Within the letter that is finally written and sent out to the churches are some "essentials" that the Gentiles are supposed to adopt. Presumably these are "essential" with regard to the salvation of the Gentiles, since this was the core subject of the entire debate. While circumcision is not one of these "essentials", the other items listed do have the surface appearance to be fragments of parts of the Mosaic Law.
- abstain from things sacrificed to idols and
- from blood and
- from things strangled and
- from fornication
However, the letter itself denies such possible imaginative interpretations. The letter clearly states the Holy Spirit gave the apostles and elders the content of the letter (v.28) including these "essentials" abstainances. Further, the men who reported to the Gentiles that what the letter contained was indeed the perfect will of God were Judas and Silas, prophets of God (v.32). This letter was no man-made compromise, this was the very edict of God which has become the very Word of God.
To make matters even more perplexing, Paul later writes to both the Romans and to the Corinthians that the first prohibition is not really all that binding or essential. He literally tells the Christians in those churches that eating meat sacrificed to idols is acceptable because idols are not real gods. If the prohibition in the Acts 15 letter was a genuine prophecy regarding the essentials of salvation, how could Paul simply contradict that commandment by instructing both Rome and Corinth that they must allow their members to eat meat sacrificed to idols because it is in fact just a Christian liberty? By definition, a liberty is not an "essential".
One Prohibition, Not Four
But these "essential abstainances " were not references to fragments of the Mosaic Law at all. This short list of things to avoid were the very essentials that divided believing Gentile from unbelieving Gentile. They divided Christian from idolater.
Each of these four "essential" things to avoid were not four things, but one. They were meant to be read as "never again worship idols by eating with the idolaters in the sacrificial meals, drinking the cup of blood at the idol sacrifice ceremonies, do not ceremoniously eat the flesh of animals strangled during the worship of idols, and abstain from ritual acts of fornication with temple prostitutes".
In other words, these four seemingly disassociated prohibitions were completely unified around one theme: Christians cannot serve God and idols. One cannot worship God and also worship idols.
This is why these prohibitions are labeled as "essentials" by the Holy Spirit. They are indeed essential for salvation. If one feels comfortable to continue worshipping idols (by participating in their sacrificial meals, drinking their sacrificial blood, eating the sacrificial flesh, and becoming one with an idol’s prostitute) then that person would have difficulty explaining how he is a re-born Christian. This is quite essential.
Also take note of the things cited: idols, blood, flesh, unity. Idols are the false gods. Drinking blood is the false wine of the idol’s communion cup. Strangled flesh is the false body of the idol’s communion dinner. And the temple prostitute is the false unity of the idol’s servants. The things listed are the false communion in the service of the idol. Again, to abstain from those things is essential.
Evidences from the Word
What evidences exist in the Word that the list of Acts 15 "essential" prohibitions are not four held-over fragments of the Mosaic Law but are actually just one prohibition against worshipping idols while also claiming to worship God? This is a most proper question to ask since one must assume that all these prohibitions truly apply to idol ceremonies. The phrase "idol ceremonies" is not actually present in the Acts 15 text and it is necessary to assume it into existence if the interpretation offered above is be accepted.
For help we turn to the Bible. Acts 15 tells us that the letter initially went to many of the Gentile churches. In fact, we know for a certainty that the Acts 15 letter, along with the letters of Paul, James, and others, went to all the churches in the world--for all the churches in the world have them even today in a bound volume we refer to as The New Testament.
As a result of the Acts 15 letter being sent and shared broadly, Paul spent quite a bit of time trying to explain the meaning of the Acts 15 letter to the Gentiles and to the churches. That this is a hard to understand letter is evident from the record we have of Paul explaining its meaning to the churches.
Virtually all of 1 Corinthians chapters 8, 9, and 10 appear to be dedicated to explaining the prohibitions given in the Acts 15 letter. Core to understanding the Acts 15 letter is Paul’s explanation in chapter 8.
- Idols are not gods, they are nothing (v.4)
- Some who have grown up in idolatry have a hard time seeing idols as nothing more than merely stone sculpture (v.7)
- Eating a meal in an idol’s temple could ruin your brother’s faith because he thinks you are worshipping an idol (vs.10,11)
"For if someone sees you, who have knowledge, dining in an idol’s temple, will not his conscience, if he is weak, be strengthened to eat things sacrificed to idols? For through your knowledge he who is weak is ruined, the brother for whose sake Christ died."
All the prohibitions in the Acts 15 letter, are related to the participation in the temple worship ceremonies of idols--eating sacrificial meat, drinking sacrificial blood, strangling your sacrifice to the idol, sex with temple prostitutes.
Paul Compares True Communion to the False Communion of Idolatry
Later in 1 Corinthians 10 all of Paul’s explanations regard equating the acts of drinking to idols, eating to idols, and worshipping idols with the worship of all-too-real demons. It is here that Paul directly compares the worship of idols (and, by extension, demons) with the very worship of Christ during the communion ceremony. He compares the false communion of idolatry to the true communion with Christ.
- Do not be idolaters (v.7)
- Drink only the blood of Christ and eat only the bread of His body (v.16)
- Idols are nothing, but the worship of them is demon worship (vs. 19,20)
- It is impossible to drink the cup of communion to demons (idols) and to Christ (v.21)
- Eating meat, even sacrificed meat, is acceptable when one is not participating in the act or ceremony of idol worship (vs.25,30)
In all this, Paul never undermines the original Acts 15 prohibitions, rather, he supports them while also qualifying the "do not eat meat sacrificed to idols" statement. If the Acts 15 letter had not meant "do not eat meat in the pursuit of worshipping idols" but had truly been an outright ban on eating any meats sacrificed to idols then Paul would have been denying the letter’s intent in 1 Corinthians 10:25-30 (where he says it is acceptable to eat meat sacrificed to idols just so long as you are not worshipping them by doing so). The four "essentials" are not four different prohibitions, but merely one, "do not worship idols".
Roman Christians Forsake Meat
Again, in Romans 13:12-14 and all of chapter 14 we are reminded that eating meat and drinking beverages are acceptable activities, but only if we are doing them in thankfulness and in submission to God.
Further, we are reminded that some Christians in Rome are now fully convinced that eating any meat at all is a sin. Where did these Christian men get such an idea, and in the city of Rome where eating meat is utterly common place? They did not get this notion of vegetarianism from the Old Testament, nor did they get if from Christ’s own examples. Up to this point in history, eating meat was considered a perfectly acceptable and spiritually legitimate activity in which to engage.
It is not a difficult stretch to think that they obtained a copy of the authoritative Acts 15 letter, addressed by apostles and elders, and interpreted its prohibition against "eating meat sacrificed to idols" as a general prohibition against eating meat.
Why a general prohibition against all meat? Given the absurdly idolatrous nature of the city of Rome in Paul’s day, with an idol’s temple on almost every street corner and in every civic center, how could anyone ever be guaranteed that their meat was not in some way tainted by idol worship? One could literally never be certain that the meat they were eating was not sacrificed (or slaughtered) in the name of some major god or minor household idol, perhaps owned by the very meat merchant himself. This type of doubt could easily have driven the Christians to declare that in order to meet the letter of the law of prohibitions detailed in the Acts 15 correspondence that they had best avoid all meat. Only by avoiding all meat could one be certain that he and his fellow Christians were abiding by the edict of the Holy Spirit to avoid meat sacrificed to idols.
Still, Paul mercifully explains in verse 14 of Romans 14 that every piece of meat is actually "clean" and is worthy to be eaten, however, he dutifully avoids condemning these Christians even while gently educating them. It is not the meat that is unclean, nor is it the manner or name in which it was killed that makes it unclean, it is the belief system, the conscience, and the intent of the meat-eater that makes all the difference between sin or righteousness.
We once again see that the Acts 15 letter is not intended to keep Christians from eating any meat sacrificed to idols (whether intentionally or accidentally), the letter is meant to keep Christians from participating in the ceremonies of idol worship.
Cross References
Other passages of Scripture provide some perspective on the nature of idol worship as well. These are given here, not as proof texts, but as references that paint a larger picture of the interplay between idol worship, temple prostitution, and eating meat that "still has the life in it". The last phrase means that an animal was killed, possibly even cooked, without first draining its blood (its "life") imbuing the eating and drinking with mystical significance to the idol worshipper and the spiritist.
This passage in Ezekiel is a rebuke to those who wanted to possess the land but not serve God alone. They were worshipping idols, and during that worship they ate animals that had not had their blood drained. In some way they felt this gave them "renewed life" at the feet of their idol god. The animal was killed by strangulation with the intent to keep the blood inside of it specifically for the purpose of this idol worship practice.
Therefore say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, "You eat meat with the blood in it, lift up your eyes to your idols as you shed blood. Should you then possess the land?" ‘ (Ezekiel 33:25)
Even at the end of the Bible, in the book of Revelation, we see that idol worship is not merely resumed as a world practice, but is used to entice away Christ’s own bond-servants. Notice that the act of worship of idols is directly associated with eating "things sacrificed to idols" along with other acts of immorality. Keep in mind that the word "immorality" used here is the Greek word "porneuo" which means "to commit fornication" (porneuo is derived from the word, "prostitute"). In short, idol worship is again linked explicitly to eating the animals sacrificed to the idols and to fornication, probably meaning temple prostitution.
‘But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. (Revelation 2:20)
Hosea provides us a sad look at this practice of "temple prostitution". Here Hosea states that the men committed adultery with the temple prostitutes while at the same time offering sacrifices to their wooden idols and burning incense to their false gods (v. 13).
I will not punish your daughters when they play the harlot
Or your brides when they commit adultery,
For the men themselves go apart with harlots
And offer sacrifices with temple prostitutes;
So the people without understanding are ruined. (Hosea 4:14)
Of course many of the Gentiles who were saved did forsake their worship of idols. In pointing this out here, my only intent is to emphasize that when Paul says they turned aside from idolatry, it has the fuller meaning of what we just previously saw, that what they turned away from was the worship of idols through the eating of the sacrifices, eating and drinking the blood of strangled animals to "gain life", and temple prostitution. It meant far more than simply having a small statuary on the fireplace mantel. It was a way of life, a social community, a set of worship practices that had to be evacuated and replaced with communion with true believers and with the true God.
For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God (1 Thessalonians 1:9)
It is in this larger perspective that we must understand John’s warning against idolatry. Idolatry is a system of worship as much as it is a fixation on our own lust. When John warns us to guard ourselves against idols, he means for us to guard against false communions, participating in evil sacrificial ceremonies, attempting to gain renewal of life through worldly means, and unifying ourselves with prostitutes of other gods. It is of particular noteworthiness that this warning is the last verse in the book of 1 John.
Little children, guard yourselves from idols. (1 John 5:21)
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Reference: FaithfulWord.org
Yay for everything making sense in the historical, cultural and Scriptural context! Thanks to everyone who searched for the truth to this question with me. Glory to God in the highest.
Very good - that was sort of what I was thinking...except it was explained much better than I could have, haha. I don't have much time to say anything now, other than that seems to be very clear. At first I thought you wrote that whole thing yourself...:D Good job researching, kids.
ReplyDeleteWoo, that was awesome!
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