Acts 15:1 says. And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. The question of the need to be circumcised to be saved was raised. Certain men came down from Judea teaching that unless you are circumcised you cannot be saved. They were attempting to add requirements to the gospel. Some Christians today teach other requirements, such as baptism, sometimes more than once, as a requirement for salvation. Some teach that you have to meet certain requirements, like belonging to a certain church to be saved, and that the church controls your salvation. If you don't follow their dictates, they will remove you from the church and you will lose your salvation. There is no other requirement for salvation. It comes through belief in what Christ did on the cross and nothing more. Verse two adds, When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question. As Paul and Barnabas disputed with them, it was determined they should go to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders about the question. Verse three continues, And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren. As they were brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles. They did not stop preaching the truth along the way. Paul and Barnabas’s news of the salvation of the Gentiles caused great joy unto all the brethren. That God has included all should always bring great joy to all Christians, but it doesn't always. Verse four states, And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them. When they got to Jerusalem and were received by the church, they told them all that God had done with them. Verse five adds, But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses. That God had blessed their work should have been enough, but there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees that believed that they must be circumcised according to the law of Moses. First, it wasn't the law of Moses, but the law of God given through Moses. Second, if that law could bring salvation, then Christ would not have had to come. We either accept the grace of God through Christ or we attempt to add our own requirements for salvation. Verse six continues, And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter. The apostles and elders in Jerusalem got together to consider the matter of the gospel being preached to the Gentiles. It shouldn’t be necessary, but still if there is a question relating to salvation, church leaders should at least be willing to get together and discuss it.
Acts 15: 7 says, And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. While they were disputing, Peter stood up and told them that God had revealed to him that the gospel should be preached to the Gentiles. In any church dispute, we need to look to what God says, and that should settle it. Verse eight adds, And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us; There was a lot of discussion about the need for new Gentile believers to be circumcised. This was really a question of the Pharisees trying to place restrictions on the gospel. They were saying simple faith in Christ was not enough. We today may attempt to put restrictions on new believers, feeling that they must take certain additional actions to truly be saved. Verse nine continues, And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Peter declared that there was no difference between the Jewish Christian and the Gentile Christian. Both were saved through faith in Christ and filled with the Holy Spirit. We may not all look the same or worship the same, but as Christians we are all saved the same way, and that is through faith in Christ alone, with no other requirements. Verse ten states, Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? Peter asked them why they were tempting God by putting an unnecessary yoke on the Gentiles, since neither they nor their fathers were able to live up to it. Verse eleven adds, But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they. Peter said that by the grace of God, all could be saved. This is still true and always will be. God does not save just a certain group of people and exclude other groups. Verse twelve continues, Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them. At least the crowd got silent to listen to Paul and Barnabas. Then, Paul and Barnabas gave testimony of God's work with the Gentiles. They were just as much a part of God's Kingdom as any saved Jew. Why do we attempt to add our own requirements to the gospel? I think for the Pharisees it was an attempt to feel superior to the Gentiles. They had always felt that way and were not going to give up that feeling easily. They were saying that even if Christ had redeemed the Gentiles through His grace, to be fully accepted the Gentiles had to obey earthly rituals. Though circumcision had always been an identifying mark of God's people, the new identifier was the cross and Christ's death there for all sinners. Nothing needed to be added to salvation that was given freely on that cross.
Acts 15:13 says, And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me: We see first that James offered a solution to the problem of Gentiles not being circumcised. Verse fourteen adds, Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. He reminded them that God first visited the Gentiles, to take out from them a people for His name. The Jews had at one time been Gentiles, until God called them aside to be His people. We all at one time were but a sinner until we accepted Jesus Christ as our personal Savior and Lord, and then we became a sinner saved by grace. As Christians, we are no better than any other sinner except by the grace of God. Verse fifteen continues, And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written, James said the prophets agreed with this. God has always known that Jesus would have to come and die for the sins of mankind, being the only One qualified to do so. Verse sixteen states, After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up: In reference to the temple being destroyed and rebuilt, this was a reference to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus and not to the actual temple, as we all know. Verse seventeen adds, That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things. Because of Jesus’s sacrifice, the residue of men, including Gentiles, might seek after the Lord. The nation of Israel was not some group created superior to other people. As already stated, they were Gentiles themselves until God set them apart, and circumcision was a way they were identified as His people. Now, the cross and the Holy Spirit identified people as His followers. Verse eighteen continues, Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world. Also as already stated, God knew from the beginning that the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ would be necessary for the redemption of all people. Verse nineteen says, Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: So, James proposed to not trouble the Gentiles that had turned to God with the requirement to be circumcised as long as they had accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. Verse twenty adds, But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. After he had said not to trouble them, James added requirements for them to follow based on Jewish law. They were to abstain from pollutions to idols, from fornication, from things strangled, and from blood. Why these particular things were chosen it doesn't say, but they were adding back in elements of the Law with faith in Jesus Christ. What would have been more accurate to write would have been to follow the Holy Spirit as He guided their lives. We cannot add requirements to the gospel. Verse twenty-one continues, For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day. He said that from the time of Moses nthe Law had been read in the synagogues. This would seem to rely on tradition more than salvation.
Acts 15: 22 says, Then pleased it the apostles and elders with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas and Silas, chief men among the brethren: We are told that the apostles and elders and the whole church were pleased with what James had proposed. We could say the church was in one accord again. When that is the case so much more can be accomplished. Verse twenty-three adds, And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia. They felt the need to send brethren of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They were spending a letter to the churches of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia. Verse twenty-four continues, Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment: They not only accepted what James had proposed, but they went out of their way to correct the error started by Pharisees that had gone out from them. They didn't just rely on Paul and Barnabas to relay the world but sent their own representatives and letters. If we have a controversy in the church, we must do everything we can to correct it. We must leave no room for misunderstanding. The first thing the leaders of the church at Jerusalem did was state that they had not said people must be circumcised to be saved. Verse twenty-five states, It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, They then stated that the church of one accord decided to send their own chosen men with Paul and Barnabas. Verse twenty-six adds, Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. They also spoke of others who like Paul and Barnabas had risked their lives for the gospel. We should be willing to do the same thing today. Verse twenty-seven continues, We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth The church at Jerusalem decided to send two men with Paul and Barnabas on their journey. They may have wanted to show support for them or they might have wanted to make sure they didn’t change what had been agreed on. Verse twenty-eight says, For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things Then, they said that it seemed good to them and the Holy Ghost to lay no greater burden on them. Now, that is where I believe they should have stopped. We should allow the Holy Spirit to guide each individual Christian without our setting up check lists for them to go by. Verse twenty-nine adds, That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well. There are no other requirements for salvation but to accept what Christ did on the cross. Still, they said the Gentiles should refrain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from fornication. The way it was stated, it made it appear that this was the teaching of the Holy Spirit, but I believe they were just adding that for emphasis. We need to be careful that we don't credit God with being the source of all our personal beliefs that contradict the gospel. Verse thirty continues, So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch: and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle: The result was Jews and Gentiles both being accepted by each other, and they rejoiced in conciliation. If we as Christians have a disagreement, may we work as hard to resolve it as these early Christians did. Verse thirty-one concludes, Which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation. When the people read the letter, they rejoiced in consolation. If we have disputes with other Christians, we need to settle them under the leadership of the Holy Spirit, and then rejoice in our consolation.
Acts 15:32 says. And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them. Like Paul and Barnabas, Silas and Judas completed their trip to the churches to encourage them and clarify the question of circumcision, and then it was time to continue spreading the gospel. Verse thirty-three adds, And after they had tarried there a space, they were let go in peace from the brethren unto the apostles. Silas and Judas had stayed there many days exhorting them with many words and confirming them. The church let them go in peace to return to the apostles. Verse thirty-four continues, Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide there still. Verse thirty-five says, Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also. Paul and Barnabas, with Silas also, stayed in Antioch for a while, preaching and teaching. Wherever we are, we should be sharing the gospel and encouraging other Christians. Verse thirty-six adds, And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do. Paul proposed that he and Barnabas go to every city where they had preached and see how the Christians there were doing. We should always be concerned about new Christians and check on how they are doing and not just get them to accept them Jesus Christ and then forget them. Verse thirty-seven continues, And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. Barnabas wanted to take Mark with them, but as we will see, Paul did not. Even great men of God don’t always agree with one another. Verse thirty-eight says, But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them in Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. Paul and Barnabas had a disagreement about John Mark going with them. Paul did not want him to go, since he had left them before, and Barnabas wanted to him to go with them. Verse thirty-nine adds, And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus. The contention between them was so sharp, they split from one another. Two missionaries, who could not agree about a fellow believer, were going on separately. Barnabas took John Mark and went to Cyprus. Verse forty continues, And Paul chose Silas, and
