Daily Devotional for Wednesday 21st February
United in Christ
Paul’s experience of Jesus had given him a powerful impetus to preach, but as he reached out to the Gentiles with the good news he wanted to gain the support of the church’s central leadership. Jerusalem had been the birthplace of the faith. Good Friday, Easter, and Pentecost had all happened there. So it was still an important focal point. Later in v 9 of this chapter, we see that Jesus’ brother James and two of his closest disciples, Peter and John, were pillars of the fellowship. They quite rightly were people of influence and Paul wanted them to endorse his work.
It is not clear whether this meeting in Jerusalem was the gathering described in Acts 15 or it might have been part of an earlier visit by Paul and Barnabas to the city mentioned briefly in Acts 11 and 12. Either way, it clearly was not an easy conversation. Some people present thought that the Gentile Christian converts should conform to a long-established Jewish tradition that insisted the men among them be circumcised (Acts 15 v 1). Paul, though, calls this viewpoint a false faith that fundamentally undermined proper Christian freedom (v 4). He was sure that the Gentile converts could bring their own ethnic identity into the church. They could belong to Christ as Gentiles without taking on the formal observances of Judaism. Titus, a co-worker, and an uncircumcised Gentile convert, became a test case: since the Jerusalem leaders did not require his circumcision, it would follow that they would not demand it of the Galatians either. Paul believed in a multiracial and multicultural church, united in Christ.
Time to reflect…
Paul was not a lone ranger; he wanted to be partnered with the Jerusalem church. At a time of increasing disunity in the wider church today, reflect on how you can work together with fellow believers to uphold the Word of God for the sake of Christ’s church.
Pause to pray…
Father, forgive us for the divisions which keep us apart from one another. May we stay true to your Holy Word and may we preserve the unity which the Spirit gives so that we demonstrate to the world the reconciling power of the gospel. Amen
