Church HistoryChurch HistoryThe First Century – Conflicts With Judaism

& With Rome

Conflicts With JudaismConflicts With Judaism

Law vs. GraceClean / UncleanCircumcisionSabbathGentilesAngels vs. ChristTemple WorshipSacrificesHoly Spirit vs Tradition“Jacob’s Ladder Spirituality”

Law vs. GraceLaw vs. Grace

Justification is not by law-keeping but by faith in Jesus Christ alone (Romans chapters 3-8, Galatians)

We have died to the Law (Romans 7:1-6, Galatians 2:19)

If we go back under the Law we are cut off from Christ (Galatians 5:1-11)

The Law no longer has any power over us, therefore there is no condemnation from the Law for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1,2)

These doctrines caused major conflict esp. between Paul and the Jews

Clean / Clean / UncleanUnclean

Jesus touched many unclean things and was not defiled by them (dead bodies, lepers, woman with an issue of blood etc)

Christ more powerful than ritual uncleanness

Jesus declares all foods clean (Mark 7)

Peter told not to call unclean what God has called lean (Acts 10)

Romans 14 – still to act according to our conscience

1 Corinthians 8 & 10 – we are not to eat in idols temples but neither are we to see the meat as ‘defiled’. Rather we are to stay away from it so as not to stumble others

Jacob’s Ladder Jacob’s Ladder SpiritualitySpirituality

The Jews had an understanding of spirituality as vertical and that you proceeded upward one step at a time toward heaven.

Rich, obviously blessed people, teachers priests and prophets were at the top and common people and ‘sinners’ at the bottom.

When Jesus said ‘the tax-gatherers and sinners will enter the Kingdom ahead of you’ He upset this understanding

John 3- Nicodemus, John 4 – woman at the well. Both ‘ends of the ladder’ – no difference. Ladder demolished!

The The CircumcisionCircumcisionDebateDebate

Many Jewish Christians insisted that Gentiles Christians be circumcised as part of entering into the blessings of Abraham

Paul insisted that the blessings of Abraham were by faith and that all who were of faith were sons of Abraham and that circumcision / uncircumcision was nothing but rather faith working through love

It was resolved at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 – that circumcision was not necessary for salvation

The SabbathThe Sabbath

The Sabbath was the Jewish day of rest and was strictly observed by the Jews as part of the Ten Commandments

Yet Jesus frequently ‘worked’ on the Sabbaths and declared Himself Lord of the Sabbath – (Mark 2:27,28)

The New Testament Sabbath is our Sabbath rest in God (Hebrews chapters 3&4) and is not a particular day of the week

We are not to let people judge us about Sabbath observance (Colossians 2:16)

Inclusion Of Inclusion Of GentilesGentiles

The Gentiles were seen as so sinful that it was ‘not possible’ for them to become Christians

If was thought that if Gentiles were righteous they would become Jews first, clean up their lives and then become Christians

Spirituality and culture were tightly connected as were spirituality and ‘respectability’

Grace reaches down even to those with highly dysfunctional lifestyles and this outraged the Jews who strove for works-based righteousness

Angels vs. ChristAngels vs. Christ

In the Jewish view the Law was infallible because it was delivered through angels and was mediated by them (Acts 7:25, Hebrews 2)

Christ being greater than the angels was able to revoke the Law

The supremacy of Christ over the angels is the starting point for the book of Hebrews (chapter 1)

Paul even tells us that we shall judge angels (1 Corinthians 6:1-3)

The Gnostics again tried to place Christ as lower than the angels

But the Bible asserts that Jesus Christ is above all heavenly powers and that they will bow to Him (Ephesians 1;20, Colossians 1:15-20, Philippians 2:5-11)

Therefore Christianity is superior to Judaism as it has not an angel but God’s Son as its Mediator

Temple WorshipTemple Worship

Acts 7:48, 17:24…God does not dwell in temples made with human hands. First said to the Jews, then to the Greeks.

Jesus ‘spoke of the Temple of His body’ (John 2:21)

Our bodies are now temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19)

Temple worship ceased in 70AD and has never resumed

SacrificesSacrifices

Jesus was the ‘once for all’ sacrifice – for all people, for all time… (Hebrews 7:27, 9:12, 10:10)

Sacrifices of bulls and goats were the shadow but Christ is the reality and has replaced them!

The Aaronic system has been replaced the priesthood of Melchizedek (Hebrews 7&8)

The only sacrifice now required is praise and thanksgiving (Hebrews 13:15)

Holy Spirit Holy Spirit vs. vs. TraditionTradition

In the NT the Holy Spirit replaces law and tradition as the inner guidance of the believer

Hebrews 8:8-13, 10:15-17Matthew 7:8, Colossians 2:8We do not need traditional

rabbinical instruction: Matthew 7:29, 16:17, John 6:45, 8:28, 14:26; 1 Thessalonians 4:9, 1 John 2:20,27

Revelation comes via the Holy Spirit: 1 Corinthians 2:9-16

Tensions With RomeTensions With Rome

Refusal to say Caesar is Lord

Seen as atheists because of the lack of temple observance and ‘meet adoration of the household gods’ (refused to participate in ancestor worship)

Seen as cannibals for ‘eating the flesh of Jesus Christ’

Makers of idols fomented riots against Christians

Pleasing the Jews (by persecuting the Christians)

A convenient minority to blame / persecute