Acts 16:4 - Printer Friendly

What does Acts 16:4 mean?

ESV: As they went on their way through the cities, they delivered to them for observance the decisions that had been reached by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem.

NIV: As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.

NASB: Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering the ordinances for them to follow which had been determined by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem.

CSB: As they traveled through the towns, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem for the people to observe.

NLT: Then they went from town to town, instructing the believers to follow the decisions made by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem.

KJV: And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.

NKJV: And as they went through the cities, they delivered to them the decrees to keep, which were determined by the apostles and elders at Jerusalem.

Verse Commentary:

Visiting churches which Paul had established during his first missionary journey with Barnabas, Paul, Silas, and Timothy are in the province of Galatia in central modern-day Asia Minor (Acts 14:1–23). When Paul and Barnabas had returned home to Syrian Antioch, they discovered Jewish Christians from the sect of the Pharisees vehemently insisting Gentiles needed to be circumcised and follow the Mosaic law—convert to Judaism—before they could worship the Jewish Messiah. Paul and Barnabas disagreed, and the church leaders in Antioch sent Paul and Barnabas to the leaders of the church in Jerusalem for formal guidance. Peter, James—the pastor of the church and half-brother of Jesus—and the other elders agreed with Paul and Barnabas. They wrote a letter and commissioned Silas and Judas Barsabbas to present the letter in Antioch (Acts 15:1–35).

After falling out with Barnabas, Paul takes Silas to the churches in the provinces of Syria and Cilicia to pass on the letter (Acts 15:36–41). As they travel north, they meet Timothy in Lystra and bring him along. Paul does circumcise Timothy—not because it is required for salvation, but because Timothy is an uncircumcised Jewish man who is destined to be a leader in the church. Paul knows Timothy will meet less opposition if he is circumcised (Acts 16:1–3).

There are no details here regarding the Pharisaical teachings in Galatia, but Paul's letter to the Galatians proves it is a big problem. Paul starts his letter to the Galatians by reminding them of the gospel which he, as a commissioned apostle to the Gentiles, taught them. He affirms that any additions anyone might make to that gospel are heresy (Galatians 1:6–24). Paul describes how he went to Jerusalem to see Peter, John, and James. They affirmed the gospel Paul was teaching to the Gentiles is accurate (Galatians 2:1–10). Even when Peter and Barnabas temporarily slid back into the legalism of the Pharisees, Paul addressed them publicly (Galatians 2:11–14). Much of the rest of the letter is comprised of strong arguments that salvation is through faith alone, not works like circumcision. Paul finishes by revealing the real motive of the Pharisaical Christians. They know circumcision isn't necessary for salvation, and they know that no one can follow the Mosaic law. But if they are seen eating with Gentiles who have not converted to Judaism, they will lose their treasured reputation among the non-Christian Jews. It's all about image, not Jesus (Galatians 6:12–13).

James understands this. He couldn't care less about the reputations of the Pharisaical Christians (James 2:1–7), but as a pastor he knows the importance of unity in a church gathering.

Silas then joins Paul to deliver the letter to the churches Paul and Barnabas had planted in other regions. There is some confusion about the timing of the visit described in Acts 16, Paul's letter to the Galatians, and the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15. Most likely, Paul wrote Galatians after he had encountered the Pharisees in Antioch but before he and Barnabas left for Jerusalem. As much as the churches in Galatia might have trusted and been relieved by Paul's letter, Silas and the letter from the elders in Jerusalem do much to build their faith (Acts 16:5).

Acts 16:1–5 records Paul doing something we might not have expected. He is with Silas in modern-day Asia Minor, telling the churches he had planted that the leadership in Jerusalem agrees Gentile Christians do not have to be circumcised. In Lystra, Paul meets a young Jewish man named Timothy—and promptly circumcises him. This is not a matter of salvation, but so older Jewish believers don't hassle the young church leader in the future (1 Timothy 4:12). Paul brings Timothy along, and the three continue visiting the churches in Galatia and Phrygia before picking up Luke and heading across the Aegean Sea to Macedonia (Acts 16:6–10).

Chapter Summary:

Acts 16 follows Paul and Silas as they take the letter of Acts 15 into modern-day Asia Minor and Macedonia. They collect Timothy in Lystra and Luke in Troas. In Philippi, they meet Lydia and baptize her family. After expelling a demon from a fortune-telling girl, city officials illegally beat and imprison Paul and Silas. An earthquake frees them of their chains, but they stay and bring the jailer and his family to Christ. The next morning, Paul and Silas refuse to leave quietly, politely insisting that their civil rights have been violated. The officials apologize, and Paul, Silas, and Timothy go to Thessalonica.

Chapter Context:

Acts 15 ends with Paul and Silas spreading the news that Gentile Christians don't have to be circumcised. Acts 16 begins with Paul circumcising a Jewish man, Timothy, to prevent difficulties in preaching to older Jews as the boy grows into church leadership. Paul's second missionary trip finds the church growing east, into Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, and Corinth (Acts 16:11—18:18). On his way back to Syrian Antioch, Paul will stop by Ephesus and soften the Jews for the extended ministry of Priscilla, Aquila, and Apollos. During his first trip, Paul planted churches and ordained elders; in his second, he commissions more missionaries.

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.

Accessed 4/29/2024 1:43:56 PM