Doctrinal Crisis

Doctrinal Crisis

By the term “doctrinal crisis” is not meant a time of spiritual crisis in the life-history of the great missionary, but, rather, a doctrinal crisis that arose at this time in the history of the visible Church which forced upon that early Church the necessity of determining and agreeing once and for all time regarding a doctrine for the Gentiles.

In almost every instance Paul’s message to the Gentile unbelievers had been one in which he chiefly stressed an “open door” of faith. That is to say, it was Paul’s constant contention that all that God required on the part of man, whether Jew or Gentile, was true repentance, true confession of sin, confession that was thorough and searching, belief in the saving power of God through the sacrificial work of Jesus Christ, and the saving faith; acceptance in the heart, that appropriated the truth that through the blood of Jesus Christ God was able to blot out sins. In its main points he expressed his teaching in two sentences in his message to the Church at Rome(Romans 10:9-10)

But he also taught that the actual bestowal of salvation was entirely of and by God and never “by works of righteousness which we have done lest any man should boast”. Thus, taught Paul, salvation was God’s free gift to all who would believe (Romans 6:23); man’s only requirement was to accept this salvation and accept it on the condition set by God.

The passing centuries have given little reason to suggest that Paul’s theology was incorrect or impotent. But in his day, even as it is now, there arose within the Church militant a group of self-professed intelligentsia who took issue with this preachment of free salvation, demanding that certain and designated work must be performed before any man or woman could receive salvation. From the historical standpoint Acts 15, in the main, is the recorded proof of God’s crushing defeat of the “works for salvation” theory and theology. The message of Acts 15, ringing down through the centuries, is a clear and certain “for by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God”.

These first-century “salvation by works” theorists, called by the name “Judaizers” because they demanded the observance of certain Jewish rituals; particularly circumcision, to assure the receiving of God’s salvation, were none other than Satanic instruments through whom Satan attempted to destroy the works of God and His plan of free salvation. Hence, as every other crisis that has arisen in the history of the Church, this one was Satan inspired and satanically directed (Acts 15:1)

We are informed that these Judaizers had of their own accord migrated from Jerusalem to Antioch, taking upon their selves the authority to teach that “except ye be circumcised after the custom of Moses, ye cannot be saved”. No sooner had these misguided doctrinalists began their false teaching then Paul and Barnabas became involved in “no small dissension and questioning with them” (Acts 15:2) in the final analysis the question involved was simply; “was Christianity, of itself, able to save or must Judaism, with all the entanglements of its traditions and legalism, be added”?

In that Jesus was once quoted as saying, “other sheep I have which are not of this fold”, it is commonly accepted that His statement referred to the future Gentile believers who should make up the greater portion of His Church. If this is true, it is self-evident that in the statement recorded in John 10:16 He did not consider Judaism as required or necessary to the future of Christianity. Manifestly, Paul, who did not receive his Gospel as a result of conferring with man, did not consider Judaism as necessary in any sense to the furtherance of Christianity.

But this eruption in the early Church went deeper than theological discussion. It was the first racial disturbance to afflict the Christian Church; in this instance the Jew versus the Gentile. For some time previous to the actual outbreak of this racial discrimination there had been several rumbling regarding the position of the Jew as against that of the Gentile, and some of the rumblings had been rather severe, but now the whole business came to a head. (see Acts 10:34-35)

The primary problem that faced Paul was this if he even grudgingly accepted this “salvation by works” doctrine in the place of his doctrine of “free grace”, the doctrine he had up to now been proclaiming, it meant that his following the doctrine advocated by the Jerusalem brethren would necessitate his going back and doing over all the work in other areas of which Antioch in Syria is an outstanding example. In a word, it would mean the complete disruption of the early Church, in so far as Gentile believers were concerned, and the establishment of a program of works that would have eventually closed off the Gentiles from the Church in much the same manner as Judaism had held them at an arm’s length for centuries.

After what appears to have been some lengthy and almost violent discussions in the Church at Antioch, Paul and Barnabas make the decision to journey to Jerusalem and face the recognized Church Council and secure their final decision on this problem. Paul sensed the importance of this problem as it related to the future of the Church as well as his own ministry, and he realized that there must of necessity be a gathering of all the Church fathers to make a final decision and reach a definite understanding.

As Paul and Barnabas made their journey to Jerusalem it is evident that the majority, if not all, of the membership of the Church at Antioch was one with them in the issue. The plain statement of Acts 15:3 is “being brought on their way by the Church”; of which the literal translation is “being sent by the Church”. But even with this strong backing of the Syrian Church there must have been in the heart of Paul and Barnabas considerable concern over this issue and, also, a little fear as to exactly what turn of events would be experienced before the all-Jewish council in Jerusalem.

The alternatives must have been clearly outlined in Paul’s mind. If they lost their case before the Jerusalem council, it was quite evident that one of two circumstances would prevail in the infant Church

(1) The Church would quickly become Judaized to its core with a consequent sinking into ceremonialism, traditionalism, and legalism. At best, Christianity would devolve into nothing more than a minor sect in the over-all scheme of Judaism. At the worst, Christianity might well completely disappear off the scene, leaving no Gospel hope for either Jew or Gentile.

(2) The very best that could be hoped for would be that many precious and valuable years would be lost until such time as God would be enabled to raise up other means and men to spread His Gospel of “free grace”.

Knowing that possibly a little of both of these alternatives could well come to pass, Paul and Barnabas entered into Jerusalem and came before the Church Council determined to win. However, even as they made their journey to the headquarters of the Church, they took the opportunity to pointedly declare “the conversion of the Gentiles” as they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria with the recorded result that their message produced “great joy unto all the brethren” (Acts 15:3)

With the cry of “I certify you, brethren, that the Gospel which was preached of me is not after man; for I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ” (Galatians 1:11-12) Paul carried his fight to the meeting that was called at Jerusalem; evidently a public meeting of the Jerusalem membership and before which Paul and Barnabas were permitted to rehearse “all things that God had done with them”. It must have warmed the heart of Paul and Barnabas to be “received by the Church and the Apostles and the Elders” (Acts 15:4) They soon discovered that the battle lines were sharply drawn for “there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees who believed, saying, it is needful to circumcise them, and to charge them to keep the Law of Moses” (Acts 15:5)

However, a problem of such importance and far-reaching potential could not be properly discussed before the whole Church membership; it is evident that when the believing Pharisees forced the issue the public meeting was dismissed and a meeting of the “high command” or “high council” was called. Acts 15:6 notes, therefore, that “the Apostles and Elders came together for to consider of this matter” before whom Paul made the defense of his preachments in the words which he wrote in Galatians 2:2; “I communicated unto them that Gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately (severally) to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain”.

As the meeting progressed; actually it may well have been several meetings, and “James, Cephas, and John perceived the grace that was given” unto Paul, they gave to Paul and Barnabas “the right hands of fellowship”, “shook hands” all around, and agreed with Paul’s theology (Galatians 2:9) But the victory was by no means an easy one, for Galatians 2:4 speaks of the “false brethren unawares brought in, that they might bring us into bondage”. These false brethren appear to have made Paul’s task extremely difficult, but he himself admits that he did not back “up an inch; no, not for an hour” (Galatians 2:5)

As a part of their argument Paul and Barnabas had brought the Gentile Titus with them to Jerusalem and “displayed” him before the Council. Titus, it is obvious, was intended to be an example of God’s workings among the Gentiles. Apparently there must have been some contention over causing him to become circumcised, but Paul triumphantly reports in Galatians 2:3 that he was not forced into observing the Judaist ritual of circumcision. It was a great victory for Paul!

As the contest drew to a close it was decided to set up a division of the work which the Church was carrying on. The Council decided that Paul and Barnabas would especially devote themselves to the work among the Gentiles; James, Cephas (Peter), and John, on the other hand, would labor especially among the Jews (Galatians 2:9) But the important finding of the Council, stated in the words of Peter, was that God had “put no difference between us (Gentiles) and them (Jews), purifying their hearts by faith” (Acts 15:9) Moreover, it appears that it was Peter’s demand “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” that moved the Council to make its agreement with Paul’s teaching. Near the end of the meeting James also spoke; the one Apostle who was thoroughly Jewish, so much so that when men presumably came from him on a mission to Antioch, Peter became afraid and would not eat with the Gentiles – and approved Peter’s message, thus also taking sides with Paul and Barnabas.

In his message James referred to the prophetic words in Amos 9:11-12 as his reason for siding in with Peter and the missionaries. He concluded admonishing “…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, from fornication, from things strangled, and from blood” (Acts 15:19-20) Accordingly, a letter was composed to the Gentiles, Judas and Silas of the Jerusalem Church being chosen to bear the good tidings and “also tell you the same things by mouth” (Acts 15:23-29)

Years later Paul was to incorporate in his first letter to the Corinthians Church an explanation of the Jerusalem Council’s admonition to “abstain from pollutions of idols” (I Corinthians 10:14-33) Though his explanation may not seem greatly important to our day, the Gentile believers of that era were subjected on every hand to all the blatant demands of idolatry and, having come out from that idolatry to Christianity, were always under pressure and temptation to return to at least some errors of their former belief. This truth, primarily, accounts for the tenor of the Jerusalem Church letter for all of the things which they mentioned to be abstained from were in one way or another connected with the evil of idolatry.

However harsh the battle, however not the contention, however difficult the clash of doctrines and opinions, the Jerusalem Council appears to have ended with a true Christian spirit prevailing; as a mark of their Christian spirit they lovingly speak of “our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 15:25) With this friendly spirit prevailing, the Council closed its meeting and the missionaries; accompanied by Judas and Silas and the others of the Jerusalem delegation (for such there seemed to be), returned to Antioch. In Antioch, Silas and Judas, “being prophets also themselves”, exhorted the membership with many words and “confirmed them” as was ordered by the Home Church. Paul and Barnabas stay in Antioch after the Jerusalem delegation and Judas, minus Silas who also stays in Antioch, returns home; those remaining at Antioch teach and preach “the word of the Lord with many others also” (Acts 15:35)