The Jerusalem Council

Certain men came from Judea to Antioch and taught that unless the people were circumcised according to the custom of Moses, they could not be saved. This led to a dispute with Paul and Barnabas, who were subsequently appointed to go to Jerusalem to speak with the apostles and elders about this question (Acts 15:1-2). Upon arrival, they were received by the church and reported what God had done, but some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and stated that it was necessary to circumcise the Gentiles and order them to keep the law of Moses. The text does not say how long the debate lasted before the apostles and elders met to consider the matter (Acts 15:4-6).

After much debate, Simon Peter addressed the assembly, stating that God chose him to preach to the Gentiles so they might believe. He argued that God, who knows the heart, gave the Holy Spirit to the Gentiles just as He did to the Jews and made no distinction between them. Peter questioned why they would put a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither their fathers nor they were able to bear. Paul and Barnabas then told the silent assembly about the signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles (Acts 15:7-12).

James then spoke, agreeing that the words of the prophets aligned with Peter’s account. He proposed that they should not trouble the Gentiles who turn to God but should write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from what has been strangled, and from blood (Acts 15:13-20). The apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to send Judas Barsabbas and Silas to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas to deliver a letter containing these instructions. The text does not say how the specific messengers were chosen beyond being leading men among the brothers (Acts 15:22-23).