The Relationship of Jewish and Gentile Believers to the Law Between A.D. 30 and 70 in the Scripture

144 leadership in Jerusalem of the message of the Church. The point of their objection, however was not the revolutionary new ideas espoused by Stephen, because his speech proclaimed fidelity to the Law and the Temple. The reaction of the crowd came from the martyr ' s fearless accusations that they were disobedient to the Law, had abused the Temple and had rejected the Messiah Jesus. Stephen's message was certainly not against the Law of the Jews , only against those who were disobedient to the Law . Stephen' s death was a catalyst in the growth of the Church because of the persecution which physically scattered his fellow believers not because he preached a universal message which had superseded the Law and Temple . The salvation of Cornelius records the addition of Gentiles to the Church , which was certainly in conflict with Jewish practice of the day but not with the Law. Peter under– stood the IJ).eaning of the vision to be that no longer could any man be considered unclean ~ rather than as the abrogation of the food laws of Leviticus. Neither Peter nor his fellow believers understood that the end of the Law was a necessary prerequisite to the salvation of Gentiles. Luke demonstrates that Peter , in obedience to the vision , freel y associated w ith hi new Gentile converts, but it does not teach that he ceased being Jewish in doing o. The issue which was di scussed at the Jerusalem council did not concern the Law per se but more particularly the relation hip of Gentiles to the Law . It wa decided that n t only were Gent ile aved by grace ju t a Jew were but that the prophet al calling out of the Genti le a people for hi name." Therefore, with th twin pr Peter ' miraculou witne of th c enti le and th riptur , it ntile w re w lcom a ntil in th hur h. Th f "G d d id d th t nl ul ti n hi h th h d r uir d m ng th J