Paul, the Baptized Christian Who Murderized Animals Fatally—Completely Fatally

This is adapted from a lesson I presented that asked, “Can Christians sacrifice animals and have it not be a sin?” That’s Old Testament googily-moogily nonsense, so it seemed fun!

But can you be in fellowship with people who offer animal sacrifices to God? Offering an animal sacrifice is a sin, right? Often our own traditions can become "Law" to us, and anything foreign to our traditions, especially "in the church/worship service," is anathema.

We are examining the apostolic examples in the New Testament to identify “our traditions” versus “the Faith.” The objective is not to overturn our traditions (note Paul’s example), but rather to see what the purpose of faith is—that is, God’s work for us. To expand our horizons, please consider something Paul did which might surprise you. Instead of telling you what to think (at first) or explaining what I think, I’d instead like to simply ask you to answer these questions to yourself:

Some Questions

1. Did Paul, on his missionary journeys, take a vow? (Acts 18:18) Yes / No

2. Did Paul meet with James and the elders in Jerusalem, who mentioned that there were thousands of Jews who believed in Christ who were still zealous for the Law? (Acts 21:17-20) Yes / No

3. Had those Jews heard that Paul was speaking against the Law? (Acts 21:21) Yes / No

4. Is it true that James and the elders wanted to reassure these Jews that the rumor they heard was not true, and not only that, but that Paul himself walked according to the Law? (Acts 21:24) Yes / No

5. Is it true that, according to the Law, the expenses at the conclusion of a vow included the burnt offering of a 1-yr old male lamb, the sacrifice of a year-old ewe lamb, a ram, a basket of bread, flour cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers mixed with oil, a meal offering, drink offerings, and a portion of his shaved hair as a burned offering (Num 6:13-end of chapter [ff]). Yes / No

6. Did Paul wait 7 days until the offering could be made for each one of them? (Acts 21:26-27) Yes / No

7. Was Paul was inspired apostle? Yes / No

8. Was it sinful for Paul to keep something from the Old Covenant writings in the New Covenant times? Yes / No

9. I am often too depressed to put an injured animal or coworker out of its misery. Yes / No

Now, take a look at some other notes: Luke recorded Luke and Acts, and in Acts he mentions Paul’s observance of Jewish custom, which some Jews were claiming that Paul failed to do, and thus causing a ruckus.

• Luke tells us of Paul’s adventure in Philippi, which for a man who supposedly paid no attention to the law, is really strange. There was no synagogue in Philippi, so Paul went to the river “where we supposed there was a place of prayer,” this was a “Sabbath day” (16:13). The very next chapter Luke records that Paul went to the synagogue on the Sabbath “as was his custom.” (17:2)

• While others in Paul’s party went ahead, Paul stays behind in Macedonia (probably at Lydia’s who is a Jewess; we know she is a resident from chapter 16) with “us”…that is his Jewish companions for the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Acts 20:5-6). “They [the named Gentiles in v4] went ahead and were waiting for US in Troas, but WE sailed from Philippi AFTER THE DAYS of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we joined them.”

• After the “days of Unleavened Bread,” Paul declares his wish to be back in Jerusalem “on the day of Pentecost” (20:16). Given Luke’s stress so far, this desire is because Paul wants to bow down in reverence (worship)! In fact, when he defends himself in 24:11-17, he states point blank that he wanted to come to Jerusalem “to worship” and to “offer sacrifices.”

Some Answers

1.) Paul had taken a vow (Acts 18:18), and according to the law, upon completion of that vow, he was required to offer animal sacrifices (Num 6:13ff). WAIT WHAT!? Can't do that, right? One of the reasons he came to Jerusalem was to "present offerings" (Acts 24:17).

2.) Paul met with James and the elders in Jerusalem (Acts 21:17-18.), who mentioned that thousands of newly-believing Jews (now Christians) were still zealous for the Law (v20). These Jews had heard rumors that Paul was telling Jews outside of Judah to stop keeping the Law (v21). James and the elders wanted to reassure these people that, not only was it not true,but that Paul himself still walked according to the Law. (v24)

3.) In order to accomplish this, Paul had to purify himself, along with four others who had taken a vow, and pay their expenses to shave their heads at the conclusion of their vows (Acts 21:24).

4.) According to the law, the expenses at the conclusion of a vow included the burnt offering of a 1-yr old male lamb, the sacrifice of a year-old ewe lamb, a ram, a basket of bread, flour cakes mixed with oil, unleavened wafers mixed with oil, a meal offering, drink offerings, and a portion of his shaved hair as a burned offering (Num 6:13ff).

5.) Paul waited seven days until the offering could be made for each one of them (Acts 21:26-27).

In my opinion... (Laugh all you want—I look forward to your hate mail!)

Paul knew that the Law was not evil nor sin. The error in offering sacrifices and doing those rituals comes if one seeks to be JUSTIFIED by them, which he was not. What does this tell us about God and Christianity? Does it allow you to more easily be united with other believers who maybe do some things different?

The point of what Paul was doing was to prove (Acts 21:21-24):

1) He was not telling the non-Judean Jews to stop keeping the law of Moses,

2) that he himself walked according to the law.

With the above considered, ask yourself these questions.

So how secure are you in the faith—as opposed to our traditions? The following questions are to help you take what is perhaps an accurate look at yourself.

Personal Question 1: What makes you uncomfortable fellowshipping in another congregation?

PQ 2: What makes you unwilling to fellowship in another congregation? (What do you require to have unity with a believer? Can you name specifics?)

PQ 3: How can you help those who fellowship in congregations that make you uncomfortable?

PQ 4: Do you agree with calling Bible things by Bible names?

PQ 5: Personal question: God says to speak to one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. Why does He use three different words? Why doesn’t He just say to sing songs?

PQ 6: The Restoration Movement started out with the slogan, “Christians only, but not the only Christians.” What does that mean to you? Is it true?

PQ 7: Does the New Testament ever mention a “worship service?” Why do many people who show up for the “worship service,” yet few show up for “Bible class?”

PQ 8: Scenario: You start studying the Bible with someone. They google “Church of Christ.” There is a lot of nasty stuff they find, which gives them a bad impression. They ask you some hard questions, but they’re prepared—if they point out that some of what you consider “law” is actually just “tradition,” how does it affect your study and relationship?

PQ 9: Is anything not specifically authorized condemned? Yes / No

PQ 10: Is anything not specifically prohibited, or prohibited by a broader Biblical principle, allowed? Yes / No

PQ 11: Does God play “hide the commandment?” Does He want to nail people on a “Simon didn’t say” technicality?

A lot of acrimony in Restoration Movement heritage stems from musical instruments. Consider these questions.

Lesson Question 1: What elements comprise the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace? (Eph 4:1-6)

LQ 2: The first time the word “sing” is used in the Bible, does it include musical instruments? (Exo 15:20-21) Yes / No “Miriam the prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took the timbrel in her hand, and all the women went out after her with timbrels and with dancing. Miriam answered them,

“Sing to the Lord, for He is highly exalted;

The horse and his rider He has hurled into the sea.”

LQ 3: Does making melody with all of your being prohibit instruments? (Psa 108:1-3) Yes / No

“My heart is steadfast, O God; I will sing, I will sing praises, even with my soul. Awake, harp and lyre; I will awaken the dawn!

I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the peoples, And I will sing praises to You among the nations.”

LQ 4: Which do you think is more accurate: The Regulative Principle, or the Normative Principle? (. The "Regulative Principle" where anything not specifically authorized is condemned, and the "Normative Principle," where anything not specifically prohibited, or prohibited by a broader Biblical principle, is allowed.)

LQ 5: Does Ephesians 5 mention a “worship service?” Does anywhere in the NT mention a “worship service?” Yes / No

LQ 6: Does the instruction to sing forbid musical instruments? (Psa 71:22) Yes / No

“I will also praise You with a harp, Even Your truth, O my God;

To You I will sing praises with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel.”

LQ 7: What is a psalm?

                       What is a hymn?

                                      What is a spiritual song/ode?

LQ 8: Is Psalm 150 sinful today? Yes / No (Hint: Consider what Paul did in Jerusalem.)

LQ 9: Did early “Christian” writers understand psalms to include instruments? Yes / No

LQ 10: Did early Christians determine some of their practices in order to not seem like those around them? Yes / No

God wants to nail you on a "Simon didn't say" technicality.

I was talking to someone recently about musical instruments being used in singing about God, and he agreed that psalms seemed to include musical instruments as being permissible, but he added the caveat, "Do you really want to take your chances with God? He said sing, He may not have meant singing with instruments."

We should not think that God is trying to catch folks on some "Simon Didn't Say" technicality. "Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession....let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb 4:14-16)

We can have confidence and draw near the throne, because our God is a God or mercy and grace.

Who are we singing for in the "worship service?"

I often hear people say, "We sing for God, not ourselves. In the worship service, He is the audience, not us!" This is usually coupled with a quote from Ephesians 5:19, and it's at least partially accurate. It errs in a couple of ways, but I'll address the deep, subtle, yet important misunderstanding of God at the end.

1st, there is no such thing as a "worship service," and the verses immediately prior to and after verse 19 speak of a "daily walk," and instruction that is for us "always," and 2nd, we are told, "speaking to one another in psalms...making melody with your heart to the Lord." Here, God identifies two audiences: us to one another, and us to Him.

The more subtle misunderstanding of this is that it sees God as requiring a "worship service" to appease Him, when God has mentioned our assembly as being for our own edification. In 1 Cor 14:26, He says, "What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification."

Jesus had to correct a Jewish misconception that was very similar and He chided them saying, “The Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath." (Mark 2:23-3:6) Likewise, the assembly is for the saints, not the saints for assembly. Edification and equipping of the saints for the work of service is the goal—making ourselves strong, spiritual warriors for Christ, not just rulekeepers of technicalities.

It's illegal to use a banjo in a worship service 'cause ya ain't singin'.

"The Bible only says to sing! Using a banjo is unauthorized." Is a person playing a guitar while making vocalizations somehow not singing? Check this out from God's word:

"Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; Sing praises to our God on the lyre!" (Psalms 33:2)

God never defined singing as "without an instrument." In fact, He instructed us to sing Psalms, and the above is one.

Musical instruments in worship services.

If you make a special hour called a "worship service," which God never did, you can end up with some worship service weirdness, because you have to make more rules to flesh it out. It's a lot like a web of lies: tell one, then have to tell another to support it, and one to support that...and it goes on.

I've copied this Q&A from a great website which suffers from some misunderstanding, leading to the following confusion by both the asker and evangelist answering. Check out how man's rules complicate God's simple principles in the Law of Liberty.

--Question:

Someone asked me this question and I would like your opinion. I looked on your great web site but didn't see it addressed.

A young lady asked me if it is okay to listen to "Christian rock" or instrumental ("Christian") songs outside of worship. I would appreciate you opinion. Thanks for the good work you do.

--Answer:

"I've known brethren to argue both sides of this issue. Those for it argue that it is better than the trash available on many other stations. While they won't join it and sing with the instrumental music, they prefer to hear decent words and lyrics that are focused on praising God. The other side points out that many of these songs are worship songs but set with instrumental music. Since worship is involved, then the one being worshiped is the one who sets the rules. Since God did not authorize instrumental music for His worship in the New Testament, then we should not seek to add it to ours, whether it is congregational worship or personal worship.

Thus the core issue is whether listening to someone else sing songs that can be used in the worship of God constitutes worship or not. It is an issue that I am not certain I can settle. I usually ask the person whether they consider it to be worship or not and work from there. Personally, I don't go out of my way to listen to such music. I won't change channels on a station necessarily if a religious song comes on. I have even heard and admired some of the thoughts expressed in some songs set to instruments and wonder if we could get a hold of an a-capella arrangement for the congregation. But I definitely don't allow myself to sing along with such songs because it focuses my mind on God and I would rather worship God as He wants to be worshiped.

We also ought to be careful of the music branded as Christian music. I've heard numerous songs that might mention God, but what the song teaches is contrary to the teachings in God's word. Filling our minds with erroneous teachings is bad whether it is from secular or religious sources. In some ways a religious source is more dangerous because we are at least on our guard for false teachings from a secular source."

Musical instruments "in worship."

I have come to realize that there are basically two ways to interpret God's silence. The "Regulative Principle" where anything not specifically authorized is condemned, and the "Normative Principle," where anything not specifically prohibited, or prohibited by a broader Biblical principle, is allowed.

A big one in congregations that use the label "Church of Christ," at least in some areas, is over "singing." "Since God says sing, that prohibits musical instruments; only vocals are allowed since God doesn't mention a piano." There are some flaws with that. For example, Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3 are talking about daily living, not a "worship service," which God never mentions. Also, it says to sing three types of songs (psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs), and a psalm is accompanied by instruments.

But regarding the principle, does the instruction to sing forbid musical instruments? It would seem not. "I will also praise You with a harp, Even Your truth, O my God; To You I will sing praises with the lyre, O Holy One of Israel." (Psalm 71:22) If we listen to KY Tunstall's "Black Horse &  the Cherry Tree," we understand that she's singing a song, though her guitar is also in use. We don't say, "Man I wish she'd sing! Instead she's saying words while playing a guitar."