5  The Jerusalem Council:  Is Salvation  by Law or Grace?  (Acts 15:1–35)

And some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue. Therefore, being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all the brethren. And when they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. But certain ones of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed, stood up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.” And the apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.” And all the multitude kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were relating what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. And after they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, “Brethren, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. And with this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, ‘After these things I will return, and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen, and I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, in order that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.’ Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.” Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas—Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren, and they sent this letter by them,

So, when they were sent away, they went down to Antioch; and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. And Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brethren with a lengthy message. And after they had spent time there, they were sent away from the brethren in peace to those who had sent them out. [But it seemed good to Silas to remain there.] But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and preaching, with many others also, the word of the Lord. (15:1–35)

At various times in its history, the church’s leaders have met together to settle doctrinal issues. For example, historians recognize seven ecumenical councils in the first several centuries of the church’s existence. Of those seven, perhaps the two most significant were the Councils of Nicea (325), and Chalcedon (451). At those councils, erroneous teaching about the person and nature of our Lord was condemned, and the biblical position carefully defined.

As important as those councils were, the Jerusalem Council, described in this chapter, was the first and the most significant of all. For it fixed the most momentous doctrinal question of all: What must a person do to be saved? The apostles and elders successfully resisted the pressure to impose Jewish legalism and ritualism on the Gentile believers. In other words, they forbade the inclusion of works as a part of salvation. They affirmed for all time the truth that salvation is wholly by God’s grace through faith alone, apart from any human efforts.

The wholesale entrance of Gentiles into the church was very disturbing and threatening to some of the Jewish believers. Many believed that Gentiles who wanted to become Christians had to first become Jewish proselytes. They saw Christianity as the culmination of Judaism. That Gentiles were short-circuiting the process and becoming Christians without first becoming Jewish proselytes shocked and overwhelmed them. They could not conceive that pagans could simply enter the church and immediately be on an equal basis with Jewish believers. That seemed unfair to those who had devoted their lives to keeping God’s law. They feared, too, that in an increasingly Gentile church, Jewish culture, traditions, and influence would be lost.

Given those concerns, conflict was inevitable. As long as the Gentile converts were few and were already Jewish proselytes (like the Ethiopian eunuch and Cornelius), the issue could be avoided. But by the time of the Jerusalem Council, matters had come to a head. The issue was not whether God wanted to save Gentiles, but how they were to be saved. Could they enter the kingdom of God directly, without coming through the vestibule of Judaism? That was the question the Jerusalem Council convened to decide. From the inspired record emerge four features: the dissension, the discussion, the decision, and the development.

THE DISSENSION

And some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue. Therefore, being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all the brethren. And when they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. But certain ones of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed, stood up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.” (15:1–5)

False teachers have plagued the church throughout its history. They are emissaries of Satan, sent to destroy the church’s power and corrupt its proclamation. Two of the apostles at the Jerusalem Council, Peter and Paul, warned of the false teachers’ pernicious influence, already being felt in the church. Peter wrote, “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves” (2 Pet. 2:1). “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock,” Paul warned the leaders of the church at Ephesus, “and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them” (Acts 20:29–30).

The most destructive of the “destructive heresies,” since it damns men, is the teaching that salvation is by human works, which Peter warned against. That doctrine is the credo of all false religion and the longest-running heresy in the history of the church. The men who came down from Judea carried this deadly spiritual plague to Antioch, where they began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Without the authorization of the Jerusalem church (v. 24), these self-appointed guardians of legalism arrived to straighten out the Antioch believers’ theology. They no doubt also refused to eat with the Gentiles (cf. Gal. 2:11ff.) and therefore would not fellowship with them in the Lord’s Supper. Their teaching and actions posed a grave threat to the truth of the gospel (cf. Gal. 5:2–6), as well as to the unity of the church. The danger of a split between Gentiles and Jews was real.

The Judaizers’ pronouncement to the Gentiles, “unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved,” understandably created an uproar in the Antioch church. Gentiles who thought themselves to have been saved already through faith alone in Christ were now informed that their salvation was invalid. Like the good shepherds that they were, Paul and Barnabas rallied to the defense of their flock and had great dissension and debate with the legalists. They fought furiously for the truth and against the wedge being driven between Jew and Gentile in the church.

Recognizing the far-reaching implications of this issue, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others (including Titus, Gal. 2:1, 3) of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue. The vital issue of how Gentiles were to be saved could not be settled in one local congregation. The decision would have to be made in Jerusalem by the God-ordained leaders of the church, the apostles and elders (cf. Eph. 2:20).

The delegation of trustworthy men set off for Jerusalem, being sent on their way by the church at Antioch. Along the way they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all the brethren. Those regions were populated largely by Hellenistic Jews and Samaritans, who were more open to the salvation of Gentiles than the Palestinian Jews were. The news of the conversion of the Gentiles brought great joy to all these brethren. As the spiritual children of Stephen, Philip, Peter, and John, they did not share the views of the legalists troubling the Antioch church. Paul and Barnabas were building support as they went. Not only the Antioch church but also the brethren from Phoenicia and Samaria supported the apostolic doctrine of salvation by faith alone for both Jews and Gentiles.

At length, the delegation from Antioch arrived at Jerusalem, where they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders. They then reported all that God had done with them, acknowledging Him as the source of their accomplishments (cf. 14:27). It must have been a moving scene as the veteran warriors of the cross related their struggles and triumphs for the cause of Christ.

Not all, however, were pleased by Paul and Barnabas’s account. Some were appalled at the report that Gentiles were not observing the law of Moses. These certain ones of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed protested, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.”

Although both groups manifested legalism, these believing Pharisees were different from the Judaizers of verse 1. Clearly, the latter were not true Christians, since they taught that circumcision was required for salvation. By thus mixing human works with faith they nullified grace (Rom. 11:6). Lenski writes:

Those who believe that ceremony or ritual plays a part in salvation have denied the truth that “a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law”—including circumcision (Rom. 3:28; cf. Gal. 2:16).

The Pharisees of verse 5 are different, however, since the text describes them as having believed. They did not argue that circumcision was necessary for salvation, but that believers were still obligated to keep the law. To them, circumcision and keeping the law were not a means of salvation, but obedience required after salvation. They were still committed to the ceremonial law, which had been set aside in Christ. They were much like the weaker brothers of Romans 14:1–10, who held to dietary laws, rituals, and sabbath codes for conscience’s sake. They were convinced that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah who died for their sins and rose from the dead. That, however, did not immediately cause them to forsake keeping the Mosaic law as a way of life. They were genuine Christians but had not yet realized the liberating truth that the ceremonial and ritual shadows of the Old Covenant had passed away (Col. 2:16–17; Heb. 8:13).

Pharisees, unlike their arch rivals the Sadducees, could become Christians and retain many of their distinctive beliefs. They believed in the literal interpretation of Scripture, a literal resurrection, life after death, and the existence of angels (cf. Acts 23:8). Thus

New Covenant believers are freed from the unbearable burden (Acts 10:13–15; 15:10) of keeping all the Old Covenant ritual. Yet they are not “without the law of God but under the law of Christ” (1 Cor. 9:21). There is no license to sin in Christian liberty.

THE DISCUSSION

And the apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.” And all the multitude kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were relating what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. And after they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, “Brethren, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. And with this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, ‘After these things I will return, and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen, and I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, in order that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.’ (15:6–18)

After receiving the men from Antioch, the apostles and the elders came together privately with them to look into this matter of salvation. The leaders, not the congregation, would decide this explosive and potentially divisive issue. And even they were able to arrive at a decision only after there had been much debate. Luke does not satisfy our curiosity by giving us an account of that meeting. We can only imagine what it must have been like, with learned and godly men passionately pleading their cases. Luke resumes his account with the entire congregation gathered to hear their leaders’ decision. That decision was announced in a series of speeches by Peter, Paul and Barnabas, and James. Each expounded the truth that salvation is wholly by God’s sovereign grace through faith, apart from any ritual or law-keeping. Taken together, these speeches constitute one of the strongest defenses of that truth in Scripture. It has well been said that Acts 15 is the Magna Carta of the Christian church.

The speeches of Peter, Paul and Barnabas, and James present six proofs that salvation is solely by grace. Salvation by grace is proven by past revelation, the gift of the Spirit, cleansing from sin, the inability of the law to save, the fact of miracles, and the prophetic promise.

PAST REVELATION PROVES SALVATION IS BY GRACE

Peter stood up and said to them, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. (15:7)

The first speaker was Peter, who began by taking the assembled believers back to the early days of the church. He reminded them that God made a choice that through his ministry the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. This issue was settled years earlier, Peter asserted, when God saved Cornelius and his household apart from circumcision, law-keeping, and ritual (Acts 10:44–48). His point was simple and direct: the legalists had no right to require of the Gentiles what God had not. The matter was already divinely settled.

THE GIFT OF THE SPIRIT PROVES SALVATION IS BY GRACE

And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, (15:8–9a)

Peter then skillfully anticipated and refuted a possible objection to his first point. The Judaizers could have argued that since Cornelius and the others did not meet their legalistic requirements for salvation, they could not really have been saved. Peter demolished that potential argument by pointing out that God, who knows the heart, bore witness that their salvation was genuine. He did so by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to the Jewish Christians. The gift of the Holy Spirit belongs only to the truly redeemed (Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 6:19; 12:13; Gal. 3:14; 4:6). And lest anyone question whether they did receive the Spirit, Peter went on to remind them that God made no distinction between us and them. The Gentiles received the same phenomenon, speaking in languages, as had the Jewish believers on Pentecost (Acts 10:44–45; 11:17–18). That proved they had received the Spirit, which in turn affirmed that their salvation was genuine.

CLEANSING FROM SIN PROVES SALVATION IS BY GRACE

cleansing their hearts by faith. (15:9b)

The cleansing of the Gentile believers’ hearts by faith alone offers a further proof of salvation by grace (the source of faith—Eph. 2:8–9). Those purified of their sins are obviously saved, and God does not cleanse people who are not truly saved. Such cleansing comes only by God’s grace. To the Ephesians Paul wrote, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7; cf. Acts 10:43). Since the Gentile believers had already been cleansed of their sins by grace alone, what more could the law and ritual add? The issue of sin had been dealt with, and justification granted.

THE INABILITY OF THE LAW TO SAVE PROVES SALVATION IS BY GRACE

Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are. (15:10–11)

Peter warns the Judaizers not to put God to the test. It was not their place to challenge or question God’s gracious gospel. He pointed out the folly of placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither their fathers nor they had been able to bear. The description of the law as a heavy, chafing yoke was an apt one. Describing the legalism of the scribes and Pharisees, Jesus said, “They tie up heavy loads, and lay them on men’s shoulders” (Matt. 23:4; cf. Luke 11:46). It was foolish of the legalists to expect Gentiles to shoulder a burden they themselves found too heavy to bear and rejoiced to be freed from.

It was equally fallacious to impose on the Gentiles what had not worked for the Jews. Not one of Peter’s Jewish listeners had been saved by the law, purified from their sins by the law, or received the Holy Spirit by keeping the law (cf. Gal. 3:2–3). Since keeping the law could not do any of those vital things for them, why require it of the Gentiles?

Peter closed his speech with a ringing affirmation of the glorious truth that salvation is solely by grace. We believe, he declared, that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are. Whether for Jews or Gentiles, there has always been and always will be only one way of salvation.

THE FACT OF MIRACLES PROVES THAT SALVATION IS BY GRACE

And all the multitude kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were relating what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. (15:12)

Unable to contradict Peter’s points, all the multitude kept silent. Barnabas and Paul then took the stage and began relating what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. Those miraculous signs and wonders confirmed that Paul and Barnabas were God’s spokesmen (cf. 2 Cor. 12:12). They taught salvation by grace (Acts 13:38–39), and the miracles God performed through them confirmed the truthfulness of that teaching (Heb. 2:3–4). In contrast, the Judaizers could have produced no miracles to support their teaching. God does not confirm false teaching by granting miracles (a truth applicable in today’s church to the many so-called miracle workers with aberrant theology).

Like Peter’s arguments, the evidence presented by Paul and Barnabas was irrefutable. Their teaching that salvation was by grace alone was thereby stamped unarguably with God’s approval.

PROPHETIC PROMISE PROVES SALVATION IS BY GRACE

And after they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, “Brethren, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. And with this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, ‘After these things I will return, and I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen, and I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, in order that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old.’” (15:13–18)

After Paul and Barnabas had stopped speaking, James gave the final speech in defense of salvation by grace. He reminded his listeners that Simeon (Peter) had related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. James summarized Peter’s first point—that God had saved Gentiles by grace years earlier. He then reinforced that point by noting that with this the words of the Prophets agree. The Old Testament foretold that God would save Gentiles, and James quoted Amos 9:11–12 to prove it. His quotation differs from the Masoretic Text of the Hebrew Old Testament. Some have speculated that he quoted from the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, yet his quotation does not exactly match the Septuagint either. But the inspired James is certainly giving the sense of the passage as God intended it to be understood, as New Testament writers often do with Old Testament texts.

The Amos passage speaks of the millennial kingdom. It is then that God will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen, … rebuild its ruins, … and restore it. In the millennial kingdom, the rest of mankind will seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord, who makes these things known from of old. Gentiles will be saved as Gentiles, without first becoming Jews, or else verse 17 would make no sense. The passage from Amos, quoted in that verse, clearly speaks of those outside the covenant community of Israel being saved, with no mention of their first becoming Jewish proselytes. James reassured his Jewish audience that the inclusion of Gentiles into the church did not abrogate God’s plan for Israel. In fact, in the kingdom they will be the messengers to bring Gentiles to God (Zech. 8:20–23).

James’s point is that the prophet said Gentiles will be in the kingdom without becoming Jewish proselytes. Therefore there is no need for them to become proselytes in the present age. His speech is a fitting conclusion to the speeches in defense of salvation by grace. Peter began by stressing that Gentiles in the past were saved by grace alone; James concluded by showing that that will also be the case in the future. Therefore, Gentile salvation in the present must also be by grace alone.

THE DECISION

“Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.” Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas—Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren, and they sent this letter by them,

The evidence for salvation by grace presented during the speeches was conclusive. Therefore, based on all that had been said, James, as head of the Jerusalem church (cf. Acts 12:17), gave his judgment that they not trouble those who were turning to God from among the Gentiles. Keeping the law and observing rituals were not requirements for salvation. The Judaizers were to be forbidden to trouble the Gentiles by teaching otherwise.

With the major doctrinal issue resolved, James turned to practical matters of fellowship. He and the other leaders were concerned not only that the Jews not trouble the Gentiles, but also that the Gentiles not trouble the Jews. The danger was that the Gentiles, reveling in their freedom in Christ, would pressure the Jewish believers to exercise that same liberty and violate their consciences. To forestall that, James proposed that they write a letter to the Gentiles ordering them to abstain from four practices: things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. Those were violations of the law of Moses, who from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath. To needlessly violate the Mosaic sanctions would destroy the church’s credibility with unbelieving Jews and also offend believing ones. It would be an abuse of the freedom in Christ believers enjoy (cf. 1 Pet. 2:16).

Things contaminated by idols refers to food offered to pagan gods and then sold in temple butcher shops. Idolatry was a repulsive, blasphemous matter to the Jews. The Old Testament is replete with warnings against it (cf. Ex. 20:3; 34:17; Deut. 5:7). Further, their ancestors’ practice of idolatry led to the destruction of the nation (cf. 2 Kings 17:7–18; 2 Chron. 36:14–16). They would naturally seek to avoid any manifestation of it, including eating meat offered to idols. That was a serious issue in the early church, one later dealt with at length by Paul (1 Cor. 8:1–13; 10:14–33).

Fornication describes sexual sin in general, and the orgies associated with the worship of pagan gods in particular. Illicit sex was an integral part of the pagan Gentile worship. Temple priestesses were often little more than prostitutes. Although fornication is obviously a moral issue (cf. 1 Cor. 6:15–20), in a broader sense it is also an issue of consideration to Jews. In all their marriage relations and conduct with the opposite sex, the Gentiles were to do nothing offensive to God’s law or Jewish sensibilities.

Abstaining from what is strangled and from blood involved the dietary laws (Gen. 9:4; Lev. 3:17; 7:26; 17:12–14; 19:26; Deut. 12:16, 23; 15:23; 1 Sam. 14:34; Ezek. 33:25). While certainly not imposing those laws on the Gentile believers (cf. Acts 10:9–16), James set forth these as minimum requirements for fellowship. As noted above, freedom in Christ does not grant the right to sin, or to offend another believer.

Having decided both the doctrinal and practical issues, it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas—Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren. The Council’s decision needed to be communicated to the church at Antioch, the center of Gentile Christianity. That the apostles and the elders, with the whole church agreed was yet another manifestation of the unity that marked the early church (cf. Acts 6:5).

It was necessary to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, or else the Judaizers would surely have accused the two missionaries of giving a biased account of the proceedings. Accordingly, they selected Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, whom Luke describes as leading men among the brethren. Nothing more is known of Judas called Barsabbas, nor whether he was related to the Joseph Barsabbas mentioned in Acts 1:23. Silas, however, played a prominent role in New Testament history. Also known as Silvanus (2 Cor. 1:19; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1; 1 Pet. 5:12), he accompanied Paul on his second missionary journey (15:40; 16:19, 25, 29; 17:4, 10, 14, 15; 18:5). He later served as Peter’s amanuensis for his first epistle (1 Pet. 5:12). Luke describes both Judas and Silas as leading men in the Jerusalem church. Recognizing the vital importance of the mission, the Jerusalem church sent two of its best. Another indication of how seriously the church leaders viewed the situation is that they sent a letter along with the delegation. That letter, from the apostles and the brethren who are elders was addressed to the brethren in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia who are from the Gentiles. That the Jerusalem church addressed the Gentiles as brethren was significant. It affirmed the church’s acceptance of them as fellow believers and undermined the Judaizers’ position. The salutation chairein (greetings) appears only here, in Acts 23:26 (where it is used by a Roman, Claudius Lysias), and in James 1:1. That may imply that James wrote the letter on behalf of the others. Syria and Cilicia were administered at this time as a single Roman district, of which Antioch was the capital. Many of the churches in Cilicia had no doubt been founded by Paul during his stay there after his flight from Jerusalem (Acts 9:30). The Gentile churches on Cyprus and in Galatia were not mentioned. They may have been viewed as extensions of the Antioch church, or the letter may have been addressed only to Antioch because that church had sent the delegation to Jerusalem (Homer A. Kent, Jr., Jerusalem to Rome [Grand Rapids: Baker, 1992], 128). In any case, the letter was delivered to the Galatian churches by Paul and Silas (Acts 16:4).

The occasion for the letter is stated. The Jerusalem church had heard that some of its number to whom it gave no instruction had disturbed the Antioch believers with their words, unsettling their souls. The Judaizers who were troubling the Antioch church had no authorization from Jerusalem. Tarassō (disturbed) is not the same word used in verse 19. It is a strong word, meaning “to deeply upset,” “to deeply disturb,” “to perplex,” or “to create fear.” It is used in John 14:1 to describe the disciples’ agitated state after Jesus told them of His impending death. It also appears in reference to false teaching in Galatians 1:7 and 5:10. Anaskeuazō (unsettling) appears only here in the New Testament. In extrabiblical Greek it was used to speak of going bankrupt or of a military force plundering a town (W. E. Vine, An Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words [Old Tappan, N. J.: Revell, 1966], 4:88). Taken together, these two words aptly describe the havoc wrought by false teaching.

Having decided to send the letter, it seemed good to the leaders of the Jerusalem fellowship, having become of one mind, to select men to send to Antioch with their beloved Barnabas and Paul. That they were of one mind about this matter shows again their unity (cf. v. 22). The description of Barnabas and Paul as beloved shows the affection they felt for these men. The church’s commendation of them as men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ is the noblest anyone could receive. On their first missionary tour, the two had faced persecution (Acts 13:50), and Paul had nearly been killed (Acts 14:19–20). Willingness to suffer for the cause of Christ was the consistent pattern of their lives.

What made them willing to risk their lives? First, they were concerned for others. To the Philippians Paul wrote, “Even if I am being poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I rejoice and share my joy with you all” (Phil. 2:17). Second, they knew the path of suffering led to a richer provision of God’s grace (2 Cor. 12:9–10). Third, they understood the continuity of eternal life. In Romans 14:7–9 Paul wrote:

Knowing that in life or in death they were the Lord’s made them fearless. Fourth, they knew that death merely gained them heaven, which they longed for. Paul expressed that hope in Philippians 1:21–23:

Fifth, they sought to obey Christ at all costs, even when that obedience involved suffering. Peter wrote that believers “have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps” (1 Pet. 2:21; cf. 1 Pet. 3:17; 5:10). Finally, and most significant, they were willing to suffer for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (cf. Phil. 3:10). The name of Jesus Christ included all He was and purposed, and it motivated Paul’s service (Rom. 1:5), as well as the service of others in the early church (3 John 7). When the apostles suffered persecution, they rejoiced “that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name” (Acts 5:41). No cost was too high to pay to protect the honor of the Lord Jesus Christ.

As had been decided earlier (v. 22), Judas and Silas would accompany Paul and Barnabas back to Antioch. They could report the same things by word of mouth, thus confirming the letter’s contents by their firsthand report of the proceedings. Then, reflecting the Council’s decision regarding matters of fellowship (vv. 19–21), the letter concluded:

The letter thus answered the doctrinal question raised by the Antioch church and gave wise instruction on how to avoid rifts in the fellowship.

THE DEVELOPMENT

So, when they were sent away, they went down to Antioch; and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. And Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brethren with a lengthy message. And after they had spent time there, they were sent away from the brethren in peace to those who had sent them out. [But it seemed good to Silas to remain there.] But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and preaching, with many others also, the word of the Lord. (15:30–35)

Having been sent away with the blessings of the Jerusalem fellowship, the messengers went down to Antioch. There, having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. The entire congregation, which had been anxiously awaiting the news of whether their salvation was genuine, gathered together to hear the apostles’ decision.

The reading of the letter and the report of the delegation evoked four responses from the assembled believers. The first was celebration: they rejoiced. The confirmation that salvation was indeed by grace alone lifted a tremendous burden of worry from their shoulders. The second response was consolation, because of the letter’s encouragement. They no longer needed to fear that their salvation was not genuine. Legalism produces fear, guilt, and pride, while grace alone brings comfort and hope (2 Thess. 2:16). A third response was confirmation, as Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brethren with a lengthy message. The two leaders from Jerusalem added their own heartening words to those of the letter. Then, after they had spent time there, they were sent away from the brethren in peace to those who had sent them out and returned to Jerusalem. Legalism produces neither confirmation nor edification; it is “the word of His grace” that is “able to build” up believers (Acts 20:32). The final response was continuation. Verse 34 is not in the best manuscripts, but verse 35 notes that Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and preaching, with many others also, the word of the Lord. Paul and Barnabas picked up where they had left off and continued their ministry of teaching and preaching … the word of the Lord. Their teaching made clear that salvation is by grace alone. Luke adds that many others joined them in proclaiming the liberating truth of salvation by grace.

The apostolic church thus survived the greatest challenge it had yet faced and established the doctrine of salvation by grace. Satan’s attempt to inject heretical teaching was thwarted. So also was his attempt to split the church along racial and cultural lines. With the vitally important truth about salvation safeguarded, the church experienced greater days of ministry than ever before.

There has always been, and always will be, only one way to be saved. No one expressed that truth any clearer than the apostle Paul when he penned the familiar words, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast” (Eph. 2:8–9).