Acts 15:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter.

NIV: The apostles and elders met to consider this question.

NASB: The apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter.

CSB: The apostles and the elders gathered to consider this matter.

NLT: So the apostles and elders met together to resolve this issue.

KJV: And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.

NKJV: Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter.

Paul, Barnabas, and others from the mostly Gentile church in Syrian Antioch have come to the church in Jerusalem. They seek a formal decision on whether Gentiles must be circumcised and follow the Mosaic law. That is, do people need to convert to Judaism to follow the Jewish Messiah (Acts 15:1–5). They know the answer is "no," but they do not have the executive authority of the apostles and James, the half-brother of Jesus.

We owe much to the early church leaders for being willing to fight through these theological issues. When Jews followed Jesus, they faced a massive shift in their worldview. While truth had not changed, their perceptions of it were drastically altered. Sacrifices did not save; parts of the Mosaic law, like the Sabbath and feasts, held less relevance than before; and Gentiles, once considered unclean pagans, became brothers and sisters in Christ.

Instead of acting imperiously, demanding Gentiles accommodate their cultural norms, the Jewish church leadership gathers together. They fully debate the issue, refer to Scripture, consider physical evidence, and ask the Holy Spirit (Acts 15:7–21, 28). This method of defining theology continues throughout early church history as more questions arise: the deity vs. humanity of Christ, the essence of the Trinity, the Person of the Holy Spirit, and many others. The debates continue in Christianity, with less universal agreement, on issues such as the sufficiency and integrity of Scripture, the existence of an eternal hell, and—still—the essence of the Trinity.

The "apostles" mentioned here are believed to be the ten remaining disciples of Jesus (James had been martyred; Acts 12:2) plus Matthias, who replaced Judas (Acts 1:26). The elders are presumably lay leaders of the church in Jerusalem. They would be Jews who had been taught directly by the apostles, or, possibly, by Jesus before His ascension.

Acts 15:6–11 is Peter's address to a council, gathered to determine if Gentile Jesus-followers must convert to Judaism. Jewish Jesus-followers who still identify as Pharisees claim Gentiles must be circumcised and follow the Mosaic law (Acts 15:5). Those who have evangelized Gentiles, like Paul and Barnabas, disagree (Acts 15:2). Now Peter, who was first to watch the Holy Spirit fall on un-baptized, un-circumcised Gentiles (Acts 10:44), says his piece: Gentiles and Jews are saved through grace, not works.

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.