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MESSAGE SERIES: “CHURCH ON THE MOVE”
Acts 15:1-21

INTRODUCTION: Our message series is called Church on the Move, and we have been seeing how the gospel moved from the Jews to the Gentiles. There had been a lot of progress and a lot of steps along the way, but the church was still not all on board with this.

There was one last step left to complete the process, and that was the Council at Jerusalem, which we find here in Acts 15. It is a long chapter, so we will take it in two sections. We will look at the Council this week, and next week we will look at the letter they wrote to the Gentile churches. (Read Acts 15:1-2 and pray.)

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We ended last week’s message by saying it was a good thing Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch because some troublemakers were about to arrive. Well, get ready to meet the troublemakers.

It seems whenever God is doing something good or something new, some people will always get in the way and voice their opposition. When that happens to you, try to focus on God and not get discouraged. I should also add—be careful that you are not the one getting in the way when God is doing something new.

These troublemakers were not happy with the Gentiles coming into the church free and clear of Jewish laws and customs. So, they travel all the way from Judea to Antioch and start stirring up trouble in the church. This leads to one of the most important meetings in church history: the Council at Jerusalem here in Acts 15. All the heavy hitters are there: the apostles and elders, Peter, Paul and Barnabas, and James the brother of Jesus.

It was clear to everyone that the Gentiles were coming to faith in Christ. It started with Cornelius and his household in Caesarea. It continued with the founding of the church in Antioch. But it really came to a head with the first missionary journey by Paul and Barnabas.

God was doing something new among the Gentiles, and this raised all sorts of questions. How do Gentiles become Christians? Do they need to become Jews first? And what about table fellowship between Jews and Gentiles?

Even though God had already answered a number of these questions along the way, now it was time for the church to take an official stand on these issues. And that’s what the Council at Jerusalem was all about.

I. The controversy (1-5)

The controversy began when some men come down from Judea to Antioch teaching that unless you are circumcised you cannot be saved.

   A. Adding circumcision to faith for salvation (1-2)
      – Galatians 2:11-13

These men were in effect adding circumcision to faith for salvation, and that’s a problem. Look at verses 1-2 now as we begin:

Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. (Acts 15:1-2)

These men from Judea were teaching that you had to be circumcised before you can be saved. This was a big deal, because here you have a whole church of Gentiles who have placed their faith in Jesus, and now they are being told they are not saved unless they get circumcised first. What was wrong with this teaching? These men were adding to faith in Christ alone for salvation. They were saying you have to convert to Judaism before you can be saved by Christ.

This was most likely the same incident that is recorded in Galatians 2:11-14. In Galatians we learn that these men were called the “circumcision group” and that they also claimed authority from James, the leader of the church in Jerusalem.

This caused division in the church. Galatians tells us Peter was in Antioch at the time. Before these men came, Peter used to eat with the Gentiles, but when they arrived, he drew back and separated himself from the Gentiles. Other Jews in the congregation joined him, and even Barnabas was initially led astray. Paul had to rebuke Peter publicly to get things back on track.

Paul and Barnabas enter into sharp dispute with these men. They debate back and forth, but this is clearly throwing the church at Antioch into disarray. So, the church appoints Paul and Barnabas, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.

This issue was too important to ignore. The Gentile mission was at stake. Even more importantly, the gospel was at stake. Was circumcision necessary for salvation? Or is salvation by faith in Christ alone?

   B. Trip to Jerusalem (3-5)

So, Paul and Barnabas make the trip to Jerusalem. Along the way, they share with the various churches how the Gentiles had come to faith in Christ. They get two types of receptions.

      1) Glad reception (3-4)

First, they get a glad reception. Look at verses 3-4:

The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them. (Acts 15:3-4)

This was a 250-mile journey which would have taken several weeks to a month. So, they took some time along the way to share with other churches about God saving the Gentiles through faith in Christ.

What did these churches think of the news? They didn’t have any trouble with it at all. This was good news and made all the brothers glad. So far, so good. When they got to Jerusalem, they also received a warm welcome by the church and the apostles and elders as they reported on all that God had been doing.

      2) Contrary reception (5)

However, not everyone was happy about this report. We read in verse 5:

Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.” (Acts 15:5)

This party of the Pharisees seems to be the same as the circumcision group in the book of Galatians. These were most likely Pharisees who had become Christians. They believed in Jesus, and they were trusting him for salvation, but they did not understand the full implications of the gospel. They insisted that the Gentiles must be circumcised and obey the law of Moses in order to be saved.

II. The Council (6-21)

This brings us to the Council at Jerusalem. The apostles and elders called a meeting to discuss these questions more fully. This was an open meeting with the apostles and elders conferring together. After much discussion back and forth, three major parties gave their input to the meeting. 1) Peter shared about Cornelius and his household. 2) Paul and Barnabas shared about their missionary journey. And then finally, 3) James made his proposal.

   A. Peter shares about Cornelius and his household (6-11)

First, Peter addressed the council as spokesman for the apostles. Look at verses 6-11:

The apostles and elders met to consider this question. After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.” (Acts 15:6-11)

Peter shares about what happened with Cornelius and his household when they believed the good news about Jesus. He stresses God’s sovereign choice in the gospel going to the Gentiles. God specifically chose Peter to bring them the gospel for a purpose, not just for their salvation, but so that Peter might share his testimony with the council in the present. Peter stresses the importance of faith. God chose for the Gentiles to hear the message so that they may believe.

Peter also stresses the importance of the heart. God knows the heart, and salvation is a heart response to God. It is not based on external things like the law. Peter says God accepted them. This is the heart of salvation, that we are accepted by God through Jesus Christ.

How did God show that he accepted them? He gave them the Spirit, just like he gave the Spirit to the Jews when they believed the good news about Jesus. Peter says, “We know God accepted us because he gave us the Spirit. It’s the same with the Gentiles. God made no distinction between us and them, so why are we making distinctions?”

Peter says God purified their hearts by faith. Once again, faith is the key to salvation, not the law. Peter accuses the circumcision party of testing God by asking the Gentiles to earn acceptance with God through the law, something even the Jews were never able to do. Peter is adamant. “No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.” That’s a pretty strong opening statement coming from Peter as head of the apostles.

   B. Barnabas and Paul share about their missionary journey (12)

Next up are Barnabas and Paul who speak as the first missionaries to the Gentiles. Look at verse 12:

The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. (Acts 15:12)

The whole assembly falls silent as Barnabas and Paul share about their missionary journey. The people are hanging on every word. You could hear a pin drop. They tell about all the miraculous signs and wonders God did through them authenticating his word and work among the Gentiles. Those miracles had already served one purpose, authenticating the message of the gospel to the Gentiles. Now they serve an additional purpose, authenticating Paul and Barnabas’ testimony to the council.

   C. James addresses the council (13-21)

Finally, James speaks up. James is the brother of Jesus and the leader of the church at Jerusalem. If Peter is the spokesman for the apostles, and Paul and Barnabas speak as missionaries to the Gentiles, then James is the spokesman for the elders. James makes four important points in his speech.

      1) Compares God’s calling of Cornelius to the initial calling of Israel (13-14)
         – Deuteronomy 7:6

First, he compares God’s calling of Cornelius and his household to the initial calling of Israel in the Old Testament. That is an astounding statement for him to make. Look at verses 13-14:

When they finished, James spoke up: “Brothers, listen to me. Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself. (Acts 15:13-14)

This is Old Testament language. In the Old Testament, God is described as calling the Jews as a people for himself. Moses told the Jews in Deuteronomy 7:6: “The Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.”

Now James says God did the same thing with the Gentiles when he called Cornelius and his household. The Gentile believers are now part of God’s people irrespective of Jewish observances.

      2) Quotes from the prophet Amos (15-18)
         – Amos 9:11-12

Next, he shows the Old Testament precedent for this by quoting from the prophet Amos. Look at verses 15-18:

“The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: ‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things’ that have been known for ages.” (Acts 15:15-18)

James quotes Amos 9:11-12 here to confirm his point. Amos spoke of the Lord rebuilding David’s tent and how a remnant of men would seek the Lord—“all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord.” God will rebuild David’s tent, and the Gentiles will come in.

      3) James’ proposal – don’t make things difficult (19-20)

Finally, James makes a proposal concerning the new Gentile believers. Look at verses 19-20:

“It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.” (Acts 15:19-20)

God was calling the Gentiles to Christ. Why make things difficult for them by requiring them to be circumcised before putting their faith in Jesus? Instead, James proposes writing a letter to the Gentiles with instructions to abstain from four things. [Show slide with list of four things.]

It’s an interesting list. It includes three ceremonial issues. The Gentiles should abstain from: 1) food polluted by idols, 2) the meat of strangled animals, and 3) the eating of blood. It also contains one moral issue. 4) The Gentiles should abstain from sexual immorality. Of course, all believers should abstain from sexual immorality, but sexual immorality was far more prevalent among the Gentiles at this time than in the Jewish culture.

      4) Why these four recommendations? Not for salvation, but for the sake of Christian fellowship (21)

Why these four recommendations? Not for salvation, but for the sake of Christian fellowship. Otherwise, James would have been no better than the circumcision group. Look at verse 21 where we find James’ reason for these four recommendations. He says:

“For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.” (Acts 15:21)

The Jewish faith was widespread at this time, and James knew these four areas could be stumbling blocks to Christian fellowship between the Jewish and Gentile believers. James asks the Gentiles to abstain from these things out of respect for the Jewish believers, so that the church may be unified in Christ and the gospel can go forward.

CONCLUSION: We are only halfway through this chapter on the Council at Jerusalem. But we already have two initial applications.

Two initial applications:

1) Salvation through faith in Christ alone

First, salvation is through faith in Christ alone. Ephesians 2:8-9 says: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith … not by works, so that no one can boast.” Salvation is by grace, not by works. As soon as you add something to faith as a requirement for salvation, you no longer have grace. You no longer have the gospel.

Paul says this is true for the Jews as well as the Gentiles. He writes in Romans 3: “Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too, since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.” (Rom. 3:29-30)

That’s our first application. Salvation is through faith in Christ alone—no extra requirements allowed!

2) Respect for other Christians

Our second application has to do with respect for other Christians. The Gentiles were saved through faith in Christ, just like the Jews were saved through faith in Christ.. But there were certain actions the Gentiles practiced that were offensive to the Jews. The Gentile-Jew divide was centuries deep. If the church was going to be unified in Christ, the Gentiles would need to set aside some of these practices for the sake of Christian fellowship.

How does that apply to us today? You also are saved through faith in Christ alone. You have freedom in Christ, but respect for other Christians means you should not flaunt that freedom in ways that hurt other believers. We should all work together to be one united body of Christ.

That’s just the first half of the chapter. We will pick up some more applications next week when we look at the letter that the church sends out to the Gentile churches. But in the meantime, let’s focus on these two important spiritual truths.

We must be careful that we do not add anything to faith in Christ as the only means of salvation. We should not make it difficult for anyone to come to Jesus. Once we require any additional works, whether religious rites like baptism or circumcision, or other works of the law, we betray the gospel. Grace plus works is no longer grace. That’s because grace plus works cancels out the grace part leaving only the works part. We should also be careful to respect other believers and not use our Christian freedom in such a way that breaks Christian fellowship or causes other believers to stumble.

We are saved by grace through faith alone. Let us praise God for his free gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Let us seek to remove any man-made barriers that would make it difficult for people to come to Christ. And let’s be careful with our Christian freedom, putting the fellowship of Christian believers first, so that nothing will hinder the gospel.

© Ray Fowler

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