Teachers: in the early Jewish Christian community were Christians who fervently believed people who were not Jews and who wanted to be Christians must (a) be circumcised and (b) learn the law. To these Jewish Christians, this was a salvation issue. If Christians who were not Jews did not do this, they could not be saved. This lesson has two objectives. The first is to make students aware that these Christians existed. The second is to make students aware that this conviction created problems in the first century church.
The conversion of idol worshippers to Jesus Christ created an immediate problem for Jewish Christians. The problem: how should formerly idolatrous people develop an accurate understanding of God, His character, and His will? The problem was not the conversion of idol worshippers. Jews converted idol worshippers to Judaism. Proselytes were people who were not Jews who converted to Judaism. Godfearers were people who were not Jews who were potential Jewish converts. Most Jews were comfortable with converts. The problem centered in how to spiritually stabilize converts.
Please be certain that students understand the problem was these people's spiritual development, not their conversion.
The process producing converts in Judaism may have followed a progression similar to this: curious attraction; visitor to the synagogue; learner in the synagogue; Godfearer who believed in the living God and His teachings; proselyte who submitted to Jewish circumcision. Most devout Jews were comfortable with this "spiritual migration" of people who were not Jews. Devout Jews living away from Palestine were likely more comfortable with this "spiritual migration."
Jewish morality, the Jewish God, and some characteristics of the Jewish community appealed to some people who were not Jews. Synagogue assemblies were open to people who were not Jews. They could satisfy curiosity. They could be serious students. They could become proselytes.
Using our terminology, people who became proselytes were indoctrinated in Jewish laws, customs, and practices. Because of this process, devout Jews were confident that proselytes could behave as spiritually responsible people. This "spiritual migration" required time. It created opportunities for indoctrination in basic spiritual responsibilities.
The Jews systematically trained and nurtured proselytes in Jewish practices and customs. This assured and controlled their religious development. Some Jewish Christians were fearful of Paul's evangelistic outreach because it did not include their form of systematic training and nurturing.
Paul's evangelistic outreach among people who were not Jews was strikingly different. He preached Jesus Christ in synagogues and in marketplaces. He spoke to people who were Jews, who were proselytes, who were Godfearers, and who came from every type of non-Jewish background. Often Godfearers responded quickly (Acts 13:48). Often people of idolatrous background responded quickly (Acts 11:26). Quick responses did not concern Paul. Faith can respond quickly. God's grace in Jesus Christ is adequate for every situation. No one understood that better than he did (Acts 9:1-19; 22:3-16; 1 Timothy 1:12-16)!
The rapid growth of Christianity among Jews did not concern Jewish Christians. Consider the rapid growth from Acts 2 through Acts 9. This growth was among God's covenant people who knew the law and were circumcised. The rapid growth of Christianity among people who were not Jews did not concern Paul. Paul personally knew the power of faith in Christ and the grace of God.
Jewish Christians called Judaizers were quite uncomfortable with Paul's concept and understanding of grace. Quick conversions produced by Paul's evangelistic fervor were considered spiritually irresponsible. Believers were baptized without an indoctrination process. People with no knowledge of scripture, Jewish worship, Jewish history, Jewish prophets, Jewish customs, or Jewish practices were declared full children of God.
To these Jewish Christians, the key to spiritual development was knowledge of Jewish practices, customs, and the law. To Paul, the key to spiritual development was the knowledge of God's purposes in Jesus Christ combined with faith in God's accomplishments in Jesus Christ.
How could a faith/baptism decision be compared to the decision to be circumcised? Idolatrous practices often embraced behaviors that Judaism classified as immoral. How were such converts to learn God's morality? Judaizers regarded indoctrination as superior to grace in producing serious spiritual commitment. Indoctrination demanded acceptable change. The concept of grace was weak!
In these Jewish Christians' thinking, offering salvation through faith in Jesus, a redirection of life [repentance], and baptism into Christ was too simple and required too little.
This issue was one of THE significant issues in the first century church. The apostles were all Jewish. Jesus Christ was Jewish. Jesus was first declared Lord and Christ in Jerusalem. The church began in Jerusalem. In its early years, the church was Jewish. The Jewish apostles and Jerusalem elders should decide what was required of people who were not Jews in becoming Christians. The question was referred to the leaders in the Jerusalem church.
This issue was a major subject of conflict in the first century church.
Read Acts 15:1-29.
Christians in Antioch were told by men who came from Judea that they could not be saved unless they accepted Jewish circumcision.
Paul and Barnabas were in such disagreement with this declaration that they had "great dissension and debate" with these men.
They referred the question to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem.
It was necessary to circumcise Christians who were not Jews and direct them to observe the law of Moses.
People who were not Jews who turned to God would not be "troubled" with compliance to circumcision and observance of the law of Moses. They were requested not to eat the meat of an animal sacrificed in the temple of an idol, not to engage in sexually immoral acts, not to eat the meat of a strangled animal, and not to eat blood.
The teachings that came from Moses would continue. The scriptures from him would be read weekly in Jewish synagogues throughout their known world. Excluding Christians who were not Jews from Jewish practices and customs did not threaten the existence of Jewish law or Jewish practices.
They were informed by a hand-delivered letter from the Jerusalem church. Those delivering the letter would confirm the decision.
In the thinking of Judaizing Christians, this open discussion and decision did not resolve the issue. They still were certain that Christians must be circumcised and observe the Law of Moses. The letter called Galatians was written by Paul to Galatian congregations because some Judaizing teachers convinced many of those Christians that knowledge of the law and circumcision were essential to salvation.
The continued activity of Jewish Christians who held this view and opposed Paul's teachings verifies the Jerusalem decision of Acts 15 did not resolve the issue.
Read Galatians 1:6-10.
Paul was amazed these Christians [who were not Jews] deserted Christ and the message of grace for a different message.
These people had distorted the gospel of Christ. The "good news" for Galatian Christians was the understanding that their salvation was made possible by faith in Christ, not Jewish law, customs, and practices.
These Christians were to disregard any message, even if it came from him or a heavenly angel, if that message contradicted the "good news" they first received. Anyone delivering a contradictory message was accursed. For emphasis, Paul made this statement twice.
Be certain to understand these verses in their context. A contradictory message [in context] was a message that questioned or rejected this "good news": salvation is the result of faith in Jesus Christ and is based on grace.
The tension created by Paul's work among and conversion of people who were not Jews is seen by reading Galatians 2:1-16, Galatians 6:12-16; 2 Corinthians 11:12-15; Acts 15:1-5; and Acts 21:17-36. There was significant, serious opposition in the Jewish Christian community to the conversion of people who had not submitted to basic Jewish practices. That issue frequently created tension and confusion in congregations containing Christians converted from idolatry.
The suggested scriptures should make the tension obvious.
Read Galatians 5:10-12. How would you characterize Paul's frustration with those who insisted that Christians who were not Jews be circumcised?
He considered those who taught circumcision as essential to salvation as disturbers who would be condemned by God. He noted that if he would preach the necessity of circumcision, his persecution from Jewish sources would stop. Preaching the necessity of circumcision would remove the stumblingblock of the cross [God's extension of salvation by grace through Jesus' death]. See 1 Corinthians 1:23. Paul wished these people would stop troubling the Galatian Christians and mutilate themselves. Instead of insisting that the Galatian Christians be physically "cut," they would "cut" themselves.
Some Jewish Christians viewed Christians who were not Jews as did Paul, Barnabas, and Silas. Some did not.
Link to Student Guide
Quarter 1, Lesson 10