Acts 15: 1Then certain individuals came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to discuss this question with the apostles and the elders. … 4When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. 5But some believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and said, “It is necessary for them to be circumcised and ordered to keep the law of Moses.”
Let’s shift the issue before that body, ever so slightly. Let’s focus, not on circumcision, but on another important issue for the Jews.
There were three groups of people around the arena as the Council convened.
Outside the arena, were people, perhaps like Cornelius, who, with a platoon of his Roman legion, had escorted Peter to Jerusalem. Can you understand Cornelius as he whispers to God: “What else must I do to be fully accepted by the church? I worship the one true God. I trust in Jesus alone for my salvation. I have been baptized and received the Holy Spirit. I try to obey the moral laws of the Jews. I care for others. I tithe. I don’t understand! What is so sinful about putting a piece of cheese on a hamburger?”
Inside the arena are followers of Jesus, many of them Pharisees, whose legendary attention to obeying God’s law puts all of us to shame! One of them, Eleazar by name, stands to lead the debate against the changes proposed to accommodate newer followers of Jesus. Can you understand Eleazar? “The Holy One of Israel, (blessed be his name forever) gave us the Torah so that we might live in obedience, as his chosen people. The law given to Moses in the wilderness is absolutely clear: eating meat and cheese together is a sin against the Holy One (blessed be his name forever). It is a sin, to carry them in the same bag, even if they are wrapped separately. It is a sin to put them on the same pot, even if we do it at different times. It is even a sin to eat with people who do these abominations.
All of our lives we have endeavored to live blameless lives, that we might walk in the way of the Lord (blessed be his name forever). Never have we eaten a cheeseburger, for the holy book tells us clearly that eating cheeseburgers is a sin! Now you want to change the Law of the Almighty (blessed be his name forever) telling us that what we have been taught all our lives is wrong. And you say that even if we don’t eat cheeseburgers ourselves, we still must eat with those who do, and blemish ourselves before the lord. How dare you!“ And Eleazar tore the hem of his robe!
There is yet a third group, also on the inside — men like Paul, Barnabas, Peter, who themselves were raised on the Jewish dietary laws. Do you remember and understand Peter’s witness: “My brothers, you know that God chose me to share the good news with cheeseburger eaters, so they too might become believers. And God, who knows the human heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as God did to us. In cleansing their hearts by faith, God has made no distinction between them and us. So why are you putting God to the test by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? On the contrary, we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.“
The Scripture does not say that the will of God was fifty percent of the vote plus one. Rather, they actually listened to each other, and together sought guidance from the Spirit of God to discern what would build up, not destroy, the fledgling church.
Taking sides today
For almost 30 years our church has been engaged in an internecine struggle. If we continue as we have, with both sides “having to win” completely, we will destroy this church. I believe the Task Force on the Peace, Unity and Purity of the Church offers us a way to deal with our situation. Obviously, it pleases no one, for neither left nor right gets everything that they want. Rather it asks for us to listen to each other, to understand each other, to wait on the Lord, and to build up the church.
Recently, I have studied the historic principles of our church in the Book of Order. I saw these principles in the Task Force’s report. They are asking us to reaffirm what has been a part of our common heritage, … and which are basic to our Presbyterian concept and system of church government. (G-1.0300) They are asking us to be Presbyterian.
A quick overview gives us a sense of the tensions with which our forebears dealt.
First, 1) God alone is the Lord of the conscience. Therefore the rights of private judgment are universal and inalienable. However, 2) every denomination is entitled to decide the terms of membership in its communion, the qualifications of its leaders, and its internal structure. Even if they make mistakes in so doing, for there are dangers in being too strict, and in being too lax!
3) The officers of the church are to exercise discipline over their flock. For truth must be lived out. However, 4) there are truths on which those of good character may disagree. So we are to honor, respect, and try to understand one other. Because 5) Church authority, which comes from Christ alone, is lodged in fragile humans.
6) In the Presbyterian church, larger portions of the church govern smaller portions. However, 7) the election of officers of any particular group is the responsibility of that group.
Let me sum up in three points. 1) The church must have standards. (G-6.0106b will remain!) 2) But sessions/presbyteries have the ultimate responsibility of deciding which standards are part of the “essentials” of being a Presbyterian. (Local bodies will make those decisions.) 3) And they must decide on every case. Setting a precedent would create another rule, defying the General Assembly.
Very early in their existence, American Presbyterians struggled to hold these principles together. Within a few short years after the Synod of Philadelphia was organized in 1716, a dispute arose between those who claimed that all authority was derived from Jesus Christ as revealed in Scripture, and those who wanted to place the Westminster Confession and Catechisms on a par with the Scripture.
In 1729, after lengthy debate, the Synod did four things: 1) Noted the importance of freedom of conscience; 2) Approved the motion: That all the Ministers of this Synod, or that shall hereafter be admitted into this Synod, shall declare their agreement in, and approbation of, the Confession of Faith with the larger and shorter Catechisms of the Divines at Westminster, as being in all the essential and necessary Articles, good forms of sound words and systems of Christian Doctrine; and do also adopt the said Confession and Catechisms as the Confession of Faith.
3) Then, indicating that every presbytery was responsible for upholding this standard, they approved. 4) And in case any Minister of this Synod or any Candidate for the Ministry shall have any scruple with respect to any article or articles of said Confession or Catechisms, he shall at the time of making said declaration declare his sentiments to the Presbytery or Synod, who shall notwithstanding admit him to the exercise of the Ministry within our bounds to the ministerial communion if the synod or presbytery shall judge his scruple or mistake to be only about articles not essential and necessary in doctrine, worship or government
Finally, the minutes show that immediately following the approval, all ministers but one declared their scruples and were then admitted.
All but one stated his scruples! His name was Daniel Elmer. My wife spoke with one of his descendants last week. The story in the family is that the Rev. Elmer did not declare his scruples at that meeting because he wasn’t prepared. So he waited until the next meeting.
All of them did it back then. We can do it now. For that, my sisters and brothers, fundamentally, is what it means to be a Presbyterian, what it means to be the Body of Christ, together– to live together in love and trust.
Many of you will continue to order hamburgers; many will order cheeseburgers. That probably will not change. But that’s not the issue. The greater theological question is this: Do you want fries with your order, so you can share with each other?
George H. McDonald is an honorably retired member at large of Monmouth (N.J.) Presbytery. He preached this sermon recently at a presbytery meeting.