Acts 15:29

that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.

1. Four things are imposed here:

1. Things offered to idols - Those with pagan backgrounds will understand that they must not honor, treat as sacred, things that are offered to idols.

2. Blood - God gave this command to Noah in Genesis 9:4. The Law of Moses repeated this command in Leviticus 17:12.

3. Strangled - Meat not properly treated, drained of blood, should not be eaten. God has always held that life is in the blood.

4. Sexual Immorality - Fornication (Greek word - pornea) is a general term that applies to ALL sexual activity that outside of a permitted marriage. Fornication includes - homosexuality, rape, incest, adultery, pre-marital, pedophilia, and all other sexual deviations.

2. Notice - all of these pre-date the Law of Moses. All of these things were wrong before the Law was given at Mt. Sinai.

FOUR RESTRICTIONS

The reasons for these restrictions are because:

1. They all precede the Law of Moses

2. They are part of God's ETERNAL Decree

3. They do not expire or change from one law to another (Patriarchal, Law of Moses, Christian)

4. NOTE : There are others (murder, stealing, lying) but the issue in Acts 15:1-41 is pagan customs carried over and Jewish customs carried over.

Circumcision is NOT included:

1. While it was in place BEFORE the Law of Moses - it was a covenant sign

2. The sign of the New Covenant is different - not circumcision, but baptism

1. Pollutions of idols

1. There was much discussion about meat, once sacrificed to some pagan god, then sold in the market place. Was this meat tainted, polluted?

2. Am I honoring the idol to buy and eat this meat?

3. Later, this was reduced to a matter of conscience

1. I know that the idol is nothing and I can eat

2. What about the brother just converted?

3. Do not offend the weak brother.

2. Fornication

1. Pornea - all kinds of sexual wrongs; any sexual activity outside of marriage

2. Fornication is ALWAYS wrong

3. Strangled

1. Animal dies from natural causes - don't eat - Deuteronomy 14:21

2. Give it away (to gentiles) or sell it

4. Drinking (eating) blood

1. Genesis 9:4 - life is in the blood

2. Deuteronomy 12:23

3. Leviticus 3:17

4. Leviticus 19:26