20 When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law.
21 They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs.
Context – Paul comes to Jerusalem, and meets James and other apostles. After hearing Paul, they praise God for all the grace preached unto gentiles.
Verse 20 says 1000s of Jews have believed. What did they believe?
Believed in Jesus. And they were zealous for the law, and so they were angry with Paul.
How can someone believe in Jesus and still be zealous for the law?
Is not being zealous for the law seems a good thing?
As Christians, should we uphold and be zealous for the law?
Is it so? Why were they angry with Paul?
To them, Jesus is a nice add-on to the law. But Paul was preaching Jesus, and Paul was preaching that Jesus was not an add-on.
Jesus is the fulfillment of the law.
This is a huge difference and that made them angry. I will make it easy with an example. As Christians do we have or regard the 10 commandments?
The answer should be “No” we do not have 10 commandments, we are not under it.
That is a bold statement. If this shakes your heart, scares you and you feel like I am misleading you. That is a good indicator. Be honest about it.
Go pray and read the Bible again. Let the Word of God be true and every man a lair.
Including me. I do not claim to know everything. Yet I point you to read for yourself. Don’t listen to anyone. You read the Word.
Let the Word of God transform you.