Daily Thoughts from Acts: The Crucial Decision (Acts 15:6-21)

The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, 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, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”

And all the assembly fell silent, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul as they related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles. After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,

“‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it, that the remnant 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 my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood. For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”  (Acts 15:6-21 ESV)

Peter’s argument is from experience.  Cornelius and his household received the Holy Spirit and salvation simply by believing, so God must not have required them to be circumcised.  In addition, the requirements of the Law are an unbearable yoke and even Jews are not saved by keeping them but by grace.

Likewise, Paul and Barnabas show that God has approved their message since He has given signs and wonders to attest their preaching.

James uses an argument from Scripture.  Amos prophesied that non-Jews, Gentiles, would seek the Lord when God rebuilt David’s fallen tent, a prediction of the work of the Messiah.  Their seeking God would be made difficult if they were required to keep the law.  However, he argued, because there are so many Jews whose sensibilities would be offended he urged that Gentile converts abstain from practices that were particularly abominable to Jews.

The behaviors James asks Gentile converts to observe all seem ritually related except for “sexual immorality.”  Why would a moral requirement like this even need to be made? If by “immorality” is meant, however, abstaining from marrying someone forbidden by Leviticus 18, too close a relative, then perhaps this makes more sense of the requested restrictions.

Basically, the first ecumenical council of the church agrees with Paul and Barnabas that Gentiles do not need to become Jews in order to be saved and included in the church of Jesus Messiah.  Though Paul has already been preaching this message there is now a new freedom and endorsement of it and we see a shift in Acts from Peter and the Jerusalem church to the western push of the gospel led by Paul.  The church and the gospel has kept itself from being shackled by a works-based and ethnic-based requirement for salvation.  The Church is a multi-racial body of those who by faith alone have entered into covenant relationship with God.