A MAJOR CRISIS - CONSULTATION AT JERUSALEM
When we came to the end of chapter 14 it described the end of an
abundantly successful mission and we had the impression that all was
well. The word was advancing. All hindrances had been swept aside. But
there was one thing missing. And that is that in Act... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And certain men came down from Judaea and taught the brethren,
saying, “Except you be circumcised after the custom of Moses, you
cannot be saved.”
As with the prophets who had arrived earlier and had been of great
assistance (Acts 11:27), some men ‘from Judaea' now arrived in
Syrian Antioch, but th... [ Continue Reading ]
THE DEMAND THAT ALL BELIEVERS IN CHRIST BE CIRCUMCISED AND ITS
CONSEQUENCE (15:1-3).
News had reached Judaea of the many Gentiles who had become Christians
and had not been circumcised. This had horrified many Jewish
believers, especially many Pharisees who were believers, for they
considered that... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and questioning
with them, the brethren appointed that Paul and Barnabas, and certain
other of them, should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders
about this question.'
Paul and Barnabas saw to the heart of the question and stood firm
agains... [ Continue Reading ]
‘They therefore, being brought on their way by the church, passed
through both Phoenicia and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the
Gentiles, and they caused great joy unto all the brethren.'
This group therefore set out for Jerusalem under the official auspices
of the whole ‘church' (the whole g... [ Continue Reading ]
THE RESPONSE OF THE APOSTLES AND THE CHURCH IN JERUSALEM (15:4-21).
‘And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the
church and the apostles and the elders, and they rehearsed all things
that God had done with them.'
Arriving in Jerusalem they were well received by ‘the Apostles and... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees who
believed, saying, “It is needful to circumcise them, and to charge
them to keep the law of Moses.”
All were aware of why this deputation from the believers at Syrian
Antioch had come. It was so that they might come to a decision, taking
in... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And the apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider
of this matter.'
It was right that these matters be brought up because that was why the
Apostles and elders had gathered together to consider the matter. A
pronouncement on the issue was required. Indeed it was a question on
which... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And when there had been much questioning, Peter rose up, and said
to them, “Brethren, you know that a good while ago God made choice
among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the
good news, and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore them
witness, giving them the Holy Spi... [ Continue Reading ]
“Now therefore why do you test out God, that you should put a yoke
on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were
able to bear?”
Now if God had done this freely for these Gentiles without demanding
circumcision, who were they to demand otherwise? What right had they
to test out... [ Continue Reading ]
“But we believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord
Jesus, in the same way as they.”
Whereas the truth as they now saw it in Jesus was that neither they
nor the Gentiles would be saved by keeping the burden of the whole
Law. Indeed as believing Christian Jews they believed that the... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And all the gathered crowd kept silence; and they listened to
Barnabas and Paul as they rehearsed what signs and wonders God had
wrought among the Gentiles through them.'
Peter's words had moved them all to silence. Living in Jerusalem they
had not really been faced with the heart of matters like... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying,'
Once all had listened to the long account of what God had done through
Barnabas and Paul, there was silence. They had been given much to
think about. And there must have been a feeling of great relief when
James, the Lord's brother spok... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Symeon has rehearsed how first God visited the Gentiles, to take
out of them a people for his name.'
This use of Peter's Hebrew name ‘Symeon' was both tactful and fully
understandable. Tactful because it linked Peter firmly with his Jewish
background. It would make clear that in the end Peter was... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,'
Then he supports Peter's case from the prophets, citing them as
infallible Scripture (‘it is written'). The quotation, taken from
Amos 9:11, is interesting in that it neither follows MT nor LXX,
although being closer to LXX. But in fa... [ Continue Reading ]
“After these things I will return, And I will build again the
tabernacle of David, which is fallen, and I will build again its
ruins, and I will set it up, that the residue of men may seek after
the Lord, And all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, says the
Lord, who makes these things known... [ Continue Reading ]
“Wherefore my judgment is, that we trouble not those who from among
the Gentiles turn to God.”
Having satisfactorily settled from Scripture that God had promised in
the last days to call many Gentiles to Himself, and that therefore the
calling of the Gentiles as Gentiles was Scriptural, James now g... [ Continue Reading ]
“But that we write to them, that they abstain from the pollutions of
idols, and from fornication, and from what is strangled, and from
blood. For Moses from generations of old has in every city those who
preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath.”
Four major principles were, however, to... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole
church, to choose men out of their company, and send them to Antioch
with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas,
chief men among the brethren, and they wrote thus by them,'
Having come to their conclusions the... [ Continue Reading ]
THE VIEW OF THE APOSTLES AND THE JERUSALEM CHURCH IS RELAYED TO SYRIAN
ANTIOCH (15:22-35).... [ Continue Reading ]
‘The apostles and the elders, brethren, to the brethren who are of
the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greeting.'
The letter is addressed a little more widely than just to Antioch
itself. ‘Syria and Cilicia' was the province in which Antioch was
found. The church at Antioch had by now es... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Forasmuch as we have heard that certain who went out from us have
troubled you with words, subverting your souls, to whom we gave no
commandment, it seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to
choose out men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and
Paul, men who have hazarded their l... [ Continue Reading ]
‘We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who themselves also will
tell you the same things by word of mouth.'
In order to ensure that there could be no doubt about the agreed
situation they were sending Judas and Silas, so that they would not
only have the letter, but would hear by word of mouth al... [ Continue Reading ]
‘For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you
no greater burden than these necessary things, that you abstain from
things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled,
and from fornication, from which if you keep yourselves, it will be
well with you. Fare you w... [ Continue Reading ]
‘So they, when they were sent away, came down to Antioch, and having
gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter.'
All deliberations being over the Antioch party, together with Judas
and Silas, were sent away back to their waiting church group, where
they gathered the whole church to... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And when they had read it, they rejoiced for the consolation.'
The contents of the letter came as a great strengthening and
encouragement to the church at Antioch, and it resulted in great
rejoicing. They were delighted with that fact that what they had
believed had been vindicated and their freed... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Judas and Silas, being themselves also prophets, exhorted the
brethren with many words, and confirmed them.'
Meanwhile they also enjoyed the ministry of Judas and Silas who as
prophets exhorted them and confirmed them in their faith. There was a
mutual ‘sharing in common' between the churches.... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And after they had spent some time there, they were dismissed in
peace from the brethren to those who had sent them forth.'
Then once they had spent some good time there, they were sent back to
their own church with expressions of peace and goodwill from the
Christians of Antioch which were to be... [ Continue Reading ]
‘But Paul and Barnabas tarried in Antioch, teaching and preaching
the word of the Lord, with many others also.'
Everything now having settled down, and the crisis being over, Paul
and Barnabas now returned to the situation as it had been in Acts
14:28. It was as though the crisis had never been. Al... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And after some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return now and
visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of
the Lord, and see how they fare.” '
After some days' is vague and allows for a considerable amount of
time. But eventually Paul suggests to Barnabas a round trip in... [ Continue Reading ]
PAUL AND BARNABAS AGREE TO SEPARATE (15:36-39).
The ministry of Paul and Barnabas now continued in Syrian Antioch for
some time. But the question would eventually necessarily arise as to
the wellbeing of the churches that they had been used by God in
establishing. Thus Paul one day suggested to Bar... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And Barnabas was minded to take with them John also, who was called
Mark, but Paul thought not good to take with them him who withdrew
from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.'
Barnabas was clearly happy to fall in with the idea, but when the
matter was further considered Barn... [ Continue Reading ]
‘And there arose a sharp disagreement, so that they parted asunder
one from the other, and Barnabas took Mark with him, and sailed away
to Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas, and went forth, being commended by
the brethren to the grace of the Lord.'
The word translated ‘sharp disagreement' means a ‘stirri... [ Continue Reading ]
PAUL MINISTERS TO THE CHURCHES ALONG WITH SILAS AND SELECTS TIMOTHY TO
BE WITH THEM, AND THE CHURCHES ARE CONTINUALLY STRENGTHENED
(15:41-16:5).
‘And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.'
Paul, along with Silas and possibly one or two others then journeyed
through the region... [ Continue Reading ]