“For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things.” ~ Acts 15:28
Had it been some of today’s churches writing to these early Gentile believers, it would have cost a pretty penny in postage to send such a large document. The list of rules and regulations would have taken up at least a hundred pages. And the addendum would have read, “More to follow!”
These primitive saints were simply told to abstain from: 1) pollutions of idols; 2) fornication; and 3) things strangled and blood. Notice, these three things covered their spiritual, moral, and physical lives.
And this brief trio of rules is referred to as “…necessary things.” The authors of this little list had come out of a strong legalistic background, and were conscious that a long list of man-made laws would result in a great burden to these believers under Grace. And so Peter says, “Now therefore why…put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?”
I think the apostle, James’ exhortation to the Jerusalem church would be wise for us to follow today: “Wherefore my sentence is that we trouble not those which…are turned to God.”
“I make it a point never to put more on a person than they already have.” Joe Henry Hankins
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So true, Dad. Thank you.