Tribal Christianity: an Oxymoron
November 1996
"For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon
you no greater burden than these necessary things...." --Acts 15:28
The great victory at Jerusalem was to universalize faith. Or to put it another way, Christianity was
detribalized. The council rejected the
idea that a person had to be a Jew to be included in Messiah's kingdom.
In Israel, everything was family.
But it was not to be so in the church.
Israel's king was of the tribe of Judah, the Son of David who reigned in
Jerusalem. Not so the Church. The King of the Church is the last Adam,
whom David called Lord, who reigns from heaven, the New Jerusalem (Eph.
1). Although descended by the flesh
from David, He over and over rejected David's literal throne, in favor of a
kingdom which was not of this world, but would include the whole world, not
just the tribal sons of Abraham.
In Israel, the high priest was also family: descended from Aaron,
serving a temple in Jerusalem. The
lesser priests who served the temple were his cousins, descended from the tribe
of Levi. Not so the Church. Her High Priest is in Heaven, and all
believers are priests, and all are called to holiness and spiritual sacrifices.
In Israel, the elders were tribal chiefs, the heads of
families. Not so the Church. Her true elders are the gift of Christ, the
heavenly king, and endowed for their offices with spiritual gifts from heaven
by the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4). A church
begins to die when elders are appointed because of family ties rather than
spiritual gifts, for God has no pleasure in the flesh.
After the Council of Jerusalem the Sons of the Church were not
those who were descended in the flesh from Abraham, but those who believed in
the faith of Abraham. True descent
from Abraham was not according to the flesh, but according to the faith of
Abraham.
The glory of Israel was that to them were committed the words of
God (Romans 3). But what good was that
if they did not believe? Paul's
emphatic message is that those who believed were on the same footing, whether
they were born in the church, or whether they were not. All believers were one in Christ.
The Council of Jerusalem made certain that Christianity would not
be made of two classes: a lower class of those who were born of the Spirit, and
an elite class who were born of the Spirit and gloried in their flesh. The results of the Council's decision is set
forth in Galatians 5:6 "For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth
any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love." Also, Galatians 6:15: "For in Christ
Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new
creature."
This is a great joy to the humble Christian who loves the
church. The church will not fail, even
though the family fails. The Lord can
of the stones raise up children to Abraham.
Because His gifts are from heaven and do not ultimately depend upon the
fleshly seed of Christians, God will always have His faithful ministers and His
faithful servants, The future of the
church is secure because it does not depend upon the predestination of the
flesh.
Lest we think this is a minor issue, Paul's rebuke to Peter over
this very matter is represented as being for the very truth of the Gospel (Gal
2). Peter's elitist favoring of the
circumcised in Antioch struck at the heart of the Gospel.
The Reformers rightly rejected the Anabaptist attempt to build a
church based upon a self-appointed spiritual elite's rejection of infant
baptism, for all disciples are to be baptized and to be taught. (Matt.
28:19,20). (See Old, Hughes Oliphant, Shaping of the Reformed Baptismal Rite in
the Seventeenth Century.
Eerdman's). They were equally
correct to reject any dependence upon the flesh, and glorying in the flesh. Elitism of all kinds, whether of the flesh
or of the spirit, is rejected by the holy catholic church, of which all
believers are blessed members in Christ.
Anabaptist elitism subordinates the families and their babes; Clanish
elitism subordinates those who are not members of the clan. Christ freely welcomes both. Or to put it another way, Jews could become Christians; Christians did
not have to become Jews.
Paul put it this way: "What things were gain to me, those I
counted loss for Christ. Yea,
doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and
do count them but dung, that I might win Christ." (Philippians 3:7,8)
The promise does not come by the flesh, but by the Spirit,
according to the sovereign working of God.
Therefore the future of the church is secure. Paul said it distinctly:
"If ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according
to the promise." (Gal. 3:29)