The Book of Acts Chapter 15

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The Book of Acts Chapter 15

Text from https://www.bible.com/bible/111/ACT.15.NIV

The Unity in Differences

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.” (The churches in different cities had fellowship, sharing resources and leadership. But Judean teachers insisted the Gentile Christian to be circularized according to their legal tradition.)

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. (It caused conflict between Jewish teachers, and Paul and Barnabas. So Paul and Barnabas were sent to Jerusalem to settle this with other apostles.)

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. (Paul and Barnabas shared their mission journey, particularly about the conversion of Gentiles with believers along the way to Jerusalem. All were pleased with the news.)

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. (Also the church and apostles in Jerusalem were pleased with their report.)

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.” (But there some Jewish leaders insisted the legal requirement of circumcision to the Gentile.)

6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question. (So the apostles and leaders gathered together to get the answer for this issue. We may call this gathering the Jerusalem Council.(1))

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. (Peter shared his experience with Gentiles; The Roman Centurion. Ch.11)

8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. (It is God who can confirm‎s the salvation but not any other church leader.)

9 He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.(The only way to the salvation is faith in Christ, but not ethnicity nor circumcision.)

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? (Observing the Mosaic Law is a yoke even to the chosen people, then, why ask the Gentiles to obey? The faith is the basic for the salvation.)

11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.” (The saving grace of Jesus is for every nation.)

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. (Barnabas and Paul added their experience of God's indiscriminating grace for the Gentiles.)

13 When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. (James, the brother of Jesus, stood and summarizes the meeting.)

14 Simon (Peter) has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. (Peter confirmed. v.7-11)

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’- (Am. 9:11-12, OT foretold.) 18 things known from long ago. (They've been experienced with Jesus.)

19 “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. (Circumcision should not be the necessary doctrine to the Gentile believers.)

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.” (But decent morality and piet practice would be encouraged because that had been regularly preached in the synagogue.(2)

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. (So the church selected messengers to Antioch with the following letter.)

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. (The leadership of the church community was established. They condemned those who caused a stir in Antioch for their egocentric behavior in the doctrine of salvation.)

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. (Showing sincerity and respect for the Gentile Christians.)

27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm‎ by word of mouth what we are writing. (Appropriate arrangement of messengers for their sincerity.)

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. (Recommendation for the decent moral and practice)

30 So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. (Message delivered.)

31 The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. (The Antioch church was pleased.)

32 Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. (The messengers, Judas and Silas, encouraged the local 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. (The messengers went back to Jerusalem but Silas stayed back with Paul and Barnabas, and devoted to the regular ministries.)

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.” (Paul wanted revisit those cities they had shared the Gospel.)

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. (Barnabas wanted to take John (Mark) but Paul disagreed due to Mark's failure in the first journey. 13:13)

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. (The disagreement was severe so that they splitted; Paul with Silas, Barnabas with John (Mark).(3)

(1)The Jerusalem Council (Google AI)

The Jerusalem Council, described in Acts 15 of the New Testament (circa 49-50 AD), was the first major gathering of early Christian apostles and elders (like Peter, Paul, Barnabas, James) to resolve a crucial theological dispute: whether Gentile converts needed to be circumcised and follow Jewish Law for salvation. The decision was that God accepts Gentiles by grace through faith, not the Law, though they were asked to abstain from idolatry, blood, strangled meat, and sexual immorality, a pivotal moment freeing the Church for universal mission.

(2)Synagogue

used to be the base for the early church sharing the Gospel. But, in spite of the resemblance, Church is not a synagogue, particularly concerning the Doctrine of Salvation, not by the law but by the grace and through the faith (Eph. 2:8). Use the base but not bound by the base.

(3)Two different Conflicts, Different Solutions

We see two cases of conflict in this chapter; Conflict on Circumcision, and on John's (Mark's) qualification of ministry.

The former by the Council of the Church, the latter split.

There are some issues we can't compromise the differences due to the theological importance. (Question of WHY)

However, some other practical things may not require agreement. (Question of HOW)

Therefore, we need to look at how to distinguish each problem and how to deal with each one.