Acts 15:19-21 19Therefore, I myself judge not to trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 20but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. 21For from ancient generations in every city those who proclaim him, Moses is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”
Based on his understanding of the situation and interpretation of scripture, James offered his judgment. He acted as the arbiter and authority to determine what should be done. His influence in the Jerusalem church is obvious with his declaration. His judgment was about the requirements for the Gentiles to become part of the people of God. His position was a compromise between the successful Gentile mission of Barnabas and Paul and the conservative Jewish position of the Pharisees. The word trouble (parenochlein) expresses the difficulty of obeying the law and experiencing circumcision. The law was a heavy yoke, and every Jew knew the challenge of living by it. The law had risen to the place of controlling people’s lives and taking away their freedom, which was not God’s intent for it. Turning (epistrephousin) to God refers to repenting from sin and the old life and following the new life that comes by believing in Jesus as Lord and Savior.
James suggested that the Gentiles stay away from four things. All four are still related to Jewish practice and ritual, with the first two having a strong moral sense.Things polluted by idols could refer to the food sacrificed to idols and then sold in the marketplace, especially meat. Such food became a problem in Corinth, which Paul dealt with in 1 Corinthians 8-10. In some places, it was difficult to find meat that had not been sacrificed to an idol. Such meat or food became polluted by its association with human-made religion.
Second, sexual immorality (porneias) was rampant in many Greco-Roman cities, particularly where Paul and Barnabas had traveled. Sacred prostitution was practiced in some of the pagan temples. Prostitution and homosexuality were common and accepted by many people, although the moral philosophers of the time recognized the problems they created. Gentile believers were to recognize and honor marriage and maintain sexual purity if not married. The early Christians adopted the marriage practice of Jews and developed it even more by emphasizing Jesus as the Lord of the relationship. Paul touched upon that in Ephesians 5.
Third, meat from strangled animals was also to be avoided. Killing an animal by strangulation kept the blood in the body. Based on passages like Leviticus 17:11, the Jews highly honored blood as the source of life, and so they drained the blood from an animal’s body before eating. This guideline for Gentile believers was an adaptation of another Jewish ritual and would have helped appease the criticism of the Pharisees.
Fourth, blood was to be avoided. The reference to blood was connected to strangled animals and how the Gentiles should not eat the drained blood. Blood is used as a food in some cultures. This prohibition was also related to the ritual understandings of the Jews. Various groups have interpreted this prohibition differently, as a reference to murder and even to avoiding medical care that deals with blood (such as donating it to others). It would be easy to slip into a form of modern legalism with these four points. These four requirements would satisfy Jews and make it possible to have fellowship and unity. It was a compromise that attempted to meet both perspectives in the middle.
Verse 21 seems strange with its focus on Moses, but James is using the name of Moses as a circumlocution or representative for the Law that Moses gave. All Christians, both Jews and Gentiles, could agree on the moral law, especially as stated in the Ten Commandments. Christians came to recognize that the ceremonial law was fulfilled in Jesus. The first two prohibitions, idolatry and sexual immorality, have more of a moral quality and became two key points for the early church, as demonstrated in Paul’s letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 6, 8, 10) and John’s letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2-3. There is no more mention of the last two points in the New Testament.