Introduction
Throughout the past two millennia, countless assemblies of Christian leaders have assembled to settle doctrinal matters.
The first of these assemblies is the Jerusalem Council, described in Acts 15:1-35.
The book titled Got Questions states the following: “Employing the council held in Jerusalem (Acts 15) as a model for settling doctrinal and disciplinary issues, seven assemblies of church leaders met from 325 to 787 AD (Got Questions Ministries, Got Questions? Bible Questions Answered, vol. 2 [Bellingham, WA: Faithlife, 2014–2021]).
The two most significant of these councils were the Council of Nicea (325 AD), which condemned the heresy of Arianism and summarized the teaching of the apostles in credal form, and the Council of Chalcedon (451 AD), which addressed erroneous views about Jesus’ person.
However, as already mentioned, the Jerusalem Council, which met in Jerusalem between 48 and 50 AD, was the model for these seven councils.
The question that the Jerusalem Council had to address was the most significant of all questions: What must a person do to be saved?
The gospel’s good news started in Jerusalem. The good news was that Jesus was alive and changing lives.
The first Christians were Jews.
But the gospel quickly spread to non-Jews, the Gentiles.
Gentiles believed that Jesus was alive and changing lives.
Gentiles repented of their sins and trusted in Jesus alone for the gift of salvation.
Some Jews, however, became quite concerned about the inclusion of the Gentiles in the church.
They believed that Gentiles who wanted to become Christians must first become Jewish proselytes.
They saw Christianity as the fulfillment of Judaism.
They believed that Gentiles were short-circuiting the process and becoming Christians without first becoming Jewish proselytes.
They could not conceive that pagans could become full members of the church and immediately be on equal footing with Jewish believers.
That seemed wrong to some Jewish believers who had devoted their lives to keeping God’s law.
John MacArthur sums up the issue before the Jerusalem Council:
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 (John F. MacArthur Jr., Acts, vol. 2, MacArthur New Testament Commentary [Chicago: Moody Press, 1994], 61–62).
Scripture
Let’s read Acts 15:1-35:
1 But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. 3 So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. 5 But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”
6 The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. 7 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. 8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, 9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. 10 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? 11 But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
12 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. 13 After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me. 14 Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name. 15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,
16 “ ‘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,
17 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 18 known from of old.’
19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, 20 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. 21 For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”
22 Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers, 23 with the following letter: “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings. 24 Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions, 25 it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth. 28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements: 29 that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”
30 So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. 31 And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. 32 And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words. 33 And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them. 35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.
Lesson
Acts 15:1-35 teaches us about the Council of Jerusalem in which they had to settle a crucial doctrinal question.
Let’s use the following outline:
1. The Dissension in the Church (15:1-5)
2. The Debate at the Council (15:6-21)
3. The Decision by the Council (15:22-29)
4. The Deliverance to the Church (15:30-35)
I. The Dissension in the Church (15:1-5)
First, let’s examine the dissension in the church.
In verse 1, we read, “But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.’ ”
We don’t know who the men were who came down from Judea.
No church leaders authorized them.
They assumed what was necessary for salvation and wanted to correct the believers in the Antioch Church.
This church sent Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey. After returning, they ministered in the church again.
The Antioch Church was filled with Gentile Christians.
They were saved by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus alone.
So, you can imagine their consternation when the men from Jerusalem said, “No, no. Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
Understandably, verse 2a tells us, “Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them.”
They could not dissuade the men from Judea regarding their false teaching.
So, the Antioch Church appointed “Paul and Barnabas and some of the others… to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question” (v. 2b).
The question was: What must a person do to be saved?
Specifically, was a Gentile saved in a way that was different from a Jew?
The error by the men from Judea is that they taught that salvation is by works.
They believed that to be saved, a person had to be circumcised according to the custom of Moses.
This is the problem with every religion in the world.
They believe and teach that one must do something to have a right relationship with God and that works are necessary for salvation.
That is not true. It is wrong. A person cannot be saved by doing works.
When Paul, Barnabas, and others arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders (v. 4).
Paul and Barnabas gave an account of all God had done with them.
Somewhat surprisingly, we read in verse 5, “But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, ‘It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.’ ”
The men in verse 5 differ from those mentioned in verse 1.
The men in verse 5 are believers, whereas no such statement is said about the men in verse 1.
The point is that even believers can have a wrong understanding of what one must do to be saved.
Some believers add unbiblical requirements to what is necessary for salvation, such as:
• You need to be baptized to be saved.
• You need to give money to be saved.
• You need to be a good person to be saved.
• You need to obey the Ten Commandments to be saved.
These things do not save a person.
So, what must a person do to be saved?
II. The Debate at the Council (15:6-21)
Second, let’s look at the debate at the council.
In verse 6, we read, “The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter.”
Here, we have a description of the Jerusalem Council meeting to consider what a person must do to be saved.
That was the question before the council.
I love what verse 7a says, “And after there had been much debate.”
There was much debate.
How much debate?
I don’t know. We are not told.
What parliamentary procedure did they follow?
General Henry M. Robert was born 18 centuries later, so Robert’s Rules of Order was not yet in circulation.
After much debate, the Apostle Peter addressed the Jerusalem Council.
Peter reminded the brothers that God chose him to share the gospel with the Gentiles. He affirms that God gave
them the Holy Spirit without distinction. He questions why the Council would impose burdens on the Gentiles that no one could carry.
He concluded his speech with these marvelous words in verse 11, “But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.”
What must a person do to be saved?
Nothing!
All people—Jew and Gentile alike—are saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus.
Every person is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus alone.
Verse 12 tells us, “And all the assembly fell silent.”
Perhaps you have heard debates where mouths are stopped, and everyone falls silent.
I remember attending a General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in America about thirty years ago.
There was a significant debate over the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy.
The policy itself was not the question under discussion, but whether the General Assembly should write a letter to the President of the United States. In other words, should the Church tell the State what to do?
There was “much debate.”
Some argued that a letter should be sent to the President.
Others argued that the Church had no business addressing the State.
Finally, the respected Dr. D. James Kennedy got up and said, “Some Pharisees came and told Jesus that Herod wanted to kill him. Jesus addressed the head of state when he said, “Go tell that fox” (Luke 13:32)!
All the assembly fell silent.
The debate was ended.
A vote was taken, the resolution was adopted, and a letter was sent to the President.
After Peter spoke to the assembly, Barnabas and Paul told them what God had done through them as they shared the gospel’s good news with the Gentiles.
When Barnabas and Paul finished speaking, James, Jesus' brother and the Moderator of the Assembly (Acts 12:17), spoke.
In verse 19, he said, “Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God.”
No one was to trouble the Gentiles by telling them that they had to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses to be saved.
James suggested some practical matters of fellowship.
Not only did James and the Jerusalem Council not want Jews to trouble the Gentiles, but he also wanted the Gentiles not to trouble Jewish believers.
The concern was that Gentiles would revel in their freedom in Christ and would pressure Jewish believers to exercise that same liberty and violate their consciences.
So, he suggested that the Council write a letter to the Gentile believers.
In this letter, the Gentile believers would be told “to abstain from the things polluted by idols” (v. 20a). This referred to food sold in pagan temples. To Jews, eating such food was seen as blasphemous.
The Gentile believers would also be told to “abstain… from sexual immorality” (v. 20b). In their previous pagan lives, the Gentiles were promiscuous. They were now to live lives consistent with their new identity in Christ.
The Gentile believers would also be told to “abstain from what has been strangled, and from blood” (v. 20c). This had to do with the Jewish dietary laws. Jews ate what we call kosher food. The Gentile believers were asked to respect the consciences of the Jewish believers in this respect.
III. The Decision by the Council (15:22-29)
Third, notice the decision by the council.
The decision reached by the Jerusalem Council was that both Jews and Gentiles were saved in the same way.
They were saved by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus alone.
Gentiles did not have to become Jewish proselytes before joining the Church.
They did not have to do certain things to be saved.
However, they were asked to observe some practical considerations for fellowshipping with Jewish believers.
That would be like not drinking alcohol on a missions trip in Mexico.
Christians in Mexico don’t drink alcohol, and so out of respect for those whom we are visiting, we don’t drink alcohol because of our love for them.
In verse 22, we read, “Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers.”
The letter told the Antioch Church what had been decided by the Jerusalem Council.
They said the men bringing the letter would tell them of the decision by word of mouth.
In addition, the letter also stated what the Jerusalem Council suggested practically for their fellowship to be enriched.
You recall that the Jerusalem Council was asked: What must a person do to be saved?
The answer was nothing!
All people—Jew and Gentile alike—are saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus.
Every person is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus alone.
Every sound pastor wrestles with this issue.
Some people in every church think they are saved by something they do.
If I were to ask you: “If you were to die and stand before God and he asked you, ‘Why should I let you into my heaven?’ what would you say?”
If you say, “God, you should let me into heaven because I am a good person,” or “because I go to church,” or “because I try to obey your law,” or “because I was born in a Christian home,” you will never get to heaven.
The only acceptable answer is: “I am trusting in Jesus alone for the gift of eternal life.”
IV. The Deliverance to the Church (15:30-35)
Finally, observe the deliverance to the church.
In verse 30, we read, “So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter.”
What was the response of the congregation?
Verse 31 states, “And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement.”
God’s people are always encouraged when they learn about God’s truth.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I ask you: What must you do to be saved?
I pray that you will say that you are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Jesus alone. Amen.
