Bible Question: How can you tell the difference? I mean, the Bible passage says, that you should abstain from blood! (Acts 15:29) And that is in the New Testament!And if I can accept a hosp-transfusion, why can´t I eat blood? What´s wrong with eating blood like in food and stuff, not just drinking it like that.... |
Bible Answer: Grace, this verse regarding abstention from blood (Acts 15:29), like ALL verses of Scripture, can best be understood in context. At the beginning of the chapter we are told that "certain men came down (to Antioch, see 14:26) from Judea and taught the brethren, 'Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.'"........... The "certain men" in this passage were the Judaizers -- false teachers who were self-appointed guardians of legalism, teaching a doctrine of salvation by works. Following a dispute, a delegation which included Paul and Barnabas was sent to the Jerusalem church about this question. The "Jerursalem Decree" came as a result of the Jerusalem Council, the first and most important ecumenical council in the history of the church, because it established the answer to the most important question of all, what must one do to be saved....... The Jerusalem Decree (Acts 15:22-29) proposed that the Gentiles abstain from four pagan, idolatrous practices that were violations of the law of Moses, so as not to offend the Jews. One of them was abstention from blood. To understand v. 29 properly, is it essential to read it in context. --Hank |