It was decided by Paul and the disciples (Acts 15) that it was a fact that the rule of love of neighbor was sufficient for the identification of all good acts. In the context of the understanding at that time (always a consideration) we would expect to see among the Christians model marriages and families, model employers and employees, model neighborhoods, model government.

The conditions for a happy marriage may be different now, but that means merely a different action ensuing from the same principle of the expedient application of the rule of love. One principle and two different actions, both derived from that principle under the guidance of one’s current understanding of the world.

Paul considered same-sex sex as domination, perhaps, as one male dog will hump another male to show dominance. As such it was reprehensible and reflected the spirit of hell. It could not have been natural in his thinking, of course, for then a benevolent nature would have wanted to produce more babies to account for the many deaths. So obviously it was a domination and rebellion against the very laws of nature itself (i.e., in his thinking, where the laws of nature work for the good of the humans in the production of children).

Today the situation is far different. Or rather, our understanding of sexuality is from a different perspective, namely from a world that has too many babies. Now that same benevolent nature would give us people who could enjoy each other without restraint and never have the first child, and never need recourse to all the artificial devices of birth control, the drugs and surgeries and even self restraint. Suppose homosexuals were in all other respect indistinguishable from the majority of the population who find the opposite sex more attractive. Suppose they were just like the left handers of this world, and were morally no better and no worse than these left handers. Wouldn’t we just jump for joy and call God’s blessing upon the homosexual and ask God to give us more? Must we still crucify the gifts of God? The straights have screwed up the world and God has given us a non-domineering same-sex sex, i.e., homosexuality, which, if promoted, can help save the world from over population.

The “necessary things” (Acts 15:29) were a clarification of the meaning of the follower of Jesus among the gentiles. They were to defer to the Jewish Christians at the table and they were to exercise self control as a signal of their allegiance to the Lord Jesus. This was the self restraint of the gentile Christian: being prepared (under control) and sensitive to the weakness of fellows on the path of the Lord, especially those following the “right” foot print of Jesus as Jews.

In a word: in all sincerity the gentile Christians were to apply the rule of love in their present condition, and be especially mindful of others on the Way (especially if a different foot print) and be always prepared to represent the Lord Jesus.

In this wise then the Council of Jerusalem gave the OK for Paul’s experiment with the gentiles, in making them followers of Jesus apart from the Jewish culture, i.e., lawless and beholden to the rule of love alone as totally sufficient and without need for supplementation.

Note: All this comports nicely with the lesson of John 5, namely that no interpretation of a communication of God may inhibit an immediate act of love.