Too Many Burdens

Acts 15:19: (James said) "It is my judgment that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God."

The history of this statement by James takes us back to Antioch, where the Apostles Paul and Barnabas had been in a deep dispute with Jewish Christians about the requirements for God's salvation. These Jewish Christians had arrived in Antioch from Judea and started sharing with the Gentile believers that they must fulfill the customs taught by Moses to be saved. Salvation by God's grace alone through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ was not enough for these Jewish believers. They expected that the new Gentile converts perform the requirements of the Mosaic law to receive divine favor.

The debate between Paul and these Judeans was so intense that the decision was made to send Paul, Barnabas, and other believers to the elders in Jerusalem for clarification on the matter.

Upon arriving in Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas were confronted by Pharisees who reinforced the conviction that the "Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses" (15:5). Paul however noted that the Gentiles who had responded to God's grace by faith alone had received the Holy Spirit, who had purified their hearts. Paul acknowledged that the Lord had not made any distinction between the Jewish and Gentile Christians; both were forgiven through their faith in Jesus Christ's atoning sacrifice for their sins. Paul intensified the discussion by saying that these Jewish legalists were in fact "testing God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that (no one past nor present) had been able to bear."

Then James, the leader of the Church in Jerusalem, spoke to the issue. He quoted from the book of Amos which affirmed that the Gentiles who sought the Lord would enjoy the blessing of salvation. He then concluded that the Jewish believers did not need to place unnecessary burdens upon the Gentiles in matters of the faith; rather, the Christian leaders should encourage these new converts to keep themselves pure and not participate in any activities that inculcated idolatry.

When we think of the Christian Church today, we find similar tendencies. That is, we find that some within the church would attempt to add extra requirements upon converts as essential ingredients for salvation and church participation. These elements can take many different forms and can include things like style of dress, expression in worship, ritual expectations, attendance, et al. When the Church establishes such mandates, it in effect is attempting to establish a spiritual hierarchy within its walls. Those who would propagate such tendencies are attempting to elevate themselves above others within Christendom. Of course, these acts are demonstrative proof that the sins of pride and self-aggrandizement are evident; and where self-centeredness is present, so too is corporate spiritual sterility. Richard Foster in his Study Guide for Celebration of Discipline has recognized that churches tend to manifest such dysfunction in either ritual or law: "High-church types usually tend toward ritual, low-church types toward law-they are in reality two sides to the same coin. Neither law nor ritual succeeds in transforming the human personality, although, as Jesus mentioned, both often make quite nice-looking whitened sepulchres."


We would do well to remember that salvation is by God's grace alone through our responsive faith in Him as our Lord and Savior. When the Church begins to add requirements to God's grace, we treat with contempt the sole sufficiency of God in providing salvation to those who would surrender to Him as Lord. As Paul said in Acts 15:10, we "test God" by placing unnecessary burdens upon new converts . . . burdens never intended by Our Lord.

Having said this, we in the Church (like James and the early Church) should expect that new converts demonstrate a transformed life in Christ by living a life of purity and obedience to the Lord. This obedience includes renouncing any association with any "idols" that may have been part of one's life before salvation. Nevertheless, we should enjoy the blessing that our Lord has given to us to serve Him freely . . . unencumbered by anti-Biblical burdens that were never intended by our Lord as essential for salvation.