The Council of Jerusalem (50 AD)
COMPROMISING FOR THE SAKE OF
LOVE,
UNCOMPROMISING FOR THE SAKE OF FAITHFULNESS.
In the name + of Jesus.
Christians have always struggled with
determining how to worship the Lord. In
Reformation times, there was confusion about what could be retained in the
church and what had to go. The Lutherans
had identified abuses in the Roman Catholic Church and took pains to correct them.
(Examples are found in the Unaltered Augsburg
Confession, Articles 22-28 -- https://bookofconcord.org/augsburg-confession/
.) But there were still debates. What is mandatory? What is permissible? What is forbidden? What ceremonies are wise and beneficial, and
what ceremonies make a poor or confusing confession? Where can we compromise and where must we
not?
People approached this from two different
angles. Lutherans said, “If a tradition has
been practiced in the Church and Scripture does not forbid it, we can make use
of it with thanksgiving.” Other Protestants
said, “If Scripture does not command its use, we dare not use it. It is forbidden.” For example, Scripture says nothing about
making the sign of the cross on oneself.
So, is it to be practiced or not?
Lutherans say we are free to do it.
In fact, the Small Catechism encourages it. Since Scripture does not command it, Protestants
do not cross themselves. Some find it
repulsive.
The principle is simple: Where Scripture
is silent, we are free. However, that
freedom is shaped by love for other people.
We never want to use our freedom to drive someone away from Jesus Christ
or to make a poor confession. While we
may be free to do something, it may not be wise or loving to do it. We compromise for the sake of love, but we
will be uncompromising for the sake of faithfulness.
The early Christian Church was embroiled
in a similar debate. The first decades
of the Christian Church had a strong Jewish flavor to it. The first Christians, the apostles, and Jesus
himself were all Jewish. The only sacred
writings were the Old Testament. For centuries,
God’s people were directed by the ceremonial laws in Leviticus which included such
matters as dietary laws and circumcision.
These laws had guided their lives and had become a part of the culture. The Jews accepted this to be fact: To be God’s
people was to be Jewish.
But as the word of God spread rapidly,
Gentiles were being added to the Church.
They had never practiced circumcision or observed kosher laws. Now came the struggle: How do people worship and
serve the Lord? To put it another way: How
Jewish were Christians supposed to be?
To settle the matter, leaders from the early
Christian Church gathered in Jerusalem.
The leader of this council was James, the brother of our Lord. He presided as the bishop over the entire
church and moderated the debate which gave direction to the church of God. Although he was not an apostle, James of Jerusalem
was recognized as a man with discernment.
He saw where compromises could be made and where they could not. Compromise would be done for the sake of love,
but the Church would remain uncompromising for the sake of faithfulness.
Where
does one turn to determine where compromises can be made and where we must
remain uncompromising? To the Scriptures. Where else?
Just as Paul and Barnabas testified, James of Jerusalem acknowledged
that the Gentiles had always been in God’s plans. He declared: “With this
the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written, ‘After this I will
return, and I will rebuild the tent of David … that the remnant of
mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my
name…’” (Acts 15:15-17).
The Church was increasing with people who
had never observed the ceremonial laws in Leviticus. The question remained: Did they need to? For the sake of faithfulness to God’s word,
everyone would remain uncompromising, but for the sake of love, the Gentiles were
asked to make some compromises. James
rendered this judgment: “We should write to (the Gentiles) to
abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and
from what has been strangled, and from blood. For from ancient generations Moses has had in
every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the
synagogues” (Acts 15:20-21). These ceremonial things had been so ingrained
in the minds of the Jewish Christians that it would cause friction among the
Christians if the Gentiles were to do them.
Over the course of
time, most of these admonitions went away.
Most had to do with laws that were put in place to point people to the Messiah’s
coming. But since the Messiah had come,
the ceremonial laws were no longer mandatory.
For the Jews, they were still permissible, and that for the sake of culture,
not for salvation. The Gentiles were
asked to be sympathetic to Jewish sensitivities for the sake of love. The admonition against sexual immorality,
however, stands since that is the 6th Commandment. On that point, we are still uncompromising
for the sake of faithfulness.
Now, what does
all this have to do with us? Because we
are still sinners who have been brought into God’s Church. We are supposed to be united to one another
and to seek each other’s good. But we
also come with different ideas, opinions, and personal practices. We can confuse a cultural tradition with our
religion. Don’t think so? What if we don’t put up a Christmas tree in church
this year? Our ideas, opinions, and
practices also come with self-centeredness.
We want our own way. We expect
others to agree with us and honor us for our ideas. We get angry when we don’t get it because pride
makes no compromises. It demands others yield,
and it often causes a fracture in the church.
But this is not
how you have come to know Jesus Christ, and it is not how you have received a place
in his church. In regard to his word,
the Lord is uncompromising. He does not edit
or alter his word for anyone. Heaven and
earth will pass away, but the word of the Lord will never pass away. That word shows us what is good and right,
but it also exposes that we are not. The
word shows us what it means to love our neighbor as ourselves, but it also
shows that we have not done that. Love
will compromise on opinions and say, “This is not that big a deal.” Pride will angrily insist, “I must explain to
everyone just how stupid this guy is.” The
word of God exposes us. We are full of pride,
full of ourselves, and full of sin. God’s
word condemns us for this. God does not
apologize for this. He can’t because he is
uncompromising on what is true and good and right. Rather, he calls us to repent.
But God is also
uncompromising in his love and his faithfulness. He promised to rebuild the tent of David, that
is, to restore a remnant of Israel to himself.
He would not compromise on this promise, even swearing on oath that he
would do it. In addition, he swore that
he would rescue Gentiles from their darkened minds and prideful hearts, and enlighten
them to know God’s grace. The Lord was
uncompromising in this salvation, so he sent his Son to be one to accomplish
that.
Jesus was uncompromising
in his willing obedience to his Father. The
Father sent his Son to be the sacrifice which atones for your sin; for sin
cannot go unpunished. In uncompromising obedience
to his Father, Jesus was slain on behalf of sinners. Jesus is the way into the presence of the
Father. Since you were baptized into his
name, you have the righteousness you need wrapped around you and you have the
sin which would condemn you removed. The
Lord has promised that whoever believes in Jesus for this salvation and is
baptized into his name shall be saved.
God is uncompromising in his faithfulness to that promise. He is uncompromising in his love for you.
You do not have
to strike any bargain with God about your place in his kingdom. It has been secured. You do not need to negotiate with God over the
sins which haunt you. They are forgiven. You do not have to pledge your faithfulness
to God so that he will match it. Jesus
lives to intercede for us, and his blood continues to mark us as God’s people. God remains faithful even when we fail.
James of
Jerusalem recognized that both Jews and Gentiles in the church were redeemed
children of God. His judgment was
determined to see all these people live in harmony with each other. Their backgrounds and customs may have been confusing
and even repulsive to each other. But
their unity was not based on culture; it was based on Christ. Each would seek the good of the other. So, the Church pleaded with the Gentiles to
compromise for the sake of love: “Please avoid the things which the Jews cannot
do in good conscience, even though the ceremonial laws are no longer in effect.” The Jews, on the other hand, should recognize
that their customs were not commandments. Lack of circumcision was not lack of faith in
Jesus Christ.
We still strive
to make such compromises for the sake of love.
We can learn to appreciate people from another culture and honor them
even if we would have to forgo something we are fond of. If we had Muslims joining us, we might
suspend ham and bacon from our Easter breakfast. Bacon is good, but the kingdom of God is not
about bacon. It is a small concession
for the sake of love for others. If
someone from another Christian background comes and genuflects before sitting
down, we will respect their act of reverence.
Who knows? That person may be
offended that you don’t. For the sake of
love, each is free to observe his own custom.
Differences in ceremony are not always differences in faith.
Where God’s word allows for freedom, we can be compromising for the sake of love. James of Jerusalem sought that all Christians would maintain their harmony. Love will compromise on opinions. This is how Spartans and Wolverines can get along, and Republicans and Democrats, and carnivores and vegans. These things don’t save, and our unity does not come from them. We are united on God’s word. Where the Lord has spoken, we must be uncompromising for the sake of faithfulness. The Commandments of God direct us to a good and godly life. The promises of God assure us of a blessed salvation. Our hope and salvation depend upon God. Therefore, we cling to his word and do not budge an inch. If God’s word can be compromised, his love and forgiveness can be, too. God forbid those would ever be left to doubt! But they are not. God is uncompromising in his word, and therefore his love and his faithfulness endure forever.
In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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