The Beginning of the Great Divide

How did the Christians end up where they are now? Why are there so many denominations today when it all started as one congregation of twelve central Apostles? While Jesus was down here there was no worries of how things were going to be ran, but not long after his leaving did things pick up and adjustments made. If you look at all denominations you will find at least one central belief that they all hold, but outside of that it becomes a grey area with them all. They all start out with Jesus being our messiah and the son of God, but at that point it all changes.

My goal today is to look at what started the change and how one choice made over a millennium ago is still being felt today. Then from that one choice how things begin to snow ball from that point onward to today. It doesn’t just stop with that, I will then begin to look at each letter Paul had written to the different congregations that he had established and how those letters are influenced by that beginning choice along with his own background. So before I get ahead of myself I will go to the beginning to the choice that started the ball rolling.

Acts chapter 15 sets up the scene for what takes place.

“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.[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.[3] And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren.[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.[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.[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.[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.[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:[20] But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.[21] For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.[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:[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:”

The issue that was brought up was about circumcision being attached to being saved. Then it expanded from circumcision to keeping the Law. Leading up to the poor decision making of the early believers was that they didn’t try to address the original complaint, but used a broad brush to try and address the arising problem. James is the one recorded as making a case to set a different standard for the Gentiles There is no talk of praying first and seeking guidance from God, but just men making a choice that they did not see how it was going to effect the rest of history. You see James like many of them at that time differentiated themselves from everyone else (Gentiles). Their problem was when a gentile turned from his way and accepted Jesus they still looked at him as a Gentile and not an equal brother. They saw things through the eyes of men and not through God’s eyes as you can see in Isaiah 56:6-7.

“Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to the LORD, to serve him, and to love the name of the LORD, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant;[7] Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.”

Unlike the Apostles, God accepted those as His own people if they chose to serve and do all that He asked of them. So if a Gentile accepts and follows after Christ then he would no longer be a Gentile but one of God’s people, he would be an Israelite.

Going on from this point you must always keep in mind a few things.

1. The Apostles are only men

2. When they made this decree they had not involved God in the decision making process

3. They saw Gentiles that converted as still being Gentiles

4. The scriptural background of Paul, since he was brought up a Pharisee. (It would be like those that are taught in a seminary for years and being shown something new that was outside of their original teachings)

5. The guilt he carried around with him of the persecution he brought about against the church

The writer of the letters in the New Testament struggled with all that he had done before his conversion and he tried so hard to make up for it that it blinded him. I give Paul credit for his determination to spread the Word of God, even though Paul with the others started the pebble of compromise that turned into a boulder. It is this same blindness that would lead Paul to circumcise someone after they had just made the decree about no need for circumcision.

Act 16:1-3 “Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek:[2] Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium.[3] Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek.”

It didn’t take long for them to compromise on their new position of circumcision, when it comes to appearance, when Paul was going to have Timotheus join him. Just like the churches today they pick and choose what they want to believe and follow instead of listening and obeying God. It was those early mistakes of the Apostles during the early period of the church that has brought about the many divisions that we see today. I understand the reasoning behind what they decided to do, but that does not make it right. They errored on the side of caution; they wanted to make it easier for more people to accept Jesus, but did not think about the consequences that would arise from their decision. Our choice to follow Jesus was never supposed to be easy, it is a sacrifice that we make and we make it willingly because of our desire to be like Jesus and to have that relationship that he had with his Father. We didn’t accept Jesus so that we can continue to live our lives the way that we want to, but we have because of the continual compromising that the church has done from the beginning. Compromise is a slippery slope that has led us here. Jesus didn’t get crucified because he compromised; he got crucified because he refused to compromise.

I find it interesting that Paul understood the significance to the grafting in of the “wild” branch (Gentiles) into the olive tree (God’s People, Israel), but then misses the mark that the olive tree remains the same and it is the grafted in branch that conforms to the existing tree. The tree does not need the branch but it is the branch that needs the tree. If the original branches were broken off not because of following God’s Law, but to their unbelief in Jesus was, that means the newly grafted in branches have to not only accept Jesus but keep the Law. This is just another point made to the mistake of separating the people into two groups instead of bringing in the newly converted into the fold.

Romans 11:16-24 “For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches.[17] And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree;[18] Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee.[19] Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be graffed in.[20] Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear:[21] For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee.[22] Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off.[23] And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be graffed in: for God is able to graff them in again.[24] For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be graffed into their own olive tree?”

I bring all this up because we will begin to look at the letters that Paul had written to the various churches and to understand what he was dealing with at the time and to reap what small gems are to be found in those letters. My goal is to go through the books “letters” to the Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and the Thessalonians. As we go we need to remember who Paul was before and after his conversion and the new belief that there is a separation between Jews and Gentiles. The Apostles did not realize that when it came to worshiping God there was no difference if they both obeyed God and that is the key word “Obey”