“I do confess to you, however, that I worship the God of our fathers according to The Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that is laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets.” –Paul of Tarsus

The movement that was created by those who followed Jesus was first known as “The Way.” The Apostle Paul said he prosecuted “this Way,” and  Governor Felix knew about “this Way.” Paul said he followed “the Way,” which the authorities considered a sect of Judaism, saying that he believed in following “the Law and the Prophets.” His attempt at persuasion was meant to dispel their concerns that “The Way” and he were in opposition to the Law and the Prophets.

Early in the formation of the ministry after Jesus’ departure, there was a struggle for what it meant to follow Jesus. Much of the struggle had to do with how much of Judaism was required of gentiles, and it was Paul’s attempts to teach gentiles how to follow Jesus that caused much confusion.

“Some parts of [Paul’s] letters are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.” — Apostle Peter

Paul was accused of being against following the law. At least once he was asked by Peter to demonstrate that he lived in obedience to the law (just as Jesus taught as the Way) and he did.

“Take these men, purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know that there is no truth to these rumors about you, but that you also live in obedience to the Law.” — Apostle Peter

But, this seems to contradict what Paul explains to the gentiles of Galatia, who were used to conducting rituals to appease their gods. He explained that their old thinking, that conducting rituals would save them, did not apply to their new faith. Learning a new set of rituals, as they understood the Law to be, was not what the God of Israel wanted; rather, following Jesus was. He had a very difficult time convincing them.

Samuel said, “Has Yehowah as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of Yahweh? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.”

When Paul came back from a mission trip, he told the Jerusalem council (Peter, James, and the others who started out with Jesus) that the gentiles showed signs of receiving the Holy Spirit just as the Jews had, and he insisted that since God gave them the Holy Spirit, then God had already accepted those gentiles and they did not need to be circumcised. As a result, the council deduced that such gentiles would only need to follow four laws.

This was not in keeping with what Jesus had taught them.  It was not the way.  Jesus did not teach them to make adjustments for gentiles when he commissioned the Apostles to preach the good news to gentiles too. If he had, there would have been no need for discussion, reasoning, and deduction.

The process of deducing and reasoning what is right to do, rather than hearing directly from God, or through strict adherence to the Law and the Prophets, is how people throughout the Bible eroded the purity of their relationship with God. The Apostles were beginning to follow that pattern.

This new twist was not as Jesus taught. It was not The Way.

“For the assembly, there shall be one statute for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you, a statute forever throughout your generations. You and the sojourner shall be alike before Yehowah. One law and one rule shall be for you and for the stranger who sojourns with you.” — Yehowah (God)