Acts 15:1-5 Conflict over Circumcision
“And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question.
So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, describing the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy to all the brethren. And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them. But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”
Acts 15:6-21 The Jerusalem Council
“Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”
Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles. And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, “Men and brethren, listen to me: Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written:
‘After this I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down;
I will rebuild its ruins and I will set it up; so that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
even all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord who does all these things.’
“Known to God from eternity are all His works. Therefore, I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood. For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”
Acts 15:22-29 The Jerusalem Decree
“Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named Barsabas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren.
They wrote this letter by them:
The apostles, the elders, and the brethren,
To the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia:
Greetings. Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, “You must be circumcised and keep the law”—to whom we gave no such commandment— it seemed good to us, being assembled with one [accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.
Farewell.”
Well, it must happen sooner or later. Since many of the church leaders and many converts have been practicing Jews, ingrained habits are hard to break. “Surely,” these men think, “becoming a Christian can’t be as simple as believing in Jesus, confessing your sins, being baptized, and abstaining from idol worship. Surely, we need more rules, more structure.” Suddenly these men are trying to impose all kinds of rules on new converts from pagan backgrounds who have no knowledge of Jewish laws. You can practically see some of these men rubbing their hands together in glee as they anticipate lording it over Gentile believers while they instruct them in Jewish practices…..only these guys are wrong! Wrong! WRONG!
Church leaders call for a council, and Peter speaks first. After recounting the story of the Roman centurion and his family and friends, Peter says, “Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”
After a great deal of discussion, James speaks, “Therefore, I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood. For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath.” Putting it simply, James points out that all the practices these men are trying to force on new believers have been available for centuries, and if new believers choose to follow those practices, they can easily get information from their local synagogue.
Finally, the council chooses to send Judas and Silas along with Paul and Barnabas to give this message: “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality.”
How many rituals does someone have to observe to be a true Christian? When we returned from our first mission assignment, we worked for two weeks in a church camp. One week a very conservative group came in, the kind with severe restrictions on female dress. The ladies in the group looked askance at me for my tee shirts and jeans; meanwhile, I was mowing lawns, emptying trash baskets, and doing other janitorial work. There was no point in informing these ladies that I had just completed a two-year mission term in Ghana, for they would never have believed me.
We have friends who have gone to Sturgis, South Dakota to the annual bikers’ convention to witness to their fellow bikers. Naturally, our friends have worn leathers and vests with patches, etc. to fit into the group. Later, Paul will speak of “becoming all things to all men that I might win some.” (1 Corinthians 9:22)
May God help us, so that we refuse to judge but allow God to use anyone He chooses at any time!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to see people with Your eyes and not our own. Help us to remember that Christ died for all those around us and that we have no right to impose rituals that have not come from You. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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