The early church · Acts 15
The Council of Jerusalem
At Antioch, men who have come down from Judea teach: “Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.” Paul and Barnabas go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders. After much debate, Peter stands up: God gave the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles just as he did to us, and “through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.” Barnabas and Paul tell of the signs and wonders God did among the Gentiles. James concludes by citing the prophets: they will not trouble the Gentiles who turn to God, but will write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood. Judas and Silas carry the letter to Antioch, where it brings joy to the believers. Soon afterward, Paul and Barnabas part ways over Mark.
What happens
- Men from Judea: “Except ye be circumcised … ye cannot be saved” Acts 15:1
- Peter: God gave the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles just as he did to us Acts 15:7–9
- “Through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved” Acts 15:10–11
- James: do not trouble the Gentiles who turn to God Acts 15:19–20
- The letter: “It seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us” Acts 15:28–29
- Paul and Barnabas part ways over Mark Acts 15:36–39
Who is in this story
The lesson
Salvation is a gift of the grace of the Lord Jesus, received by faith, with nothing added to it. The church settles the matter by listening to Scripture, to the testimony of what God is doing, and to the Spirit, so as not to lay on believers a yoke that no one has been able to bear.
But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.
Quick quiz on this story
What do the men who came from Judea say must be done to be saved?
These men taught the brethren, “Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.” This is what sparks the debate. Acts 15:1
Who reminds the council that God gave the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles “even as he did unto us”?
Peter rose up and reminded them that God, who knows the hearts, bore the Gentiles witness by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to the Jews. Acts 15:7–8
Which of these things does the letter ask the Gentile converts to avoid?
The letter asks them to abstain from meats offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. Acts 15:29
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