them to jealousy with those which are not a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation.” This prophecy was quoted by the Apostle Paul in Romans 10:19. Other prophecies referring to the favor that was to come to the Gentiles are Hosea 1:10; 2:23.

The Gospel being preached to the Gentiles for the first time marked a change of dispensation in the development of God’s great divine plan of the ages. Heretofore, the Gospel—and hence the invitation to be a part of the church—had gone only to the Jewish nation; but because of their unfaithfulness this privilege was taken away from them as a nation. The following is a quotation from Acts 13:46: “Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the Word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.”

Most of the Christian Jews were glad to see the evidence of the Holy Spirit working among the Gentiles But there were some, who were called Judaizers, who “taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.” (Acts 15:1) This of course was contrary to the teachings of the Apostle Paul who, through the teachings of Jesus and by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, understood that Jesus’ death on the cross brought an end to the Law Covenant to everyone who believed. “And you [the Gentiles], being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses; blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us [the Jews], which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross.”—Col. 2:13,14

Peter originally concurred with this viewpoint, and when he was in the company of Paul and Barnabas and when alone with the Gentiles, he ate with them. But when the Judaizers came, “he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.” (Gal. 2:12) When Paul observed that Peter and Barnabas (who had been influenced by Peter) and other Jewish converts walked not uprightly according to the truth of the Gospel, he said unto Peter before them all, “If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?” (Gal. 2:14) Then Paul continues in verse 16, “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.”

This dispensational problem in the Early Church was finally solved by the various factions agreeing to send representatives up to Jerusalem and there confer with the apostles and elders about the question.

Barnabas and Paul were among those who were sent, and when they arrived in Jerusalem they were received by the church; and apparently, from the account in Acts, 15th chapter, there was much discussion about the Gentiles, the prophecies concerning them, and their relationship, if any, to the law. And then is recorded that wonderful summary of the discussion by the Apostle James in Acts 15:14-17.

The final agreement was that scripturally the Gentiles should not be required to be under the law, but that they should refrain from idols, from fornication, from things strangled, and from blood.

And so this very serious problem in the Early Church was settled by all the factions coming together and discussing the problem in the light of God’s Word.

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