|
The
Roman Catholic Church teaches that Christians are free to eat blood, things
strangled and things offered to idols. For the Council of Florence stated as
follows: ‘It [the holy Roman church] firmly believes, professes and teaches
that every creature of God is good and nothing is to be rejected if it is
received with thanksgiving, because according to the word of the Lord not
what goes into the mouth defiles a person, and because the difference in the
Mosaic law between clean and unclean foods belongs to ceremonial practices,
which have passed away and lost their efficacy with the coming of the gospel.
It also declares that the apostolic prohibition, to abstain from what has
been sacrificed to idols and from blood and from what is strangled, was
suited to that time when a single church was rising from Jews and gentiles,
who previously lived with different ceremonies and customs. This was so that
the gentiles should have some observances in common with Jews, and occasion would
be offered of coming together in one worship and faith of God and a cause of
dissension might be removed, since by ancient custom blood and strangled
things seemed abominable to Jews, and gentiles could be thought to be
returning to idolatry if they ate sacrificial food. In places, however, where
the Christian religion has been promulgated to such an extent that no Jew is
to be met with and all have joined the church, uniformly practising the same
rites and ceremonies of the gospel and believing that to the clean all things
are clean, since the cause of that apostolic prohibition has ceased, so its
effect has ceased’ (Ecumenical Council of Florence [1438-1445], Session 11, 4
February 1442). In other words, according to the Roman Catholic Church, those
decrees determined by the apostles and elders were disciplinary decrees for
those times only, and as the circumstances did
permit it – that is, when the merging of the Jews and Gentiles was completed
- they were revoked. To support the temporariness of those decrees, it holds
that Paul permitted the saints to eat things sacrificed to idols (cf. 1 Corinth 8:1-13),
which is a clear evidence of the temporariness of those decrees. The Catholic
Church affirms not only that those decrees were temporary but also that in
the days of the apostles they applied only to the Churches of the Gentiles in
Antioch,
Syria
and Cilicia. To
support this thesis they point out that Paul did not mention those decrees in
his epistles, which indicates that those decrees applied only to some
churches and for a time (cf. New Catholic Encyclopedia, 1967, Jerusalem,
council of).
|
|
Even
many Protestants teach that Christians are free to eat blood, strangled
things and things offered to idols for the decrees determined by the apostles
and elders at Jerusalem
were temporary. In the Matthew Henry's Commentary we read the following
things about the decrees determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem: Acts
15:7-21 – ‘…. The opinion of James was, that the
Gentile converts ought not to be troubled about Jewish rites, but that they
should abstain from meats offered to idols, so that they might show their
hatred of idolatry. Also, that they should be cautioned against fornication,
which was not abhorred by the Gentiles as it should be, and even formed a part of some of their rites. They were
counselled to abstain from things strangled, and from eating blood; this was
forbidden by the law of Moses, and also here, from reverence to the blood of
the sacrifices, which being then still offered, it would needlessly grieve
the Jewish converts, and further prejudice the unconverted Jews. But as the
reason has long ceased, we are left free in this, as in the like matters. Let
converts be warned to avoid all appearances of the evils which they formerly
practised, or are likely to be tempted to; and caution them to use Christian
liberty with moderation and prudence’ (From: http://www.htmlbible.com).
|
|
|
|
Confutation
|
|
|
|
What
the Roman Catholic Church and many Protestant Churches teach on the decrees
determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem is not true for those
decrees were not just for some Churches nor were they temporary. Now I am
going to prove it through the Holy Scriptures.
|
|
First
of all, let me quote the first thirty-two verses of the fifteenth chapter of
the Acts of the apostles: “And certain men which came down from Judaea
taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be
circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. When therefore
Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they
determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to
Jerusalem
unto the apostles and elders about this question. And being brought on their
way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria,
declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all
the brethren. And when they were come to Jerusalem, they
were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they
declared all things that God had done with them. But there rose up certain of
the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to
circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses. And the
apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. And when
there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and
brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that
the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. And
God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost,
even as he did unto us; And put no difference between us and them, purifying
their hearts by faith. Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the
neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But
we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved,
even as they. Then all the multitude kept silence,
and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders
God had wrought among the Gentiles by them. And after they had held their
peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: Simeon hath
declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a
people for his name. And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,
After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which
is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it
up: That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles,
upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.
Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Wherefore
my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from
among the Gentiles are turned to God: But that we write unto them, that they
abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things
strangled, and from blood. For Moses of old time hath in every city them that
preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day. Then pleased it
the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their
own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed
Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren: And they wrote letters by
them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting
unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia:
Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled
you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and
keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment: It seemed good unto us,
being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved
Barnabas and Paul, Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our
Lord Jesus Christ. We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also
tell you the same things by mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and
to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; That ye
abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things
strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall
do well. Fare ye well. So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch: and when
they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle: Which
when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation. And Judas and Silas,
being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and
confirmed them.”
|
|
As
you can see, some brethren who were Jews by birth troubled the Gentile
believers who were in Antioch
telling them that unless they were circumcised they could not be saved. But
the apostles Paul and Barnabas – who at that time were at Antioch – opposed
those brethren for they were fully convinced that we are saved by grace
through faith apart from the works of the law. However, the brethren of Antioch
determined that Paul and Barnabas and some other believers should go up to Jerusalem to see
the apostles and elders about this question. After they arrived at Jerusalem, Paul and
Barnabas told the Church and the apostles and elders the things which the
Lord had done with them among the Gentiles. But some of the Pharisees who
believed rose up saying that it was necessary to circumcise the Gentile
believers and to command them to keep the law of Moses. Then the apostles and
elders gathered together to consider the matter. After much discussion, and
after Peter, Paul and Barnabas, and James had spoken, the apostles and elders
determined not to command the Gentile believers to be circumcised nor to keep
the law of Moses, but to command them to abstain from food sacrificed to
idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from fornication.
Therefore, by that decision the apostles and elders confirmed that salvation
is by grace and not by the works of the law as some Jewish brethren taught.
|
|
Now,
in the light of what happened at that time, why should we consider those
decrees concerning foods passed away when we know that today it may happen
that some Jewish brethren teach some Gentiles believers the same false
teaching, that is, ‘Unless you are circumcised and keep the law of Moses, you
cannot be saved!’? Why should we consider those decrees passed away when we
know that many Gentiles all over the world still kill animals by strangling
or chocking them and eat their meat, offer various foods to idols, and eat
blood, just as the Gentiles did in the days of the apostles? Don’t you think
that if we, as Gentile believers, found ourselves in the same condition as
those Gentile believers of Antioch found themselves at that time, we could
resist and refute those who teach us ‘unless you are circumcised and you keep
the law of Moses you cannot be saved’ by quoting what the apostles and elders
said during that assembly at Jerusalem concerning that matter? Don’t you think
that if those decrees were temporary, the apostles and elders would have declared
it in the letter which they sent to the Gentile believers? Let me tell you
another thing: Do you not know that Jews still abstain from blood, from
strangled things, and from the things the Gentiles offer to idols, and when
some of them believe in Jesus Christ they keep abstaining from all these
things? So, let us suppose that some Jews believe that Jesus is the Messiah
and they join the Church of which you are a member, don’t you think that if
they see you eating blood, strangled things, and things offered to idols,
they will be scandalized by your conduct and will stumble and fall because of
you?
|
|
As
for the argument according to which those decrees applied only to some churches
of those days, I say this. It is true that the apostles and elders sent that
letter to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia
(cf. Acts 15:23),
but that does not mean that the contents of that letter was valid only for
the believers who lived in those places. If it were so, it would be like
saying that the epistle Paul wrote to the Colossians was valid only for the
believers of Colosse or the one he wrote to the Romans was valid only for the
saints of Rome, for the simple reason that in those letters Paul does not say
that they were for the saints who live all over the world. Of course each one
of those letters was written by Paul to the saints of a specific city, but
the words which are written in them are valid for all the saints of all ages:
the same thing must be said about the letter the apostles and elders wrote to
the Gentile believers who lived in those places at that time, it is valid for
all the saints of all places and ages. That is confirmed by the fact that
after that letter was read in Antioch, when Paul and Silas departed to visit
the brethren in every city where Paul and Barnabas had preached the Gospel,
“as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep,
which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem” (Acts 16:4 –
NKJV). Which were the cities they went through? They were these: Derbe,
Lystra, Iconium and Antioch
in Pisidia, and other cities which were not in Syria and Cilicia
(which are the regions spoken of in that letter). To confirm that those
decrees were to be kept also by those believers who did not live in Syria or
Cilicia, I point out that in the Church of Thyatira there was a woman named
Jezebel who deceived the servants of the Lord into eating things sacrificed
to idols (cf. Revelation 2:20), and in the Church of Pergamos there were some
who held the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block
before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols (cf.
Revelation 2:14). In both cases the Lord made it clear that eating things
sacrificed to idols was wrong. Notice that Thyatira and Pergamos were not
located in Syria
nor in Cilicia but in Asia
(cf. Revelation 1:4,11).
|
|
As
for the fact that Paul did not mention in his epistles the decrees determined
by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem, and he permitted the saints to eat
things sacrificed to idols, which things indicate that those decrees must be
considered passed away, I say this. If one reads carefully the words Paul
wrote to the Corinthians about things sacrificed to idols, he will notice
that Paul did not want believers to eat things sacrificed to idols. Here are
some words written by Paul which prove what I have just said.
|
|
“However,
there is not in everyone that knowledge; for some, with consciousness of the
idol, until now eat it as a thing offered to an idol; and their conscience,
being weak, is defiled” (1 Corinthians 8:7 – NKJV). Therefore, in the Church of Corinth there were
some believers who ate things sacrificed to idols and their conscience was
defiled through their wrong behaviour.
|
|
“The
things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God,
and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons” (1 Corinthians 10:20 – NKJV).
As you can see, Paul was convinced that if a believer eats things sacrificed
to idols he has fellowship with demons, for these things were polluted by
idols.
|
|
Concerning
the words of Paul according to which we can eat whatever is sold in the meat
market and whatever is set before us by unbelieving people at their home (cf.
1 Corinthians 10:23-30), I say this. Paul, with those words, did not oppose
the decrees determined by the apostles and elders, for he just said that we
should eat whatever is sold in the meat market and is set before us by
unbelieving people, “asking no questions for conscience’ sake” (1 Corinthians
10:25, 27 – NKJV). Please, notice this expression of Paul. So, we, even if
those things are things offered to idols, not knowing anything about it, do
not have fellowship with demons, for we eat those things not as things
offered to idols. On the contrary, if we know that the things which are sold
in the meat market or set before us are things offered to idols, and we eat
them as things offered to idols, then we will have fellowship with demons and
will provoke God to jealousy. So it is absolutely wrong to teach that Paul
considered the decrees determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem temporary
and valid only for some churches.
|
