God's Sabbath

D ISPUTE R ESOLUTION

431

The Dispute

In His great love and mercy, God understood the predicament of these Christians who had been converted from Judaism and He patiently worked to redirect them into right paths. However, even though they had embraced the gospel’s principles, those who had been so long steeped in the ritualism of the legal code found it difficult to let their traditional beliefs go. Consequent ly, the slowest in keeping pace with the advancing light were strongest in their demand that the Gentile converts should keep the ceremonial law. There was much quarrelling about this question. To avoid the divisions that threatened the church, it was de cided to send Paul, Barnabas and some other leading brethren to Jerusalem. There a great council was convened to discuss the sensitive subject of the ceremonial law. “Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teach ing the brothers: ‘Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.’ This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. The church sent them on their way, and as they trav eled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported every thing God had done through them. Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, ‘The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.’ The apostles and elders met to consider this question.” Acts 15:1–6.

The Great Council

When they met, the believers approached the problem in typ ical human manner. Each person arrived with a definite idea of