This post is a continuation of an examination of John Coblentz’s writing, “Are Written Standards for the Church.?”

Next John Coblentz takes a deeper look at Acts 15. In this chapter we find the early church facing the challenge of teachers who insist that the Gentile Christians needed to be circumcised to be saved. Paul and Barnabas had some strong disputations with these teachers, but apparently couldn’t get the issue resolved. An agreement was made to go to Jerusalem and present this question to the apostles and elders.

Coblentz makes five observations about the Jerusalem meeting:

1. The apostles were united in their belief that circumcision was unnecessary for Gentile believers.
2. Coblentz feels that the those gathered at the Jerusalem conference “did not consider it an intrusion upon the liberty of the Gentile believers to list a number of things that would be guidelines for their setting.” He also notes that the Gentile believers did not view the guidelines as restrictive to their liberty. “Rather, ‘when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation’.”
3. The church leaders not only composed a list of guiding principles, but made applications which certainly could not all be viewed as permanent for the church for all time and all cultures. Coblentz summarizes this by saying, “The very nature of the ‘meat offered to idols’ regulation, being related specifically to that culture and not to ours, helps us realize that every culture will have its ‘meat’ which the Spirit-directed church will forbid.”
4. The decisions at Jerusalem were applied widely. “And as they went through the cities, they delivered the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.” (Acts 16:4) Even years later, after Paul’s second and third missionary journey, the elders at Jerusalem referred to this writing as still current among them. “As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing [keeping the law], save only that they keep themselves from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication.” (Acts 21:25)
5. The decision reached at Jerusalem was an action of the collective body of Christ. Coblentz summarizes this point by stating, “There was dialogue, considerations, searching of Scripture, and a wise response. These are the marks of New Testament leadership.”

(To be continued)

DSJ