For the Sake of Unity

Introduction

Premise: Paul was willing to do something he didn’t need to do out of forbearance toward his brothers for the sake of unity.

Churches are weird organizations aren’t they. Sometimes there is so much bickering and potential for tension in churches that churches have really gotten a bad wrap. I once heard a story about:

A Baptist was marooned, alone, on an uncharted island. He lived there for several years before a passing ship happened to see his fire one night and changed course to investigate. When some of the crew made their way by boat to the island, they found the man and three huts that he had built. They asked him, “What are these three huts?” He answered, “One is where I live, and one is where I go to church.” When they asked him what the third hut was, he said, “Oh, that one, that’s where I used to go to church.”

The Church is supposed to be a place of love, healing, edification and it should glorify God but too often it falls short of that vision. After all we are a bunch of fallen human beings gathered together in one building. It is inevitable that there are going to be issues between people. If you are looking for a perfect church you will never find one. You will never find any group of people who are perfect. As soon as you have two people together there is the potential for conflict. So if the church is going to survive, we need to know how to deal with tension and conflict in the church.

Our main theme in the book of Acts has been looking at the early church and how it should function. That goal is going to get harder as the book progresses as it will focus more on the life of Paul. But in our text we come across an event in the life of Paul that sets an example for us as believers. This section begins the ending of the book of Acts as Paul is arrested, tried, and brought to Rome. When Paul arrives in Jerusalem, things aren’t the way he had hoped. The title of today’s message is For the Sake of Unity.

The Problem in the church

To give you some background to this chapter and the environment of Jerusalem at the time, we need to understand that Jerusalem was a hotbed of xenophobia at the time and under Felix on the verge of revolt. Felix was so bad of a governor that he had to be recalled. One historian speaking about the governors of Jerusalem commented that they just seemed to not know how to avoid inciting the Jews to riot. If they would just leave their religion alone, things would be fine.

vs 17 When Paul first arrives in Jerusalem he is greeted with warmth and joy. Probably brothers who knew him from before are there to meet him at the gates. The next morning Paul has a formal meeting with James and the elders in the Church. This is where things begin to surface that weren’t as obvious before.

vs 19-20a Paul recounts everything that God had done through him in saving the Gentiles. You see immediately hints at a problem. When the elders respond, they share with Paul how great things God had done among the Jews. Thousands were being saved. but there is a subtext here. Notice the last line: they are all zealous of the law: Basically they are saying, Paul there have been a lot of people who have believed here too and they are all passionate about the law. These were true believers. We have no reason to doubt their faith in the text. But this is our first hint of a problem.

Application: You ever notice how people don’t like to come out and say what the problem is. They generally beat about the bush or make passive aggressive comments. We are all guilty of this at some point because we don’t like conflict, but this attitude is actually a violation of Eph 4:15 “But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:”

We must speak the truth, but we must do it in love. Love is not concerned with saving face at the expence of the other person. Love is not worried about being embarrassed by saying something. But also love is not harsh and not cruel.

These elders are not beating around the bush though. In vs 21 they come out and say what the problem is. But notice where they got their information:

Vs 21 they are informed of thee… Most of the tensions in churches come from gossips. This is a problem in this church that we need to work on. I’m not beating around the bush. If you aren’t and haven’t talked to the person involved then you are gossiping. If we would follow Matt 18, this would not be a problem. True love confronts the person involved so that things can be made right again. Going and airing your grievances to other people is not solving the problem; it is adding to it. The person you criticize may have messed up, forgotten something, failed in your opinion; but your gossip is sin. In many situations, you are more guilty than they. Is it a worse sin to honestly make a mistake or to disobey God by gossip? These gossips in the Church of Jerusalem had three complaints against Paul:

Three complaints:

Paul was teaching all Jews to forsake Moses Statements like Gal 4:9 “But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?” These verses may seem to indicate this is the case; however, the premise of Galatians is the use of the law for salvation and sanctification.

Paul taught not to circumcise their children

Paul taught them not to observe Jewish customs (culture)

The Church at Jerusalem had trouble brewing behind the scenes. There was obviously some tension in the room as Paul walks in. How many times do we allow spats, harsh words, disagreements, failures to create tension in our relationships?

Did Paul Compromise his beliefs?

Vs 22-26 Show the elders suggesting to Paul and Paul complying in taking a vow and going to the temple for purification. The Elders are afraid of problems with the Jews zealous for the law vs 22. According to vs 23, there were four men who had taken a vow. Most likely this was a Nazarite vow and the conclusion of their Nazarite vow would involve a ritualistic cleansing in the temple. The elders suggest in vs 24 that Paul join them and pay for their offerings so that everyone will know that Paul isn’t against the law of Moses. Vs 26 clearly indicates that Paul does what they suggested.

If you have read any of the epistles you will already know that Paul did not believe you needed to keep the law. The key word here is needed. So to understand Paul’s full teaching on the law, we are going to have to take a look at what he actually taught. I can’t teach every epistle in full, but we will take a sampling from the life and teachings of Paul to answer this question, Did Paul compromise his beliefs?

Paul taught that salvation and sanctification were not by keeping the law.

Gal 5:6 “For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.”

Gal 6:15 “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.”

Faith working by love allows us to be changed to be more like Jesus. Paul in Galatians 3 states that our justification is not by the law, our sanctification is not by the law, the Spirit’s work is not by the law and our inheritance as believers is not by the law. So it would seem that they are correct to say that Paul taught Jews not to keep the law, right?

2. Paul also taught that a Jew was not to leave off being a Jew. 1 Cor 7:18 “Is any man called being circumcised? let him not become uncircumcised. Is any called in uncircumcision? let him not be circumcised.”

3. Paul Himself as a Jew kept parts of the law at times. Acts 18:18 “And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.” Paul was also eager to reach Jerusalem by Pentecost. Why? Because he planned to keep the feast.

4. Paul had Timothy circumcised who was a half-Jew so that there wouldn’t be any problems with the Jews. Acts 16:1-3 “Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek: Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium. Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek.”

5. Paul’s philosophy was to keep the law among the Jews and not let the law stand in the way of getting the gospel to the Gentiles. 1 Cor 9:20 “And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;”

Acts (1. Paul and James (21:17–26))

Jewish believers can continue to live by Jewish practice provided it does not compromise either salvation or association and outreach to Gentiles ~Darrell Bock

The Key to understanding Paul’s view of the law is that is was not necessary for salvation or Christian living, but if it was just viewed as part of Jewish culture, Jews could keep the law. If Paul had viewed this as adding the law to salvation or sanctification, he would have rejected it to their face. Gal 2:4-5 “And that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage: To whom we gave place by subjection, no, not for an hour; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.”

Paul’s solution to the problem in the church

So how does Paul deal with the tension in the church. Paul is willing to curbs his freedom for the sake of unity. We are not in bondage to our own freedom. Just because somethings are allowed doesn’t mean we must do them. I have heard people talk about the liberty they have to do something and their reasoning says, I needed to live consistently with what I believed so I started practicing it. You shouldn’t be a hypocrite, but it isn’t hypocrisy to choose not to do something out of love for others.

Paul is practicing what we call forbearance. Forbearance means patient self-control; restraint and tolerance. The biblical definition is to endure something unpleasant or difficult on behalf of someone else. It is choosing to do things you don’t have to do out of love for someone else.

At is root is selflessness and love for your brother and sisters in Christ. We are told to live this way with each other:

Col 3:12-13 “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.”

Eph 4:2 “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love;”

Forbearance is something God does. Romans 2:4 “Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?”

Forbearance is at the root of Pauls teaching in both Romans and Galatians about how Jews and Gentiles are supposed to get along with one another.

In Romans 14-15 Paul teaches that we are to receive those who believe they can’t eat certain foods and keep certain holy days. In Romans 15:1 “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” We are to bear with their weakness of faith and here is the key not please ourselves.

Galatians teaches this same truth in Gal 5:13 “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.”

Conclusion

The wisdom of this solution may be doubted because Paul ended up getting arrested but the heart attitude behind it cannot. Paul’s solution to the issue of tension and disunity in the church is forbearance and love. If all had a heart that wanted what was best for other people, that put up with people’s weaknesses and a love that overlooked faults; then we wouldn’t allow ourselves to grip, complain, gossip, slam, criticise other people in the Church.

We would do whatever we could righteously do to keep the peace between our brothers and sisters in Christ. Romans 12:18 “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.”