In our study of Acts chapter fifteen, we look at the Council at Jerusalem and it's effects on the "church" of today. This council was called to determine what should be required of Gentile believers to be accepted into the family of God.
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But some men came down from Y'hudah to Antioch and began teaching the brothers, "You can't be saved unless you undergo b'rit-milah in the manner prescribed by Moshe." This brought them into no small measure of discord and dispute with Sha'ul and Bar-Nabba. So the congregation assigned Sha'ul, Bar-Nabba and some of themselves to go and put this sh'eilah before the emissaries and the elders up in Yerushalayim.
So, while Paul and Barnabas were at their "home church" in Antioch, some men tried to tell the people that they must be circumcised to be saved. Paul and Barnabas knew that it was wrong and it caused a dispute there. Instead of simply standing on the teaching of Jesus and their experience from their missionary journey, a group of men were sent to Jerusalem to get an answer.
After being sent off by the congregation, they made their way through Phoenicia and Shomron, recounting in detail how the Gentiles had turned to God; and this news brought great joy to all the brothers. On arrival in Yerushalayim, they were welcomed by the Messianic community, including the emissaries and the elders; and they reported what God had done through them.
On their way to Jerusalem, they explained how God had allowed them to share the gospel of Jesus with the Gentiles on their previous journey. When they came to Jerusalem, they reported the same thing to the church there and it's leaders.
But some of those who had come to trust were from the party of the P'rushim; and they stood up and said, "It is necessary to circumcise them and direct them to observe the Torah of Moshe." The emissaries and the elders met to look into this matter.
So, some of the Pharisees stated that the Gentiles must obey the law of Moses to be saved and the leaders of the "church" in Jerusalem met to discuss the matter. These people were trying to add their rules to Jesus' sacrifice instead of realizing that salvation is truly a gift from God by faith alone. The leaders of the church in Jerusalem did not want to make anyone mad so they did not set them straight right away. They had a meeting to discuss the question.
After lengthy debate, Kefa got up and said to them, "Brothers, you yourselves know that a good while back, God chose me from among you to be the one by whose mouth the Goyim should hear the message of the Good News and come to trust. And God, who knows the heart, bore them witness by giving the Ruach HaKodesh to them, just as he did to us; that is, he made no distinction between us and them, but cleansed their heart by trust. So why are you putting God to the test now by placing a yoke on the neck of the talmidim which neither our fathers nor we have had the strength to bear? No, it is through the love and kindness of the Lord Yeshua that we trust and are delivered-and it's the same with them."
During the debate over which laws the Gentiles must follow to be saved, Peter stood up and spoke. He reminded those present of how God had used him to share the gospel with the Gentiles (Acts 10). He also reminded them that God granted the Gentiles the Holy Spirit just as he had the Jews and that was proof that they were accepted by God. Then, he reminded them that the Jews could not keep the law of Moses and that is was only through grace that they were saved.
Then the whole assembly kept still as they listened to Bar-Nabba and Sha'ul tell what signs and miracles God had done through them among the Gentiles.
After Peter, Paul and Barnabas talked to the group of leaders. They recounted the things that God had done through them with the Gentiles. This is yet again an example of people sharing their testimony of what God has done and is doing in their lives. You can almost feel how the assembly must have been on the edge of their seats waiting to hear more about how God was at work. That same excitement is what we, as Christians, can have every day in anticipation of what God is going to do on any given day.
Ya'akov broke the silence to reply. "Brothers," he said, "hear what I have to say. Shim'on has told in detail what God did when he first began to show his concern for taking from among the Goyim a people to bear his name. And the words of the Prophets are in complete harmony with this for it is written, '"After this, I will return; and I will rebuild the fallen tent of David. I will rebuild its ruins, I will restore it, so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, that is, all the Goyim who have been called by my name," says ADONAI, who is doing these things.' All this has been known for ages.
Now, James, who was the leader of the "church" in Jerusalem, addressed the group. He pointed out that what Peter (also called Simon) said agreed with what had been said by the Old Testament prophets. He then quoted the prophet Amos (9:11 & 12). Through Amos, God had promised to restore the relationship between the Jews and himself and also between Gentiles who call on Jesus.
"Therefore, my opinion is that we should not put obstacles in the way of the Goyim who are turning to God. Instead, we should write them a letter telling them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from fornication, from what is strangled and from blood. For from the earliest times, Moshe has had in every city those who proclaim him, with his words being read in the synagogues every Shabbat."
James now gives the council his judgment which is a list of rules for the Gentiles to follow. The rules are all in line with scripture and it is good to stay away from the things on the list. But, the question that was brought before the council was what must the Gentiles do to be saved. Therefore, this list of rules does not fit in with the grace of God. Once you begin to add any conditions to grace (which is unmerited favor) then it stops being grace.
Then the emissaries and the elders, together with the whole Messianic community, decided to select men from among themselves to send to Antioch with Sha'ul and Bar-Nabba. They sent Y'hudah, called Bar-Sabba, and Sila, both leading men among the brothers,
The "church" in Jerusalem now chose men to deliver this ruling to the believers in Antioch.
with the following letter: From: The emissaries and the elders, your brothers To: The brothers from among the Gentiles throughout Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings! We have heard that some people went out from among us without our authorization, and that they have upset you with their talk, unsettling your minds. So we have decided unanimously to select men and send them to you with our dear friends Bar-Nabba and Sha'ul, who have dedicated their lives to upholding the name of our Lord, Yeshua the Messiah. So we have sent Y'hudah and Sila, and they will confirm in person what we are writing.
The result of this council is a letter to the groups of believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. The leaders in Jerusalem also sent Judas and Silas to confirm what the letter stated.
For it seemed good to the Ruach HaKodesh and to us not to lay any heavier burden on you than the following requirements: to abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from fornication. If you keep yourselves from these, you will be doing the right thing. Shalom!
Now, the letter gives the instructions to the believers. It is good to avoid all of the things listed but this letter can cause some confusion. You see, the controversy was over what one must do to be saved and the simple answer to that is to accept Jesus Christ as the Lord of your life. The ruling from this council can lead people to believe that other actions can have a bearing on your salvation. Once you accept Christ and have the Holy Spirit living in you, then you will not want to have a part in the things that are listed.
The messengers were sent off and went to Antioch, where they gathered the group together and delivered the letter. After reading it, the people were delighted by its encouragement. Y'hudah and Sila, who were also prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers.
So, the letter was delivered to the "church" in Antioch where it was received with gladness. Though it contained some restrictions on their freedom, they did not have to keep the entire Jewish law. That burden had been lifted and replaced by a smaller burden. The question is: What is the purpose of the Law? The answer is that it was given to make us (and them) see the need for a savior. We do not keep any part of the Law to be saved we try to follow the instructions of Jesus because we are saved.
After they had spent some time there, they were sent off with a greeting of "Shalom!" from the brothers to those who had sent them. But it seemed good to Sila to stay there. But Sha'ul and Bar-Nabba stayed in Antioch, where they and many others taught and proclaimed the Good News of the message about the Lord.
So, Judas and Silas were sent back to Jerusalem after they delivered the letter. Paul and Barnabas stayed there, as it was their "home church". They taught and preached the Word to continue to strengthen the believers at Antioch.
After some time, Sha'ul said to Bar-Nabba, "Let's go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we proclaimed the message about the Lord, and see how they're doing."
After preaching/teaching in Antioch, it is decided that Paul and Barnabas will go and check on the groups of believers in the towns where they preached before. This is important in that they did not just leave new believers alone to figure things out on their own. They were going to disciple them, where it was needed, to help them to grow in their faith. This follows the pattern of what Jesus did with the apostles and it is the same pattern that we should follow today.
Now Bar-Nabba wanted to take with them Yochanan, the one called Mark. But Sha'ul thought it would be unwise to take this man with them, since he had gone off and left them in Pamphylia to do the work by themselves.
This passage refers to the events of chapter 13 where we are told that John (Mark) left Paul and Barnabas and returned to Jerusalem. Because of that, Paul did not want him to go with them now. It is clear here that Paul did not feel that he could count on John Mark.
There was such sharp disagreement over this that they separated from each other, with Bar-Nabba taking Mark and sailing off to Cyprus. However, Sha'ul chose Sila and left, after the brothers had committed him to the love and kindness of the Lord. He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the congregations.
So, what started out as a seemingly minor matter ends in a disagreement that was large enough to break up the team. Barnabas took John Mark (his relative) and they went back home to Cyprus where they tended to the believers there. Paul chose Silas and they went back to the cities where they had shared the gospel and strengthened the "churches". There is good news in the relationship between Paul and John Mark as they are reconciled later (see 2 Timothy 4:11).
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