0136. The Church at Antioch Kept Itself Unentangled From the Traditions of Men

The Church at Antioch Kept Itself Unentangled From the Traditions of Men

"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" (Act_15:1).

1. Judaism stands distinct from the Church. The laws, rites and ceremonials of Judaism also stand distinct from the ordinances of the Church. The Church was never placed under law; the Church was never called upon to observe Judaistic ceremonies.

(1) In the days of the early Church, Paul had some sharp controversies concerning this very thing. Certain of the believing Pharisees thought to demand that the Gentile believers be circumcised, and commanded to keep the Law of Moses. To this Paul gave consent, no, not for an hour. The Book of Galatians was written to combat this false idea.

God proclaiming the Church free from the Mosaic Law, saints are urged not to become again "entangled with the yoke of bondage". The Church is not under the Law, but under grace. In "grace" we are under "law to Christ", but this is far over and beyond the Law of Moses. Israel sought to keep the Mosaic Law through the flesh, but Israel signally failed. The Church fulfils the "law to Christ", in the Spirit.

(2) In our day there is a great effort being made to swing the Church back under the Mosaic Law. The emphasis placed by some upon the Ten Commandments; the stress placed by others upon Sabbath Day Observance, is all of the same hue. Certainly we are neither under the one nor the other. The Sabbath was strictly a Jewish day, it was never placed upon the Church. We observe the first day of the week, not as a "Christian sabbath," but as a day of resurrection and of joy and gladness; a day to be filled with service for our God.

2. Judaism seeks to swerve the Church from salvation by grace, and says: "Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved".

When the believer is placed under the Law, the very next effort is to place his salvation upon works. But salvation is by grace, and apart from works. It is fatal, in this age of grace, to allow any legalism to creep into our doctrines. There is every reason why we must decry salvation by works. Those who, like these Pharisees, teach legalism have fallen from grace–that is, they have forsaken the only hope of the sinner’s safety. Those who preach legalism have made Christ to have died in vain.

3. In addition to the Law of Moses, and to salvation by works, there was one other great danger that confronted Antioch–that was the traditions of the elders. Judaism not only forced the demands of the Law, but added to that Law, many burdens of their own invention.

In church life today we have something analogous to these traditions of men. "Authorized denominational customs," are often altogether unscriptural, and yet church-members are expected to follow these customs just as they are delivered by those higher up.

Would that we could get back once more to the Scriptural independency of the local church, and the unharnessed liberty of following what things soever the Spirit of God saith. Antioch was this kind of a Church.

Autor: R.E. NEIGHBOUR