Acts 15

15:1 These men from Judea were Jewish Christians who taught the necessity of circumcision (and with it, conversion to Judaism) in order to be saved. The central issue was how Gentiles were to be received into Christian fellowship. Paul wrote his letter to the Galatians about this time to counter the same teaching in Galatia (see Galatians Book Introduction, “Date of Writing”).

15:2-3 The Antioch church decided to send . . . delegates to Jerusalem to resolve this matter in discussion with the apostles and elders there. En route, the entourage visited believers in Phoenicia and Samaria, where the Christian faith had made substantial inroads (ch 8).

15:4-21 The first council of the church met to resolve the dispute concerning Gentiles and circumcision (15:1-2).

15:5 These Pharisees were believers, yet they retained their strong adherence to the law of Moses. Paul argued against their message most strenuously (see Gal 1:6-9; 2:14–3:14).

15:7-11 Peter, no doubt remembering his own experience in the household of Cornelius (ch 10), argued that God had already confirmed his acceptance of the Gentiles without circumcision by giving them the Holy Spirit. The undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus had been made available to all.

15:13-19 James, the brother of Jesus, declared that the conversion of the Gentiles was clearly in accord with Scripture. He argued forcefully that it was contrary to the divine will to put unnecessary requirements on the admission of the Gentiles.

15:14 Peter: Greek Simeon. Peter’s given name was Simon (see Matt 16:17-19).

15:15-19 Because God’s prophets had predicted the conversion and inclusion of the Gentiles, James argued that the Gentiles should be accepted as Gentiles, without requiring them to practice Judaism (15:1).

15:20 Eating food offered to idols is sinful if it involves knowingly partaking of an idolatrous sacrifice (see Exod 20:4; Deut 5:8; 1 Cor 8:4-13; 10:14-30; Rev 2:14, 20). • Sexual immorality was common in the Greek world but is always sinful (Exod 20:14; Deut 5:18; Gal 5:19). • eating the meat of strangled animals: God’s law prohibits eating meat that has blood in it (Lev 17:13-14) or consuming blood (Lev 17:10-12), “for the life of every creature is in its blood” (Lev 17:14). Also, “It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible” (see Lev 17:11 and study note). This command was first given to Noah, the ancestor of Gentiles as well as Jews (Gen 9:4).

15:22-29 The Jerusalem church chose two of the church leaders to report its decision. They took with them a letter from the apostles and elders . . . in Jerusalem explaining the terms of the agreement.

15:29 Farewell: The letter to the churches includes this familiar Hellenistic greeting at the end of a letter, found only here in the New Testament. Paul often ended his letters on a more theological note (e.g., 1 Cor 16:23-24; 2 Cor 13:13; see Eph 6:23-24; Phil 4:23; Col 4:18; 1 Thes 5:23-28; 1 Tim 6:21).

15:30-31 The believers at Antioch received the decision with great joy that conversion to Judaism and keeping all the requirements of the law of Moses was not required of them. The dispute had been resolved, so the work of teaching and preaching in Antioch could continue unimpeded.

15:36-41 The discordant separation of Paul and Barnabas is indicated by a very strong word in Greek (their disagreement was so sharp). It was an honest disagreement between two godly men about whether John Mark (Barnabas’s cousin, Col 4:10) should be given a second chance to accompany them on a mission journey after he had deserted them in Pamphylia (see Acts 13:13). The rift between Paul and John Mark was eventually healed (2 Tim 4:11).

15:40-41 Following his disagreement with Barnabas over John Mark, Paul chose Silas as his partner for a second missionary journey through Syria and Cilicia. The two men traveled overland to visit Derbe and Lystra, explaining the decision of the Jerusalem council and strengthening believers in their faith.