The Jerusalem Council
Acts 15: And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question.
Continuing with my examination of Ephesians chapter 2, specifically aimed at verses 8-9…why go here, to this dispute?
From the beginning of this letter, through Ephesians 2:7, Paul is writing of “us,” “we,” and “you”; “us” and “we” regarding the Jews, “you” regarding the Gentiles. In Ephesians 2, Paul makes mention of the distinction of the circumcised and the uncircumcised:
Ephesians 2: 11 Therefore remember that you, once Gentiles in the flesh—who are called Uncircumcision by what is called the Circumcision made in the flesh by hands…
This dispute about circumcision for believers was, I believe, the first doctrinal dispute in the apostolic Church. The Law of Moses was one thing, but what to do about circumcision for those in Christ?
These apostles might look to Christ for some guidance, based on things He said while on earth with them just a couple of decades before. The Gospels record only one exchange on the topic of circumcision.
Jesus challenges His opponents: why do you seek to kill me? They replied that Jesus has a demon: who is seeking to kill you?
John 7: 21 Jesus answered and said to them, “I did one work, and you all marvel. 22 Moses therefore gave you circumcision (not that it is from Moses, but from the fathers), and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.
23 If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath, so that the law of Moses should not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made a man completely well on the Sabbath? 24 Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
Jesus’s reply: get your priorities right. Healing a man on the Sabbath is far more important than circumcising a man on the Sabbath, yet you circumcise on the Sabbath without penalty. So, why punish Jesus for doing the greater good on the Sabbath?
In this first council, in Jerusalem, it is not clear if the apostles recalled this event concerning Jesus and circumcision. Yet, they made a decision, a judgement. After Paul described the significant gains for Christ among the Gentiles, believing Pharisees exclaimed that these Gentile believers must be circumcised. James stood up in reply:
Acts 15: 18 “Known to God from eternity are all His works. 19 Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, 20 but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood.
No mention of the necessity of circumcision.
This decision was documented in a letter and sent to the Gentile believers:
Acts 15: 28 For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: 29 that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.
Farewell.
In the several epistles in the New Testament, there are a couple of dozen times when circumcision is mentioned. Not always regarding a point of controversy regarding the practice, but often making the point in accord with this council decision. It appears this issue remained an open issue even in the Church in Ephesus, hence, the opening of Paul’s letter.
The apostles, in this council, made a decision that was consistent with the teaching they learned from Jesus: there are priorities, some things are more important than what can be derived from a superficial reading of the law.
“You have heard it said, but….” Jesus offers several such examples in His Sermon on the Mount where the interpretation and teaching of the Law by the leaders of His time was in error, misrepresenting the intent of the Law.
Yet, He opened this portion of the Sermon with the statement that He is not abolishing the Law, but fulfilling it. The Law is not an end in itself, but a means to a higher end: embrace God and His Christ.
And this is how Jesus came to answer his accusers as He did regarding healing and the Sabbath: if it is important to do the work of circumcision on the Sabbath, how much more important to heal?
And what better healing is there than to come to know Jesus Christ as your savior – whether Jew or Gentile?
Conclusion
Ephesians 2: 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.
I believe all of this is necessary background to understand these two verses in Ephesians, and to then go to the final verse in the passage I am examining:
Ephesians 2: 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
This will begin to be dealt with in the third part of this study.
After a lifetime of surveying the political landscape of historic Christianity—and pushing past personalities and scandals—I find that the manner in which a denomination integrates or divorces the two covenants determines its theology and worship. Perhaps I’ll write a book, or at least read one that satisfies my longing.
At present, I see a continuum of integration. Working from high integration to low integration, I see this basic progression: Orthodox, Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Calvinist, independent free-will Baptist.
I wonder why the God Most High didn’t give us a better written record (Holy Writ) of integration? Something that was so clear that Christians of good conscience wouldn’t divide over the issue? Or maybe the pattern of Apostolic thinking and worship was imprinted so deeply, that its maintenance was unquestioned for a millennium?
I think fulfillment is an important concept to understand the issue of circumcision. Earlier in Acts Peter receives the vision of the unclean animals. God tells Peter, that He has cleansed what was once unclean. The statement referred to dietary laws, some other aspects of The Law, and Gentiles.