As a result of
Peter’s plea, James, grasping the movement of the Creator God’s Spirit, along
with a Scriptural and historical justification for that movement, says
“Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has explained how God first concerned
Himself to select from among the Gentiles a people for His name. The
words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written, ‘After this I will
return, and I will rebuild the fallen tent of David; I will rebuild its ruins
and restore it, so that the rest of humanity may seek the Lord, namely, all the
Gentiles I have called to be My own, says the Lord, who makes these things
known from long ago.’” (Acts 15:13b-18) Remarkably, it is determined that
the tent of David is to include the Gentiles (resonances of Isaiah 54:2---make
your tent larger???), and that this has always been the plan of the
covenant-making-and-keeping Creator God of Israel.
In Acts thirteen, Paul
and Barnabas are in Pisidian Antioch. Paul speaks to “Men of Israel, and…
Gentiles who fear God” (13:16b). During the course of his speech, as he
quickly recounts the story of the Creator God’s covenanting with humanity, he
goes on to say “Brothers, descendants of Abraham’s family, and those Gentiles
among you who fear God, the message of this salvation has been sent to us”
(13:26).
He goes on to
punctuate the remainder of his message with words of family unity, speaking of
“the good news about the promise to our ancestors” (13:32b), and “to us, their
children” (13:33b), climaxing with “Therefore let it be known to you, brothers,
that through this one forgiveness of sins,” which is the language of exodus
experience and covenant inclusion, “is proclaimed to you, and by this one
everyone who believes is justified from everything from which the law of Moses
could not justify you” (13:38-39). Here, one needs to be cognizant of the
possibility that “the law of Moses” stands in for “works of the law,” which
were the covenant markers that were to be practiced as the identifying,
justifying marks for those who were under covenant.
Thus, through
recollection of these scenes as recorded in the book of Acts (which, though the
stories would have been shared, were not available in written and standardized
form to the churches of the day),observers are provided with a glimpse into the
struggle. There were doubts. There were prejudices and ancient
biases. There was a fear that the status gains of one group (Gentile
Christians) were coming at the expense of another (Jewish Christians).
In an honor and shame
culture in which honor was a limited good (one only gained honor at the expense
of another’s honor), this is more than understandable. There were
church-wide conflicts. There were intra-church (as congregation)
conflicts. There was a lack of unity on a number of issues, both within
bodies and across the body. There were stances taken by one church that
would not be taken by another church. Indeed, a review of the New
Testament letters demonstrates that each congregation dealt with different
problems at different times and in different ways.
All of this lays the
groundwork for a look at Colossians. In co-ordination with the title of
this study, it can be said that “all” in Colossians, seems to play a strategic
role. This “all” takes on multiple forms, and when one reads the letter
with the questions concerning the inclusion and acceptance of Gentiles as part
of the covenant people of the Creator God, minus their adoption of the markers
of that covenant, this communiqué takes on an interesting character. Paul
is very much interested in the elimination of long established, perhaps
cherished barriers (in some corners), in the name of the creation of a unified,
new creation, kingdom people.
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