Difficult to Break Away from Traditions Ingrained in the Mind
I want to begin a section on the Jerusalem Council as found in Acts 15.
Part 1: the doctrine of the Pharisees is difficult to break away from. It will ensnare even the most devoted followers of Jesus.
"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.' 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" (Acts 15:1-2, NKJV).
We must remember that this is Israel we are discussing. These early Christians were also devoted Jews. They had kept the Law of Moses, as commanded in the Old Testament. They could not understand how the Gentiles were not commanded to keep the same Law. The Law was in their heart. They knew it backward and forward. At the least, the Gentile followers of Jesus should be circumcised, according to the Law of Moses. Throughout the Old Testament, circumcision was "the" symbol of God's covenant with Abraham. It was an outward symbol of just who were God's chosen people.
""So, being sent on by the way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, describing the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy to all the brethren. And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them. But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, 'It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the Law of Moses'" (Acts 15:3-5).
Notice the joy in the heart of the brothers in Jerusalem when they heard what God had done among the Gentiles. They were excited. They did not deny the working of God in the lives of the Gentiles. There is no doubt that God had chosen the Gentiles.
Notice,then, what happens. There are also some Pharisees who are believers. Think of this: the Pharisees knew the Law of Moses if anyone did. Think of the Pharisees during the earthly life and ministry of Jesus. They strained gnats from their picnic food to be sure they did not accidentally swallow an unclean animal. In seeking to be holy, they saw evil everywhere. They had to be separate, or "they" would never reach the righteousness of God. Some of these Pharisees had come to realize that Jesus, indeed, is the Messiah. I think of the secret followers of Jesus. They were afraid at one time to admit they followed Him. Not any more. But when a legalistic doctrine has been a part of one's life for so many years, it is difficult to break away from it. They knew Jesus. If they died tomorrow, they would go to heaven. No more would it be said of them that they denied the Son of God. But they could not break away from the traditions they had been taught.
The same is true today. When we have been taught to strain a gnat from our food, when we have been taught to see everything as evil and anti-God, it is so difficult to break away from these traditions, even though we know the saving power of Christ. Even though we have a heart-to-heart relationship with Him, those traditions - those obsessions of perfectionism - are a part of our minds. It is difficult to look at someone who is not bound by those traditions and not think they must be doing something wrong. They need to change to our way of thinking...
Part 1: the doctrine of the Pharisees is difficult to break away from. It will ensnare even the most devoted followers of Jesus.
"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.' 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" (Acts 15:1-2, NKJV).
We must remember that this is Israel we are discussing. These early Christians were also devoted Jews. They had kept the Law of Moses, as commanded in the Old Testament. They could not understand how the Gentiles were not commanded to keep the same Law. The Law was in their heart. They knew it backward and forward. At the least, the Gentile followers of Jesus should be circumcised, according to the Law of Moses. Throughout the Old Testament, circumcision was "the" symbol of God's covenant with Abraham. It was an outward symbol of just who were God's chosen people.
""So, being sent on by the way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, describing the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy to all the brethren. And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them. But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, 'It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the Law of Moses'" (Acts 15:3-5).
Notice the joy in the heart of the brothers in Jerusalem when they heard what God had done among the Gentiles. They were excited. They did not deny the working of God in the lives of the Gentiles. There is no doubt that God had chosen the Gentiles.
Notice,then, what happens. There are also some Pharisees who are believers. Think of this: the Pharisees knew the Law of Moses if anyone did. Think of the Pharisees during the earthly life and ministry of Jesus. They strained gnats from their picnic food to be sure they did not accidentally swallow an unclean animal. In seeking to be holy, they saw evil everywhere. They had to be separate, or "they" would never reach the righteousness of God. Some of these Pharisees had come to realize that Jesus, indeed, is the Messiah. I think of the secret followers of Jesus. They were afraid at one time to admit they followed Him. Not any more. But when a legalistic doctrine has been a part of one's life for so many years, it is difficult to break away from it. They knew Jesus. If they died tomorrow, they would go to heaven. No more would it be said of them that they denied the Son of God. But they could not break away from the traditions they had been taught.
The same is true today. When we have been taught to strain a gnat from our food, when we have been taught to see everything as evil and anti-God, it is so difficult to break away from these traditions, even though we know the saving power of Christ. Even though we have a heart-to-heart relationship with Him, those traditions - those obsessions of perfectionism - are a part of our minds. It is difficult to look at someone who is not bound by those traditions and not think they must be doing something wrong. They need to change to our way of thinking...
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