Why did the apostles emphasize abstaining from "things polluted by idols" in Acts 15:20? Setting at the Jerusalem Council Acts 15 records how the apostles and elders gathered to settle whether Gentile believers must keep the Mosaic law. Their concluding letter said, “Instead, we should write to them and tell them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals, and from blood” (Acts 15:20). What “Things Polluted by Idols” Means • Primarily refers to food and drink used in pagan temple rituals and later sold in the market (1 Colossians 10:25). • By extension, any participation—social or religious—in idol feasts and ceremonies. Reasons the Apostles Highlighted This Command • Loyalty to the First Commandment (Exodus 20:3-5). No other gods, no images, no bowing to them. • Clear break from past pagan worship (1 Colossians 12:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:9). Gentile converts needed visible separation from former idols. • Spiritual danger behind idols—“the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons… I do not want you to be participants with demons” (1 Colossians 10:20-21). • Protecting the unity of a mixed church. Jewish believers would avoid table fellowship if food came from an idol shrine (cf. Galatians 2:12). Abstinence kept the body together. • Preserving sensitive consciences. “Food does not bring us near to God,” Paul says, yet eating could “ruin the weaker brother” (1 Corinthians 8:8-13). The decree guarded the vulnerable. • Maintaining a distinct witness in a culture where temple banquets doubled as civic events. Believers were to shine as “a people for His own possession” (1 Peter 2:9). Harmony with Later New-Testament Teaching • Paul allows meat sold in the marketplace if no idol connection is raised (1 Colossians 10:25-27), yet repeats the ban on knowingly eating idol food (10:28-29). • John’s Revelation rebukes churches that slipped back into idol-feast participation (Revelation 2:14, 20). The council’s letter and later epistles complement each other: freedom in Christ never cancels the call to flee idolatry. Timeless Application Today • Avoid any activity that honors false gods or demonic power—whether a religious festival, occult practice, or syncretistic ceremony. • Reject “modern idols” (money, status, entertainment) when they rival God’s throne (Colossians 3:5). • Choose love over liberty: if an action wounds another believer’s conscience or blurs your testimony, abstain for Christ’s sake. In Summary The apostles singled out “things polluted by idols” because idolatry strikes at the very heart of devotion to the one true God, threatens spiritual purity, jeopardizes fellowship, and damages witness. Their Spirit-guided counsel still guards believers from compromise and calls us to wholehearted allegiance to Jesus Christ alone. |
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