The Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15)

[Fidei Defensor]

The Council of Jerusalem was significant moment in Church History. At this council the Church had to decide what constitutes salvation, does a Gentile have to follow Law before accepting the Lord Jesus, and what Jewish rites would be imposed on the Gentile Christians. 

Here is the entire Council in the Holy Bible: 

The Council at Jerusalem

15 While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the believers^[a]: “Unless you are circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.” ² Paul and Barnabas disagreed with them, arguing vehemently. Finally, the church decided to send Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem, accompanied by some local believers, to talk to the apostles and elders about this question. ³ The church sent the delegates to Jerusalem, and they stopped along the way in Phoenicia and Samaria to visit the believers. They told them—much to everyone’s joy—that the Gentiles, too, were being converted.

⁴ When they arrived in Jerusalem, Barnabas and Paul were welcomed by the whole church, including the apostles and elders. They reported everything God had done through them. ⁵ But then some of the believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up and insisted, “The Gentile converts must be circumcised and required to follow the law of Moses.”

⁶ So the apostles and elders met together to resolve this issue. ⁷ At the meeting, after a long discussion, Peter stood and addressed them as follows: “Brothers, you all know that God chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they could hear the Good News and believe. ⁸ God knows people’s hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. ⁹ He made no distinction between us and them, for he cleansed their hearts through faith. ¹⁰ So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers^[b] with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? ¹¹ We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.”

¹² Everyone listened quietly as Barnabas and Paul told about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.

¹³ When they had finished, James stood and said, “Brothers, listen to me. ¹⁴ Peter^[c] has told you about the time God first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people for himself. ¹⁵ And this conversion of Gentiles is exactly what the prophets predicted. As it is written:

¹⁶ ‘Afterward I will return
    and restore the fallen house^[d] of David.
I will rebuild its ruins
    and restore it,
¹⁷ so that the rest of humanity might seek the Lord,
    including the Gentiles—
    all those I have called to be mine.
The Lord has spoken—
¹⁸     he who made these things known so long ago.’^[e]

¹⁹ “And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. ²⁰ Instead, we should write and tell them to abstain from eating food offered to idols, from sexual immorality, from eating the meat of strangled animals, and from consuming blood. ²¹ For these laws of Moses have been preached in Jewish synagogues in every city on every Sabbath for many generations.”

The Letter for Gentile Believers

²² Then the apostles and elders together with the whole church in Jerusalem chose delegates, and they sent them to Antioch of Syria with Paul and Barnabas to report on this decision. The men chosen were two of the church leaders^[f]—Judas (also called Barsabbas) and Silas. ²³ This is the letter they took with them:

“This letter is from the apostles and elders, your brothers in Jerusalem. It is written to the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. Greetings!

²⁴ “We understand that some men from here have troubled you and upset you with their teaching, but we did not send them! ²⁵ So we decided, having come to complete agreement, to send you official representatives, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, ²⁶ who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁷ We are sending Judas and Silas to confirm what we have decided concerning your question.

²⁸ “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay no greater burden on you than these few requirements: ²⁹ You must abstain from eating food offered to idols, from consuming blood or the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. If you do this, you will do well. Farewell.”

³⁰ The messengers went at once to Antioch, where they called a general meeting of the believers and delivered the letter. ³¹ And there was great joy throughout the church that day as they read this encouraging message.

³² Then Judas and Silas, both being prophets, spoke at length to the believers, encouraging and strengthening their faith. ³³ They stayed for a while, and then the believers sent them back to the church in Jerusalem with a blessing of peace.^{[g] 35} Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch. They and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord there.

This topic is to discuss the decisions of this council. Was the Apostle James right to impose anything on the Gentiles? What of Peter's confession? How does the deliberations of this council effect the Church today? 

Edited September 25, 2017 by Fidei Defensor

[FresnoJoe]

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. John 5:24

[ShinyGospelShoes]

Let's take a look:

Acts 15:1  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.

This was the main contention (and it followed Paul everywhere, and he wrote on it in many places; Romans 2:25-29, 3:30, 4:9-12, 15:8; 1 Corinthians 7:18-19; Galatians 2:3,7-12, 5:6,11-12, 6:12-15; Ephesians 2:11; Philippians 3:3; Colossians 2:11, 3:11, 4:11; Titus 1:10):

Should Gentiles, who have repented unto God ("conversion" (vs 3), "hear the word of the gospel, and believe" (vs 7), "[God] purifying their hearts by faith" (vs 9), "miracles and wonders God had wrought among [them]" (vs 12), "are turned to God" (vs 19)), receive physical circumcision and become as the "Jews", and thus enter into all of the 'ritual' "law of Moses" (vs 1,5) which physical circumcision signified?

There were many of the 'circumcision' that believed on Christ Jesus after the resurrection.  There were even Pharisees which which believed.  It was these last that were presently causing the disputations.

Acts 2:5  And there were dwelling at Jerusalem Jews, devout men, out of every nation under heaven.

Acts 10:45  And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 11:2  And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him,

Acts 15:5  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.

Therefore, we are dealing with an incorrect (though it might have begun logically so) teaching' ["taught the brethren" (vs 1)] from those at the original center of influence, "Jerusalem".  As such, there arose disputation between "Paul and Barnabus" and those "Pharisees which believed" and a decision was reached to take the matter before the "apostles and elders" at "Jerusalem":

Acts 15:2  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.

(Taking a pause here.)

Edited August 12, 2018 by ShinyGospelShoes
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[Fidei Defensor]

The Council of Jerusalem was the definitive decision on soteriology: “7 At the meeting, after a long discussion, Peter stood and addressed them as follows: “Brothers, you all know that God chose me from among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they could hear the Good News and believe. 8 God knows people’s hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. 9 He made no distinction between us and them, for he cleansed their hearts through faith. 10 So why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers[b] with a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? 11 We believe that we are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.” (Acts 15:7-11). Which is Paul and Barnabas’s case in Ephesians 2:8-9, Phillipians 3:9, Romans 10:9-10 and Jesus own red letter words John 6:40, John 3:16, and John 10:27-28.  

[ShinyGospelShoes]

In consequence of the disputation over the matter which was raised by believing (in Christ) Pharisees, of circumcision and the ritual law of Moses among the Gentiles who were believing, a Council was held in Jerusalem.  This was nothing new, but simply a separate kind of Christian 'sanhedrin' made up of the Apostles and elders, along with other members being present.

Acts 15:5  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.

Acts 15:6  And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.

Various reasons were put forth among the varied believers, but Peter (who is not in charge of the meeting at all), takes the opportunity, to recount how the Gentiles had been saved, believed and received the Gospel and the Holy Ghost in Acts 10-11:

Acts 15:7  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.

Acts 15:8  And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;

Acts 15:9  And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

Acts 15:10  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?

Acts 15:11  But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

Peter's account from Acts 10-11, was listened to, as it showed how God chose to deliver the Gentiles, and God confirmed it with signs and wonders, a vision, and even an angel and several witnesses who were with Peter at the time.  The Gentiles, therein, received the Gospel, without being physically circumcised first, or entering into the ritual law of Moses.  Then followed Paul and Barnabus' testimony in their work among the Gentiles (Acts 9:3-31, 11:22-30,12:20-25):

Acts 15:12  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.

And afterward, the head of the Council, James, made his case from Scripture, and Prophecy (Amos 9:11-12), confirming the testimony of Peter and the events therein:

Acts 15:13  And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me:

Acts 15:14  Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.

Acts 15:15  And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,

Acts 15:16  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:

Acts 15:17  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.

Acts 15:18  Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.

This is being cited from Amos 9:11-12:

Amo 9:11  In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old:

Amo 9:12  That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the LORD that doeth this.

And from these events, signs, experiences, witnesses and all confirmed by the word of God, James gives his conclusion:

Acts 15:19  Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:

[Fidei Defensor]

I don’t agree that this decision at Council of Jerusalem was for Gentiles only but for Jews to: 

Acts 15:10  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?

Acts 15:11  But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

Clearly Peter emphasizes that the law is a yoke neither their forefathers or the disicples (who were all Jews) could bear (Acts 15:10) hence why Jesus says of the Pharisees, 

“They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden,” (Matthew 23:4$ and Jesus makes it clear He is the easy yoke, 

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:29-30)

The Apostle makes it clear that gospel of grace is for Jew and Gentiles, 

“But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God..” (1 Corinthians 1:23-24).

Jews must believe in Jesus and His grace and have faith in Him: 

“12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts.16 But when one[a] turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord[b] is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,[c] are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.[d] For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:12-18)

“Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. 3 I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses. 4 For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace.” (Galatians 5:2-4) 

 

Jew and Gentile must trust in and confess Jesus as Lord God and Son of God (Romans 10:9-10, 1 John 4:15). 

 

[Michael37]

On ‎9‎/‎26‎/‎2017 at 8:54 AM, Fidei Defensor said:

This topic is to discuss the decisions of this council. Was the Apostle James right to impose anything on the Gentiles? What of Peter's confession? How does the deliberations of this council effect the Church today? 

My resource puts the writing of this passage after the Council of Jerusalem. 

1Co 9:19-23
(19)  For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.
(20)  And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;
(21)  To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
(22)  To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
(23)  And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.

Given the contention between the Judaizers and Paul, who eventually abandoned his practise of evangelising in the synagogues, I believe the Council was timely and fair in its deliberation. Paul was a pragmatist in the way he thought it best for Timothy who was born to and raised by a Jewish mother to be circumcised so that together they could evangelise unbelieving Jews, but refused to allow Titus to be circumcised as both his parents were Greek.  

Act 18:1-8
(1)  After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth;
(2)  And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them.
(3)  And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.
(4)  And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.
(5)  And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.
(6)  And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.
(7)  And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue.
(8)  And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.

[Fidei Defensor]

11 hours ago, Michael37 said:

My resource puts the writing of this passage after the Council of Jerusalem. 

1Co 9:19-23
(19)  For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.
(20)  And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law;
(21)  To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law.
(22)  To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
(23)  And this I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.

Given the contention between the Judaizers and Paul, who eventually abandoned his practise of evangelising in the synagogues, I believe the Council was timely and fair in its deliberation. Paul was a pragmatist in the way he thought it best for Timothy who was born to and raised by a Jewish mother to be circumcised so that together they could evangelise unbelieving Jews, but refused to allow Titus to be circumcised as both his parents were Greek.  

Act 18:1-8
(1)  After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth;
(2)  And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them.
(3)  And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.
(4)  And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.
(5)  And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.
(6)  And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.
(7)  And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man's house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue.
(8)  And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.

When Paul says He is a Jew to a Jew and Gentile to Gentile, that means He approaches them with a reasoning of the Gospel that best draws their attention. For Jews he went through the Books Moses and the Prophets to prove to the Jews that Jesus is Messiah, Son of God, and God Incarnate. For the Gentiles this was often unnecessary, “And so it was with me, brothers and sisters. When I came to you, I did not come with eloquence or human wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God.  For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:1-2). Another example of Paul being s Greek to the Greek was the unknown god sermon at Mars Hill, “So Paul stood in the midst of the [Areopagus and said, “Men of Athens, I observe that you are very religious in all respects. 23 For while I was passing through and examining the objects of your worship, I also found an altar with this inscription, ‘TO AN UNKNOWN GOD.’ Therefore what you worship in ignorance, this I proclaim to you. 24 The God who made the world and all things in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands; 25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; 26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; 28 for in Him we live and move and [b]exist, as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we also are His children.’ 29 Being then the children of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and thought of man.30 Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent,31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge [c]the world in righteousness [d]through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men [e]by raising Him from the dead.” (Acts 17:22-31). 

So when Paul says I am Jew to the Jew and Greek to the Greek, he means that he adopts whatever method, message, and customs to help spread the Gospel; however Paul never dillutes the Gospel of  Grace (Acts 15:11, Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 10:9-10, John 6:40, John 3:16), and He even caste of his form heritage: 

“5 I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin—a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. 6 I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault.

7 I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ.[c] For God’s way of making us right with himself depends on faith. 10 I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, 11 so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!” (Phillipians 3:5-10). 

Paul despaired over his countrymen, 

“for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters.[a] I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them,” (Romans 9:3), “Isaiah cries out concerning Israel: "Though the number of the Israelites be like the sand by the sea, only the remnant will be saved,” (Romans 9:27), “in the hope that I may provoke my own people to jealousy and save some of them.” (Romans 11:14). Our Lord Jesus experienced this often, the majority of the Jews rejected their God in the flesh (John 1:11, John 8:1-55, John 10:20-42, John 6:1-53). 

For the Jews did not heed the Prophet Jeremiah’s warning, “Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord. 33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 34 And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.” (Jeremiah 31:31-34). For Jesus has instituted this new covenant (Hebrews) and He forgave the inquiry of us all on the cross and if we trust in Him and confess Him we are as Jeremiah said, “Saved.” (John 3:16, John 6:40, Romans 10:9-10). 

Edited August 14, 2018 by Fidei Defensor