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Acts Part 24: The First Church Council

Acts 15:1-35 NIV

15 Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.3 The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.

5 Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”

6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? 11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

12 The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 13 When they finished, James spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. 14 Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. 15 The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

16 “‘After this I will return
    and rebuild David’s fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild,
    and I will restore it,
17 that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
    even all the Gentiles who bear my name,
says the Lord, who does these things’—
18     things known from long ago.

19 “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 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. 21 For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”

22 Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers. 23 With them they sent the following letter:

The apostles and elders, your brothers,

To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia:

Greetings.

24 We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25 So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul—26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.

Farewell.

30 So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. 31 The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. 32 Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. 33 After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them. 35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.

The Controversy: Circumcision

  1. The Lord commanded Abraham to have all males in his household (and future male descendants) circumcised as a sign of the covenant (Genesis 17:9-14).
  2. Circumcision was later established in the Law of Moses, dictating that all male children be circumcised on the eighth day (Leviticus 12:3). Anyone who was not circumcised was to be cut off from the people of Israel (Exodus 12:48).
  3. Even under the Old Covenant, circumcision of the foreskin was to be understood as a physical symbol of circumcision of the heart. “Circumcise your hearts, therefore, and do not be stiff-necked any longer” (Deuteronomy 4:16). “To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed (lit. uncircumcised) so they cannot hear. The word of the LORD is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it” (Jeremiah 6:10).
  4. Now, under the New Covenant, the Church must grapple with the issue as many uncircumcised gentiles are coming to the faith.
  5. Years after the Jerusalem council, as circumcision continued to be an issue, Paul would expound on the ruling, that circumcision was not a requirement for New Covenant believers (Romans 2:25-29; Galatians 5:16; Philippians 3:1-3; Colossians 2:11).

The Procedure: Church Governed by Word and Spirit

1 Corinthians 6:1-6 NIV

6 If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people? 2 Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! 4 Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, do you ask for a ruling from those whose way of life is scorned in the church? 5 I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? 6 But instead, one brother takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers!

  1. Spirit: The experience of the Holy Spirit’s work among the Gentiles is presented by Paul and Barnabas as evidence that they do not need circumcision in order to be saved. In the early church, as it is today, we can expect God to confirm His Word by the working of signs, wonders and miracles performed in Jesus’ name (Mark 16:15-20).
  2. Word: The inclusion of the Gentiles is confirmed in Scriptures Amos 9:11-12, as quoted by the apostle James. Our spiritual experiences must be tested by the Scriptures, for God will not give signs to confirm a message that (a) contradicts previous revelation, or (b) gives license to sin (1 Corinthians 12:1-3; 1 John 4:1-3). The Bible remains the surest guide to guard us from error and lead us to truth (Isaiah 8:20; Acts 20:32).
  3. Biblical Leadership: The “apostles and elders” bore the spiritual authority to rule on the matter of circumcision. It remains true today that there is power power and authority wherever a church operates under biblical leadership and parameters (Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Timothy 3:15).

The Ruling: Rejoicing in Christ and Unity in the Church

  1. The ruling was received with joy because the truth prevailed and it meant the Gentiles could live by the Spirit and not try to serve God in the flesh (Galatians 5:16-22).
  2. There was unity between the believers, the elders and the churches in Jerusalem and in Antioch (Psalm 133).