Can anyone name a single time when the apostles as a group, under prayer and claiming God's direction as a group, ever established a belief or clarification, and then a few years later received "new light", or a different understanding of any kind, thus causing them to redirect individuals or congregations on a different course than they had previously established as from God?
Xelder,
Sure, that is an easy one. Actually I can think of several. But the most important one as far as we are concerned is the prohibition on blood for Gentiles among other things which also allowed Jews to keep the Law or circumcision for many more years, the very thing that was also being questioned at this same meeting. The matter was brought up in a big meeting in Jerusalem that was recorded in Acts chapter 15 and they posted a letter to be sent out to all Gentile believers and congregations at that meeting. Some fourteen years later they threw that same letter into the Apostle Paul's face claiming that he was violating it by not showing or teaching that their decision did not apply to Jewish believers, just Gentiles. This is because Paul was doing that very thing even rejecting its provisions as he believed the discussion on not keeping the Law was then settled and simply considered their letter as a reconciliation with Gentiles over the matter and did not take is as a doctrinal device. James in Jerusalem which also had some Apostles there even forced him to take vows in the Temple and shave his head. Was that Christian of them? Is this a truth that we must also follow today? This event was recorded in Acts chapter 21 and this is where they accused Paul. Acts 21:23 Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them; 24 Them take, andpurify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law. 25 As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication. And later some of them conspired and nearly killed Paul but the Roman armies saved his life. The book of Hebrews corrected the thinking of such Jews in Jerusalem and James finally apologized. Yes, James finally wrote a letter to Jews everywhere changing such views for Jewish believers and Jude his brother was even stronger in condemning this practice of keeping the Law. John who was corrected by Paul early on as recorded in Gal. chapter 2 when this all started and Peter who was also a part of it in the beginning corrected their views but at different times since John did not correct James on this practice at the time permitting it to continue. Now the Watchtower does not want you to know any of this and most churches avoid it as well because it erodes the authority they pretend to have over you. They certainly do not want you questioning them or overriding their mandates the way Paul did who set this example for us.
Joseph
