One Truth, One Church

Unity is of crucial importance to God. It exists in the Godhead; it exists in the church universal; it exists in the gospel. But the unity of the apostolic gospel in Paul's day was under attack. Judaizers, false teachers who stirred up trouble in the Gentile churches, taught that besides the gospel that the apostles in Jerusalem preached, there was another that Paul should be preaching to the Gentiles. They claimed that the Gentiles needed to go beyond mere faith in Christ crucified. They needed also to observe the Law of Moses just like faithful Jews would. In Galatians 2:1-10 Paul recounts an incident that was critical over this issue. It took place in a council in Jerusalem about 14 years after Paul was saved. The gospel of grace that he and the apostles preached was carefully examined. Both Paul and the apostles in Jerusalem had already had tremendous and effectual ministries among the Gentiles and Jews. There was a happy ending to that council because it was determined that two gospels did not exist - only one. How important that is! Again, in another passage, Paul emphasized unity when he encouraged the Ephesian saints to practice it in their assembly. The basis for their unity is the same basis for ours, i.e. the unity found in God, the church and the gospel. He said, "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." (Eph. 4:4-6) It is fashionable today to speak of the theologies of the New Testament - the Pauline, the Lukan, the Johannine, the Petrine. The implication is that there are fundamental differences between them. This passage from Galatians teaches us that the only difference was in the audiences. The Jews may have been circumcised already but that did not give them an edge on salvation. The apostles in Jerusalem preached the gospel to Jews and they who believed were set free from the bondage of the Law. Paul preahced to the Gentiles and they who believed, though not circumcised, were promised heaven simply on the basis of grace. They were not obligated to live after the Law that could not save any one. How thankful we can be!

Questions to Ponder:
1. Do you think Paul would find modern Christian rules more justifiable than the Jewish ones he opposed? Why or why not?
2. Suppose God called you to share the gospel with people of a different culture. How would you decide which American Christian practices could be abandoned and which could not?