Council

Acts 15:1-35

Good morning! We are in Acts chapter 15 today. We’re now into the second half of the book of Acts, at least from a chapter-count point of view, as Acts has 28 chapters.

 

Last week, Paul and Barnabas wrapped up their first missionary journey, and

 

they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. And they stayed there a long time with the disciples. – Acts 14:26-28

 

That long time was probably more than a year.

 

The journey that they completed had taken them from Antioch to the island of Cyprus, where they traveled the length of the island sharing the gospel. They then sailed to the southern shore of modern-day Turkey and began an inland journey through Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. They often started in the Jewish synagogue when they reached a new city, but very quickly their focus shifted towards the Gentiles, as many Jews were jealous and opposed the message. The word of the Lord spread not only to the people of the cities they visited but also through the region surrounding them.

 

The message went forth with power and was accompanied by signs and wonders— miracles. Paul survived being stoned in Lystra, which was another miracle. Their mission resulted in a large number of disciples, and Paul and Barnabas returned back to Antioch by the same route, strengthening and encouraging the disciples in each city they had visited in Asia Minor and adding Perga as another stop.

 

God had clearly started an amazing work even farther into reaching “the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Not only that, the majority of the new disciples were Gentiles. Many of the first Gentiles who were reached were called “God-fearing.” They were not Jewish, but they were followers of God who respected and helped the Jews. Now there are Gentiles who are coming to faith in Christ out of a pagan background. It is a different dynamic, and with such changes, there are bound to be some challenges. And that’s where we will go with today’s passage. Let’s pray and get into Acts chapter 15.

 

Lord God, thank You that You have made a way for all peoples to come to You. Help us to see and understand what You have for us in our passage. We need Your understanding and insight. Guide us, we pray. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

 

After Paul and Barnabas had been back in Antioch for a long time,

 

Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. – Acts 15:1-2

 

Who are these people who came down? They likely belonged to the party of the Pharisees (verse 5). They believed that before a person could become a true Christian, they had to keep the Law of Moses. This was such a passion for them that they were willing to make the more than 400 mile weeks-long journey from Judea to Antioch.

 

They even thought God-fearing Gentiles were not okay and that any Gentiles with or without prior knowledge of God needed to be nearly Jewish, the more compliant with the Law of Moses the better.

 

One key test for following the Law of Moses was circumcision. They connected circumcision with salvation. Without it, “you cannot be saved” (Acts 15:1). With that claim, there could be no disagreement among believers. Either it is true, or it is false. It must be dealt with.

 

It may not seem like it, but this is an existential issue for the early church. It must be resolved, or risk the good news being corrupted or the church be subject to internal strife that would weaken and damage it.

 

It’s such a foundational assault, you begin to wonder whether these people were believers or not (Galatians 2:4, false believers). As we will see, there was a group with these beliefs inside the church. On the one hand, this is kind of scary. How could it happen? On the other hand, it feels real. There are always challenges that arise to get the church off track. Allowing God to lead and navigate us through the challenges is the key.

 

So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them. – Acts 15:2-4

 

Paul and Barnabas go to Jerusalem to seek a clear resolution. Along the way, we get the clear understanding that the Judaizers were not in the majority, nor had they been sent to Antioch with their message by any other church or leader. All the believers they encountered along those 400+ miles from Antioch to Jerusalem by way of Phoenicia and Samaria were very glad. The word “very” is in the Greek. They weren’t just joyful. The believers were mega-joyful. They were overjoyed at how the Gentiles had come to faith in Christ.

 

As we will see, there is a sequence of three meetings. They pretty much run together so the separation doesn’t necessarily stand out. Meeting one includes the whole church of Jerusalem and the apostles and elders. You can call this meeting “Welcome and General Report.”

 

Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the Law of Moses." The apostles and elders met to consider this question. After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that He accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as He did to us. He did not discriminate between us and them, for He purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are." – Acts 15:5-11

 

Verse 5 clearly says that these legalists were believers. Their requirement that the Gentiles must be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses was wrong, but they are still believers. That’s good to keep in mind. Sometimes, we can be wrong in our understanding. It doesn’t disqualify us as children of God, but we do need to be open to correction. The believing Pharisees needed to turn from their wrong beliefs. In Acts 14, Paul had told the Gentiles in Lystra to “turn from worthless things to the living God” (Acts 14:15). In the case of the Gentiles, the worthless things were their various forms of idol worship. In the case of the believers who were Pharisees, they had to give up their dependence on their own righteousness. The Old Testament in Isaiah 64:6 already said that “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags.” Later, Paul would write in Galatians 2:16 that “no flesh shall be justified by works of the Law.”

 

Rather than taking this demand into an open discussion, the leaders meet separately first. That is meeting two, what could be called “Apostles and Elders.” This was not a short meeting, but rather involved much discussion. Finally, Peter speaks to them all about the first Gentiles who came to faith (Acts 10). Peter brought them the gospel, but God showed His acceptance by giving them the Holy Spirit. Carl has highlighted this significant aspect of the Holy Spirit’s arrival in the book of Acts as an important way that God communicates who are believers. We see that in Peter’s words here.

 

Peter says that the Law was a yoke that neither the current Jews nor any of the former generations could bear. Acts 13:39 tells us plainly, 

 

“[B]y Him [Jesus] everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the Law of Moses.” – Acts 13:39 (NKJV)

 

Peter explains that we are all dependent on the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, whether from a Jewish or Gentile background.

 

Peter’s use of the word “yoke” in relation to the Law brings Matthew 11:28-29 to mind, where Jesus said,

 

“Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” – Matthew 11:28-29

 

The yoke we have in Christ is not a burden but rather a gentle leading that keeps us on the right path.

 

This brings us to the third meeting. The whole assembly seems to have remained together while the apostles and elders met. They were not quiet during the wait, but

 

The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. When they finished, James spoke up. "Brothers," he said, "listen to me. Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for His name from the Gentiles. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

 

"'After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who bear My name, says the Lord, who does these things'—things known from long ago. – Acts 15:12-18

 

There is a willingness in the assembly to listen. This fits with the earlier observation about being open to correction. They were silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul. Their testimony matched Peter’s: God has accepted the Gentiles who believe in Him. We should do the same.

 

This James is Jesus’ brother. If you remember, the apostle James had been martyred (Acts 12:2). James brings in Scripture in support of what Paul, Barnabas, Peter and others have observed. When he says “Simon,” he is talking about Peter (Simon Peter). Bible commentators focus strongly on the words “people” and “Gentiles” here. The word “people” is the Greek word that the Jews used to describe themselves as the people of God. The word translated “Gentiles” has embedded in it the idea of the nations. The Jews were not part of that. They were a people special to God. Now James is saying that from among the Gentiles, God has called, has chosen, a people for Himself. Then, the passage that James quotes is Amos 9:11-12. Again, we have support for God’s people from among the Gentiles in the Old Testament. David’s tent has fallen because the Jewish people rejected the Messiah. God has begun to rebuild it with a remnant from the Jews and now too the Gentiles. Gentiles who bear His Name—they aren’t to be Jews. They will remain Gentiles. Pretty clear, right?

James continued:

 

"It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For the Law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath." – Acts 15:19-21

 

The leadership of the church is interesting. Peter is clearly there, but it is James who is leading this council. This James is not one of the original apostles. And yet, here we are just 15 chapters and the same number of years from the resurrection, and we have a prominent new leader. It’s not Paul, either. God is working among all His people, raising up leaders and taking care of them. Isn’t that cool?

 

Why did they settle on these four things to avoid? There are several reasons, and the ones we look at now may not be comprehensive.

 

You can look at these four and say that they predate the Law of Moses. Sexual immorality is inherently prohibited at the creation of marriage in Genesis 2 prior to the Fall: “A man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). God’s covenant with Noah covers both meat from strangled animals and blood. In Genesis 9, following the flood, God allows people to eat the meat of animals, but then in verse 4, He says, “You must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it” (Genesis 9:4). That is what happens with a strangled animal. The blood is still in it. And blood is, well, blood. A command to abstain from food sacrificed to idols prior to the Law of Moses is a bit more tenuous. Idol worship is prohibited by Jacob in Genesis 35:2 when he commands his household and all those with him to get rid of their idols (which they do!). Other passages from the Law and later make it clear that eating food sacrificed to idols is a participation in the worship of idols or the appearance of it (Exodus 35:15, Numbers 25:2, and Psalm 106:28).

 

Of course, the church would continue to consist of Jewish and Gentile believers. It was necessary for the sake of unity that the Gentiles did not behave in ways that would destroy the faith of the Jewish believers. Or, perhaps more relevant, that the Gentile believers did not behave in ways that would undermine the witness of the church among the Jewish community throughout the earth. Consider verse 21, where it explains the Law of Moses was read and taught in all the cities where the Jews lived. Paul wrote extensively about food sacrificed to idols in I Corinthians chapters 8 and 10. In short, he discouraged the practice to protect the faith of weaker believers and to avoid any risk of being a participant in idol worship before concluding with the general rule,

 

[I]f someone says to you, ‘This has been offered in sacrifice,’ then do not eat it, both for the sake of the one who told you and for the sake of conscience. – I Corinthians 10:28

 

Finally, we can say that these were also areas of weakness for Gentiles, particularly mixing up idol worship of a variety of gods and sexual immorality. So, following these four recommendations would be good for the Gentiles as individuals as well as the corporate relationships in the body between Gentile and Jewish believers. So, perhaps all this can be summed up by saying that the Gentile believers did not need to adhere to the Law of Moses, but they did need to adhere to the law of love.

 

Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers. With them they sent the following letter:

 

The apostles and elders, your brothers,

 

To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia:

 

Greetings.

 

We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul--men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.

 

Farewell. – Acts 15:22-29

 

It's easy to miss it, but chapter 15 began with “certain people” who had traveled to Antioch and were teaching that you had to adhere to the Law of Moses to be saved. Those then were supported by believers of the party of the Pharisees in Jerusalem in verse 5 with the same requirement. Now, the apostles, elders, and the whole church were in agreement and decided to send out this message. The ones who had supported this legalistic requirement for the Gentiles had let go of their error. Would this be the last time that legalism came up in the church? Well, no. But, we can be encouraged that the believers did come to a right agreement.

 

Judas and Silas are almost certainly Jewish believers, so, as leaders from the church in Jerusalem and Judea, they are good companions to travel with Paul and Barnabas to bring this message to the Gentiles in Antioch, where the dispute first arose.

 

What a beautifully simple and short letter. It is important to note that the letter is directed to certain churches and not all Gentile churches. I already mentioned Paul writing to the church in Corinth about abstaining from food sacrificed to idols. So in the end, there needs to be a preference towards care and concern for those of weaker faith over liberty. This does not mean that whoever says they have the least faith gets to have whatever they want. Truth must prevail. These situations require wisdom, and that comes from God. The letter gives credit to the Holy Spirit for guiding them in what requirements to send.

 

So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them. But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord. – Acts 15:30-35

 

Thankfully, this potentially damaging and divisive situation was handled correctly. The believers of Antioch rejoice and are glad that they are saved by grace and not by works, just as any believer is.

 

Judas and Silas minister to the church there in Antioch. Prophets in the early church were often encouragers and, in that role, served to strengthen the church. They are then sent off with the blessing of peace. That concluded a situation that could have been so much more difficult. Instead, it ends with a spirit of unity and peace.

 

Paul and Barnabas continue the work, and more believers are raised up to teach and preach the Word among both the Jewish and Gentile believers and, no doubt, to those who have not yet believed.

 

In studying this passage and the Jewish believers’ strong belief that the Gentiles needed to follow the Law of Moses, I came across this verse in Exodus 12. It says, “The same law applies both to the native-born and to the foreigner residing among you” (Exodus 12:49). It is still true. The same law does apply to Jew and Gentile. It is the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:2).

 

For what the Law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so He condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the Law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. – Romans 8:3-4

 

That indeed is good news for all who would listen. We are purified by faith (Acts 15:9), not by keeping the Law. And as Peter realized in Acts 10, “God has shown to me that I should not call any man common or unclean” (Acts 10:28).

 

God is awesome. All praise to Him for making a way for all to come to Him to be saved. Thanks be to God that it doesn’t depend on what we do. We rest in Jesus Christ.

 

Let’s pray.

 

Lord Jesus, thank You that we are saved by grace and not by works. We pray that the good news will continue to go forward and that Your grace and truth will be clear. Help us to love one another and to see how to honor and strengthen one another when our faith is weak. Glorify Your Name in all the earth. Amen.