Acts 15:8 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us,

NIV: God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.

NASB: And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us;

CSB: And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he also did to us.

NLT: God knows people’s hearts, and he confirmed that he accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us.

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

NKJV: So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us,

Peter is giving testimony to a council of leaders of the church in Jerusalem. In this group are many who sat under Jesus' teaching; the rest learned about Jesus from His twelve apostles. They are the most qualified theologians of the early Christian church.

Because of the council's authority, Paul and Barnabas have come to them to receive official guidance. The question is whether Gentiles must convert to the Jewish religion before they can follow the Jewish Messiah. They are convinced Gentiles need not be circumcised nor follow the Mosaic law, but a formal decision from the church in Jerusalem will go a long way in assuring those they minister to.

Peter has reminded the group that God allowed him to bring Jesus' offer of salvation to the first group of Gentiles (Acts 10). Cornelius was "a devout man who feared God" (Acts 10:2). This meant he was a Gentile who worshiped the Jewish God but was not a full proselyte: he was not circumcised and didn't rigidly follow Jewish festivals and sacrifices. Likely, his friends and family included some who paid even less attention to such details. But while Peter was explaining how Jesus died and rose again for the forgiveness of sins, the Holy Spirit fell on them. They hadn't been circumcised or even baptized. The Holy Spirit bore "witness" that they were chosen to be saved—right then and there.

In the Greek, this verse literally describes God as "heart-knower." This is from the Greek root word kardiognōstēs. God knows the desires, thoughts, feelings, and intentions of people. Only He is qualified to determine if the Gentiles' hearts are less worthy of His saving grace than the Jews (1 Samuel 16:7). Peter affirms that God makes no distinction (Acts 15:9), and neither should the Jewish church leadership.

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.