Acts 15

Compiled notes from my BSF group


Acts 15:1–12


One of the differences between Antioch Christians and Jerusalem Christians were circumcision: Antioch Christians were uncircumcised, whereas the Jerusalem Christians were circumcised (Acts 15:1).


I think the Jewish Christians were concerned about the number of Gentiles who were joining the church because of fear. The Gentiles were of a different cultural background, and the Jews worried about integration. Instead of trusting God and just following God’s inspiration through all the unknowns, the Jews let their fear of the unknown prevent them from marching forward with God’s plans.


http://www.gci.org/bible/acts15
The conflict exists because there are people in the church from sharply varying cultural backgrounds. At one end are devout Jerusalem Jews who continue to worship at the Temple. They scrupulously observe all the cultic practices that define the Jewish way of life — all the laws found in the covenant God made with the Jews at Mt. Sinai. Circumcision is a crucial point. From the time of Abraham, circumcision helped define a person‟s faith in God and being part of the people of God (Genesis 17:10-14, 23-27; 21:4; 34:15-24; Exodus 12:44, 48; Leviticus 12:3; Joshua 5:2-8). But now an increasing number of formerly pagan Gentiles are entering the church. Their religious life had been centered around pagan temples and their culture had been that of the wider Greek and Roman world. They had been idolaters with little interest in the Jewish way of life. And they do not want to undergo the painful circumcision process since it has no cultural meaning for them. The Jewish Christians are afraid that many Gentiles have grown up in a culture of loose morals. Their easy entrance into the church might weaken the moral standards. Thus, the circumcisers want Gentiles to become like Jews in lifestyle — as evidence of their conversion, if nothing else.


The Judaizers insisted that Paul's converts be circumcised because they believed that only people who were circumcised according to the custom taught by Moses were saved (Acts 15:1).


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* 15:1 Some men. Probably from "the party of the Pharisees" (v. 5). These were believers who insisted that before anyone could become a true Christian they must keep the law of Moses, and the test of such compliance was circumcision. from Judea. Meant that these Judaizers (or legalists) were given a hearing, not that they correctly represented the apostles and elders of Jerusalem (cf. v. 24).


http://www.gci.org/bible/acts15
The Jewish extremists accept the idea that the gospel is going to Gentiles; they know that the covenant of blessing extends to all nations (Genesis 12:3; 22:18; 26:4). The Scriptures say that the Gentiles will be saved in the last days (Isaiah 2:2; 11:10; 25:8-9; 49:6; 55:5-7; 56:7; 60:3-22; Zephaniah 3:9-10; Zechariah 8:23). So what‟s the problem? They do not want to exclude the Gentiles, but they insist on certain requirements for how inclusion is possible: The Gentiles should be proselytized in the context of Jewish faith, and not apart from it. Hence, they call for Gentile circumcision, for Gentiles to become Jews. That is why these people are commonly called Judaizers. The Judaizers see Israel — or at least the righteous people within it — as God‟s agent in bringing the blessings of salvation to the Gentiles. They can be saved only through Jewish customs, the methods God approved to keep the remnant righteous, or within the covenant of salvation. Thus, the conclusion about Jewish observances is obvious to the Judaizers. Yes, God is giving salvation to the Gentiles. But if they want salvation, they must begin observing the Jewish ritual laws. Before they can be accepted as first-class Christians they must begin living like the Jewish Christians do. In short, the Judaizers say that Gentiles have to become Jews before they can be Christians. Thus, the stage is set for a fundamental showdown between the Judaizers and people like Paul, who say that Gentiles are grafted into the church through faith alone.


Paul did not oppose the circumcision of the Gentiles. Paul opposed the idea that “circumcision saves”. Paul was trying to teach the Jews that there is only one way to salvation, and that one and only way is Jesus Christ. With Jesus’ death on the cross, Jesus fulfilled the Law of Moses and freed mankind from sin. There is no way we could ever fulfill the Law perfectly, so how could us following the Law ever save ourselves from our sins? No. Only Jesus could fulfill the Law perfectly, and He did. And so, only through Him could we ever receive salvation.


http://www.gci.org/bible/acts15
Peter‟s experience with Cornelius (Acts 10) shows that any effort to distinguish between "clean" and "unclean" people has no relevance as far as salvation is concerned. Peter explained this to the Jerusalem church. At the time, the Jewish Christians swallowed their concerns and accepted the fact that God is giving salvation to Gentiles (11:18).
*Acts 10:28-29 = He said to them: "You are well aware that it is against our law for a Jew to associate with or visit a Gentile. But God has shown me that I should not call anyone impure or unclean. So when I was sent for, I came without raising any objection. May I ask why you went for me?"


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* Acts 10:28 God has shown me. Peter recognized that his vision had deeper significance than declaring invalid the distinction between clean and unclean meat; he saw that the barrier between Jew and Gentiles had been removed (see Eph 2:11-22).


http://www.gci.org/bible/acts15
Unbearable yoke to bear (15:10): Peter brands the zealots ‟desire to force the Gentiles to live as Jews a test of God — challenging something he has already done" — and "a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear" (15:10). He says the legalistic faction is calling into question God's will — which he had already made quite evident. God is circumcising the Gentiles through the Spirit, not with the knife. Insisting on the ritual law is challenging God himself on his actions, Peter is saying. It is questioning the rightness of God in his cleansing the Gentiles through the Spirit. The call for circumcision has the effect of putting God on trial. The Judaizers are saying that God is not doing enough, nor doing it right, in allowing Gentiles as Gentiles to be full participants in his body, the church. Rather, what should be on trial is the cultic cleansing system of the Jews. It had been tried for hundreds of years and found deficient. The law of Moses is irrelevant as far as salvation is concerned and is simply a burdensome lifestyle of "do's-and-don'ts." In one word, it was a "yoke." The word "yoke" (Greek, zygos) refers to a restraint. It can be a physical restraint placed on oxen (Deuteronomy 21:3). Or it can be a metaphor for political or social oppression (2 Chronicles 10:10; 1 Timothy 6:1). In this case, the law of Moses is both a physical burden and a form of religious oppression, even though well-meaning Jews are using it to keep themselves separate from the world. But when people use it to separate themselves from other believers, they are failing to keep in step with what God is now doing, bringing Gentiles and Jews into one people. Jesus said "my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:30). People burdened and weary with sin, guilt and religious duty can come to Christ and find rest in him. That is what Peter is saying. The Christian way of life should not be religiously burdensome. That is a lesson all churches and religions need to learn. Peter ends his speech by echoing the thought of Paul: "We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are" (15:11). Peter is on Paul‟s side and his thoughts are quite Pauline. Peter puts his stamp of approval on Paul‟s work, phrasing salvation in terms of grace — as the apostle to the Gentiles will frequently do as well. Luke, quoting Peter‟s words to this effect, now makes no further mention of Peter anywhere in Acts.


The event Peter refers to in Acts 15:7-11 was the vision that Peter had when God told him, "Do not call anything impure that God has made clean." (Acts 10:15) This was to encourage Peter to minister to the Gentiles. He then went to Cornelius's House, ministered to everyone there and saw the Holy Spirit poured out even on the Gentiles (Acts 10:45).


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* 15:7 Peter got up. After a period of considerable discussion by the apostles and elders, Peter addressed them. Gentiles might hear. Peter's argument was his own experience: God had sent him to preach to the Gentiles (see 10:28-29 and note on 10:28).


http://www.gci.org/bible/acts15
Peter‟s speech (15:7-11): At some point in the meeting Peter gets up. He makes a strong case for admitting Gentiles into the church on the basis of faith alone. He argues that God established a precedent, perhaps a decade earlier, of bringing Gentiles into the body of believers through faith. (He is referring to the example of Cornelius and his family discussed in Acts 9:32 through 11:18.) "God, who knows the heart," said Peter, "showed that he accepted them [the Gentiles] by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith" (16:8-9). God showed that he accepted a Gentile even while he was uncircumcised. This summarizes Peter‟s argument. He insists that faith is more important than ritual observance in defining a Christian. The proof is that God is giving his Spirit to the Gentiles without them first becoming Jews. Peter emphasizes that conversion is God‟s doing, not the work of either the preacher or the believer. People do not decide on their own to take a place among the people of God. God is the one who converts them, and he does it by giving his Spirit, not by requiring the person to practice certain rituals. Luke enables Peter to finally draw the full conclusions from his initial vision and command, "Things God has cleansed, you stop making common‟ (10:15). Peter has come to understand not only that the vision was about the Gentiles, but recognizes that faith is the principle used by God for this "cleansing of the heart" (Luke Timothy Johnson, The Acts of the Apostles, Sacra Pagina Series, volume 5, page 262). Although the council doesn't make an issue of it, the truth is that only faith can cleanse Jews as well (a point made in the book of Hebrews). Everyone is saved by the grace of God, not through the practice of any system of cultic religious works. Faith is the basis of salvation for Jews and Gentiles alike. This faith is a righteousness that comes from God through the Holy Spirit, and is mediated by Christ. It is this faith that saves (Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8; Romans 3:28).


Galatians 1:1–2:10


Galatians was written to the churches of Iconium, Lystra, Pisidian Antioch, and Derbe, where Judaizers taught that salvation was not by faith in Christ alone, but also required circumcision and keeping the ceremonial and traditional laws (Excerpt from BSF notes).


The true Gospel preached by all the apostles is that we are all saved by the grace of God through Jesus and ONLY Jesus.


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* 1:6 so quickly. So soon after your conversion. one who called you. God. grace of Christ. The test of a pure, unadulterated gospel.


* 1:7 no gospel at all. Because it lacks the heart of the gospel - the good news of God's marvelous grace in Christ (see notes on Mk 1:1; 1Co 15:3). some people.


The following verses in Galatians 2 show that forcing the Gentiles to be circumcised would have undermined faith in Christ? (See also Galatians 3:3–5, 10–11; 5:1–7)


- Galatians 2:15-16 = "We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified."


- Galatians 2:21 = "I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!"


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* 2:16 A key verse in Galatians (see Introduction: Theological Teaching). Three times it tells us that no one is justified by observing the law, and three times it underscores the indispensable requirement of placing one's faith in Christ. not by observing the law. Paul is not depreciating the law itself, for he clearly maintained that God's law is "holy, righteous and good" (Ro 7:12; see note there). He is arguing against an illegitimate use of the OT law that made the observance of that law the ground of acceptance with God. justified by faith. The essence of the gospel message (see Ro 3:20, 28; Php 3:9; see also notes on Ro 3:24, 28). Faith is the means by which justification is received, not its basis. Cf. notes on Eph 2:8-9; Jas 2:14-16.


* 2:21 Christ died for nothing. To mingle legalism with grace distorts grace and makes a mockery of the cross.


http://www.gci.org/bible/gal2
Paul explains that Jews are saved by faith, not by keeping the law: “We who are Jews by birth and not „Gentile sinners‟[8] know that a man is not justified by observing the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by observing the law, because by observing the law no one will be justified (vv. 15-16). Paul's first statement about “justification” is that it does not come through the law. This negative way of introducing the term suggests that it was not Paul‟s original way of explaining the gospel. Rather, the Judaizing opponents were using the word, saying that people could be justified (or declared righteous) only by keeping the law.[11] Paul uses their terminology, but turns it around. Even those who try to keep the law cannot be justified by doing the law, because everyone fails at some point or another. We cannot claim to be righteous on our own merits — if we are going to be declared righteous, it must be on some other basis. That is why the Jewish believers, like the Gentiles, put their trust in Christ, not in themselves. The implication here is that since Jews and Gentiles are accepted by God on the same basis, for the same reason, then they ought to accept one another. Jews are not required to eat Gentile foods, but they should be willing to sit down at the same table! 


http://www.gci.org/bible/gal2
A perfect source of righteousness: We are not justified by keeping the law. Does that mean that God doesn't care whether we sin? No. Paul asks, “If, while we seek to be justified in Christ, it becomes evident that we ourselves are sinners, does that mean that Christ promotes sin? Absolutely not! (v. 17). We are justified in Christ, by being united with him, so that he shares his righteousness with us. When we trust in Christ rather than ourselves, we admit that we are sinners, and that we cannot be declared righteous on our own merits. God accepts us even though we are sinners, but his pardon should not be interpreted as permission to sin. (The Judaizers were apparently saying that Paul's gospel encouraged people to sin.) Paul's next statement is puzzling: If I rebuild what I destroyed, I prove that I am a lawbreaker (v. 18). It seems that Paul was accused of inconsistency, but it isn't clear what he is referring to. An inconsistency would prove that Paul broke the law either before or after his change. His point seems to be about sin and the law, for his next statement is: For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God (v. 19). Elsewhere, Paul explains that people die to the law through Christ (Rom. 6:3; 7:4). Christ suffered the worst penalty of the law on our behalf, and it has no further claim on us. Since we died with Christ, the law has exacted its penalty on us. But this does not mean that we are free to live however we please — rather, it means that we are to live for God. Paul will elaborate on that in the last third of his letter. Paul explains his new outlook on life: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (v. 20). Paul no longer views himself as an individual trying his best to keep the laws of God. That old approach was flawed, and it died with Christ. Paul considers all his previous merits as good as dead (see Phil. 3:7), and his life has value now only as it is empowered by Christ, only as it is in union with Christ. He was united with Christ in his crucifixion, and he is united with Christ in his resurrection. Whatever good he does, even his faith/fulness, is from Christ living in him. The reference point for Paul's life is not the law, but the fact that the Son of God loved Paul and gave himself to save not just the whole world, but for Paul himself. It became personal for Paul. Christ gave himself to save Paul, and when Paul started to believe that, he abandoned his own agenda for life and began to live for God, letting his life be directed by Christ. This emphasis on Christ does not promote sin — it promotes a radically God-centered life. Paul concludes: I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” (v. 21). There is a contrast: Either righteousness is based on the law, or it is based on grace. Either it is earned, or it is given. And Paul figures that if there was any way on earth that people could get righteousness by keeping laws, then Jesus died in vain — and that is simply unthinkable. Paul had seen proof with his own eyes that Jesus was alive, that God had given him resurrection life ahead of everyone else, which meant that he was the Messiah. And God would not let the Messiah suffer the most ignominious death unless it were absolutely necessary. The fact that God let his own Son be crucified was proof to Paul that righteousness could be attained in no other way. Salvation comes through Christ, not through the law!


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* Galatians 2:4 false brothers. Judaizers who held that Gentile converts should be circumcised and obey the law of Moses (cf. Ac 15:5, 2Co 11:26). spy on. Used in the Septuagint (the pre-Christian Greek translation of the OT) in 2Sa 10:3 and 1Ch 19:3 of spying out a territory. freedom. See 5:1, 13; Ro 6:18,20,22; 8:2. "Free" and "freedom" are key words in Galatians, occurring 11 times (here; 3:28; 4:22-23, 26, 30-31; 5:1,13)


James suggested the following solution about the Gentiles: "We should not make it hard for the Gentiles to turn to God. Instead, simply write them a letter, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood" (Acts 15:19-20).


http://www.gci.org/bible/act15
The judgment of James: After Barnabas and Paul told "about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles" (Acts 15:12), James spoke. As leader of the Jerusalem church, he had a lot of influence. Some of the Judaizers even claimed him as their authority (Gal. 2:12), but Luke tells us that James was in complete agreement with Peter and Paul. "Brothers, listen to me. Simon [Peter] has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself" (Acts 15:13-14). The fact that God has already acted was powerful evidence. James then quoted from the Greek translation of Amos to show that Scripture agreed with what was happening (vs. 15-18). He could have used other Old Testament prophecies, too, about gentiles being included among God's people. Experience and Scripture pointed to the same conclusion. "It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God" (v. 19). There is no need to require the yoke of Moses, for that would make things unnecessarily difficult for the gentile believers. James then suggested four rules: "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" (v. 20). Instead of making things difficult for the gentiles, these four rules would be enough. Obviously, gentile believers should not lie, steal and murder. They already knew that, so they did not need a special reminder about it. Why, then, these four rules? Some scholars say the Jews believed that these laws dated back to the time of Noah, and therefore applied to all nations. Others say that all four rules were associated with idolatry. Some say that these four rules were laws of Moses, and were given so gentiles and Jews could eat together. None of these suggestions is fully convincing. (See/bible/acts/decree1 for more details.) However, the decree makes it clear that gentiles do not have to be circumcised, nor do they have to obey the laws of Moses. They are circumcised spiritually, not physically. God never gave those commands to the gentiles. Moses is preached We should not make it difficult for the gentiles, James said. Instead, it will be enough to give them four rules, which they will find easy to comply with. Why give them these rules? Notice the reason that James gives: "For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath" (v. 21). James was not encouraging gentile Christians to attend the synagogues. He was not saying they should listen to the laws of Moses. No, but because those laws were commonly preached, the apostles should tell the gentiles four rules. Then they would not think that Christianity is more difficult than it is. To summarize: Some men said that gentiles should be circumcised and obey the laws of Moses or else they could not be saved. Not so, said the apostles. Gentiles are saved by grace and faith. God is pleased to dwell in people who aren't circumcised and who don't keep the rituals. But since Moses is widely preached, we need to give a decree that clearly distinguishes the Christian faith from the Law
of Moses. This pleased the entire church, so they wrote it in a letter and sent it to Antioch, where they "were glad for its encouraging message" (v. 31).


On God's authority, James preached the above, which was proven through both experience (Acts 15:13) and Scripture (Acts 15:15-18, Amos 9:11-12).


Judas (aka, Barsabbas) and Silas, along with Paul and Barnabas (Acts 15:22) delivered the letter to the Gentiles and received great outcomes:
1) The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message (Acts 15:31).
2) Judas and Silas said much to encourage and strengthen the believers (Acts 15:32).


The long-term accomplishments of the Jerusalem Council included:
1) It allowed the gentile mission to move forward and thus, the spreading of God's Word to all nations.
2) It helped transform the churches from being Jews only to include Gentiles. In the process, the churches were freed from Judaism laws.
3) It helped build unity of the church. We are ONE in Christ. There is no difference between Jews and Gentiles.


http://www.gci.org/acts/decree1
Acts 15 is the center of the book of Acts. In the story-flow of Acts, the Jerusalem council resolves crucial issues and enables the gentile mission to go forward with the approval of the Jerusalem church. The council helps portray the unity of the church and helps explain the church's transformation from being essentially Jewish toward being a predominantly gentile community freed from laws characteristic of Judaism. The apostolic decree (15:20, 29; 21:25) summarizes the results of the council: an inspired list of requirements for gentile converts. It shows how gentiles fit into the people of God.


Paul wrote about how Peter stumbled Christians by not eating with Gentiles. Peter was being a hypocrite. On one hand, he declares that Gentiles and Jews are ONE in Christ through faith. Yet, he (a Jew) differentiates himself from the Gentiles by eating with the Jews and not with the Gentiles.


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* Gal 2:11 Antioch. The leading city of Roman Syria and third leading city of the empire (after Rome and Alexandria; see map, p. 1737). From it Paul had been sent out on his missionary journeys (see Ac 13:1-3; 14:26). in the wrong. For yielding to the pressure of the circumcision party (the Judaizers), thus going against what he knew to be right.


* Gal 2:12 circumcision group. Judaizers, who believed that circumcision was necessary for salvation (cf. Ac 10:45; 11:2; Ro 4:12).


* Gal 2:13 other Jews. Jewish Christians not associated with the circumcision party but whom Peter's behavior had led astray. hypocrisy. See note on Mt 6:2.


http://www.gci.org/bible/gal2
A disagreement between Peter and Paul's next words when Peter came to Antioch: Paul introduces this topic as if the readers already knew that Peter had gone to Antioch, and that they knew what Peter had done there. Paul's opponents had probably told the story; now Paul tells his side: I opposed him to his face, because he was clearly in the wrong (1:11). Paul backs up to give the context of the story: Before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself from the Gentiles because he was afraid of those who belonged to the circumcision group (1:12). Old Testament laws did not require Jews to eat separately from Gentiles, but Jewish custom did (cf. Acts 11:3). Peter knew that this custom was not biblical, so he ignored it. However, when representatives of the Jerusalem church arrived, he changed his behavior. It was a change of behavior based on a desire to please people — the very thing Paul had been accused of (1:10). However, this separation implied that the Gentiles were second-class citizens, that they would not be fully acceptable unless they conformed to Jewish laws. Paul saw this as a violation of the gospel. If God was willing to live in these people, then the Jewish believers ought to be willing to eat with them. Other people followed Peter‟s example: The other Jews joined him in his hypocrisy, so that by their hypocrisy even Barnabas was led astray (2:13). The change in behavior was not consistent with their beliefs, and was not consistent with the gospel, so Paul spoke to them all by addressing Peter, who had set the example: When I saw that they were not acting in line with the truth of the gospel, I said to Peter in front of them all, “You are a Jew, yet you live like a Gentile and not like a Jew. How is it, then, that you force Gentiles to follow Jewish customs? (v. 14). Peter had been living like a Gentile, and he should not pretend that he didn‟t. He had been ignoring the rules that separated Jews from Gentiles, but his change in behavior implied it was wrong to be a Gentile. “Peter is in effect requiring the Gentile converts at Antioch to adopt a higher standard of Torah observance than he himself would normally follow.” Social discrimination violates the truth of the gospel. Unity in the church does not require that everyone follow the strictest opinions. God does not require Gentiles to live like Jews — and he does not require Jews to do it, either! Even the Jews are allowed to live like Gentiles, and the church should not let itself be tyrannized by overly conservative critics.


Despite being publicly rebuked, Peter supported Paul's assessment and believed that Paul wrote truthfully based on the wisdom that God gave him.


Zondervan NIV footnote:


* 2 Peter 3:15 our Lord's patience means salvation. See v. 9 and note. our dear brother Paul. Peter expresses warmth in his reference to Paul. The unity of teaching and purpose that governed their relationship, abundantly attested in Paul's letters and the book of Acts, is confirmed here by Peter.


* 2 Peter 3:16 writes the same way in all his letter. Peter may be referring in general to the exhortations to holy living in v. 11-14, which parallel many passages in Paul's writings. ignorant and unstable people. The ignorant are simply the unlearned who have not been taught basic apostolic teaching and thus may be easily led astray (cf. 2:14 and note). other Scriptures. Peter placed Paul's writings on the same level of authority as the God-breathed writings of the OT (see 1:21, 2Ti 3:16 and notes).