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
Our text today is part of a letter that emerged from the Jerusalem council of AD 49. This council had dealt with the thorny issue of whether circumcision was a necessary part of salvation. Guided by the apostles and by wise leaders such as James, the council had determined that circumcision was not essential and therefore the uncircumcised Gentiles were not excluded from the grace of God. But the statement issued by the council went further. The statement contained a short list of items that those who preached to the Gentiles should pass on as advisable behaviour by those who believed. The next verse lists those items, and states that those who followed them would do well. The statement certainly does not say that following those items was necessary for salvation. But by presenting such a list, the council offered a compromise that would be acceptable to the Jewish believers who placed great emphasis on the ceremonial law.
The compromise from the Jerusalem council serves as a good example to us today. First and foremost, this compromise did not violate the truth of Scripture. Secondly, it helped to produce harmony among the Lord’s people, in a spirit of love and cooperation. Do we need such a compromise today? I believe we do, on an issue that threatens to divide the Christians, the matter of the version of the Scriptures that we use in our Assembly meetings, and the form of language that we use when addressing God in prayer. Changes in attitude on this issue have grown recently, resulting in some uncomfortable situations and some ungracious exchanges of words. These are not good.
For many years, the KJV has been the only Bible used in our meetings. To this day, it remains the Bible that most Christians in our Assemblies are the most comfortable with. But a growing number of Christians are using other versions, for their own reasons. Along with that, during their prayers, they are abandoning the precise pronouns (thee, thou, thine, etc.) found in the KJV. The problem with this is that it is irritating to many of the Christians who have been accustomed to the KJV language. Many of these Christians can’t understand why others want to abandon the precision of the KJV pronouns, or to use a Bible version based on less reliable manuscripts. But those in the other camp who see no objection to those things are irritated with those who they perceive as clinging to outdated traditions. Is there a need to clash over these things? I don’t think so. May I suggest a compromise? In our private devotions and study, we will use whatever we are convinced before the Lord to use. But in our Assembly meetings, we will respect each others’ feelings and use the traditional Book and language. This will avoid confusion and conflict.
If we care for each other’s souls, we should care for each other’s happiness. So we should compromise where we can do so while preserving truth. -Jim MacIntosh