New Conversion Rules for non-Jews

Go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit....
 -- WEB Matt 28:19

In the Jewish culture of the time, the "nations" (the non-Jews) could only be joined to the People of God (Israel) by:

1. undergoing circumcision and
2. being immersed in water and
3. keeping the law of Moses.

In Acts 15 we read that the strict sect of Jewish Christianity demanded that the newly-believing-and-baptized non-Jews must also be circumcised and keep the law of Moses:

But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”
 -- WEB Acts 15:5

After considerable debate, the church, aided by the Holy Spirit, decided that belief and baptism, without being circumcised and without keeping the law of Moses, was enough for the non-Jewish nations, just as Jesus had instructed in the Great Commission.

And Paul makes it clear that these non-circumcised immersed believers had been grafted into God's People, making one man of the two sects, the Circumcision and the Uncircumcision (Eph 2) becoming one body, via one baptism, in one spirit, in one faith, with one Lord, under one God and Father (Eph 4).

Originally published at:
https://kentwest.blogspot.com/2019/04/new-conversion-rules-for-non-jews.html