LENTEN READINGS AND REFLECTIONS

DAY 22

Reading: Acts 11:19-16:40

This morning we see the broad outlines of one of the first serious controversies in the Church, the place and function of the Old Testament dietary/purity laws in the Christian faith.

The apostles were all Jewish. The Jewish dietary and ritual laws were part and parcel of their every day existence and experience. To be a part of the people of God was, necessarily, to be circumcised or, if female, to belong to the household of a circumcised father and brothers and to marry a circumcised man. Circumcision, given by God to Abraham and codified through Moses, was the sign and symbol of belonging to the Lord and devotion to his Law.

Thus, during the earliest years of the Church, being a follower of Christ meant, first and foremost, being a devout and practicing Jew, committed to the Law in its entirety.

The full ramifications of Christ's sacrificial death on the cross with regard to the dietary/purity laws had yet to be recognized. But this was not really a problem. Being almost entirely Jewish, the Christian Church simply continued to practice their faith in the same way they always had in keeping with the Law.

Then God called Paul to preach the gospel of salvation to the Gentiles.

And the problems began.

Gentiles were uncircumcised. They did not have or keep the Law.

As more and more of them heard the gospel and surrendered their lives to Christ, the Jewish Christians began to wonder: what should be required of the Gentiles? Must they be circumcised and commanded to keep law whole law as a matter of salvation?

This, in turn, led to a deeper and larger question. Now that the Messiah has died as an atoning sacrifice and risen from the dead, what function does the law fulfill in the process of eternal salvation?

Both questions were settled by divine intervention.

In Acts chapter 10 God spoke to Peter in a dream declaring all of the dietary and purity laws of the Old Testament fulfilled. From that point on, they were no longer binding for believers.

We need to be careful here. God did not arbitrarily overthrow the Old Testament law.. Rather, through Jesus, he completed or fulfilled a specific portion of it.

God revealed that there was no more need to keep dietary and purity laws because the purpose for keeping these laws, to be “made clean” for Temple worship, had been accomplished on the cross through the blood of Christ. God himself, in Christ, cleansed his people forever with his blood. Christ became the New Temple . He “destroyed the old one” and raised the new Temple , his body, in three days. The purity/dietary code, declared the Lord, is no more.

This point was reiterated before the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 and the apostles, led by the Holy Spirit, determined that in accordance with Peter's revelation and words of Christ himself, circumcision and the purity/dietary restrictions were no longer binding on Jew or Gentile (though the Jew was free to continue in them).

But what about the moral laws of the Old Testament, like the Ten Commandments? Did Christ fulfill them as well?

He certainly kept them faithfully. And, indeed, he died to take away the sins of those who have not.

But while he was very concerned during his earthly ministry to tell his disciples that the purity/dietary laws were temporary and passing (see Mark 7 and Matthew 15), he was also quite adamant that the moral laws of the Old Testament are eternal laws because they reflect the very nature of God.

In fact, throughout the New Testament you see that Jesus and the apostles were very careful to keep and command us to continue keeping the Ten Commandments and the other moral laws found throughout the Scriptures. This is why the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 freed the Gentiles from the dietary/purity laws and circumcision but required them to maintain sexual purity and to keep away from Idols. They were not to be bound by the Temple laws but they were to be bound by the moral laws.

But what about the second question. What role does the moral law play in our salvation?

There is only one person who met the mark and fulfilled God's standard of moral perfection and that person is Jesus Christ.

And that perfection is the standard. God is the author of righteousness and only the perfectly righteous can stand before him.

No Jew or Gentile other than Jesus has or can meet the measure of the Law. We are born with rebellious hearts and, no matter how much we try, we sin throughout our lives. We are not perfectly righteous and we cannot earn or work our way to the Father.

As you have, hopefully, already seen and (if not) as you will see, God revealed and the apostles clearly and consistently taught that the only way to find eternal life is through faith in Jesus Christ because Jesus alone fulfilled the Moral law on your behalf and mine.

When you try to follow the law, you realize, very quickly, that your efforts are futile. And this is precisely what God wants you to see because only when you see that will you be ready to trust in the righteousness and faithfulness of Christ rather than your own. And only when you see yourself as a sinner will you be able to confess your sins, give them over to Christ, repent and be forgiven.

Not only does Christ's righteous life count before God on your behalf, but his blood and death count before the Lord as your punishment.

The law, therefore, is intended to convict us of our sins so that we will come to the foot of the cross and put all our hope and faith in Christ Jesus for salvation.

Then God welcomes us into his home and sets himself up in our hearts through the Holy Spirit and granted eternal salvation. At that point the law becomes our friend and guide no longer judging us--we have already been judged guilty and punished in Christ on the cross. Now God declares us righteous on the basis of Christ's righteousness--but rather, calling us to go deeper and further into the heart of God.

The good news of Jesus Christ is that whether you are a Jew or a Gentile, God offers you both peace and eternal life through faith in his Son Jesus Christ.

There is nothing else you must do. There are no dietary restrictions. No purity codes. No legal requirements. There is nothing you can do and nothing you must do to earn eternal life. You need only to surrender and receive the Work that has been done on your behalf and the Person who has done it, Jesus Christ our savior and Lord.

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