Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
ACTS 15
The Council at Jerusalem
1 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.” 2 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. 3 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. 4 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.
5 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.”
6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7 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. 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10 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? 11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”
12 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. 13 When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. 14 Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. 15 The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:
16 “ ‘After this I will return
and rebuild David’s fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild,
and I will restore it,
17 that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
even all the Gentiles who bear my name,
says the Lord, who does these things’—
18 things known from long ago.
19 “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 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. 21 For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”
The Council’s Letter to Gentile Believers
22 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. 23 With them they sent the following letter:
The apostles and elders, your brothers,
To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia:
Greetings.
24 We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25 So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29 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.
30 So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. 31 The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. 32 Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. 33 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. [34] 35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.
Disagreement Between Paul and Barnabas
36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.
Application Notes
15:1 The question of whether Gentile believers should obey the law of Moses in order to be saved was extremely critical at this point in Christianity's history and could have potentially split the early church if not handled carefully. The controversy had intensified with the success of the new Gentile churches. A group called the Judaizers in the Jerusalem church was led by converted Pharisees who preferred a legalistic religion to one based on faith alone (15:5). If the Judaizers had won, circumcision would have been required as a sign of conversion. In effect, Christianity would have simply become another sect within Judaism instead of God's fulfilled plan for all people of every nation and language.
There is something of a Pharisee in each one of us. We may unwittingly mistake upholding tradition, structure, and legal requirements for obeying God. Make sure the gospel brings freedom and life, not rules and ceremonies, to those you are trying to reach.
15:2-35 The delegates to the council at Jerusalem came from the churches in Jerusalem and Antioch. The conversion of Gentiles was raising an urgent question for the early church: The real problem for the Jewish Christians was not whether Gentiles could be saved but whether Gentile believers had to adhere to the laws of Moses and other Jewish traditions. The test of following these laws was circumcision. One group of Jewish Christians, the Judaizers, insisted that following the law, including submitting to the rite of circumcision, was necessary for salvation. The Gentiles, however, did not think they needed to become Jewish first in order to become Christians. The Jewish Christians were worried because soon Gentile Christians would outnumber Jewish Christians. They were also afraid that moral standards would weaken among believers if they did not follow Jewish laws. So Paul and Barnabas discussed this problem with the leaders of the church. Paul, Barnabas, and the other church leaders believed that following the Old Testament law was very important but was not a prerequisite to salvation. The law cannot save; only by grace through faith in Jesus Christ can· a person be saved. The council ultimately upheld the conviction expressed by Paul and Barnabas that following the Jewish laws, including being circumcised was not essential for salvation.
15:2-35 It is helpful to see how the churches in Antioch and Jerusalem resolved their conflict: (1) The church in Antioch sent a delegation to help seek a solution; (2) the delegates met with the church leaders to give their reports and set another date to continue the discussion; (3) Paul and Barnabas gave their report; (4) James summarised the reports and drew up the decision; (5) everyone agreed to abide by the decision; and (6) the council sent a letter with delegates back to Antioch to report the decision.
This is a wise way to handle conflicts within the church. Problems must be confronted, and all sides of the argument must be given a fair hearing. The discussion should be held in the presence of leaders who are spiritually mature and can be trusted to make a wise decision. Everyone should then abide by the decision.
15:10 If the law was a yoke that the Jews could not bear, how did having the law help them throughout their history? Paul wrote that the law had been a guide that pointed out their sins so they could repent and return to God and right living (see Romans 3:20). Because of our sinful nature it was--and still is--impossible to obey the law completely.
15:13 This James is Jesus' brother. He became the leader of the church in Jerusalem and wrote the book of James.
15:14 Simon is another name for Peter.
15:16-18 Despite the compelling experiences of Peter, Barnabas, and Paul, James turned to God's Word as the ultimate test of truth. This should be the way we evaluate events. We all have our own beliefs (some of them fervent) and our own experiences, and our tendency is to want to measure others by the same yardstick we use for ourselves. It is common for believers to think that our personal experiences and convictions are true and should be the norm. Different ideas are thought to be inferior or invalid. Ultimately, however, what matters is what God's Word says. The more we know God's Word--the more we read it, study it, memorise it, and meditate on it-the better we will be able to discern what is right and best in times of controversy or doctrinal disagreement.
15:19-21 James's judgment was that Gentile believers did not have to be circumcised but that they should stay away from (1) food sacrificed to idols, (2) sexual immorality (a common part of idol worship), (3) eating meat of strangled animals, and (4) consuming blood (these last two restrictions reflect the biblical leaching that the life of every creature is in its blood, and thus consuming it would be irreverent; Leviticus 17:14). Of course, other a lions were also inappropriate for believers, but the Jews, were especially concerned about these four. This compromise helped the church grow unhindered by the cultural differences of Jews and Gentiles. When we share our message across cultural and economic boundaries, we must be sure that the requirements for faith we enforce are God's, not people's.
15:19-21 The early church experienced the difficulty of bringing together diverse peoples. Jews and Gentiles had so little in common, with different histories, traditions, practices, customs, cultures, and languages. How could anyone possibly take such dissimilar groups and make them one? The same question applies to a variety of different groups today. One solution is to decide not to, to decide that it is impossible, leaving the two groups to segregate, isolate, and study each other with suspicion. When chosen, this response profoundly affects Christianity's effectiveness and attractiveness. When it has snobbery or a judgmental atmosphere, the church betrays the teachings of Jesus and loses all appeal because it is supposed to portray God's love for all people.
The other solution is to submit our prejudices and presuppositions to the greater purposes of God. When we imitate him (Ephesians 5:1), we become loving, understanding, and accepting. Such acceptance, however, is not meant to include sinful life choices. James mentioned a few laws that the Gentile believers should keep, with an understanding that basic morality and living to please God would cover the rest. As believers, we can all humble ourselves and learn from each other. Nothing gives greater glory to God or provides a more compelling witness than when believers of different races, ethnic backgrounds, and social strata come together in love and worship of the Saviour.
15:22 Later, Silas accompanied Paul on Paul's second missionary journey in place of Barnabas, who visited different cities with John Mark.
15:23-29 Matters of theology are serious. In this case, the decision was not based on one person. Paul and Barnabas, then Peter and James, relied on Scripture and the words of Jesus to guide their decision. Even then they all made sure that they came to complete agreement. Use these same guidelines when deciding. on weighty theological issues. God's Word is living and active, and he will provide the clarification you need. Ask him to show you clarity, and gather with other believers to seek their input.
This letter answered the believers' questions and brought great joy to the Gentile Christians in Antioch (15:31). Beautifully written, it appealed to the Holy Spirit's guidance and explained what was to be done as though the readers already knew it. Believers should be careful not only in what we say but also in how we say it. We may be correct in our content, but we can lose our audience by our tone of voice or by our attitude.
15:31 The debate over circumcision could have split the church, but Paul, Barnabas, and the Jews in Antioch made the right decision--they sought counsel from the church leaders and from God's Word. Our differences today should be settled the same way-by seeking wise counsel from other believers. Ask God to change your heart if you struggle to love people you disagree with.
15:36-39 Paul and Barnabas disagreed sharply over Mark. Paul didn't want to take him along because he had left them earlier (13:13). This disagreement caused the two great preachers to form two teams, opening up two missionary endeavours instead of one. God works even through conflict and disagreements. Later, Mark became vital to Paul's ministry (Colossians 4:10). Christians do not always agree, but problems can be solved by agreeing to disagree and letting God work and do his will.
15:40 Paul's second missionary journey, this time with Silas as his coworker, began approximately three years after his first one ended. The two visited many of the cities covered on Paul's first journey, plus others. This journey laid the groundwork for the church in Greece.
15:40 Silas had been involved in the Jerusalem council and had been one of the two men chosen to represent the Jerusalem church by taking the letter and decision back to Antioch (15:22). Paul, from the Antioch church, chose Silas, from the Jerusalem church, and they traveled together to many cities to spread the Good News. This teamwork demonstrated the church's unity after the decision at the Jerusalem council.
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)