An Example Of "Binding and Loosing" - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Acts 15:28-29,

“It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.”

The council of Jerusalem met to discuss a dispute between Paul (with Barnabas) and Christian Pharisees who had come to Antioch from Judea. The dispute was over whether Gentiles should be required to obey the law of Moses.

This was an important event for the early church and has had its impact on the church throughout its history. The conclusion of the matter was that the Gentiles did not have to keep Torah, and were not required to be circumcised. In other words, the Gentiles did not have to convert to Judaism in order to become followers of Jesus Christ.

However, to facilitate the fellowship of believers that were composed of both Jews and now Gentiles, the four restrictions in this passage provided for some much needed harmony. Yes, the Gentiles did not have to obey that which provided the foundation for Jewish life and custom (the Torah), however, the apostles and elders of the church decided that this freedom should be tempered with these restrictions to enable the fellowship of the two groups. The freedoms of all in the fellowship should not be cause for culturally offensive behavior by anyone.

James says that this solution seemed good to both the Holy Spirit and "to us". To me, this is a great example of what is meant by the "binding" and "loosing" we read of in Matthew 16:19 and Matthew 18:18. Some have misinterpreted these words as applying to the exorcism and commanding of evil spirits. This is not the case and misses the historical context Jesus taught in. Rabbinic formulations of binding and loosing in the cultural context of Jesus' day is the backdrop of Jesus' words as he spoke of the activity of the new institution he was going to usher in, the church. In the teaching of the Rabbis relative to morals and lifestyle, "binding" was that which was forbidden, and "loosing" was that which was permitted.

In Acts 15, the loosing: believers would not be required to observe Jewish life and customs derived from the law given to Moses. The binding: in order to facilitate both Jews and Gentiles in a common fellowship, these four restrictions were to be observed.

In regard to law keeping, Paul tells us in Romans 7:6, “But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.” He goes on to use the example of the tenth commandment, “Do not covet”, to explain himself.

There are plenty of things the Lord could require of us as believers. In providing us with justification he could certainly turn and ask us to live by the law he gave Moses or any of a number of things to conform to a lifestyle that might reflect our covenant relationship with him.

But as Jesus taught, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30.

Our relationship with Jesus Christ is not reflected in law-keeping but in following the Holy Spirit, demonstrating that the Holy Spirit dwells within us, “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” Romans 8:9.

Jesus has done all the work. He offered himself as a sacrifice of atonement on the cross. I don’t know about you, but I find this to be a wonderful reality.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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Trevor Fisk
trevor.fisk@gmail.com

"It is to one’s honor to avoid strife,
    but every fool is quick to quarrel." Proverbs 20:3