How to Settle Crucial Disputes in the Church

We've been going through the book of Acts in our Wed
evening Bible study. I was passed the baton a few weeks
ago to facilitate. I was really enjoying it from the very beginning, really learning a lot. But you know, when you have to prepare the lesson yourself, God really shines the light. I have a tendency to break things down verse by verse. I actually try not to do that all the time, but I just can't seem to help myself. Probably because for many years after becoming a Christian, the bible studies I attended were that way. Anyway, this week we studied chapter 15 where Paul and Barnabus are in Antioch and some Jewish men, probably leaders or Pharisees, arrive and start telling the church (full of gentiles) that they must be circumcised to be saved. So there was a bit of a vehement dispute between Paul, Barnabus, and these Jews. The Antioch Christians must have been very distressed and confused. After all, these Jews were men from Jerusalem, where Christianity began, and they were supposedly believers, who are telling them they are not saved and won't be unless they get circumcised. I don't think it too implausible that there was the thought that perhaps they were sent there by the Jerusalem church. It's understandable that Paul and Barnubus strove so hard to stand their ground and dispute these men's claims.

However, what I really tried to focus on was the way that the Antioch church handled this mess. They weren't sure who to believe, so they made a corporate decision to send Paul and Barnabus to Jerusalem to where the Jerusalem church, Apostles, and elders resided. Surely they could all discuss it prayerfully and come to an agreement through the Holy Spirit.

Now in this day and age if that happened in a church, a situation like this could easily have erupted into an all out war, not only between the church and Paul and Barnabus, or with the Jewish contingent, but between church members and church leadership. I imagine these things did happen back then, but not in this particular situation.

We are not talking here about differing on styles of music, women in leadership, and other non-essential issues. This was about salvation. As long as there are human beings on earth we are all going to have differences of opinions, we will have our squabbles, but in cases like this, where an essential Christian issue is at hand, it calls for unity in truth. That means working together to discern the truth by calling on the Holy Spirit, and reading the scripture.

Unfortunately, these folks in Antioch didn't have the New Testament. The Old Testament was mostly law, but they, as Gentiles, did not know enough of the OT to see the prophecies that predicted and pointed the way to Christ.

So off Barny and Paul go to Jerusalem. Here again, when they come before the church, the Apostles, and the elders, there could have been a heated exchange, finger pointing, disorder and all the other junk that goes with humans who are not seeking truth so much as to be "right." And there were the Pharisee "believers" present, who again insisted circumcision was necessary for salvation for the Gentiles.

But both sides were heard, then the Apostles and elders went into executive session and discussed it and debated it, in an orderly manner, without flaring tempers, motions made and seconded for killing off the Pharisee trouble makers, or flippantly making a decision without discussion and seeking God's will. Peter spoke first and made a good case that God had already been filling Gentiles with the Holy Spirit, etc. Then Paul and Barnabus took the floor and told about how God had been doing all kinds of signs and wonders with the Gentiles they had ministered to. The point being, God would not do those things if He decided that they all needed to be circumcised first. Then James, the brother of Jesus, makes his case from the Old Testament passage in Amos 9:11-12. He offers some advice: Lets send them a letter saying they need to obey God in certain things, but they are saved if they have faith. No circumcision is necessary.

There is agreement throughout the council. They write the letter, and the Apostles, elders and Jerusalem church send Paul and Barnabus off with the letter, along with some of their own people to verify and assure that Antioch church folks that letter is legit, and to further encourage and strengthen the church. The end result is that the Antioch Christians "rejoiced," and were encouraged. I can imagine in their heads they were saying, "Oh, thank God, we really are saved and don't have to jump through the hoop of circumcision to be right with God."

I look at this passage and find myself grieving, and rejoicing both. Grieving for all the times churches around the world, particularly churches I have attended, have not worked things out calmly, with love, and with order. I can put myself on the list as an offender, though not very often intentionally.

Rejoicing, because here we have in black and white, not only a way to deal with disputes, but that serious disputes and debates need to be focused on critical, essential, Christian doctrines.

If only we would all get off our high horses. If only we would stop trying to annihilate the men in error rather than focus on a proper course of action that would not detract for the most important thing . These situations call for humility so that our behavior in settling such an important dispute can be handled without chaos, turmoil, hate, and devastation.

Next week we will study the quarrel between Paul and Barnabus. This ought to be good.