Expectations for Christians
Notes
Transcript
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.”
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.”
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.’
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.”
Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers, with the following letter: “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”
So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words. And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.
Last time we wrapped up Paul and Barnabas’ first missionary journey as they returned to Antioch and stayed there for a bit. But, as we’re about to read, there were struggles even then in the church. There were differences of opinion and expectation, and certain people went rogue. So, the church’s leaders held a meeting, what our tradition would call a synod, to come to a conclusion that could be sent to all the churches. Delegates came and discussed and prayerfully sought the Lord’s will, and then they brought the message back home to their people.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, a question that often gets asked when people are exploring becoming a member of a church or transferring from one church to another is: are there expectations for me in this congregation or the denomination? People new to a congregation or a particular tradition, whether it’s the CRC or any other, want to know what they’re getting into. Sometimes it’s asked because there were certain expectations, requirements, or ways of doing things in their previous church, which either pulled them in or pushed them away. They want to know how things are similar or different elsewhere.
Let’s begin to answer that for Baldwin Christian Reformed Church. The biggest expectation, which hopefully goes without saying, is we expect our members to be Christians. In order to be a member of our church, you must profess faith in the God who reveals himself in the Bible. Along with that, you are to believe Jesus came and died for your sins, and he has accomplished all that is necessary for your salvation. We also expect that you will submit to God’s word and respect the counsel that comes from the pastor and leaders of this church. We ourselves are not infallible, we’re not perfect—we need correction at times, but we believe that we’re following God and hope that you trust the call he gives to certain people to lead his people.
Those things fit into the category of what it means to be Christian and begin to also locate ourselves in the Reformed tradition. There’s a certain interpretation and theology as well as the Presbyterian structure, that we are elder-led. But are there other things we expect or demand of our members? Are there things that should cause people to remain here or make you think about checking out a church down the road?
Let’s sit on that a bit as we go back to our passage and the challenge that was before the early church. We re-enter this ongoing tension that existed between some of the Jews and the Gentiles. Since we’re dealing with Christians, the assumption is that no matter what ethnic background, these were all people who believed in God and in what Jesus did for people. But some of the Jewish Christians, who evidently still had some membership with the Pharisees, they felt and took it upon themselves to tell Christians in other places, “We’re glad you believe, but your men must to be circumcised.” They need that sign God gave to Abraham.
We begin this morning asking, what is the deal with circumcision? If you read through the Bible, you come across this practice being promoted in the Old Testament, but in the New Testament you sometimes find the question raised, “Why are you considering that or doing that?”
For the Jews, the Israelites, this went back a long way—not just to Moses, but to Abraham. In Genesis 17, God said to him, “‘I will establish my covenant as an everlasting covenant between me and you and your descendants after you for the generations to come, to be your God and the God of your descendants after you. The whole land of Canaan, where you are now an alien, I will give as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you; and I will be their God…’”
God’s offer came with a condition. If he desired and would accept that, then “‘Every male among you shall be circumcised. You [Abraham at the age of 99] are to undergo circumcision, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and you. For the generations to come every male among you who is eight days old must be circumcised, including those born in your household or bought with money from a foreigner—those who are not your offspring…My covenant in your flesh is to be an everlasting covenant. Any uncircumcised male, who has not been circumcised in the flesh, will be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.’”
You think about those commands, God said it was for “every male,” his covenant was “an everlasting covenant,” and if you don’t do it you “will be cut off from [your] people.” If you’ve grown up in the church or with a certain school or a particular town, there are things you’ve likely been indoctrinated with that people elsewhere don’t get. Certain things are drilled into us and become almost automatic. “On, Wisconsin!” “Varsity,” “Jump Around”—if you have any connection to the University of Wisconsin or Badger sports, those mean something to you. If I started playing “Jump Around” right now, I’m sure that at least one of our head’s would start bobbing—it’s just what you do. For the Jews, circumcision was something they had been taught was an essential part of the religious package, to be part of God’s people.
Peter, a Jew, knew all about that. Circumcision as a religious practice would have been something that deeply connected him to God’s work throughout history. Yet he told this group that’s debating whether it should be mandatory for all, “‘Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear?’” He knew this wasn’t just about circumcision; this was an attempt to force Gentiles to follow Israel’s laws, too. But he says, “‘No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.’” He was taking the stand, “Circumcision was a sign; it doesn’t save us or them either—grace alone does that!” So, too, James, a Jew and likely the brother of Jesus, offered the judgment, “‘We should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.’”
This was their decision that day, but it’s God’s word for us, circumcision was not and is not necessary or essential for salvation. That shaped Paul’s later writings. To the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 7, he wrote, “…This is the rule I lay down in all the churches. Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised. Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts.” Similarly, Galatians 5:6, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love…” Finally, Colossians 3 verse 11, “Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.”
As we’ve heard in the ministries of Peter, Philip, Barnabas, and Paul, there are no strings attached—no additional obligations to faith. People became Christians, they weren’t Jews or had to satisfy the Jews first, and then were seen as Christians. No, we’re saved by grace through faith.
What changed, though? This isn’t just a question that the people back then had to wrestle with, but it’s important for the church today. As we seek to read and listen to and hear from the whole of God’s word—not just the New Testament, how are we to understand that transition?
On one level it boils down to Peter’s message in verses 7 through 9, “‘…God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.’” What changed is what God was doing—when Jesus came, God welcomed the nations to not only hear of God but for the gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ to go to them.
The change is in the fuller message and how God called for the church to move. At a deeper level, though, this is about what truly saves. Circumcision was a covenantal practice that God gave to the children of Abraham; it was another mark that God promised to be among them. It was a glimpse of or shadow of the relationship that God has with his people through our Savior Jesus. By him coming as both God and man, he fully satisfies all requirements of the law and all covenant that God has made to save. What was a sign on flesh has now been put into the hearts of believers by the Holy Spirit. The primary external expectations of the old covenant have been fulfilled.
Yet there are still expectations, there are limitations that believers should live out. The Gentiles and the Jews who believe in Jesus back then and today aren’t open to a free-for-all life that sees any behavior, any thought, any choice as good or morally permissive or God doesn’t care or see. Paul wrote, again to the Galatians in chapter 5, “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.” Peter also wrote about this, “Therefore, rid yourselves of all malice and all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander of every kind…Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.” To be a servant means to live restrained from evil.
The expectations that came out of the Jerusalem synod for the new Gentile Christians involved things already practiced by Jewish believers. They didn’t create a greater divide. The dietary abstinences, stay away from food sacrificed to idols—seeks to avoid any appearance of worship to another god, along with the other two, among other possible reasons, would be beneficial for the fellowship of Christians from different backgrounds being together. They could share a meal without offending one another by following these. They were pursuing holiness in their freedom as well as unity. Then sexual immorality—just as we are in a heavily sex-saturated culture today, so too was the ancient world. God has created us male and female with the gift of sex in the boundaries of what he intended; we honor him and one another in practicing morality.
If you came to faith back then, just as is the case today, peoples’ lives change. Every group, every commitment we make has an effect on us. Coming to Christ, being part of the body of believers meant that you don’t do whatever you want; you grow in understanding God’s desires, your own call to follow him, and then again, growing in loving your neighbor as yourself.
That brings us to our final point this morning: How do we handle our expectations? I set out at the beginning what I would say are the essentials. But if I asked each of us here and each who’s watching this message to make a list of things we expect those who claim to be Christians to do and to be and to attend or be involved in to truly be faithful followers of Jesus and possibly to be upstanding members in our church, Baldwin CRC, we’d probably compile quite the list.
Maybe you’re thinking, “Well, I don’t think my list or my additions to a list of expectations would be that long.” For some that might be true. But for others, we do have things. Maybe theological views enter in—if you don’t believe particular doctrines or if you agree with others, that would be the difference between welcoming and not welcoming someone. Or perhaps it’s political or social views that make someone in or out in your mind. Or I think back to my upbringing, very traditional and strict, I know some people base judgments of others on what they find acceptable to do on Sundays or what kind of music is okay to listen to or what school you expect one’s children to go to. Maybe there are some expectations that had flown under the radar just a minute ago that come to mind now.
We fall under the same decision or judgment as laid out in the early church: we should not make it difficult for people with genuine faith to follow the Lord and be part of our congregation. Don’t hear that as we should get rid of any semblance of what is right and wrong, or acknowledgement of unrepentant, sinful behavior, and what Scripture at times says “will not inherit the kingdom of God.” There are qualities and actions, or fruits, that still evidence genuine faith. But our personal expectations should not get in the way of people seeing the core thing, the essential truth, which God works to do and invites his church to join in nourishing—faith in Jesus Christ by whom alone we have salvation. When we meet a new or unfamiliar believer, we must be willing to trust God has known their heart, accepted them, purified their heart by faith, and saved them by his grace.
That ought to be our expectation for Christians. As things come up in our time, in our area, in our tradition, in our society, it’s wise for us to do what the early church leaders did—to come together, to discuss, to pay attention to Scripture and pray, and to seek the will of the Holy Spirit. We can have certain differences of opinion; we can do things differently from other Christians. There are certain preferences that are simply going to go along with our unique personalities. God himself does not change though. His plan for eternity does not change. His understanding of sin and the weight played on justice and righteousness and truth does not change nor does the weight of his love and his expectation for us to love.
I am not telling you that each of us must get rid of all our expectations for godly living and completely start rebuilding our understanding of that. We’re called to maturity and to grow in gratitude and faithfulness to God, but may we not let our expectations that have often been built over lifetimes get in the way of seeing how God is working in and through others who may be different from us or who may be new to the faith. May we, brothers and sisters, be willing as we grow in knowing others to not only gently encourage them to avoid things that we perceive to be harmful, but also be encouraged by them and strengthened in the unity under the true good news. Let us be gracious and kind, seeking to listen and to pursue Christ together. Amen.