SUBVERTING THE SOUL

Acts 15:4-31

“But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses. And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. And when there had been much disputing,

Disputing about circumcision and keeping the MOSAIC LAW. These are the same issues that we deal with today.

Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;

It is this giving of the Holy Ghost that made all the difference

And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

There it is, note that none of them had their hearts purified by LAW…NO NO NO one thousand times NO!!!! The only purification of any hearts was BY FAITH! Living based on law keeping is not found in the Apostles teachings.

Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them.
And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:
That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.
Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.
Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:
But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

(Note: he never told them that they had to keep the Ten Commandments).

For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day.
Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren:
And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia:
Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:

You mean Telling someone to be circumcised and KEEP THE LAW, is subverting a person’s soul???

Well that is what the Apostle James said. Note: it was NOT I who made that accusation…it was James, the half-brother of our Lord, the eye-witness of Christ’s death burial and resurrection, the Apostle to the circumcision according to Galatians 2, and the Apostle to those brethren in the Diaspora, and the leader of the church in Jerusalem. Interesting that He James says that you subvert a person’s soul by putting them under LAW.

It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.
For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;
That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

So anyone laying on a “GREATER BURDEN than “THESE NECESSARY THINGS”…would be guilty of Legalism, according to the Apostles from the Council of Jerusalem.

As for me, personally, I have never eaten meats offered to idols [knowingly], I have never eaten blood or things strangled [knowingly], I have abstained from fornication, so I assume I have done all that I am required to do. See how simple law living is? But you know as well as I do that there is another matter beyond just those restrictions…that is the heart, but to be led by law living would clearly keep one from seeing that.

So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch: and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle:
Which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation.”

This teaching brought “consolation” to the church in the first century…if this teaching is embraced by the 21st century church it will bring consolation to us as well.