The joy of hearts filled with pleasure was not obvious in the holy church. Worries about the law had brought many into bondage. Although they called Paul a brother in Christ and considered him to be a child of God the Father, they thought also of the thousands of Christians of Jewish origin, who were both Jewish and Christian at the same time. They did not come to freedom from the law, and remained bound by the legal demands of the Old Testament, not recognizing the great revelation of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament. Jerusalem, at that time, was dominated by national revolutionary extremists, who caused a fiery revolution in A.D. 70, which resulted in the pulling down of the holy city and the great temple. Shortly after Paul met with James, zealous revolutionists stoned the Lord’s brother to death. He had already sensed the dangers and consequences of these legalistic developments. This explains why he asked Paul to observe the law, an endeavor to try and keep him away from suspicion and aggression.
Many years previously, when Paul was in Asia Minor and Greece, false reports spread that he had instigated Jews to fall away from the divine covenant and not to circumcise their sons. Such reports were lies and nonsense, for Paul had circumcised Timothy with his own hands to please the Jews. James and the elders in Jerusalem knew that these reports about Paul included exaggerated charges, and they did not believe them. They also knew, however, that many Christians of Jewish origin did not understand the meaning of what Paul touched on and wrote in his famous epistles. So the church in Jerusalem was troubled (Romans 5: 20; 7: 6; Galatians 5: 4). Believers did not recognize the spiritual freedom from the law. They considered the works of the law greater than the righteousness of faith, and did not ascertain that the righteousness of Christ produces works of love.
In the meeting James did not discuss these legal matters, for they had been entirely solved by the apostles’ council, mentioned in chapter 15. So James, the brave leader of the church, reiterated before the representatives of the Gentile churches that they were free from the law, except in regard to certain provisions, which the Jerusalem decree had ruled on. These they had to submit to in order to preserve the continuance of community between Jews and Gentiles. Consequently, righteousness by grace remained an unmovable foundation of the church, and is still the heart and deep mystery of the Gospel. James, however, asked Paul to testify before the Jewish converts that, in spite of the many charges against him, he was still a true and perfect Jew. Because of his love for his countrymen and the covenant with God he walked orderly and kept the law. The apostle had overcome from within the customary understanding of the law. He had no need of it for his justification and sanctification, for all salvation is a gift from God. But he submitted to the law, in order to win Jews to Christ, stating that to the Jews he became as a Jew, and to the Gentiles as a Gentile, that he might win some of the Jews and the Gentiles to his great Lord (1 Cor. 9:20) In his epistle to the Romans, Paul wrote clearly that the law in itself is good and holy, but men are sinful and unable to keep it by their own strength (Romans 3: 31; 7: 12).
Paul agreed to James’ suggestion to have his hair cut, as a sign of repentance, and to be purified seven days and seven nights in order to worship his Lord. This preparation included sprinkling with the water of sanctification on the third and the seventh days.