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Actschapter 15

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A.The Circumcision Question Sends Them to Jerusalemvv. 1-5

1 Then 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 engaging these men in sharp debate, Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3 Sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, recounting the conversion of the Gentiles and bringing great joy to all the brothers. 4 On their arrival in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and apostles and elders, to whom they reported all that God had done through them. 5 But some believers from the party of the Pharisees stood up and declared, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.”

B.The Council: Peter, Barnabas, Paul, and James Speakvv. 6-21

6 So the apostles and elders met to look into this matter. 7 After much discussion, Peter got up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you that the Gentiles would hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8 And God, who knows the heart, showed His approval by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as He did to us. 9 He made no distinction between us and them, for He cleansed their hearts by faith. 10 Now then, why do you test God by placing on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? 11 On the contrary, we believe it is through the grace of the Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.” 12 The whole assembly fell silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul describing the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. 13 When they had finished speaking, James declared, “Brothers, listen to me! 14 Simon has told us how God first visited the Gentiles to take from them a people to be His own. 15 The words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written: 16 ‘After this I will return and rebuild the fallen tent of David. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, 17 so that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by My name, says the Lord who does these things 18 that have been known for ages.’ 19 It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not cause trouble for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead, we should write and tell them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals, and from blood. 21 For Moses has been proclaimed in every city from ancient times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.”

C.The Letter Sent to the Gentile Believersvv. 22-35

22 Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to select men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas called Barsabbas and Silas, two leaders among the brothers, 23 and sent them with this letter: The apostles and the elders, your brothers, To the brothers among the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings. 24 It has come to our attention that some went out from us without our authorization and unsettled you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25 So we all agreed to choose men to send to you along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to tell you in person the same things we are writing. 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond these essential requirements: 29 You must abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell. 30 So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they assembled the congregation and delivered the letter. 31 When the people read it, they rejoiced at its encouraging message. 32 Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers. 33 After spending some time there, they were sent off by the brothers in peace to return to those who had sent them. 34 35 But Paul and Barnabas remained at Antioch, along with many others, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord.

D.Paul and Barnabas Part Company Over Markvv. 36-41

36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the brothers in every town where we proclaimed the word of the Lord, to see how they are doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark. 38 But Paul thought it best not to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not accompanied them in the work. 39 Their disagreement was so sharp that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord. 41 And he traveled through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

Commentary on this chapter: read the Exposition
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Chapter summary

The Jerusalem Council.

Read the rest, the context and the outline ▾

The Jerusalem Council. The circumcision question. Peter, Paul and Barnabas, James speak; the apostolic decree. Abstain from meats offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, from fornication. The letter carried by Judas and Silas. Paul and Barnabas part over Mark; Paul takes Silas.

Drawn from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory, Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary, John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament and John Calvin, Commentaries.

Context

History · Luke — Acts overview

  • A. 1–5 The Circumcision Question Sends Them to Jerusalem
  • B. 6–21 The Council: Peter, Barnabas, Paul, and James Speak
  • C. 22–35 The Letter Sent to the Gentile Believers
  • D. 36–41 Paul and Barnabas Part Company Over Mark
Top cross-references8 chapters ▾
  • Acts 1516 verses
    • Acts 15:1Then 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.”
    • Acts 15:2And after engaging these men in sharp debate, Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.
    • Acts 15:3Sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, recounting the conversion of the Gentiles and bringing great joy to all the brothers.
    • Acts 15:4On their arrival in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and apostles and elders, to whom they reported all that God had done through them.
    • Acts 15:5But some believers from the party of the Pharisees stood up and declared, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.”
    • Acts 15:6So the apostles and elders met to look into this matter.
    • Read Acts 15: 10 more there →
  • Acts 137 verses
    • Acts 13:1Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch), and Saul.
    • Acts 13:4So Barnabas and Saul, sent forth by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.
    • Acts 13:5When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. And John was with them as their helper.
    • Acts 13:13After setting sail from Paphos, Paul and his companions came to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem.
    • Acts 13:15After the reading from the Law and the Prophets, the synagogue leaders sent word to them: “Brothers, if you have a word of encouragement for the people, please speak.”
    • Acts 13:27The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning Him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.
    • Read Acts 13: 1 more there →
  • Acts 146 verses
    • Acts 14:6they found out about it and fled to the Lycaonian cities of Lystra and Derbe and to the surrounding region,
    • Acts 14:19Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won over the crowds. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, presuming he was dead.
    • Acts 14:22strengthening the souls of the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith. “We must endure many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.
    • Acts 14:24After passing through Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia.
    • Acts 14:26From Attalia they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had just completed.
    • Acts 14:27When they arrived, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them, and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
    • Read Acts 14 →
  • Galatians 25 verses
    • Galatians 2:1Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem, accompanied by Barnabas. I took Titus along also.
    • Galatians 2:4This issue arose because some false brothers had come in under false pretenses to spy on our freedom in Christ Jesus, in order to enslave us.
    • Galatians 2:7On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted to preach the gospel to the uncircumcised, just as Peter had been to the circumcised.
    • Galatians 2:9And recognizing the grace that I had been given, James, Cephas, and John—those reputed to be pillars—gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised.
    • Galatians 2:12For before certain men came from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles. But when they arrived, he began to draw back and separate himself, for fear of those in the circumcision group.
    • Read Galatians 2 →
4 more chapters this one speaks with
  • Galatians 54 verses
    • Galatians 5:1It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not be encumbered once more by a yoke of slavery.
    • Galatians 5:6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. All that matters is faith, expressed through love.
    • Galatians 5:10I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is troubling you will bear the judgment, whoever he may be.
    • Galatians 5:12As for those who are agitating you, I wish they would proceed to emasculate themselves!
    • Read Galatians 5 →
  • Revelation 23 verses
    • Revelation 2:14But I have a few things against you, because some of you hold to the teaching of Balaam, who taught Balak to place a stumbling block before the Israelites so they would eat food sacrificed to idols and commit sexual immorality.
    • Revelation 2:20But I have this against you: You tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess. By her teaching she misleads My servants to be sexually immoral and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
    • Revelation 2:24But I say to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned the so-called deep things of Satan: I will place no further burden upon you.
    • Read Revelation 2 →
  • Galatians 12 verses
  • Acts 212 verses
    • Acts 21:5But when our time there had ended, we set out on our journey. All the disciples, with their wives and children, accompanied us out of the city and knelt down on the beach to pray with us.
    • Acts 21:25As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they must abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality.”
    • Read Acts 21 →

Cross-references from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and OpenBible.info.