Issues That the Jerusalem Council Debated - Essay Example

The resolution was communicated to all Christians.The Jerusalem council is a model to the church today. There have emerged many religious denominations in Christianity today. These denominations have differed in their teachings on baptism. Some groups believe in baptism by immersion while others maintain that the amount of water does not matter for as long as one professes faith in Jesus. Debates on sexual orientation and expression have taken their toll on the church. This difference sometimes degenerates into open enmity and conflicts.

Today’s church should learn from the way the Jerusalem council would handle issues peacefully and with dialogue (Elmer 89).While in Rome, Paul got into trouble with the Jewish elders and chief priests. The elders and priests bound Paul when he would not stop preaching about the resurrection of Jesus, but he was saved by the officials of the emperor before they hurt him. When he was taken to Emperor Felix and charged with inciting people and causing chaos, he defended himself by explaining that the people were only angry with him for preaching about the resurrection of Jesus.

Felix did not want to delve into Paul’s case. He put him in detention until he left Caesarea. Festus his successor came to power (Harrison 57). He revisited Paul’s case, and he conspired with Paul’s opponents to hand him over to them so that they hurt him in the pretence of moving him to Jerusalem to try him there.However, Paul declined, and when he appeared before Festus and King Agrippa, he pleaded with Caesarea as a Roman citizen. He charged that he had not contravened any roman or Jewish law, but he was only teaching about the resurrection of Jesus.