On Sunday Aug. 23 we will study Acts 10-15 and discuss the exciting topics of dietary restrictions, circumcision, and the Council of Jerusalem. Here is the link to the lesson in the gospel doctrine instructor manual.
Consider this question as you read these chapters: how might these chapters apply as we think about the Church and its global reach today?
And here is some bonus reading from the Ensign, since the issue of the seer stone has been in the news lately.
Reading these chapters, I wondered why Jesus didn't just show Himself to all the people to prove he was resurrected? Why just a few witnesses? I think the same question is relevant today--if the Mormon church is God's preferred church, than why isn't it bigger? Why hasn't God told the people of the world to become Mormons?
ReplyDelete1 Cor 15.6: "After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep." Christ appeared to many people and was seen by many witnesses who could still be asked about it at the time Paul wrote his letters.
DeleteBut even then many rejected the message. Jesus just didn't correspond to what people expected. They wanted more power, more fire, more cosmic signs. Instead they had a baby in a manger, someone who taught that the earth's power structures were flawed and backwards, someone who died abandoned by God and by even his closest friends.
The message of the early Christians wasn't "join the church to be saved," it was "believe in Christ to be saved through his righteousness and join the church in order to support each other in the faith." I suspect the message is the same today... Mormonism's focus is on coming to Christ and worshiping together in support and love. The Book of Mormon adds some extra reasons for faith and reinforces the need to come to Christ, and we have wards that allow us to support each other and to practice living a Christian life. In other words, the Mormon inn is an excellent place to wait for the good Samaritan's return.
In Genesis 17: 11 circumcision is described as a token between the jews and Christ. (11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.)
ReplyDeleteThe purpose of this token, was to serve as a reminder of God’s covenant with Abraham (see Genesis 17: 9-10). However, after the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the need for the special token was removed. The Gospel and it’s blessings were no longer reserved for the Jews, the gospel was for all. (see for example: Romans 2, 3, 4; 1 Corinthians 7: 19; Galatians 5: 6, 6:15; Colossians 2:11; 3:11).
It is interesting to see that a token that was so important to the Jews was removed by Christ. It shows me that tokens are just there to help us remember the covenants that we make with Christ. And what is really important in the gospel is our relationship with Christ and that we listen to him and come close to him.
You have pointed out the key reason circumcision was such an important topic in Acts and the Pauline epistles: it was seen as the defining trait of God's covenant with his people. Paul and others would argue that Christ's crucifixion and resurrection changed everything, that a renewal had taken place, that the law was defunct and that the covenant was now assured through Christ and a relationship to Him.
DeleteI agree with you about tokens and covenants: they are designed to remind us of Christ--everything from baptism and the temple to Sunday worship and fasting.
Thanks for your comment!