Controversies Among the Early Christians Acts 15:1: 5 – JSS3 Christian Religious Studies Lesson Note (Second Term)

A controversy is a serious disagreement. The main controversy in the early church was whether Gentile Christians must be circumcised and keep the law of Moses to be saved (Acts 15:1-5).

Behavioural objectives

By the end of the lesson, students should be able to:

1. state the main cause of controversy in the early church;
2. describe how the Jerusalem church settled the circumcision controversy;
3. list the things the letter advised the Gentile Christians to abstain from;
4. explain why Paul and Barnabas disagreed and what happened afterwards.

What are the key terms in this topic?

Four terms are needed to understand the controversy.

• Controversy: a sharp disagreement between people or groups.
• Gentile: a person who is not a Jew.
• Circumcision: the cutting of the foreskin, the sign of the covenant between God and the Jews under the law of Moses.
• Pharisees: a Jewish group that kept the law of Moses very strictly.

What was the controversy in the early church about?

The controversy was about whether Gentiles had to be circumcised before they could be accepted as Christians.

• Source: some Jewish Christians looked down on Gentiles.
• Their belief: people who were not circumcised could not be Christians.
• Their teaching: some of them came from Judea to Antioch.
• Their message: unless the people were circumcised according to the custom of Moses, they could not be saved.

How did Paul and Barnabas respond to the controversy?

Paul and Barnabas took the matter to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem.

1. The teaching from Judea caused a sharp dispute with Paul and Barnabas.
2. The church at Antioch sent Paul, Barnabas and some others to Jerusalem.
3. They went to seek advice from the apostles and elders, so that the matter could be settled.
4. On the way, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria and told how the Gentiles were being converted.
5. The believers there were very happy at the news.
6. At Jerusalem, they told the church what God had done through them among the Gentiles.

What happened at the Jerusalem meeting?

The apostles and elders met to discuss whether Gentile Christians must be circumcised.

The demand of the Pharisee believers

• Who: some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees.
• Demand: all Gentile Christians must be circumcised.
• Second demand: they must also keep the law of Moses.

The speech of Peter

• Evidence: God gave the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles, as he did to the Jews.
• Meaning: this showed that God had accepted them.
• Principle: God makes no difference between Jews and Gentiles.
• Conclusion: both are saved in the same way.

The report of Paul and Barnabas

• They told of the miracles and wonders God did through them among the Gentiles.
• This supported Peter’s point that God was working among the Gentiles.

The judgement of James

• James agreed with what Peter had said.
• He said the Gentiles should not be burdened with the demand for circumcision.
• He advised that they be told to abstain from four things.

What did the letter to the Gentile church say?

The letter told the Gentile Christians to abstain from four things and did not require circumcision.

1. Food and things stained by idols.
2. Sexual immorality.
3. The meat of strangled animals.
4. Blood.

Who delivered the letter?

• Sent: Paul, Barnabas, Judas (Barsabas), Silas and some others went back to Antioch.
• Carriers: the letter was handed to Judas and Silas to deliver.

Why did the church leaders decide this way?

• What matters to God is obedience to his laws and words.
• God also looks for an obedient and ready heart turned to him.
• Circumcision was not the test of a true believer.

Why did Paul and Barnabas disagree?

Paul and Barnabas disagreed over whether to take John Mark on their next journey.

1. Some time after the Jerusalem meeting, Paul asked Barnabas to revisit the towns where they had preached.
2. Paul wanted to see how the believers were doing.
3. Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them.
4. Paul refused, because Mark had left them in Pamphylia on the earlier journey.
5. The disagreement was so sharp that the two men parted.

What happened after they parted?

• Result: the work of preaching continued in two places instead of one.
• Paul’s visit: he strengthened the churches, and the believers were encouraged.

How do the two disputes compare?

The first dispute was about doctrine, which is what Christians believe. The second was about a person and a plan for the mission.

What lessons can Christians learn from the controversies?

• Settle disputes openly: the church brought the problem to its leaders.
• Listen to all sides: Peter, Paul, Barnabas and James all spoke.
• Accept all people: God accepts people of every tribe and nation.
• Value obedience: God looks at the heart, not outward signs alone.

Evaluation

1. What was the cause of the conflict in the early church?
2. How was it settled at Jerusalem?
3. Name the four things the Gentile Christians were told to abstain from.
4. What led to the disagreement between Paul and Barnabas?

Assignment

List the four things the letter from Jerusalem advised the Gentile Christians to abstain from. Then state, in your own words, what the church leaders said matters most to God.