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How much can we get out of, reading a single scripture?


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I think we need to be careful how we handle a verse. Or, folks will use it as a way to get out of obeying God.

I am not supporting a return to the law of Moses and my intent is not to be disrespectful to scripture, God knows my heart in this matter. I’ve prayed about it and sought him and I believe he has given me grace. This single scripture verse (Acts 15:29) was used to preclude Christians from tithing. This is not about the tithing, it's about using this verse cautiously. Unless otherwise specified all the verses below are from Acts chapter 15.
Somewhere in the back of my mind it seems someone once said not to base a doctrine or faith practice on Acts because it is a transitional book. Then there is the verse…
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

So, I wanted to understand what the full context of this verse was and how it related to Christians. I found it addresses an issue which had appeared among some of the churches in Asia.

Problem statement:
1 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.

Solution sought:
2 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.

Testimony hearing:
4 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.

Added problem (not part of the original problem statement):
5 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.

Framing Discussion:
6 And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.
7 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.
8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
10 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?
11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

Fact finding session:
12 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.

Open discussion:
13 And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me:
14 Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.
15 And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,
16 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:
17 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.
18 Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.
19 Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:

Resolution offered:
20 But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

Resolution accepted:
22 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:

Resolution published:
23 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:
24 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:
25 It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
26 Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
27 We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.
28 For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;
29 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.

Resolution delivered:
30 So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch: and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle:


Therefore, given some of the rationale I saw put forward respecting vs. 29, from this point forward nothing else could be laid to the faith and practice of Christians in Asia. I can’t believe the remainder of the canon supports a statement like that. It would mean the following do not apply to uncircumcision, or Gentiles…

Romans
2:21 Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?
12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
13:7 Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.
16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.
1 Corinthians
4:16 Wherefore I beseech you, be ye followers of me.
7:27 Art thou bound unto a wife? seek not to be loosed. Art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife.
11:26 For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till he come.
2 Corinthians
5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
8:7 Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.
Galatians
4:18 But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you.
6:10 As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Ephesians
4:1 I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called,
4:17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,
Ephesians 5:24 Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.
Philippians
2:14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
Colossians
3:17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
1 Thessalonians
5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.
2 Thessalonians
2:15 Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle.

I suppose we could make an assertion that these precepts of God spoken by Paul don’t apply to us gentiles. I’ve only posted scriptures from a few key words I searched for.

We could end up with a Bible we can carry on the corner of a piece of paper with the following: Jesus saves, abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication. Amen.

I wonder if Paul asked the gentiles to leave when he addressed the churches. There would be no reason for gentiles to be there for a great percentage of what he told the church. Then he could welcome them back for the condensed version I mention in the paragraph above.

I can imagine one little Gentile fellow standing up in Antioch and saying, “ But Paul, I wanted to know if I should take care of my sick wife, can’t you tell me if I should do this?” Paul would have to say, “I’m sorry but what I could tell you doesn’t apply to Gentiles, go your way and be at peace…oops, I mean go your way and abstain from fornication, double oops, I can’t tell you to go your way, just abstain from meats offered to idols.”

Can this verse, Acts 15:29, apply to Gentiles who are not in Asia? Would it apply to us Gentiles in the West?

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Ro 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

Of course most will not teach the Word properly, for most people are lost, & most people try the best they can to use the Word of God for their benefit. Why do we know that most people are lost? Its quite simple.

Mt 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Mt 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Actually not many can say that God’s Word is truly a lamp to their path.

Ps 119:105 NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Of course, it has to be divided properly. if its not, no telling what path one may get on. Its true, whatsoever things written within the pages of the Holy Bible are for our learning, Ro 15:4. However, one must divide the word of the truth properly, & to be able to do that there is a requirement, the main one is being saved, yet, many saved are mislead on some doctrine, or even much.

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Scripture supports Scripture. Such as with the single verse you reference, it doesn't stand alone, as there are other verses which support this and have been mentioned.

A more clear example might be the example from Mark which mentions taking up snakes and not being harmed. While this seems to be a declaration of God's general protection of his people, and we see an example of this when the snake came from the fire biting Paul but Paul was not ill effected, yet there are those few who take that one verse in Mark to proclaim that true believers will literally handle deadly snakes. There are no verses of Scripture to support that viewpoint.

One thing we all have to be very careful with, especially as we become involved with a church, denomination or the teachings of one or just a few others, and that's the traditions that tend to get passed on among virtually all of these which are often taught as biblical when they are not.

For instance, many professing Christians view on baptism is based upon tradition they have been taught in some denomination or church rather than upon what the Bible actually says on the matter.

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Ro 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

Of course most will not teach the Word properly, for most people are lost, & most people try the best they can to use the Word of God for their benefit. Why do we know that most people are lost? Its quite simple.

Mt 7:13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Mt 7:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.

Actually not many can say that God’s Word is truly a lamp to their path.

Ps 119:105 NUN. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Of course, it has to be divided properly. if its not, no telling what path one may get on. Its true, whatsoever things written within the pages of the Holy Bible are for our learning, Ro 15:4. However, one must divide the word of the truth properly, & to be able to do that there is a requirement, the main one is being saved, yet, many saved are mislead on some doctrine, or even much.


This is just the point I'm trying to make. The verse in Romans might be considered by some null and void in the Gentile Christian's faith practice because it was not included in Acts 15:29. That is why when a single scripture is wielded so vehemently and repeatedly for justification of a doctrine or faith practice extreme care and caution needs to be taken. That is how some who are weak in the word begin cults.
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Scripture supports Scripture. Such as with the single verse you reference, it doesn't stand alone, as there are other verses which support this and have been mentioned.

A more clear example might be the example from Mark which mentions taking up snakes and not being harmed. While this seems to be a declaration of God's general protection of his people, and we see an example of this when the snake came from the fire biting Paul but Paul was not ill effected, yet there are those few who take that one verse in Mark to proclaim that true believers will literally handle deadly snakes. There are no verses of Scripture to support that viewpoint.

One thing we all have to be very careful with, especially as we become involved with a church, denomination or the teachings of one or just a few others, and that's the traditions that tend to get passed on among virtually all of these which are often taught as biblical when they are not.

For instance, many professing Christians view on baptism is based upon tradition they have been taught in some denomination or church rather than upon what the Bible actually says on the matter.


Acts 15:29 was the pillar used in the argument for that other cause. Used by many as the main point of discussion. I don't argue that it can be used for what it was among Christian brothers no matter how hotly we contest one another. But, it sticks out throughout the entire thread as the predominant justification for that cause. Others could see it as an opportunity to reject N.T. Church doctrine and faith practice. Or, to form some notion about Paul's instructions to the church which must have been meant for the Jewish Christian only.
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This is just the point I'm trying to make. The verse in Romans might be considered by some null and void in the Gentile Christian's faith practice because it was not included in Acts 15:29. That is why when a single scripture is wielded so vehemently and repeatedly for justification of a doctrine or faith practice extreme care and caution needs to be taken. That is how some who are weak in the word begin cults.


Of course, those you refer to are going to do what they are going to do, yet that changes nothing about this topic we are on, the whole Bible is given to us for whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, if we throw any part of it out, them we have taken away from the Word of God.

As for me, I take a very strong stand on that which I am sure of, that which I am not sure of I will take a weak stand, & they may be some items I don't take a stand on, & of course there are some things we can agree to disagree on, because there is actually not enough facts to back up either side.

Only one thing further I will state, the pastor that God call's He will enlighten, supply, guide, what they need to know to feed & take care of the flock He has placed him over.
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Of course, those you refer to are going to do what they are going to do, yet that changes nothing about this topic we are on, the whole Bible is given to us for whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, if we throw any part of it out, them we have taken away from the Word of God.

As for me, I take a very strong stand on that which I am sure of, that which I am not sure of I will take a weak stand, & they may be some items I don't take a stand on, & of course there are some things we can agree to disagree on, because there is actually not enough facts to back up either side.

Only one thing further I will state, the pastor that God call's He will enlighten, supply, guide, what they need to know to feed & take care of the flock He has placed him over.


If they have and listen to a good pastor they should pray, support, and thank God for him. If they only had our discussion in the other thread and came away with nothing but the idea they could ignore the rest of God's word then this is what I mean by caution in what we say.
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1 Tim 115, I have never heard of Acts 15: 29 "used to preclude Christians from tithing" - can't even see how anyone would get it in the verse. But to answer the question - "Can this verse, Acts 15:29, apply to Gentiles who are not in Asia? Would it apply to us Gentiles in the West?"

Yes it does.

My reasoning: lets look at the verse and the context of the chapter.

The context of the chapter starts off with works based salvation versus salvation through faith alone, also a division was growing between the newly saved Jews who were struggling to reconcile the old way of works with this new covenant of faith with Christ and the gentiles that practiced "barbaric" rites involving strangled sacrifices, blood etc who were also struggling to leave their old ways and not mix it in with their new faith. These two groups were now in this together - Jews and gentiles in one faith, one church -the same God (have you ever noticed that auto correct gives Jews a capital J yet gentiles is always a small g - we don't even get a capital! :boxing: ) .
The Jews were telling the gentiles that they had to be circumcised, etc (vrs 3), they all had a meeting and resolved this by vrs 15. It is then decided that a letter must be written where this decisions be made know to the gentile church (vrs 23 - the letter / vrs 24 - the decision). In this letter they tell them that they are sending someone to tell them the letter - why? Added weight to the importance of the message. What message? VRS 29!! Why? That they must now turn from their old ways where they practiced strangled sacrifices, offered meat to idols, practiced sex rites with temple prostitutes and blood offerings, etc.

The chapter deals with both Jews and gentiles, the new church, that faith in Christ is the ONLY way to salvation and most importantly - the false doctrines being brought in by both Jew and gentile. The Jew = works based salvation. The gentile = shamanic and animistic practices they would not let go of.

Is this applicable in the "west" - yes!! There are a number of quasi Christian churches here in SA where tribal practices have been incorporated into the church and also a few charismatic African churches that have brought their tribal practices back in. Ancestral worship, the sacrificing of animals, etc - even some very sick sexual practices have started surfacing. This is not only here but in many places where the background is tribal or even some modern super spiritual churches that incorporate angels and quasi spiritualism.

Some examples where this has gone too far: Rastafarian, Zionists, Catholic even Voodoo has some bible in there somewhere.

It is always important to look at a verse in this manner:

Who was it written too?
Why was it written?
When was it written?
Who wrote it?
In what context was it written?

Vrs 29 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.

Also, very NB!! How was it written? What manner of speech and the manner it follows itself. An example. They are told in the above verse that they must abstain from these things. Yet who was Paul (and the sent disciples) speaking to? Saved believers. How do we know this? The letter was for the church. So can these things they must now abstain from cause them to lose there salvation? NO!! why? Because even though they were told to abstain, they only warning was "you won't do well", not "you shall surely die" or any other number of things that could imply damnation. Then they are given a blessing - fare ye well.

So here's a question? Why was Timothy who was a believer, whose mother was Jewess and whose father was a geek now circumcised by Paul after they had just stated that circumcision was not needed?

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Yes, looking back at the questions they were not even close to what I hoped to ask. My main point is the way the one verse was used as an excuse wasn't even in context and if applied as suggested it could further apply and lead to gross avoidance of other scripture. The scripture out of context was being twisted to support the idea of avoiding Christian love of those who labor full time in and for the word of God.

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