Acts 15:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God,

NIV: "It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.

NASB: Therefore, it is my judgment that we do not cause trouble for those from the Gentiles who are turning to God,

CSB: Therefore, in my judgment, we should not cause difficulties for those among the Gentiles who turn to God,

NLT: And so my judgment is that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.

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

NKJV: Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God,

Jews in the time of the early church understand that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah. They understand Christianity as the natural fulfillment of Judaism. Jewish Christians still consider themselves Jews and follow the Mosaic law. Those Pharisees who accepted Jesus as the Messiah have a more difficult time, however. Their former religion was heavily tied up in manmade rules and traditional restrictions (Mark 7:6–12). For that reason, they don't quite understand how salvation and forgiveness from God is through grace and not works. In addition, they want to be able to enjoy worshiping Jesus in a church while maintaining their high reputation in Jewish society (Matthew 23:5–7; Galatians 6:12). Seeking to solve both problems, some have been badgering Gentile Jesus-followers, telling them they must be circumcised and follow the Mosaic law (Acts 15:1, 5).

These Pharisees make the mistake of taking their message to the church in Syrian Antioch. Not only is the church the first with a significant number of Gentiles, but it's the home church of Barnabas and Paul, the evangelist to the Gentiles (Acts 11:19–26). Barnabas, Paul, and a few other representatives from Antioch have come to Jerusalem to get an official ruling from the first church. The issue has been hotly debated. Peter has reminded the council of the Holy Spirit descending on Cornelius and many other Gentiles who had not converted to Judaism. And James, the pastor of the Jerusalem church, has shown how Amos, Jeremiah, and Isaiah prophesied that God would call Gentiles to worship Him—to belong to Him—with no mention that they would convert to Judaism (Acts 15:2–18).

James concludes by reaffirming Peter's judgment. Peter had pointed out that not even the Jews could keep the Jewish law—how would it be fair to hold the Gentiles to the same standard (Acts 15:10–11)? Salvation is through faith in Christ, not works. "Trouble" is from the Greek root word parenochl󠅍eō and means "to cause trouble or annoy." Besides affirming the theological implications of what is necessary for salvation, James doesn't want the Jewish Christians, especially those who still considered themselves to be Pharisees, to harass the Gentiles.

But both sides need to make concessions. James goes on to say the council should tell the Gentile Jesus-followers to clean up their sexual and dietary habits, so Jews feel comfortable in their community (Acts 15:20). Likewise, in our own churches, it sometimes requires submissive sacrifice to live out Jesus' call to be the unified church (Galatians 3:26–28).

Acts 15:12–21 continues the account of the church of Jerusalem's debate. They are discussing whether Gentiles must convert to Judaism to be saved by Jesus, the Jewish Messiah. Paul, Barnabas, and Peter say salvation is through the grace of Christ (Acts 15:2, 7–11). Jewish Christians from the Pharisee sect disagree (Acts 15:1, 5). Now, Barnabas and Paul will relate their work among the Gentiles on their first missionary journey. James, the half-brother of Jesus, will share his conviction: God has not placed ritual requirements on Gentiles for salvation. However, Gentiles should make reasonable concessions to maintain unity with Jewish brothers and sisters.

Paul and Barnabas are in Syrian Antioch, home from their first missionary journey. Legalistic Christians from Jerusalem arrive and insist Gentiles must convert to Judaism. When negotiations fail, a delegation travels to Jerusalem to request clarification from Jesus' closest students. The leadership in Jerusalem agree with Paul and Barnabas. They write a letter that Gentiles should only make concessions, mostly dietary, which will ensure unity with the Jews in their congregation. After delivering the letter to Antioch, Paul takes Silas and Barnabas takes John Mark to share the letter to other churches they have planted.

Acts chapter 15 resembles Acts 11:1–18, where Peter testified before the leadership of the church in Jerusalem. His subject was how the Holy Spirit had fallen on uncircumcised and unbaptized Gentiles. Here Paul and Barnabas also testify that Gentiles are coming to faith in Jesus without being circumcised. The issue the leadership must decide is the extent Gentiles must be responsible to follow the Mosaic law. Their decision is that the Law is in no way required to be saved, but Gentiles should graciously make concessions so their Jewish brothers and sisters feel free to live in community. This forms a partial background to the rest of Paul's missionary journeys as explained in Acts.

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.