The People of God: The Story of the ChurchSample

Today’s passage might seem a bit of an odd one to include, but it is really important to see how gentiles were accepted into the church, which was mostly Jewish up until this point. After Peter’s experience with Cornelius and Paul and Barnabas’s experiences on their travels, the question of whether new converts should be circumcised was an important one. Circumcision was a sign of God’s covenant with Abraham. How much of the old laws and customs of the Jewish people should be required by new believers in Jesus? After reflecting on a passage from the Hebrew Bible in Amos, the answer that the council comes up with is that they should not make it difficult for Gentiles to become members of the church.

This passage shows us how the practicalities for how non-Jewish believers were to live out their Christian lives were not prescribed by Jesus or the Hebrew Bible. Rather, the church needed to rely on dialogue, reflection on scripture, and the Holy Spirit for guidance. Often it is the same for us today as we seek to be the people of God in the particular situations we live in. This passage can be a good starting point for how we should face decisions that need to be made in the church.