"James, Peter and John, those reputed to be pillars, gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship when they recognized the grace given to me. They agreed that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the Jews." (NIV)
"Those reputed to be pillars"— As Jesus is the firm Foundation of the church, James, Peter, and John were considered to be the pillars of the church, the first parts of the church laid upon the Foundation before anything else could be built on them. All gospel preaching had to receive their approval in order to be considered the true gospel. So when they gave Paul and Barnabas the "right hand of fellowship," they showed their approval of Paul's message. This again disproves the idea that James' letter to the scattered Hebrews contradicts Paul's gospel in the issue of faith versus works. James was in complete agreement with Paul's gospel, as were Peter and John, so any argument of a dispute between Paul and the brother of Jesus must be ruled out. If any disagreement had arisen, Paul would not have been sent to the Gentiles, and we would not be free to worship God today.
No comments:
Post a Comment