What is the meaning of Acts 15:20? Instead, we should write and tell them James speaks at the Jerusalem Council, settling the question of whether Gentile believers must keep the full Mosaic Law. Guided by the Holy Spirit (Acts 15:28), he affirms salvation by grace alone (Acts 15:11) while recommending four practical prohibitions that would: • guard new Gentile converts from falling back into pagan practices, • foster unity with Jewish believers who still observed longstanding scriptural principles, • uphold the enduring moral core of God’s Law (Matthew 5:17). to abstain from food polluted by idols, In pagan temples, meat was commonly dedicated to false gods. Eating such food could blur the line between the worship of Christ and idolatry. Paul later clarifies that an idol is “nothing at all” (1 Corinthians 8:4), yet he also warns that participating in idol feasts can become “sharing in demons” (1 Corinthians 10:20). For the sake of weaker consciences (1 Corinthians 8:7-13) and public testimony (Revelation 2:14, 20), believers were to refrain. The principle endures: anything that entangles us with idolatry—whether an actual ritual or a modern equivalent—must be avoided. from sexual immorality, Unlike the ceremonial law, God’s moral standards never change (Leviticus 18; Hebrews 13:4). Pagan religion often combined worship with ritual prostitution, so James underscores that followers of Jesus must live in holiness. Scripture repeatedly calls for sexual purity: “For this is the will of God—your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality” (1 Thessalonians 4:3-7). Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, bought with a price; therefore, we glorify God in them (1 Corinthians 6:18-20). from the meat of strangled animals, Strangulation leaves the blood in the flesh, violating the longstanding divine command not to consume blood (Genesis 9:4). By stressing this point, James reinforces respect for God’s design that “the life of a creature is in the blood” (Leviticus 17:13-14). Observing this guideline also made table fellowship possible between Jewish and Gentile Christians, promoting unity (Romans 14:15). and from blood. From Noah onward, the Lord prohibited eating blood (Genesis 9:4). Leviticus explains why: “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you to make atonement” (17:11). Blood prefigures Christ’s own sacrifice (Hebrews 9:22; 1 Peter 1:18-19). Respecting this command acknowledged both the sacredness of life and the solemn cost of redemption. summary Acts 15:20 sets out four foundational prohibitions—not as a means of salvation, but as Spirit-led guidelines to help Gentile believers turn decisively from paganism, honor God’s enduring moral law, and maintain fellowship with Jewish Christians. The verse calls every generation to reject idolatry, pursue sexual purity, respect the sanctity of life symbolized in blood, and live in a way that builds unity within the body of Christ. |
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