Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1902-06-07
TIE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
Lesson. in the international serie.
fog June g, 1s02-The Council
at Jerusalem.
THE LESSON TEXT.

/ THE LESSON TEXT
[Acts 15:2-3)
=. Then please 1t the apostles and elders.
| with the whole church, to send chosen men
OF their own company to Antioch with
| Paul and Barnabass namely Judas sur
named BarSabass and SIass CHIEF among
| the brethren:
q. 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:
| o. Forasmuch as We have heard, that
certain which went out from US have trou-
| bled you with words. subverting your souls.
| saying, Ye must be circumciSeds and keep
| the law: to whom we gave no such com
mapdment:
| 25. 1t seemed good unto US, being assem-
| bled with one accord, to send chosen men
unto you with our beloved Barnabas and
Paul
For the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
q. We have sent therefore Judas and
Silas, who shall also tell you the same
q. For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost.
and to US, to lay upon you no greater bur
den than these necessary things;
q. That We abstain from meats offered
to idols. and from blood, and from things
strangled, and from fornication: from
| which if ye-keep yourselves. We shall do
| well. Fare we well
| 80. So when they were dismissed, they
came to Antioch: and when they had gath
cred the multitude together, they delivered
the epistle:
ioiced for the consolation.
81. And Judas and Silas, being prophets
also themselves, eXhorted the brethren with
many words, and confirmed them.
| SO. And after they had tarried there
space, they were let go in peace from the
brethren unto the apostles
GOLDEN TEXT-Stand fast there
fore in the liberty VvhereVyith Christ
hath made us free.-Ga1. 81.
OUTLINE OF SCRIPTURAL SECTION.
An important question submitted. ........
The question debated 1851
The question decided. 15:22-SS
TIME-A. D. so.
PLACE-Jerusalem
Jews.
NOTES AND COMMENTS.
The Great Questionable Jews well
coined prose1ytes from other nations
upon the condition that they should
become obedient to the laws of Moses.
When the Jews became disciples of
Christ they did not consider those
laws of less binding obligation upon
themselves. Hence it was natural for
them to think that Gentiles should
take the same steps to become Chris
tians as to become proselytes of the
faith. But Paul saw more clearly, and
raised the issue that Gentiles might
not be forced into bondage to the cere-
monia1 law in order to be recognized as
Christians. The question was a vital
one, and fortunately for mankind was
decided in favor of Christian liberty.
Had the decision been the other way,
Christianity must have been a mere
sect of the Jews.
The Question Submit ed.-The dis
cussion which made so much trouble
seems to US to have been about very
small matters, but the issue was really
important, for a Christianity that
practiced all the Jewish ceremonies
could never have won the wor1d.-The
argument of the Jewish teachers at
Antioch probably depended on the fact
that the Jewish religion was COM
manded by God, and so must be OBJ
served by all who obeyed God.-The
messengers of the church in Antioch
were frankly on one side of the ques-
ton that was to be decided, but the
story they had to tell won them great
favor all along the way.
The Question Debated.-This was
one of the few occasions important
enough to call all the leaders of the
church together.-The Questioning"
Of verse was, the discussion among
those who took sides in the matter
Peters speech pronounced for the
greatest freedom, pointing out that
the Holy Spirit had borne witness to
the Gentiles, and that the strictest
Jews depended upon Gods grace
Paul and Barnabas added to the effect
of this speech by telling what they
had seen; and then James gave the
final word as presiding officer. The
things he insisted on seemed to him a
matter of simple decency.
The Question Decided.-The whole
church took the final action with APP
parent unanimity, though neither the
Jewish teachers nor Paul abode strict
Iy by the decision. Tt was a COM
promise to which they felt ". 26) that
the Holy Spirit had guided them. We
know nothing about Judas, but Silas
was with Paul on the next missionary
iournev.-The letter first denies the
authority of the men who had insist
ed on circumcision. Tt next intro
duces the messengers, cOmplim enting
the zeal and courage of Paul and Bar
nabas. Finally it lays down the points
on which the Jews insisted. To eat
things sacrificed to idols was like talk
ing part in the sacrifice; yet Paul with
in a few years upheld Christian liberty
in this matter (Rom. 14:13-15; 1 Cor.
8:1-8). "Blood" was sometimes used
directly as food. and the Jews were
careful to have all blood removed from
meat before it was eaten; while
"things strangled" were forbidden.
because the blood was left in the body
Formation, as distinguished from
adultery, was considered no special
disgrace. This last point is the only
one of those mentioned on which
Christian morality now insists.-The
question had been so troublesome that
its decision brought great joy to the
church IN Antioch.-The omission OF
verse "a makes it appear that Silas
went to Jerusalem to report and thee
returned to Antioch.
|