Acts 15

CHAPTER 15THEME: The council at JerusalemNow that the first missionary journey of Paul and Barnabas has been completed and the churches which they established in the Galatian country are 100 percent Gentile, the church faces its first great crisis. In Judea many of the Hebrew converts are Pharisees who have no intention of giving up the Mosaic system. They assert that the Gentiles must also come into the church through the Mosaic system. In fact, they believe that Gentiles are not saved until they are circumcised. The news of this contention reaches the church in Jerusalem. The apostles must now face up to the question. What course is the church to take? So in Jerusalem the first church council convenes to resolve the matter. Down through history you will find that there have been other church councils that have decided other great issues, such as the validity and the inerrancy of the Scriptures. Another council decided upon the deity of Christ and the fact that He is both God and man. And there have been other important councils when differences arose in the church. Some folk may think that we need a council in our day. We certainly do. However, I am afraid there could never been an agreement because too many churches are far removed from the person of Christ.

A council that cannot meet around the person of Christ is not actually a church council because the Lord Jesus Christ is the very center of the church. The issue is not one of ritual, or of membership, or of ceremony. The central issue is that of one’s personal relationship to Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, people who are personally far removed from Christ and who do not experience fellowship with Him want to argue about ritual. Oh, they may carry a big Bible under their arm, go to church on Sunday and sing the hymns lustily, but on Monday the Lord Jesus is far removed from them. Friend, the Lord Jesus should occupy the very center of our lives. We should think of Him constantly. We should not see a sunset without thinking of the One who made it. He should be brought into our daily living, into all situations of life, our tensions and our anxieties. Now let’s turn our attention to this council at Jerusalem. An outstanding group has come together here. These men have convened in order to consider this great issue: law versus grace, or law versus liberty.

Acts 15:1

THE QUESTION OF CIRCUMCISIONHere is the crux of the issue. It is not simply a question of whether one should be circumcised or not, whether one should eat meat or not. The question is: Must one do any of these things in order to be saved? Now we will move on and penetrate a little deeper into their problem.

Acts 15:2

Again I call attention to Dr. Luke’s use of the diminutive. “No small dissension” really means they had a regular donnybrook! It was a heated debate. We need to realize here that it is really the gospel which is under question at this council. The Epistle to the Galatians gives us a full explanation of the council. The gospel is used in two senses in the New Testament. First of all, there are the facts of the gospel. These are absolutely basic and essential. Paul gives those facts in the first five verses of 1 Corinthians 15. It is the death, the burial, and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: and that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve.” These are the facts of the gospel, and they concern the person of Christ.

I move on down to 1Co_15:15-17: “Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.” Face up to it, my friend; if Christ is not raised from the dead, then there is no gospel at all. But thanks be to God, “…Now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept” (1Co_15:20). The facts of the gospel are the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. The second sense of the gospel is the interpretation of the facts. It is this interpretation which is the basic truth in the Epistle to the Galatians. That is the crux of the whole matter at this first council at Jerusalem. Thus the gospel also hinges on this fact which Paul states in Gal_3:22: “But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.” What must one do to be saved? Nothing more nor less than believe. Again in Gal_2:15-16: “We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” That is important to see. The Judaizers of that day were different from the liberals of today. The liberal will actually deny the facts of the gospel. He will deny the physical resurrection of Christ. Some go so far as to say that Jesus Christ is just a myth, that He never lived or died. Most of them do not try to upset history quite to that extent. However, they deny that Jesus died for our sins. In the first century the Judaizers did not deny the facts of the gospelthere simply were too many witnesses. Paul says that over five hundred people saw the risen Christ at one time. My friend, if you get five hundred witnesses into any law court, you will win your case! Also the apostles were witnesses to the risen Christ. They were there to testify to it. The facts of the gospel were not under question by the Judaizers. The contention arose over the interpretation of those facts. What did Christ do for you on the Cross? Is the work of Christ adequate to save you? Do you need to go through some ritual or something else in order to be saved? Must you go through the Law? These are the questions they were asking. Now let’s return to Acts 15 and go with Paul and Barnabas up to Jerusalem.

Acts 15:3

Paul and Barnabas give a report to the church in Jerusalem just as they had done to the church in Antioch. They tell them, “We have preached the gospel, and men and women over in the Galatian country have trusted Christ. They know nothing about Mosaic Law. They trusted Christ and were saved.”

Acts 15:5

They wanted to add something to the gospel. Friend, whenever you add something to the gospel, you no longer have the gospel but you have a religion. You no longer have the gospel of Jesus Christ. The only approach that you can make to Jesus Christ is by faith. We must all come to Him by faith. He won’t let us come any other way.

Jesus said, “…I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (Joh_14:6). He’s bottled the whole world into this. There is only one question God asks the lost world: “What do you do with My Son who died for you?” God doesn’t give us some little Sunday school lesson by saying, “I want you to be a good boy. I want you to join a church. I want you go to through this and that ritual.” That kind of teaching is only for an insipid religion. It does not come from God.

God is saying, “My Son died for you. What will you do with Him?” The answer to that question will determine your eternal destiny. This is the issue being discussed at the council in Jerusalem. This is really exciting.

Acts 15:7

THE DECISION OF THE COUNCILThe apostles and elders had come together to argue this thing out. The disputes were hot and heavy. A decision must be made, and Simon Peter is the first one to express his decision. I don’t think that this is the first time Peter spoke. If he had been quiet through all that time of disputing, it certainly would not have been consistent with his character. No, I’m of the opinion that he had already put in his two bits worth before this. But now he is going to sum up the whole thing. This is not a new decision for Peter. Peter had already declared this same thing at the time of the conversion of Cornelius. Remember that Peter himself had been shocked by the truth of it. He was told to go into the home of a Gentile and preach the gospel without the Law. The people were uncircumcised, they didn’t follow the Mosaic system, they ate porkand yet they were saved! The council would listen to Simon Peter because he was narrow-mindedI don’t say this in an ugly wayI mean that he was a Jew of the Jews. He himself said he had never eaten anything unclean, and he wouldn’t have thought of entering the home of a Gentile. He stuck as close to the Mosaic system as any man could. So if Peter spoke up, they would listen. Now he testifies that the Gentiles had heard the gospel from his mouth and had believed. You mean they were actually saved? Yes, they were saved by grace. Peter himself had to learn that salvation is not decided by whether one eats meat or doesn’t eat meat, whether one eats pork or doesn’t eat pork. Salvation is not dependent on our observation of the Sabbath, or Sunday, or any other day. Salvation is by grace through faith. We are free to choose what we wish to do about these other things. We have freedom in that connection.

Acts 15:8

Does Peter say that God purified their hearts by keeping the law? No! By going through a ceremony? No! By joining a church? No! By faith. Peter said, “I went into the home of Cornelius. I gave them the facts of the gospel. They believed and were savedthe Holy Ghost came upon them just as He had come to us in Jerusalem.” My friend, this is always the only way of salvation. It is by faith. You don’t have to do anything to merit your salvation. Jesus Christ did it all for you nineteen hundred years ago. All God asks you to do is to accept His Son who died for you.

Acts 15:10

Simon Peter makes a tremendous admission here. He says that neither they nor their fathers kept the Law. I have said this many times before, and I will say it many, many times more: God has never saved anybody through the keeping of the Law. Do you know why? There has never been a person who has kept it. God saves on one basis and one basis only: faith in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Before the time of Christ, men brought a sacrifice to God. They brought that sacrifice by faith. Abel understood that the little lamb could never take away sin. He understood that the little lamb pointed to the One about whom God had told his mother. He had said that the Seed of the woman would come and would bruise the head of the serpent (Gen_3:15). Abel believed that. He believed God. He was saved by faith. So Simon Peter says, “To tell the truthwhy don’t we admit itwe can’t keep the Law.” You see, there is nothing more hypocritical than to pretend that you are living life on a high spiritual plane, that you are living by the Sermon on the Mount and you are keeping God’s Law. There is no use pretending. I wish I could look you in the eye and ask you, “Why don’t you admit that you are a lost sinner? Why don’t you confess that you do not please God, that you have no capacity for Him? Why don’t you come to God as a sinner and trust Christ as your Savior?” He will receive you! “…Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out” (Joh_6:37). That is the way I came to the Lord. Everybody I have ever met who has been saved has come to Him in that way. Saul of Tarsus came like that. The Ethiopian eunuch came like that. All who have come to Christ have come like that.

Acts 15:11

Simon Peter puts it so nicely. The Jews must be saved in exactly the same way that the Gentiles are saved. I’m pretty sure that Simon Peter still didn’t eat pork at this time, but he implies, “I’m not saved because I don’t eat pork; I’m saved because I have trusted Christ.” He is saved by the grace of God.

Acts 15:12

What a story they had to tell! I wish I could have sat in on the council of Jerusalem. Especially I wish I could have heard these two men tell their experiences in the Galatian country. The next man to get up to speak will be James. I want to stop here for a moment to explain that this was not James, the brother of John, as he had already died a martyr’s death (Act_12:2). There is some question as to who this James was. We know that he became the leader of the church in Jerusalem. He has already been mentioned as a leader by Peter in Act_12:17. This may have been James, the son of Alphaeus, one of the twelve (Mat_10:3). However, the tradition of the church from the early church fathers has identified this man as James, the half brother of our Lord (Mat_13:55), the same one who wrote the Epistle of James. I should stop here to make another remark. I believe that the proper way to study the Book of Acts is to study it along with the Epistles. For example, we have already mentioned the Epistle to the Galatians, and during the study of Acts 13 and 14 would be a good time to read that Epistle. At this point in Acts 15 it would be appropriate to study the Epistle of James. James is going to sum up the thinking of this council at Jerusalem, and He will put down God’s program for the future. We need to remember that these men stood with their noses pressed right up to the window of the opening of a new dispensation. The church had been brought into existence at Penetcost; it was still very new, in its infancy. Some people still do not understand that we live in the age of grace, the period of the church. So let us not be too critical of these men who stood on the threshold of this new age.

Acts 15:13

I take it that after Simon Peter spoke and after Paul and Barnabas gave their report, there was silence because no one had anything to say. Even the Judaizers were silenced by the reports of what had taken place. When James speaks to the crowd on that day, he asks them to “hearken,” that is, to really listen. What he has to say is very important. So he means that you and I should listen to him, too. Probably all of us should spend more time listening to God and less time doing the talking. Well, now let’s listen.

Acts 15:14

James completely agrees with Peter. They state the plan of God for today. Is God saving the whole world? No. Is God bringing in His Kingdom? No. Then what is God doing today? He is visiting the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. We learn in Revelation that standing before the throne of God there will be those of every tribe and tongue and people and nation. The Word of God is to go out into the world. There will be opposition to it and there will be apostasy, but the Word of God is to go out to all the world because God is calling out a people for His name. This is why I am so anxious to get out the Word of God. Right now there are people of every color, every clime, every condition, every race, and practically every nation who hear Bible teaching by radio. We broadcast on stations that pretty well circle the globe. Thank God we can use this means to get out the Word of God. What does God do with that Word? He is calling out a people for His name.

Not everyone who hears believes the Word. Not everyone accepts the good news of Jesus Christ. But of those who hear, God calls out a people for His name. Underline verse Act_15:14 in your BibleI have it circled in mine. God is visiting the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. I am so thankful that He has given me the opportunity to tell people about salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ and to teach them the Word of God.

Acts 15:15

Do you think this new age is contrary to the teaching of the Old Testament? Well, it is not. The words of the prophets agree to this. Now James begins to quote a prophet (see Amo_9:11-12). “After this,” which in the prophet is “in that day.” What does it mean? After what? After God has called out a people for His name. God today is calling out individuals for His name. They become a part of the church, the body of believers. The day is coming when God will remove His church from this worldthis we call the Rapture. It is the next event on the agenda of God. After thisafter His church has left the earth

Acts 15:16

The tabernacle of David is fallen downthere’s no doubt about that. There is no one around from the line of David. The only One who has that claim is sitting at the right hand of God at this very moment. But God is going to build it again. He is going to send Jesus back. God says to His Son: “But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?” (Heb_1:13). God is bringing all the enemies of Christ to be put under His feet. The rebellioun is going to be over one of these days. Until the day when He sends Jesus back, the Spirit of God is saying, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him” (Psa_2:12). The program of God is clearly outlined. He is calling a people out of the world now. His second step with the world will be to build again the line of David. That is, he will reestablish the Davidic rule over Israel.

Acts 15:17

Today he is calling a people out of the Gentiles. However, in that day there will be a great turning to God. This will be after the church has left this world. These are the ones who will enter the Kingdom. The “residue of men might seek after the Lord” and “all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called” will turn to the Lord. This, then, will be the third step in God’s program.

Acts 15:18

James has been doing the summing up. He understands that there is a definite program which God is following. Now James is ready to hand down his decision, and it is a very important decision.

Acts 15:19

The decision is that Gentiles who have turned to God are not to be put under the Mosaic system. However, they are going to ask the Gentiles to do certain things out of courtesy. They will ask them to abstain from pollutions of idols. The reason this is so specifically mentioned will come up again in 1 Corinthians in the section about eating meat. The situation was that the gentile world of that day worshiped idols, and in a city like Corinth, for example, the people would take their best animals and offer them to their pagan gods. They were very clever about this.

They would take the animal in and make an offering of it, and the gods, which were “spiritual,” ate the “spiritual” animal. Then the people would take the meat and sell it in the meat markets at the heathen temples. That was the place to buy the best steaks in that daythe filet mignon and the porterhouse and New York cuts. The Gentiles were not offended by this. They had always bought their meat at these markets, and it was not a matter of conscience for them. However, for the Israelite Christian this would be very offensive. They had been brought up and trained not to eat anything that had been offered to an idol. So the thought here is that the Gentile who invites a Jewish brother over for dinner should not offend him by serving him something that had been offered to idols. So this request was not a matter of putting the Gentiles under Mosaic Law. It was a request that they should not do something which would be very offensive to their Jewish brothers. They were also requested to abstain from fornication. Again, we need to understand the background to see why this is specifically mentioned. Adultery was so common among the Gentiles in that day that the conscience had been dulled. In fact, adultery was actually part of the religious rite. The Gentiles who had become Christians were to “abstain from fornication.” In America we are going back to paganism today. Folk talk about a new morality. Friend, what they call new morality is old paganism. Our ancestors came out of the forest half naked, eating raw meat, and indulging in gross immorality. There is nothing new about the “new” morality! Also, the Jerusalem council asked the gentile Christians to abstain from things strangled and from blood, which would be very offensive to their Jewish brothers. This again was a matter of courtesy.

Acts 15:21

I think we should review what James has said. He fits the church into the program of the prophets although the church is not a subject of prophecy. God is taking out of the Gentiles a people for His name today. Then the program of the prophets will follow.

1. “After this” means after the church is taken out of the world. “I will return” (v. Act_15:16) is the second coming of Christ described in Revelation 19.
2. He “will build again the ruins” of the house of David that today has fallen down (v. Act_15:16).
3. When Christ returns, there will be a way for the remainder of men to “seek after the Lord” (v. Act_15:17).
4. Then all the Gentiles will be in the Kingdom “in that day” (Amo_9:11). The important contrast is between “out of them (Gentiles)” (v. Act_15:14) and “all the Gentiles” (v. Act_15:17).

Acts 15:22

THE DECISION OF THE COUNCIL IS ANNOUNCEDThere are some new men mentioned here. Silas will be the partner of Paul on the next journey. Notice the love that is demonstrated in this letter. They wrote to the Gentiles who had turned to God and they called them “the brethren which are of the Gentiles.”

Acts 15:24

These people who had gone out, the Judaizers, had no authority from the church in Jerusalem. In fact, we can say that anyone who tries to put a believer under the law today is not doing it on the authority of the Word of God.

Acts 15:25

Isn’t this a lovely expression?

Acts 15:26

The church sends out men who have been tested, men who have hazarded their lives. Friend, how much have you suffered for Him? What has it cost you? Have you paid a price in order to get out the Word of God?

Acts 15:27

You can see that if they had sent only Barnabas and Paul the people might have said, “Well, of course, these two men would bring back that kind of a report.” So they send along Judas and Silas in order to confirm the fact that this was the decision of the council.

Acts 15:28

“It seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us"the Holy Spirit was guiding and directing them in this decision.

Acts 15:29

That is the report. That is all they have to say to them. Gentile believers are not required to meet any of the demands of the Mosaic system, but they are to exercise courtesy to those who doespecially in the area of meats offered to idols, and of course they are not to commit fornication.

Acts 15:30

There is consolation and comfort in the gospel; there is nothing but condemnation in the Law. The Law condemns. The Law is a mirror. When I look in it, I say, “Oh, McGee, you are ugly! You have fallen short of the glory of God.” But the gospel says, “Come on to God. He wants to receive you. He will save you by His grace.” It is a comfort, you see.

Acts 15:32

It is evident that Paul and Silas got along well together. Silas must have liked Paul and enjoyed working with him. So he stayed there at the church in Antioch. He must have been excited about working with these gentile believers. At any rate, he stayed.

Acts 15:35

Paul and Barnabas were actually the pastors of the church there.

Acts 15:36

PLANS FOR A SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEYPaul had a concern for the churches, a genuine concern for the believers. Knowing how fickle the Galatians were, he thought it would be a good idea to go back again and to visit those churches.

Acts 15:37

We know Barnabas as a very generous, gracious fellow. He is eager to give John Mark another chance. But I want to note that when he has made up his mind, he is hardheaded. Remember that both these men were human. Paul and Barnabas each took a stand and would not budge.

Acts 15:38

Paul had his convictions also. Barnabas wants to take John Mark along, and Paul will not do it. Well, I’m glad these two brethren had this little altercation because it teaches me that these men were human and that even the saints can disagree without being disagreeable. They didn’t break up anything. They did not split the church and form two different churches in Antioch. They just disagreed. It’s all right to disagree with some of the brethren.

Acts 15:39

The account does not follow Barnabas any longer. He went to Cyprus and there he had a great ministry. Barnabas had come from Cyprus; it was his home. He had a desire to take the gospel to his own people. We know from tradition that he had a great ministry there, and from Cyprus a great ministry was carried on in North Africa. At this point Barnabas sails off the pages of the Scriptures. The Bible does not give us information about his ministry. From here on we are going to follow Paul.

Acts 15:40

The church now has two great mission projects where before they had only one. Barnabas is going in one direction and Paul is going another. This is God’s method. God will use both these men. Paul now has Silas with him, and the brethren recommended them “unto the grace of God.”