Questions From Readers
Was God being partial in choosing for the early governing body men who had the same racial and national background—all being Jews?
No, he certainly was not. All those whom Jesus first called as his disciples were Jews. Then, at Pentecost 33 C.E., Jews and Jewish proselytes were the first ones to be anointed with holy spirit and thus come in line to reign with Christ in heaven. Only later were Samaritans and uncircumcised Gentile converts included. Hence, it is understandable that the governing body in that period was composed of Jews, “apostles and older men in Jerusalem,” as mentioned at Acts 15:2. These were men who had a broader base of Scriptural knowledge and years of experience in true worship, and they had had more time to develop into mature Christian elders.—Compare Romans 3:1, 2.
By the time of the meeting of the governing body recounted in Acts chapter 15, many Gentiles had become Christians. These included Africans, Europeans, and people from other regions. Yet, there is no record that any of such Gentiles had been added to the governing body to make Christianity appealing to non-Jews. While these newly converted Gentile Christians were equal members in “the Israel of God,” they would have respected the maturity and greater experience of the Jewish Christians, such as the apostles, who were part of the governing body back then. (Galatians 6:16) Notice at Acts 1:21, 22 how highly regarded such experience was.—Hebrews 2:3; 2 Peter 1:18; 1 John 1:1-3.
For many centuries God had dealt in a special way with the nation of Israel, from which Jesus selected his apostles. It was no error or injustice that no apostles came from what is now South America or Africa or the Far East. In time men and women from those places would have an opportunity to gain privileges far grander than being an apostle on earth, being a member of the first-century governing body, or having any other appointment among God’s people today.—Galatians 3:27-29.
One apostle was moved to state that “God is not partial, but in every nation the man that fears him and works righteousness is acceptable to him.” (Acts 10:34, 35) Yes, the benefits of Christ’s ransom are available to all, without partiality. And individuals out of every tribe and tongue and nation will be included in the heavenly Kingdom and in the great crowd that will live forever on earth.
Many humans become sensitive over racial, linguistic, or national backgrounds. This is illustrated by what we read at Acts 6:1 about an issue that caused murmuring between Greek-speaking Christians and those who were Hebrew speaking. We may have grown up with or have absorbed current sensitivities about language, race, ethnic background, or gender. In view of that very real possibility, we do well to put forth determined effort to allow our feelings and reactions to be molded by God’s view, which is that all humans are equal before him, no matter what our external appearance. When God had the qualifications for elders and ministerial servants recorded, he made no mention of race and national background. No, he focused on the spiritual qualifications of those who might be available to serve. That is true of local elders, traveling overseers, and branch personnel today, as it was true of the governing body in the first century.