Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

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. 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.
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.”
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.
“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.”
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.
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 15:1-35

Noted Biblical Scholars, Teachers, and Preachers Comments

Acts 15 ‘controversy’: “Acts 15 is about controversy in the early church. We can understand Paul and Peter, who insist that God has granted Gentiles repentance that leads to life without the Gentiles needing to be circumcised (as we saw in Acts 11). And we can understand the circumcision faction, who are named more precisely as believing Pharisees in Acts 15:5; Paul was himself a believer who had belonged to the Pharisaic party. But we must be clear that Acts 15 is not simply a matter of tradition versus innovation. It is about a very specific and concrete point which is central to the whole of early Christianity: because God has fulfilled his covenant with Israel in sending Jesus as Messiah, the covenant family is now thrown open to all, without distinction.”

• N. T. Wright, Acts (from the For Everyone Bible Study Series)

Acts 15:1-3 ‘The Jerusalem Council’: “This is considered the first formal church council that met to address important issues related to doctrine and policy. The arguments took place at the church at Antioch, but the council was held in Jerusalem around A.D. 49. The council was called because ‘some men came down from Judea’ and began arguing that men could not be saved who were not circumcised (verse I). Paul and Barnabas challenged these men, while others decided that these two disciples should go up to Jerusalem ‘to the apostles and elders concerning this issue’ (verse 2). Paul and Barnabas’s views were reinforced on the Jerusalem journey because they passed through the regions of Phoenicia and Samaria and witnessed the conversion of the Gentiles, with the result that this was ‘bringing great joy to all the brethren’ (verse 3).”

• Tim LaHaye and Ed Hindson, Exploring Bible Prophecy

Acts 15:1 ‘certain men’: “Judaizers—false teachers who were self-appointed guardians of legalism, teaching a doctrine of salvation by works. from Judea. See note on 1:8. Unless you are circumcised … you cannot be saved. Cf. verse 24. The heresy propagated by the Judaizers. See notes on Genesis 17:9-14.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Acts 15:6-21 ‘Compromise based in Scripture’: “James and the others work out in Acts 15:6-21 the double principle of no needful circumcision on the one hand and no needless offense on the other. The Gentiles who have believed in Jesus do not have to be circumcised; that is, they do not have to become Jewish in order to become Christians. They are not in a separate category when it comes to salvation. But the Gentile Christians are to be encouraged not to offer needless slaps in the face to their as-yet-unbelieving Jewish neighbors.  They should keep well away from various rituals involved in pagan worship, including the drinking of blood, ritual prostitution and other orgiastic elements that were assumed to be practiced in at least some temples some of the time. If anyone thinks that this is some kind of compromise, it is not only a compromise which stands here in Scripture itself, but it is one for which James himself argued on the basis of Scripture.”

• N. T. Wright, Acts (from the For Everyone Bible Study Series)

Acts 15:9 ‘We cannot withhold the water’: ” The Jewish or Pharisaic party violently opposed the gospel. Wherever the apostles went, the Jews who did not believe, being moved with envy, stirred up the people against them. The message of salvation of the Gentiles by grace through faith grated on their ears, for they thought it was contrary to the law of Moses. Believers who used to be Pharisees brought a good share of pharisaic tendencies with them into the church, and these were dangerous to the young kingdom of Christ. Peter, at the great Jerusalem Council, was enabled to answer those who said circumcision was necessary to be saved, and he recounts how he came to that understanding. By God’s instruction, he went and preached to Cornelius and his household, who all became believers. Then Peter told how the Spirit of God rested on them. It was evidently the same Spirit who had descended on the circumcised ones at Jerusalem, since they experienced the same results (10:46). If the Spirit puts no difference between the circumcised and the uncircumcised, why should the church do so? Peter therefore said, ‘Can anyone withhold water and prevent these people from being baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?’ (10:47). He therefore commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord and thus affirmed his belief that faith had purified them. The Jerusalem Council then affirmed this truth of the gospel about Gentiles.”

• Charles H. Spurgeon, from sermon notes

Acts 15:10 ‘a yoke’: “A description of the law and the legalism of the scribes and Pharisees (Matt. 23:4; cf. Luke 11:46). The legalists expected the Gentiles to carry a load they themselves were unwilling to bear.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Acts 15:11 ‘legalism versus grace’: “All the world religions can be placed in one of two camps: legalism or grace. Humankind does it or God does it. Salvation as a wage based on deeds done-or salvation as a gift based on Christ’s death.
“A legalist believes the supreme force behind salvation is you. If you look right, speak right, and belong to the right segment of the right group, you will be saved. The brunt of responsibility doesn’t lie within God; it lies within you.
“The result? The outside sparkles. The talk is good and the step is true. But look closely. Listen carefully. Something is missing. What is it? Joy. What’s there? Fear. (That you won’t do enough.) Arrogance. (That you have done enough.) Failure. (That you have made a mistake.) …
“Spiritual life is not a human endeavor. It is rooted in and orchestrated by the Holy Spirit.  Every spiritual achievement is created and energized by God. “

• Max Lucado, He Still Moves Stones

Acts 15:12 ‘in the Presence of God’: “Throughout the New Testament after Pentecost one marked characteristic of all Christian meetings was the believers’ preoccupation with their risen Lord. Even the first Church Council … was conducted in an atmosphere of great dignity and deep reverence. … It is of course unthinkable that such a meeting could have been held without some kind of agenda. Someone had to know what they had gathered to discuss. The important point to be noticed, however, is that proceedings were carried on in an atmosphere of Christian worship. They lost sight of the program in the greater glory of a Presence.”

• A. W. Tozer, The Root of the Righteous

Acts 15:17 ‘Gentiles … called by My name’: “James’ point is that Amos makes no mention of Gentiles becoming Jewish proselytes. If Gentiles can be saved without becoming Jews in the kingdom, there is no need for Gentiles to become proselytes in the present age.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Acts 15:19 ‘we should not be troubled’: “The Greek word for ‘trouble’ means ‘to throw something in the path of someone to annoy them.’ The decision of the Jerusalem Council, after considering all the evidence, was that keeping the law and observing rituals were not requirements for salvation. The Judaizers were to quit troubling and annoying the Gentiles.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics)

Acts 15:24 ‘troubled … unsettling’: “ ‘Troubled’ is a different Greek word from the one in verse 19, meaning ‘to deeply upset,’ ‘to deeply disturb,’ ‘to perplex,’ or ‘to create fear.’ The Greek word for ‘unsettling’ was used in extrabiblical writings to speak of someone going bankrupt. Together these words aptly describe the chaos caused by the Judaizers. circumcised. Cf. verse 1; see … Genesis 17:9—14.”

• John MacArthur, John MacArthur Commentary (quoted Scripture without bold/italics

 

My Thoughts

Judaizers, legalists, came to Antioch and insisted that the believers be circumcised.  As you read Paul’s letters, this is adding works to faith for salvation to happen.  Paul and Barnabas told the church leaders.  They asked others to accompany Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem.  Along the way, they discovered that people in Phoenicia and Samaria were accepting Jesus also.

When they reached Jerusalem, they shared how people were coming to Christ and the believers rejoiced, but the Pharisees stood up at the Council of Jerusalem to insist on circumcision.  Peter first spoke, reminding them of what had happened in the house of Cornelius and this matter should already be resolved.  Peter emphasized that salvation is by faith.  Paul and Barnabas reported on signs and wonders that by faith alone, the Holy Spirit was coming upon Gentiles in their mission work.

Then James calmed the crowd.  He quoted Amos 9, noting that the Gentiles were included.  He also quoted Isaiah 45, noting that this was known for a long time.

Interesting, it was known for a long time.  The outpouring of the Holy Spirit was physical proof and eye witnessed by competent and trustworthy witnesses.  Yet, the Judaizers would not even accept the Word of God or the Word of the Apostles.  They ignored the decision made after Peter went to the house of Cornelius.  And they would ignore this decision.

Heresies and an eroding of the church confessions, ignoring the Bible, has occurred ever since.  If those that want to create their own version of Christianity (in name only) do not get their way, they wait for the vote to look promising and they bring it up again.  Even though the decision has been made and backed by sound Scripture.

But God knew this would happen.  What we as true believers have to do is to stand strong on the biblical principles and stand firm against attacks that water down the Gospel of Christ.  This attack within the walls of our churches should be met with love, but in solidarity that the Bible is the inerrant word of God.

The Council decided to send them a letter.  The only thing they requested were four simple rules: not eating food defiled by idols, not eating meat from strangled animals, no blood (eating or drinking thereof), and no sexual immorality.

You might think the Council turned a single legalistic rule into four legalistic rules, but they were basically saying that the Gentiles did not have to become Jews but to not offend the Jews in your midst.

To add strength to the letter, so that the people knew it came from the Council, Judas Barsabbas and Silas, both prophets, went with Paul and Barnabas.  Judas and Silas comforted the people and were allowed to leave and go back to Jerusalem, but Paul and Barnabas remained.

This is not the end of Acts 15, but the argument between Paul and Barnabas leads to a major change in the missionary team in the beginning of Acts 16.

Some Serendipitous Reflections

Acts 15:1-21 The Council at Jerusalem 1. What roles do experience, theology, and practical considerations play in the decision-making process of this council? What issues, now troubling your church, could be resolved by looking at them with these three realities in mind?
“2. ls there some area of your faith where you feel like Peter—going back and forth because you are not sure of what is right? How could verse 11 relate to this concern?
“3. What ‘add-ons’ to the gospel might a new believer sense in your church? What should you do about that?
Acts 15:22-35 The Council’s Letter to Gentile Christians 1. From the debate, the resulting letter, and the way in which it was delivered, what do you learn about the way to solve disagreements among Christians? How is your style of handling disagreements like (and unlike) the way the issue was handled in chapter 15?
“2. In your community’s churches, what are the ethnic, social, and racial lines of division? What is your relationship like with believers in these different churches? How can verses 30-33 be a model for unity within diversity among these churches? ln light of 1:8, how important is it to work for this type of relationship?”

• Lyman Coleman, et al, The NIV Serendipity Bible for Study Groups

There is two sets of questions for these verses of Acts 15.

Substitute whatever group for any reference to a small group or ask who could come to your aid.

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Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.