The Judaizing Sect

It is easy to forget that Christianity is not a "Western" or a "European" religion; that it started in Palestine and that its first members were all Jewish by birth and by religion. Yet that is the case. Those first followers of Jesus, who referred to themselves as followers of "The Way", and whom others called "Nazarenes", at first seemed just to be another sect of Jews. They continued, when in Jerusalem, to worship at the Temple. Their meetings would have been very similar to the meetings of the Synagogues. Indeed they often continued to worship in the Synagogues alongside their fellow Jews. What did not seem to have occured to them at first was that God intended the Church to be a much more open fellowship than that. God wanted the Church to be open to Jews and Gentiles, to Greeks and Barbarians, to men and women - all equally his beloved children. [Col. 3:11 & Gal. 3:28]

The first shock came to Peter when God chose to bring a Roman Centurion to salvation and called Peter to take the Gospel to him. Every prejudice that Judaism had bred into him against the Gentile dogs came to the fore. Had it not been for the strange vision that God had sent him he would have refused to go to Cornelius at all. Even when he did arrive at Cornelius' house he made it clear that he was not keen on the idea. But God had commanded and so Peter preached the Gospel, realising as he did so that God was demonstrating that there was no favouritism with God. Before he had even finished preaching, the Spirit fell upon the gathered gentiles. Since they had already shown evidence of having been baptised in the Spirit, Peter could see no objection to baptising them in water.

Then he had the difficult task of explaining it to the rest of the Jerusalem Church. Again, they were not happy at first but, after Peter had explained everything, they accepted with gladness that God intended the Gospel for gentile and Jew alike. [ Acts 10:1 - 11:18 ]

However, there was a group of Jewish Christians, possibly Pharisees, who believed that gentiles must obey the Jewish laws, and particularly the dietry laws and the law of circumcision, before they could become true believers. After all, had not Jesus himself said that he had not come to destroy the Law and that the Law would not pass away even though heaven and earth should do so? [ Mat. 5:18] They were happy that gentiles should become Christians but believed that it could only happen through obedience to the Law. The only way to be a part of the Covenant People of God was to identify with the Covenant Law.

Meanwhile, God had been doing great things among the gentiles in Antioch of Syria. Barnabas, who was engaged in the work of the Church there, went to Tarsus and found Paul to help him. So many people were becoming believers that the people of Antioch invented the nickname "Christians".

Paul and Barnabas were then sent out as missionaries. On their return to Antioch they found that a Pharisaical group had come to Antioch and were teaching the gentiles that they must be circumcised. It would seem that even Peter had been affected by their arguments and had turned away from the gentiles, refusing to eat with them. This seems to have caused an argument between Peter and Paul - a very rare event. Paul and Barnabas were appointed to go to Jerusalem to ask for the matter to be sorted out.

At that first Council in Jerusalem both sides put their case strongly. Peter now spoke on behalf of the Gentiles and the matter was resolved. James, the brother of Jesus, who presided at the meeting, summed up in favour of the belief that salvation is not dependant upon the Law but upon the grace of God. [Acts 15:1 - 29]

This did not solve the problem, however, for about a year later Paul discovered that the Church in Galatia had been strongly influenced by the Judaizers, and had accepted this teaching. Paul wrote a very strong letter to the Galatians saying that they had turned to a new gospel. This letter is a very strong defence of the doctrine that salvation cannot be earned or gained by ritual. It is the free gift of God.

The problem persisted, however, and groups of legalistic Jewish Christians continued in the sect which became known as the Nazarenes and in the Ebionite heresy.