Wednesday's Lesson - "No Greater Burden"

Read Acts 15:5–29. What decision did the council come to, and what was their reasoning?

In this passage we find that there were some from the sect of the pharisees who wanted the gentile Christians to be circumcised. The desire of the Pharisees brought about a dispute in the first century church which lead to a council to discuss the matter.

At the council Peter reminded the brethren that the same Holy Spirit which worked in them worked in the gentiles as well. He continues saying that God makes no distinction between them cleaning their hearts both by faith.

James also speaks up and quotes the words of the prophets which show that it is God's will to reach the gentiles. Based upon this James's judgement is that they do not trouble the gentiles. They resolved to lay no greater burden on the gentiles than the essentials.

I like the way that God tries to make things simple for us even when others try to give us a hard time. Praise God for His amazing grace.

What rules were placed on the Gentile believers (Acts 15:20, 29), and why these specific ones?

These essentials given to the gentiles where to Abstain from things offered to idols ,from blood and from things strangled and from fornication. They agreed that if gentiles does these things that they would do well.

The reason that they agreed to these specific rules was that they did not want the gentiles to do anything which would cause them to be an offense to the Jews. I believe that these things where ingrained into gentile culture which made it necessary to give special attention to these matters.

Could we, in some ways, be laying burdens on people that are not necessary but are more from tradition than divine command? If so, how? Bring your thoughts to class on Sabbath.

It is very much possible that we are doing this. Often times we have our pet ideas and our personal preferences which have nothing to do with salvation. We make these tests for other people and when they don't meet out tests we deem them not to be full Christians.

We must ask God's help to keep each one of us from being a stumbling block to our fellow Christians. We were not meant to tear each other down but to lift each other up.

Prayer: Father we thank your for all that you have done for us. Help us to be strengthening agents for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Help us to see the essentials of Christianity and not to get distracted by the side issues. Thank you in Jesus name amen.

Monday's Lesson - Jewish Laws and Regulations

As time allows, skim through the book of Leviticus. (See, for instance, Leviticus 12, 16, 23.) What thoughts come to your mind as you read all these rules and regulations and rituals? Why would many of these be all but impossible in New Testament times to follow?

It is convenient for us to classify Old Testament laws into various categories: (1) moral law, (2) ceremonial law, (3) civil law, (4) statutes and judgments, and (5) health laws.

This classification is in part artificial. In actuality, some of these categories are interrelated, and there is considerable overlap. The ancients did not see them as separate and distinct.

The moral law is summed up by the Ten Commandments (Exod. 20:1–17). This law sums up the moral requirements of humanity. These ten precepts are amplified and applied in various statutes and judgments throughout the first five books of the Bible. These amplifications show what it meant to keep the law of God in various situations. Not unrelated are the civil laws. These, too, are based on the moral law. These define a citizen's relationship to civil authorities and to his fellow citizens. They name the penalties for various infractions.

The ceremonial law regulated the sanctuary ritual, describing the various offerings and the individual citizen's responsibilities. The feast days are specified and their observance defined.

The health laws overlap the other laws. The various laws relating to uncleanness define ceremonial uncleanness, and yet go beyond this to include hygienic and health principles. Laws regarding clean and unclean meats are based on physical considerations.

While the Jew probably largely thought of all of these laws as a package, having all come from God, he or she must have made certain distinctions mentally. The Ten Commandments had been spoken by God directly to the people. This would set them apart as especially important. The other laws had been relayed through Moses. The sanctuary ritual could be kept only while a sanctuary was in operation.

The civil laws, at least in large part, could no longer be imposed after the Jews lost their independence and came under the civil control of another nation. Many of the ceremonial precepts could no longer be observed after the temple was destroyed. Also, after the Messiah came, many of the types had met their antitypes and no longer had validity.

Prayer: Father thank you for what you have done for us in Jesus Christ. Please help us to continue to look toward Him as the author and the finisher of our faith. Thank you in Jesus name amen.

Read Hebrews 8:6. What is the message here? How do we understand what these "better promises" are?

The better promises are the things which Jesus has promised to do for us in order that we might be saved. Because Jesus came to this earth lived a perfect life died for our sins, we have access to better promises. We have access to promises which where are ratified by the precious blood of Jesus.

Read Matthew 19:17; Revelation 12:17, 14:12; and James 2:10, 11. What do these texts tell us about the moral law in the New Testament?

These texts let us know that God's moral law still applies to us today.Revelation 14:12 tells us that God's people in the last day will be those who keep His moral law. God's moral laws are His 10 commandments. The commandments are still binding to us today according to the scriptures.

What are some of your favorite Bible promises? How often do you claim them? What choices are you making that can stand in the way of having these promises fulfilled in your life?

One of my favorite promises is found in Roman 12:1-2. For the Christian there greatest desire is to know what is the will of God. In this passage we find the way that we are to understand God's will. This bring me hope and encouragement because God is a God who want's to reveal himself to us. We must simply seek after Him and He will do the rest.

Prayer: Father thank you for your better promises. Please cover us with the precious blood of Jesus. Thank you in Jesus name amen.