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Acts 15 – A Closed Society
All of a sudden, almost without warning, the church had a problem on its hands. It is new and difficult, and one they never had to deal with before, let alone even think much about it. And trust me, thinking hurts! Especially is this true when it is challenging our religious views.
Binding what God had not, their first solution was wrong. I wonder how often that is true of us. It is natural to want to be comfortable. When on edge, we reach for comfortable solutions. Being right is not always comfortable. Being spiritual is not always comfortable.
All of a sudden they are faced with the question whether the Gentile Christians must be circumcised (Acts 15). Why did circumcision cause consternation then and not before? Because up until this point, Christianity had pretty much been a “closed society.” With few exceptions, people converted people much like themselves. Certain questions never entered into their minds because they were converting clones of themselves.
If a church today only converts those with a similar background, those “raised in the church,” the result is a closed society. Peace will exist, but not because they have all the answers, but because no one is asking any questions.
If a church today converts those with different backgrounds, with contrary religious beliefs, or no religious foundation at all, there might be some problems caused by questions. Just like in Acts 15. However, such a situation is an opportunity to differentiate doctrine from opinion; to separate scripture from tradition; and to elevate what is written above what has always been done.
Yes, such situations can be uncomfortable and disturb the peace. But a greater peace is found because we are converting people to Christ and learning more about our Savior ourselves. And all of a sudden, all of us are closer to God. All of a sudden there is more peace on earth and in the church because questions are being asked and answered.
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