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THE KING’S BUSINESS
eating what is strangled.” To “abstain from blood.” The reason for abstaining from blood was because it is the life and is hallowed of God to make atonement (Lev. 17:10, 11, 14). The things that James emphasizes as being especially necessary to deliver the Gentile believer were the very things to which the Gentiles were especially addicted. Tuesday, January 30 . A c ts 15 : 22 , 23 . The three arguments, that of Peter, and that of Paul, and that of James, convinced the council at Jerusalem, and it was decided that the Mosaic law must not be laid upon the Gentile believers. The Apos tles and elders and the whole church took abundant precautions to guard against any misrepresentation of their decision being taken back to Antioch by the legalizers. They well' knew the men they had to deal with, and that if they did not take this pre caution that the legalizers would take back a lying report or a misleading report. Evi dently the legalists of that day were given to misrepresentations of facts just as the legalists of today are. By their very care ful choosing of men to send to Antioch to deliver to the believers there by word of mouth what thé decision of the council at Jerusalem was, Paul gained his chosen companion of coming days ,(v. 22; cf. v. 40). Paul’s enemies had intended to distroy or limit his work, but their schemes had only resulted in good to Paul. The mode of address used in the letter sent from Jerusalem to Antioch is full of sig nificance. They addressed them as “The brethern which are of the Gentiles,”, thus showing that faith in Jesus Christ makes all men kin. In Jesus Christ there is neither Jew or Gentile (Gal. 3:28). The brethern which were of the Jews and the brethern which were of the Gentiles were bound together by a very tender tie, that of faith in a common Saviour. Many American and English Christians have not yet reached the \point where they regard every converted African, or converted (4)
Chinaman, or converted Hindoo as a brother. W ednesday, January 31 . A c ts 15 : 24 - 215 . The description here given of the Juda- izers is very striking and suggestive, “cer tain which went out from us have tro- ble you with words.” This kind of troub- lers are not all dead yet, men who go out' from the body of believers and trouble young Christians “with words,” men who creep in unawares and 'whisper specious but false words to young converts. There is nq way in which the devil can more suc cessfully trouble believers, especially young converts, or more thoroughly unsettle (or subvert) their souls, than by false words, words that sometimes contain a certain modicum of truth, but are mixed with, so much error as to make the compound pois onous. These false words must be met with words of truth (Col. 4:6) and above all by the word of God (2 Tim. 3:13-15). The Apostles emphatically denied all responsibility for this pernicious subvert ing teaching, viz., that men must keep the law of Moses in order to be saved (cf. v.' 1). The Apostles and elders and the whole church gathered at Jerusalem (cf. v. 22) had come to absolute unanimity about the matter in question (v. 25, R.. V.). So the question of the subjection of believers in Christ to the law of Moses is settled for ever. This fact the Seventh Day Advent ists have not discovered even though it was settled so many centuries ago. It is a great thing when brethern who differ can meet together, and study the Scriptures together under the Holy Spirit’s guidance, as did these early Christians, and thus “come to one accord.” There is surely no need of any difference on essential points among those who bow to the authority of the Bible and are honestly asking wisdom of God (James 1:5-7). The difficulty is that so many go tp the Bible, not to find out what it really teaches. and seek wisdom from God, not really to find out what His mind is, but they* go to the Bible simply to find confirmation of the views which
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