Heart or Letter of the Law (9/5/23)

Acts 15

9/6/2023

Life Lesson(s)…

Heart or letter of the law? That is the question brought by the Pharisees to the apostles with regard to the need for circumcision among the Gentile converts. It is amazing how legalism (following the letter of the law) can often go against the underlying purpose (the "heart") of the law.

Notice that the law can, at times, be used to prevent people from obtaining righteousness and may stir confusion as to the purpose for which the law was created. In a way, the blind requirement of following the letter of the law at times can become a detriment to the execution of justice and, in the Lord's case, grace. Instead, such adherence becomes a yoke/burden/chain to the people.

Paul's arguments here are summarized well in Romans 8:2-4. Yet, he did not say that the law is sin, but he argues that laws of malum prohibitum need to be carefully viewed as opposed to laws of malum in se(aka "malum se"). The difficulty for mankind when viewing God's laws is, without the Holy Spirit and the Word ("Bible"), discerning which of God's laws fall under which category. Many people struggle in obedience to God's law and justice as Paul explains his own struggles thoroughly in Romans 7.

Your Thoughts…

Study, pray, reflect and/or journal on the following:

  1. Take into consideration a well-known law. Was the law based upon malum prohibitum or malum se? Is your standard set upon your own perception and understanding or upon God's? What conflict(s) arise(s) when your standard comes against God's standards?

  2. Looking around you in the news, social media or in your own town, can you find an example where the technical aspect of enforcement (though correct) went against the purpose for which the law was enacted? Why do you believe this was?

  3. In Acts 15:28-29, the council spoke forth only a few particular requirements of believers? Why did the Holy Spirit speak of these particularly to the council? What makes these regulations important, but not circumcision?

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And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to [the Gentiles], by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.

ACTS 15: 8-11 (ESV)

Read: Acts 15 (ESV)