The Spectator., 1916-05-26
INTERNATIONAL Sl]NlAS0lO0L
 LESSON By E. o. SELLERS, Acting Director of Sunday School Course of the Moody Bible Institute. Chicago) Copyright. 1916, Western Newspaper Unionp
LESSON FOR MAY 28
THE COUNCIL AT JERUSALEM.

appeal to the Gentiles and the large number of them who accepted the Cos pei made most acute the question, Must Gentle believers become Jew ish proselytes upon accepting the Christian faith and be governed by Jewish law and customs?" It would be exceedingly interesting to divide class and let them debate this con- troversy stated as follows: Resolved, That the Mosaic law should not have been imposed upon Gentle Chris. tians." The date of this council was A. D. 50 or 51, and the scene is laid first in Antioch of Syria and then in Jerusalem.
 l. A Division of Opinion (vv. 1-6). Luke does not name those who agi- tated and precipitated this contro- versy, but clearly indicates how the Holy Spirit dealt with the situation. 'Is a man justified by fath, or by the works of the law?" is a similar ques- tion with modern application. The Holy Spirit, to avoid a rupture in the yet weak church, directs that Paul, |. tain others who are not named, should carry the question to the apos- ties and elders in Jerusalem. Those to whom they went were of reputa- tion" Gal. 2:2), the pillars" Gal. 2:9) and they received the delegation from Antioch in public (15:D, also heard Paul in private Gal. 2:0.
 II. The Argument. (vv. 6-1S). It will not do to be harsh in condemn ing Paul's accusers. The Pharisees felt deeply their position. AS Gods chosen people they were marked by circumcision. Jesus, the promised Mes siah, was Jew. Social. religious, and racial differences are hard to rec oncile in one church today. But little was asked of the Gentiles in contrast with all they received. Entrance to church membership would not be too easy if circumcision were imposed as a test of their sincerity. Peter brought that God had given the Holy Spirit to the uncircumcized Christians, "and put no difference between us and them. purifying their hearts by faith" (vv. s, 9. God bears the same witness today to those who refuse to be bound by Mosaic traditions as regards the seventh day and other such details. Paul's argument was that God had wrought signs and wonders among the Gentiles and thus set his seal upon his preaching of salvation as apart from legalistic works (v. 12). Read in this connection Gal. 2:16, ri. tus 3:20, S:3, 10:4. and Phil. 3:9. The apostle James presented the thirc argument in connection with the yer. dict he pronounced. It was that 1t is according to Old Testament Scrip ture that God will take a people for his name from among the uncircum. sized Gentiles as well as from among the law-keeping Jews (vs. 13-17. With Paul this was a vital question, ings as he puts forth life-and-death struggle for the truth. As Peter re. minded the people of the occasion when the Holy Spirit came upon Cor. nelius and his household" he caused them to keep silence.
 III. A Wise Decision (vv. 19-2g. Ii was James the Just, brother of our Lord, the writer of the epistle and the bishop overseer of the church at Jerusalem. who rendered the decision. In his argument (vs. 13-1s) he saw in these Gentle converts reported by Barnabas and Saul fulfillment of the prophecy of Amos, and to use the language of today he made a mo tion." viz, that these Gentiles be not disturbed except in such matters as would tend to more fully separate them from the heather idolatry they had just left, (a) Pollution of idols 1. e., flesh offered in the sacrifices (b) from fornication." the immortality connected with the pagan worship oi Aphrodite and Cybele which actually consecrated vice. and (c) from things strangled," for the heather did not as the Jews did, look upon the blood as life, the seat of the soul. The church readily agreed to this motion and took such precautions as were needed that no misrepresentations oi their decision be carried back to Anti och. This consisted of spirit-lec choice of messengers and in a writer statement of their decision (vs. 22, 23)
 W. The Result in Antioch (vv. 3O-35) Great joy greeted the conclusion ol this question.
 It produced pleasant harmony ir place of discord and in place of the irksome bondage of the law it gave the joyous liberty of the Gospel.
 Jewish legalism gave way to Chris tian liberty. Judas and Silas. Spirit Klled, gave much profitable exhorta ton and instruction.
 Silas after reporting to the Jeru salem church (v. 32) seems to have returned to his new-found friend, (v. S4) and later became. along witi Paul. a missionary (v. 40).
 Thus the evil Paul's enemies thought to accomplish worked out tc the good of au (Rom. s:2S).