The Bible Book

292

T

he growing influx of

Gentile believers posed

problems for the early

Church. Questions arose as to

whether they should be regarded

as full members of the Church, or

have to meet further requirements

to put them on an equal footing

with Jewish followers of Christ.

According to Acts, these burning

questions come to a head in Antioch

after Paul’s return to the city at the

end of his first missionary journey.

Jewish believers, having recently

arrived from Judea, are teaching that

all believers must be circumcised,

according to the Law of Moses.

Paul and his long-standing ally

Barnabas deny this, insisting

that circumcision is not necessary

for Gentile believers. The debate

becomes so heated that the Antioch

church sends a delegation, led by

Paul and Barnabas, to consult the

elders of the founding church in

a meeting that became known as

the Council of Jerusalem.

The Council meets

In Jerusalem, much like in Antioch,

the debate becomes vigorous. Peter

speaks first, insisting that faith

alone is necessary for salvation.

He cites the recent conversion of

the Roman centurion Cornelius

and his household, who heard the

Gospel from Peter and believed.

God confirmed their salvation by

filling them with the Holy Spirit,

just as He did with Jewish

believers. God, Peter says, “did

not discriminate between us and

them, for He purified their hearts

by faith” (Acts 15:9). As a result, no

extra yoke, such as circumcision,

should be placed on their necks.

Following further testimony from

A Bible study card (c.1900) illustrates

Acts 15:22–33, in which the Gentile

believers of Antioch are told which

of Moses’s Laws they must keep.

IN BRIEF

PA S SAGE

ACTS 15:1–35

THEME

Accommodating Gentiles

SETTING

c. 49 ce Antioch and Jerusalem.

KEY FIGURES

Paul The Apostle argues in

both Antioch and Jerusalem

against an insistence on

Gentile circumcision.

Barnabas Paul’s longtime

friend accompanies him on

his journey to Jerusalem.

Peter The Apostle speaks

decisively at the Council of

Jerusalem against the need

for circumcision.

James A leader of the

Jerusalem church, James sums

up the Council’s findings.

HE PURIFIED

THEIR HEARTS

BY FAITH

ACTS 15:9, THE COUNCIL OF JERUSALEM

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293

See also: The Nature of Faith 236–41 ■ The Word Spreads 288–89 ■ Salvation Through Faith 301 ■

The Power of the Resurrection 304–05

ACTS, EPISTLES, AND REVELATION

Paul and Barnabas, James, an

increasingly influential leader in

the Jerusalem church, cites the

prophet Amos to show that it was

always God’s intention that people

from other nations would “seek

the Lord” (15:17). Like Peter, he

concludes that “we should not

make it difficult for the Gentiles

who are turning to God” (15:19).

A compromise

James proposes a compromise:

there will be no circumcision for

Gentile believers, but they will be

required to observe certain Jewish

dietary and cleanliness laws,

chiefly to ensure that Jewish and

Gentile believers can eat together.

James’s proposal is accepted, and

so believers from Jerusalem are

chosen to go back to Antioch with

Paul and Barnabas, bearing a letter

confirming the Council’s resolutions.

The Council of Jerusalem is a

watershed. It stresses above all the

importance of understanding that

God wants to reach out to Gentiles,

as He did with Cornelius and his

household, and the Gentile converts

Paul and Barnabas made in their

travels. This creates a consensus

between God and His people, as

reflected in a famous clause from

the letter the Council sends to the

believers in Antioch: “It seemed

good to the Holy Spirit and to us

not to burden you” (15:28). In the

new “kingdom” that is therefore

established, Gentile believers

enjoy full and equal citizenship

with Jewish ones. Faith alone

gives entry. With these truths

firmly established, the rest of Acts

is dominated at the human level by

Paul, God’s “chosen instrument”

(9:15), for bringing the message

of the Gospel to the Gentiles. ■

This decision preserves

the unity of the Church

and takes its reach beyond

that of Judaism.

But the Council decides that

salvation does not require

adherence to the Law ...

... Gentiles converting to

Christianity should be

circumcised, according

to Mosaic Law.

Some argue that because

Christianity is the fulfillment

of promises made in the

Pentateuch ...

The elders of the Church

meet in Jerusalem.

... and makes no faith

distinction between

Gentile and Jew.

Paul and Peter’s fight at Antioch

In his letter to the Galatians,

Paul describes a combative

encounter in Antioch with the

Apostle Peter over Jewish

dietary laws. Paul publicly

accuses Peter of inconsistency

and hypocrisy because Peter

sometimes eats with Gentile

believers, but at other times

refrains from doing so for fear

of offending Jewish visitors from

Jerusalem (Galatians 2:11–12).

Paul argues, “You are a Jew,

yet you live like a Gentile ...

How is it, then, that you force

Gentiles to follow Jewish

customs?” (2:14).

These were difficult issues

for leaders of the early Church.

As shown at the Council of

Jerusalem, Peter and other

Church leaders eventually agree

that outreach to the Gentiles

was God’s initiative through

Christ and could not be ignored

by the Church.

The rest of mankind

may seek the Lord,

even all the Gentiles

who bear my name.

Acts 15:17

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