Carry the essential burden!

[Acts 15:28]

In the article ‘The Church Being Like the Church,’ written by Pastor Jeong-woon Seo (Honorary President of the Presbyterian Theological Seminary), he emphasizes that the essence of the church lies not in institutions, organizations, buildings, or facilities, but in people who believe in and follow Jesus as their Savior and King. He emphasizes that the fundamental functions of the church, as seen in the Book of Acts, include worship, prayer, preaching, education, fellowship, and service guided by the teachings of the Word and the Holy Spirit, rooted in faith, hope, and love. However, the pastor questions why there is a focus on non-essential elements like buildings and facilities instead of the core functions of the church. He suggests that although the church seems to handle its essential functions, it may not be truly following the teachings of the Word and the Holy Spirit, leading to a ritualistic and habitual practice of worship, prayer, preaching, education, fellowship, and service, lacking genuine faith, hope, and love. Reflecting on historical church experiences, he notes that the most authentically church-like communities were those that, in times of political, social, and religious persecution, discerned and held onto essential elements, adopting a martyr-like attitude (Internet).

I think the reason why I invest life in non-essential things is because there is no persecution. Satan hopes that the church will not be church-like, so he attacks the essence of the church. The evil spirits and offspring of Satan persecute the church, attacking its essence. However, for those of us living in a world of religious freedom without such persecution, we may not feel the need to defend the essence of the church. The reason is that, in the absence of persecution, our passion to safeguard the essence of the church seems to have waned, allowing Satan to know that we may overlook the non-essential aspects of the church. What is even more frightening is the fact that we are losing the ability to distinguish between the essence and non-essence of the church. Because of this loss, in the midst of indiscriminate changes, we are transforming the Lord's church into a worldly institution, and this deeply concerns me.

Looking at the context of Acts 15:28, in verse 1, it emphasizes that certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were instructing the Gentile believers in Antioch that they must be circumcised according to the law of Moses to obtain salvation. They attempted to impose an unbearable yoke (v. 10), meaning the burden of the law. This constitutes a sin of "testing God" (v. 10) by questioning and doubting the salvation plan established by God's grace (Park). Despite salvation being through faith in Jesus Christ alone and by grace, our nature tends to focus on our own actions rather than relying on grace. This is because of a lack of humility to truly realize our own incapability and unworthiness. Pursuing salvation through works rather than relying on the grace of Jesus is a foolishness born out of pride.

So why should we not bear non-essential burdens? In other words, why should we no longer bear the burdens of the law? The reason is that Jesus has already fulfilled and carried the burdens of the law on the cross (Mt. 11:28). Therefore, we no longer need to carry unnecessary heavy burdens. However, those who still seek their own righteousness rather than relying on the righteousness of Jesus cannot find true rest or peace in the Lord. Instead, the Bible refers to the lives of those who live with such non-essential burdens as a burdensome life (Acts 15:19) and a life that disturbs the soul (v. 24). To rid ourselves of these burdens, the Scripture urges us to heed the words: "but we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will" (v. 11). We must cast off the non-essential burden of the law through the grace of the Lord Jesus.

So, what were the essential burdens that the Antioch church believers needed to bear? If we look at Acts 15:20, 29, the Bible mentions four things: "things polluted by idols," "sexual immorality," "things strangled," and "blood." Avoiding these is what the Gentile believers needed to "abstain from." According to The Bible Exposition commentary, these four items can be divided into two categories: (1) Commands and (2) Concessions. Worshiping idols and committing sexual immorality are clearly commanded to be avoided in the Bible. Particularly, the Jerusalem church, in a letter to the Antioch believers, instructed them to stay away from these two widely spread sinful practices among Gentiles, as seen in 1 Corinthians 8-10. The reason these two items were not a problem for Jews or Gentiles was because it was God's command. However, there was an issue regarding concessions. Eating and drinking things related to idols, such as their meat and blood, could cause division between Jewish and Gentile believers since, from a Jewish perspective, these were considered unclean. However, what demonstrated the unity of the church without division was the mutual concessions made by Jewish and Gentile Christians. The Jews argued that the Gentiles did not need to be circumcised, and the Gentiles accepted new eating habits by refraining from eating meat sacrificed to idols (v. 31). What fruit did this bear?

Strengthened the unity of the church by preventing division into legalistic and grace-oriented groups.

Through mutual concessions, the church became a witness community to the lost Jews.

The fact that the church still identified with Jews, especially in your Lord, demonstrated the power of a witness community by showing that Jewish and Gentile believers could be united in witnessing.

The decisions from both sides brought blessings to many Gentile believers.

Not only in the Antioch church (v. 31), but also during Paul's second missionary journey, sharing this letter with various churches strengthened the faith of the church, leading to church growth (16:5). Ultimately, when we bear essential burdens, we will experience well-being and peace of heart (v. 29).

To be a true church, we must cast off non-essential burdens, such as unnecessary yokes, and willingly bear essential burdens with gratitude.

With a heart of gratitude to God who reveals the essential and non-essential elements of the church,

James Kim

(With a heart of gratitude for no longer needing to bear the burden of the law)