Unity: Priority and Purpose
Notes
Transcript
Welcome
Prayer
Introduction:
Jesus commands unity in the Body of Christ. Yet, the Body is often divided by politics, doctrinal differences, worship styles, and social and ethical issues. These divisions erode the unity that Christ desires for his church.
While Jesus commands unity, it should never come at the expense of truth. Pursuing unity does not require us to sacrifice the teachings of Scripture. True unity is founded on love, humility, wisdom, and a shared commitment to Jesus and the truth of Scripture.
In today's text, we see James, the brother of Jesus and the leader of the church in Jerusalem, address an early division in the church. He does so through love, humility, wisdom, and a commitment to the truth of Scripture. This was a difficult situation, but James found a good scriptural solution to maintain unity and avoid division.
After looking at this text, we will discuss some situations that have rightly divided the church, some situations that divided the church but should not have, and why unity in the church is becoming ever more important today (not that it hasn’t been before - it is just become more important).
If you have your Bibles with you, please open to Acts 15. We will be discussing verses 1-21 (I’m using the ESV translation).
But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question.
So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”
Paul and Barnabas are in Antioch Syria after completing the first missionary journey. Some Pharisees (or their students) have come up from around Jerusalem telling Gentiles they had to be circumcised or they were not saved. Paul and Barnabas were having none of this nonsense and they butted heads with them. Apparently no one was willing to give way and admit the other side was correct, so Paul and Barnabas and some others were appointed to go to Jerusalem and seek an answer from the “mother church.”
You might be saying, “Pharisees??” Yes, you read that right, Bible believing, Jesus loving, Pharisees. They were a real thing - the Pharisees weren’t just the “black hat” bad guys of the Gospels, a good number of them (along with priests in the temple) converted and believed in Jesus as the Messiah and they were very active in the early church.
Remember, the early church started in Jerusalem and was almost exclusively Jewish.
Luke continues...
The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us,
and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
The apostles and the elders (many of whom were probably Pharisees and temple priests) had a serious debate on this issue. Then Peter reminded them of his experience with Cornelius and how the Holy Spirit had come upon his family just like the Holy Spirit had done for all of them at Pentecost. Peter used this “proof” to argue against the Pharisees (and maybe some priests) desire to impose the Mosaic law on the Gentiles as a condition of salvation.
Luke continues...
And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,
“ ‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.’
So, Peter had a “mic drop” moment, and then Barnabas and Paul picked up where he left off and continued to tell the assembly of apostles and elders how God had worked in the Gentiles - without any hint of the Mosaic law.
And then James replied (I like how he uses the rare version of Peter’s name - Simeon) and quotes from Amos 9:11-12. What James is doing here is quoting the OT to the group and telling them that they are seeing, in their day, the fulfillment of this prophecy. In this prophecy there is nothing about Gentiles being obligated to the Mosaic law.
Luke continues...
Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”
Here is where James shows his leadership brilliance, his pastoral heart, and the importance of unity in the Body of Christ. I know it is not readily apparent to us today, but, if you have your Bibles, please open them to Leviticus chapter 17 and 18.
What we see in 17 and 18 are a list of rules for Jews AND for sojourners in the land of Israel. These sojourners are not Jews - they are Gentiles - who desire to live in the land of Israel. These are the rules that James references.
This is an honor/shame culture. The Pharisees/Priests, who (I will give the benefit of the doubt) absolutely mean the best - they want to make sure the Gentiles are saved - these important leaders in the Church just (metaphorically speaking) took a strong left hook and a KO upper cut from Peter, Barnabas and Paul - count to 10, match over. The “mic drop” moment recorded by Luke had to be shamefully humiliating. Their honor was dinged and bruised. But James was their pastor, and he brilliantly helped them up off the mat.
James loves these Pharisees/Priests. While I’m fairly certain James whole heartedly agreed with Peter, Barnabas and Paul, James shows humility and wisdom as he doesn’t just come down on them with a hammer by saying, “God has done it, the Spirit has proved it, nothing more needs to be said, case closed, discussion over.” No. James takes his commitment to the truth of Scripture, and uses it to a very good end.
The sojourners referenced in Leviticus 17 and 18 are non-Jews living in Israel - they are gentiles. The rules listed here are those the sojourners were required to obey if they wanted to live in the land. Note - James does not tell the Jews under his care to ignore the law of Moses, and he does not say the new Gentile converts must become like Jews. What he does is say, is if Moses did not require sojourners to follow all the law, neither should we. My recommendation, my judgement, is we put no more requirements on the Gentile believers today than Moses put on the sojourners in Leviticus. The Gentile converts to Jesus are just like the Gentile sojourners in Leviticus - we are going to treat them the same. Don’t sacrifice to idols; do not engage in fornication; do not eat blood and do not consume meat that has not been properly butchered (i.e. to ensure removal of the blood).
In doing this he affirms Peter, Barnabas and Paul, AND he gives the Pharisees/Priests their Mosaic law. Both sides save face. James smooths over a very divisive issue with love, humility, wisdom and a commitment to the truth of Scripture. He maintains unity, despite differences, without sacrificing the truth of Scripture. They don’t all have to agree on the entirety of Scripture, but there was middle ground where unity could be found.
This week we see James beautifully maintain unity; next week we are going to see Paul and Barnabas fail miserably at it. We don’t always get things completely right, but it is Jesus’ desire that, to the best of our ability, we maintain unity. Jesus Himself prayed for our unity; in John 13:35 we see Him say, "By this, all people will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.” Unity isn’t just a theological concept; unity is a tangible expression of our love for Jesus - a witness to the world of the Gospel we hold dear. Unity is also an invaluable support for believers facing a hostile world.
So, the issue of circumcision and keeping of the Mosaic law was not a good reason for division within the church, but what if the issue isn’t so “easy” as this? What if love, humility and wisdom could build a bridge over a particularly divisive issue, but at the cost of Scriptural truth? Jesus says we are to have love for one another, but is it love to cover up or ignore blatant sin for the sake of unity? Is that love, or is it sinfully avoiding conflict? Unity must never come at the cost of truth. Is division sometimes right? Yes - but rarely. Is it sometimes wrong? Yes - more often than not. So how do we know when it’s right and when is wrong?
The answer lies in determining whether the issue violates a moral law from Scripture. If it does, it is non-negotiable. Unrepentant violation of the moral law (unrepentant sin) is the only proper basis for division in the Church. This is not how things have worked historically (or most of the time today), but scripturally there is no other basis. In our previous series on tough questions, we discussed which Old Testament laws apply to us today. There are ceremonial laws, moral laws, and civil laws. Civil laws enforced the ceremonial and moral laws, while ceremonial laws focused on cleanliness for worship and were not directly related to sin and were not applicable to anyone but Jews. Moral laws, however, govern our relationships with one another and with God. If the issue falls under a moral law, it is timeless and applies to us today, just as it did to the Israelites thousands of years ago. The civil penalties for violating moral laws may have changed, such as the absence of stoning for adultery today, but that doesn't mean adultery is acceptable. It never will be. Make sense? For a more in-depth explanation, refer to last year's sermon titled "What Old Testament Laws Apply to Us Today" on GCC's YouTube channel.
Throughout the history of the Church we have seen countless divisions - some for good reason, many for not so good reasons.
An example of a good historical reason is chattel slavery in the United States. In the decades leading up to the Civil War, the Baptist Church, Methodist Church and Presbyterian Church all split over the issue of slavery. Chattel slavery violates God’s moral law. Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, condemn such behavior as sinful. Division was appropriate when a portion of the Church refused to submit to the clear teachings of Scripture and continued in unrepentant sin of promoting and endorsing chattel slavery. (Very different from OT slavery)
A good example of a modern reason would be affirming LGBTQ - celebrating gay pride. The Reformed, Episcopalian, Lutheran and Methodist denominations have all split over this issue. Sexual behavior falling within the LGBTQ umbrella violates God’s moral law. Scripture, both Old and New Testaments, condemn such behavior as sinful. Division was/is appropriate as a portion of the Chruch refused to submit to the clear teachings of Scripture and continued in unrepentant sin of promoting and endorsing LGBTQ behavior.
An example of a poor historical reason would be the divide in the church over Calvinism and Arminianism. Or divisions over means of baptism, or one’s view of communion, or tongues/Spritual Gifts, musical styles for worship, consumption of alcohol, keeping the Sabbath, etc. These are all issues that Jesus loving, committed, Bible believing Christians can and do disagree over but that have severely disrupted the unity of the church.
An example of a poor modern reason would be vaccines. Particularly the COVID vaccine. If you think the vaccine is the best thing since sliced bread - so be it. If you think it is born of the devil - so be it. Having or not having a vaccine has nothing to do with ones relationship to Jesus no matter how you twist Scripture to justify your position. It has no business dividing the church.
As we observe the trends in our culture, it is evident that holding fast to the truth of Scripture is becoming more costly. While I don't want to create unnecessary fear or alarm, it is important to recognize the parallels between our current society and those that have engaged in persecution before. To quote Solomon, "there is nothing new under the sun."
As we examine the current landscape, we see the mounting pressure on the Church and the erosion of biblical values. The majority of the emerging generation seems to lack a foundation in God's truth and are susceptible to demonic influence and manipulation.
In Romans 1, Paul paints a vivid picture of what happens when people or a culture rejects God. He reveals a downward spiral that is progressive in nature. 1. Reject God and suppress His truth; 2. Worship of God is exchanged for worship of nature and government/mankind; 3. Rise of aberrant sexual behavior - particularly behavior related to homosexuality; 4. Social debauchery - a people with a debase mind doing whatever seems right to them - might makes right, the mob rules, not the rule of law. The world - not just our society - is in the midst of steps 3 and 4. The last time it is recorded that this downward spiral played out globally (which it is right now) was preceding the flood.
Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man. They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
John 16:1–4 (ESV)
“I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you.
When their hour comes, and it is coming as we are in the days of Noah, unity in the Body of Christ is going to be more precious than gold. Throughout history, unity has been a lifeline for Christians facing opposition and persecution. Today, we witness this reality in regions of the world where believers endure severe persecution. They understand the power of standing together, supporting one another, and remaining faithful to God's Word.
As we reflect on these Scriptures and the state of our world, let us be inspired to foster unity within the Body of Christ. We must resist the temptation to compromise with the prevailing culture, instead clinging to the unchanging truths of Scripture. Our unity should transcend denominational differences, personal preferences, and secondary doctrines. It should be grounded in our shared faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and the inspired truth of God as revealed in Scripture.
Let us remember the words of Jesus that the world will know we are Christians by our love for one another. May we be wise as serpents, discerning the times in which we live, and gentle as doves, living with integrity and purity; not fearing those who can harm us but rather fearing God, who holds our eternal destiny in His hand.
May we find unity in an unwavering commitment to Jesus, boldly proclaiming Him before a world that desperately needs His love and truth. That world starts at the doorstep of our neighbors. Together, as the Body of Christ, we can weather any storm and fulfill our mission to be salt and light in a darkened world. May God grant us the strength, wisdom, and unity to shine brightly for His glory. Amen.