Teachers, the objective of this lesson is to increase the student's awareness of the complex fellowship created by the diversity of those who obeyed Christ. The early church struggled to develop and maintain godly fellowship among its diverse groups of believers. The picture of the first century's church "ideal fellowship" is (a) an inaccurate understanding of situations in many first century congregations and (b) likely created by the early practices of the Jewish congregation in Jerusalem.
With this lesson, the focus changes. Consider people who were not Jews. These people did not accept Judaism's concepts or teachings. The resurrected Jesus reached out to these people.
Be certain that your students clearly understand this group and the next two groups are not groups that the man Jesus reached out to, but are groups that the resurrected Jesus reached out to.
Jesus' ministry was confined to Israelites [only in rare situations and circumstances did Jesus' teachings or miracles benefit people who were not Jews]. The earthly ministry of the man Jesus was restricted to Israelites (see Matthew 10:5,6 and 15:21). Jesus Christ's resurrected ministry reached out to all people everywhere (see Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 1:16; and Acts 10:34,35).
Be certain that your students clearly understand that the man Jesus restricted his work and miracles (by God's direction and plan) to those in Israel born of Jewish parents. When Jesus lived, many people living in Palestine were not Jews. Jesus did not work with these people. Also be certain that your students clearly understand that the resurrected Jesus reached out to (and reaches out to) all people everywhere. The group in today's study was included in the resurrected Jesus' outreach.
Since this and the next two groups were not in New Testament Israel, they are seen in the resurrected Jesus' outreach. While idolatry was a common problem in the Israel of the Old Testament, it was not a problem in first century Israel. After the Babylonian captivity of Judah, idolatry disappeared as a problem in Israel.
In the first century, idolatry was not a problem among the Jewish people. Quite the opposite was true. They held this understanding in deep awareness: a primary reason for the Babylonian captivity occurring was the fact that their forefathers worshipped idols. First century Jews strictly opposed idol worship. While their rejection of idols was good, their attitude toward idol worshippers created problems for the first century church.
Most first century people worshipped idols. Most "world religions" in the first century Roman world utilized an idol. The majority of the known world worshipped many gods. Commonly, sacrificial worship of the gods was inclusive. Worshipping one of the gods did not prohibit worshippers from worshipping other gods. Worshipping multiple gods was expected. As an example, see Acts 17:16,22,23 [in fear that they might overlook and offend a god not known to them, the people of Athens maintained an altar for honoring the unknown god].
Be certain that your students clearly understand that the world of the first century church was a world of idolatry. The Jews were an exception (not typical of the first century religious world), and they were a small ethnic group.
Idolatry existed in many forms. While some forms appealed to base human desires and motivations, other forms challenged worshippers to high ethical standards.
Do not fall victim to a typical, modern Christian perspective. An erroneous perspective: first century idolatry in all its forms was basically the same.
Judaism stood in contrast to idolatry for many reasons. A primary reason is seen in the fact that Judaism worshipped one God to the exclusion of all other gods. "I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth. You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God ..." (Exodus 20:2-5).
From its beginning, Judaism prohibited idolatry. Israel was thoroughly influenced by Egyptian idolatry when they left Egypt. From the time they worshipped the golden calf in the wilderness (Exodus 32) to the time of their Babylonian captivity (Jeremiah 10:1-11), idol worship was a common practice in Israel. Israel frequently viewed idols as "caring for" areas of "weakness" in the God of Judaism. They turned to idols because they failed to see that their God was the eternal, all sufficient, living God who created the world and life.
Jesus Christ reached out to Israelites and to idol worshippers. People with strong backgrounds in Judaism became Christians. Also, people with strong backgrounds in idolatry became Christians.
The resurrected Jesus reached out to people regardless of their past or background, and he still does.
One enormous challenge was the formation of a single, accepting, cohesive community of believers from people with such diverse cultural and religious backgrounds. Just as idolatry was condemned and rejected in Judaism, idolatry was condemned and rejected in Christianity (Romans 1:18-23).
Baptism into Christ does not instantly, mysteriously (a) eliminate all spiritual ignorance in the baptized person, (b) transform all cultural and religious practices in the baptized person's past, and (c) destroy all prejudices in the baptized person. Those who in faith and repentance were baptized into Christ were cleansed of their sins. The primary difference was that they were now forgiven because they accepted Jesus Christ's redemption and atonement. The process of transformation (becoming a changed people) began at conversion to Christ. For Christians who were Jews and Christians who were not Jews to accept each other as equally forgiven, though thoroughly different, was extremely difficult. [It remains difficult. We easily conclude, "If God forgave you, you should think and act like me because God forgave me."]
Renouncing an idol for faith in Jesus Christ was not simple. That change involved much more than changing gods or rejecting the idol. The change involved something more basic than changing religions. Faith in Jesus Christ was more than "a new religion." Jesus Christ was and is life. He does not merely change what you worship and how you worship. He changes who you are.
Acknowledge the truth that it is much simpler to change religions than it is to change yourself. Many people conclude that if they change religions and follow the correct God, they must change some habits but they need not change themselves.
It was difficult for Christians who had worshipped idols to understand their entire lives changed if they belonged to Jesus Christ. As an example, consider Ephesians 4:17-32. If these Christians who had been idol worshippers understood Christ, they became new people.
Paul stressed the old person died and the new person created by God took charge of the new existence. It was impossible to continue the same life with the same standards and the same priorities if Christ was accepted as Lord.
It was equally difficult for Christians who had been devoted to Judaism to understand that God could forgive and accept people who knew nothing about Jewish practices, traditions, and history.
For generations the Jewish people had known the true God, had received His scriptures, and had heard His prophets' messages. Jews who became Christians found it difficult to accept as fact that God loved and freely forgave Christians who had not known God, had never studied His scriptures, and knew nothing about the prophets' messages.
Romans 14:1-12 revealed the seriousness and the depth of the struggle. Converted Jews struggled to accept the conversion of former idol worshippers. Converted idol worshippers struggled to accept the conversion of those formerly devoted to Judaism. Their differences were enormous.
Help your students understand that food was a major religious issue. Leviticus 11 classified acceptable (clean) foods and objectionable (unclean) foods for Israelites. In Israel, to eat an "unclean" food was to be religiously defiled. Such was so serious that the "unclean" person was prohibited from giving sacrifices to God. While food seems a minor matter to us, it was a major religious issue in the first century.
They were to accept the one who was weak in the faith. They were not to pass judgment on their opinions; that is, the opinions of the one weak in the faith.
One Christian has the faith to eat anything. Weak Christians ate vegetables. Paul classified the faith of the Jewish vegetarian as weak. We tend to think that his faith was strong because his practice was sacrificial.
The meat-eating Christian should not feel contempt toward the vegetarian Christian.
The vegetarian Christian was not to pass judgment on the meat-eating Christian.
Neither of them as servants belonged to each other. They both were servants of the Lord. They each stood or fell before the Lord, not before each other. The Lord has the ability to make each of them stand. Their opinions of each other's faith are insignificant.
The Lord makes a Christian stand.
Each Christian should be fully convinced in his or her own mind. Each Christian should be ruled by his or her own conscience. Each Christian should not attempt to rule other Christians by his or her own conscience. The point is that the Lord knows why you do what you do. He understands your motives. It is not necessary to impose your motives on another Christian.
They should understand that they have the same motives: faith in and love for the Lord. One does not eat meat because of his faith in and love for the Lord. Another does eat meat because of his faith in and love for the Lord. Though what they do is opposite, they do it for the same motive.
Every Christian lives for the Lord.
He or she lives for the Lord because the Lord lived and died for him or her.
God never commissioned any Christian (a) to judge another Christian who lives by good conscience and faith or (b) to feel contempt for another Christian who lives by good conscience and faith.
Christians expect the fact that they place their faith in Christ to change many things in their personal lives and existence. It is very difficult to accept the fact that faith in Christ is to change the way we look at Christians who are different. The challenge of accepting people the Lord forgives and cleanses is enormous. Faith in and obedience to Christ will not make us all identical.
Link to Student Guide
Quarter 1, Lesson 7