Acts 15:1-35

Marc Minter

FBC Diana

Acts • Sermon • Submitted 2 years ago • Presented 2 years ago

0 ratings

· 68 views

Main Point: The promise of forgiveness in Christ is applied on the basis of God’s sheer grace and through the genuine faith of sinners; and only this gospel transcendently unifies.

Notes

Transcript

Sermon Tone Analysis

Emotion

Language

Social

View more →

Introduction

What is the ground of Christian unity? What is the basis upon which one Christian is joined to another? Or one church united with another?

What truly unites any group of people? Don’t we usually think of unity as dependent upon some common-but-temporary priority or interest? I mean, we can be united at a football or baseball game… we can be united in our vote for the best Italian food in Longview… we can even be united in our love for certain traditions or experiences… but that sort of unity is fleeting… it’s momentary.

So, what unites the universal Church of the Lord Jesus Christ? What unity does every true Christian have with every other true Christian? And how, if ever we find it, is that unity maintained?

Our passage today is a pivotal section of the book of Acts. It is the major turning point in the expansion of Christ’s kingdom in the world. The events of Acts 15:1-35 occur right after Paul’s first missionary journey and just before his second. In fact, this passage asks and answers the question that must be resolved in order for any evangelistic efforts to continue among the world beyond the Jews.

The church in Antioch of Syria was growing, and other Gentile churches had just been planted in the broader regions of Lycaonia and Pisidia (specifically, Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe; see Acts 13-14). In Judea, and especially in Jerusalem, the largely Jewish population of Christians was growing in Christ, but they were also facing social and economic persecution from the Jewish brethren they’d left behind (having been baptized into the church of Jesus Christ).

And in the midst of all this growth and expansion of Christ’s kingdom in the world, there arose the second occasion for potential disunity and chaos. The first was an administrative and practical problem in Acts 6, but this one, in Acts 15, is a fundamental problem. Acts 15 drills down the very heart of the gospel, and asks the sort of questions that have to be addressed… in the first century and every century afterward: Who can be counted among the people of God? On what basis does any sinner become a partaker in the promises of the gospel? Where is the burning core of Christian unity?

Let’s stand, and I’ll read our passage for today.

Scripture Reading

Acts 15:1–35 (ESV)

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.

Main Idea:

The promise of forgiveness in Christ is applied on the basis of God’s sheer grace and through the genuine faith of sinners; and only this gospel transcendently unifies.

Sermon

1. Conflicting Gospels (v1-2)

It is vitally important that we understand the nature of the two conflicting gospels, which are the focus of our passage today. We need to know exactly what they were so that we’ll be better able to recognize and apply this in our own day. So, let’s define these two gospels, and then let’s make it clear how they were and are truly at odds with one another.

First, the gospels. Only one appears explicitly in our passage, but the other has already been recorded several times in Acts. The most recent detailed message of the gospel we’ve seen in Acts is in chapter 10. Luke recorded Peter telling the good news of Jesus Christ to a Gentile named Cornelius. Peter said, “38 God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He [Jesus] went about doing good and healing… 39 And we are witnesses of all that he did… They [i.e., the Jews in Jerusalem] put him to death by hanging him on a tree, 40 but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear… 41 to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses… 42 And he [Jesus] commanded us to preach… and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. 43 To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (Acts 10:38-43).

In other words, the gospel or good news that Peter and the rest of the Apostles preached is that Jesus was and is the very Messiah God sent to die in the place of sinners, and Jesus was raised back to life again to show that He is the Redeemer-King… He both forgives sin and judges sinners. Everyone who believes or trusts in Him receives forgiveness; but everyone who does not turn from sin and believe in Christ remains guilty before God and under Christ’s judgment.

Friends, do you believe that? Is this gospel truly good news to your ears this morning? This is the core message of Christianity, and it is our only hope in life and death. If you want to talk more about what it means or how you can have your sins forgiven, then talk with me after the service… or talk with any one of the many Christians in the room.

The other gospel in Acts 15 is right there in v1. Luke says that “some men came down from Judea… teaching… ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved’” (v1). It’s important to note here that these preachers weren’t denying anything in Peter’s gospel from Acts 10. Apparently, the Judean preachers also believed that the forgiveness of sins came only through Jesus Christ. But where Peter and the rest of the Apostles called their hearers to “repent” and “believe” (Acts 2:38, 3:19, 10:43, 13:39), these Judean preachers called their hearers to repent, believe, and follow the law of Moses.

Following or keeping Mosaic law is implicit in v1. They demanded that the Gentile believers be “circumcised” (v1), which was effectively the first step in living under all of the Mosaic law. And they argued as much explicitly in v5; they wanted the Apostles to “order” the Gentiles to “keep the law of Moses” (v5). But let me emphasize again… These Judean preachers seem to have been preaching a gospel that was almost exactly the same as the Apostles, except in one specific detail. But it was enough to put their gospel in direct conflict with the other one.

Second, the conflict. Luke says that “Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate” with the Judean preachers (v2). And the conflict was so obvious and disturbing that a group of church members, including Paul and Barnabas, “were appointed to go up [from Antioch] to Jerusalem” to discuss this question with “the apostles and the elders” there (v2). But what specifically was the question or conflict? It was this: Are sinners saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone? Or are sinners saved by grace, through faith in Christ, and also by obedience to biblical commands?

The way I’m phrasing these questions this morning is how they came to be phrased during and after the Protestant Reformation (of the 16th century), and it would be historically inaccurate to say that Acts 15 was dealing with the Roman Catholic and Protestant divide (which came a millennium and a half later). However, it is a fact that the heart of the conflict in Acts 15 is the center of other conflicts throughout Church history and even today. The doctrine of justification is on the table here, and it’s impossible to overstate how important and how divisive this doctrine is (dividing Christian from non-Christian, the saved from the lost).

Friends, you don’t have to know Church history, and you don’t need to know the finer points of theological lingo; but you absolutely must know what you believe and why. It is not enough for someone to merely say “I am a Christian,” or “I believe in Jesus,” or even “I am saved by grace through faith.” What do you mean by saying any of that? On what basis do you approach the holy God of the universe? What or who are you trusting for your right-standing before God? These are vitally important questions that you must answer for yourself… without phoning a friend or expecting anyone else (including your pastor) to say it for you.

2. Conflicting Parties (v3-6)

Just as there were two conflicting gospels, there were two parties, and each was arguing for one side or the other. One party, let’s call them the Faith Alone guys, was represented by the Apostles Peter and Paul, and also Barnabas (Paul’s missionary friend) and James (the half-brother of Jesus, who was probably like the Senior Pastor/Elder of the Jerusalem church). The other party, let’s call them the Faith Plus Works guys, was represented by a number of unnamed “Pharisees” (v5).

Notice that both parties were promoters of Faith. Again, the conflict was not “Must one believe or have faith in Christ to be saved?” Everyone in Acts 15 answered that question the same way, “Yes!” Luke explicitly tells us that the “Pharisees” who argued for Faith Plus Works were “believers” (v5). However, the conflict was centered on the sufficiency of faith… or more precisely, the sufficiency of Christ. “Is a sinner justified solely by believing or trusting or having faith in the person and effective-work of Jesus Christ?” The Faith Alone guys said, “Yes.” The Faith Plus Works guys said, “No. The sinner must also obey.”

Most of the early Christians appear to have been represented by the Faith Alone guys. Luke opens Acts 15 by showing that “the conversion of the Gentiles” (v3) was received with “great joy” (v3) among “all the brothers” in “Phoenicia and Samaria” (v3). And even “the church” in “Jerusalem” (v4) “welcomed” Paul and Barnabas and some of the Gentile brothers from Antioch (v4). But this emphasizes just how serious it was that there was a conflicting gospel threatening Christian unity between those Jews and Gentiles who were trusting Christ together. The Faith Plus Works guys did not think the universal Church was united at all, and they were not quiet about their concerns, which had been raised before.

In Acts 11, the Apostle Peter had already given a report of what God had revealed to him about the inclusion of the Gentiles in the promises of the gospel. Some men among the church in Jerusalem, called “the circumcision party” (Acts 11:2), had criticized Peter for his Gentile outreach. And, apparently, that same group was still having trouble accepting Gentile Christians who didn’t also adopt Jewish covenantal practices. The Faith Plus Works guys argued, “It is necessary to circumcise [Gentile converts] and to order them to keep the law of Moses” (v5).

Now, before we start condemning the Faith Plus Works guys, let’s first try to understand them. We don’t have time this morning to explain the whole background, rise, and theology of the Pharisees, but we can at least know that these were Jewish folk who cared a great deal about holiness. And they were meticulous in their legalism precisely because they believed that God demanded it. They thought the average first-century Jew was lazy in his obedience to the Mosaic law, so it only seems inevitable that they would think even worse about Gentiles.

Such a religious and cultural perspective doesn’t just change overnight, and though they had heard and believed the gospel (that Jesus was and is the Messiah), they still thought it was necessary to live holy lives based on the divinely revealed legal code – the Mosaic law. And I can sympathize with them. In fact, I want to affirm that their emphasis on holiness and obedience is actually a very good thing.

Brothers and sisters, if we think the Bible teaches us to simply “believe in Jesus” (as though that were some once-and-done kind of thing) and then live however we want, then we have misunderstood the gospel, and we may be on our way to hell. I’m saying it that way, because I think many of us tend to think that our friends and family members are “alright with God” because they “prayed a prayer” or because they “believe in Jesus.” But that’s not true!

We ought never confuse the doctrine of justification by faith alone with the idea that Christian living requires no obedience at all. Martin Luther said it well when he said, “Salvation is by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.” And Luther was simply paraphrasing James 2:14-26… “What good is it my brothers if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that [kind of] faith save him? …[No, James argues]… faith apart from works is dead.”

So, let’s not wag a finger too quickly at the Faith Plus Works guys in Acts 15. We can at least appreciate their desire for holiness. But… they weren’t just arguing that obedience to God’s law is the necessary fruit of justification. They weren’t merely calling Christians to live holy lives in order to behave consistently with their profession of faith. The Faith Plus Works guys were saying that obedience was necessary to be saved or justified to begin with. And that was a threat to the gospel, which had to be addressed… first by a theological argument and then by a biblical one.

3. A Theological Argument (v7-12)

In v7, Luke says that “Peter stood up” to address the assembly “after there had been much debate.” Peter had already played the most significant role in receiving God’s revelation about the gospel including the Gentiles (Acts 10:1-48), and he had also already testified about it among the Jerusalem church (Acts 11:1-18), so it is no surprise that he is one of the main spokesmen here.

Peter’s argument on the side of Faith Alone was a theological one, and so was the additional evidence that Paul and Barnabas gave along with him. It’s theological, not because they didn’t ground their argument in biblical truth, but because they were interpreting God’s actions in real time. Whereas James’s argument (in v13-19) was biblical because he was interpreting Scripture.

Peter started by reminding everyone that God Himself had decided to include Gentiles among His New Covenant people. And God “bore witness” (v8) both to Jews and Gentiles that non-Jewish believers were indeed acceptable to God by “giving [even Gentile believers] the Holy Spirit” (v8). How could God’s Spirit dwell within anything unclean? This was theological proof positive that Gentiles, just the same as Jews, could benefit from the full inheritance of gospel promises by simply repenting and believing (Acts 2:1-4, 36-39).

And after calling God as his witness, Peter then shot the Faith Plus Works guys with the charges of inconsistency and rebellion. Peter accused them of “placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear” (v10). The Faith Plus Works guys had to admit that they had not perfectly kept the law of Moses. So, it was inconsistent and hypocritical to demand that the Gentile Christians live up to a standard they hadn’t met themselves.

Peter also charged them with rebellion against God in that same sentence. He asked, “why are you putting God to the test” (v10), which implied that the Faith Plus Works guys were at risk of provoking God’s anger by opposing His revealed will. In other words, if God has decided to include the Gentiles, if God has granted Gentile believers the gift of His Spirit, and if God has revealed a gospel of grace that frees sinners from the guilt which the Mosaic law only amplified, then the gospel of Faith Plus Works isn’t just a slight adjustment… it’s an anti-gospel… And God will not be happy with anyone who preaches it.

I think it’s important to note here that Peter’s theological argument did not address whether or not Jewish Christians might observe religious traditions at all; Paul later taught that Christians certainly were and are free to do that (Rom. 14:1-10). But Peter’s argument here (and Paul’s teaching later) was aimed directly at the heart of salvation (particularly, justification): “we believe that we [Jews] will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they [Gentiles] will” (v11).

In other words, salvation is by sheer grace, or grace alone. Whether Jew or Gentile, young or old, rich or poor, sinners contribute absolutely nothing to their salvation. Sinners must reach out with empty hands of faith to receive the gracious gift of salvation, which Jesus Christ has earned with His obedient life and death.

After Peter’s theological argument the whole “assembly fall silent” (v12), which likely means that the Faith Plus Works guys had nothing to say in response. But that was not the end of it. There was still more to the theological argument, and Paul and Barnabas brought more evidence to bear. They “related what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles” (v12).

This phrase “signs and wonders” is huge in the book of Acts, but it’s more theologically significant than many of us might realize. Do you know that the phrase “signs and wonders” shows up several times in the OT, and that it’s always used in reference to God’s deliverance of His people from some sort of affliction? For example, Daniel 6:27 says, God is the “living” God who “delivers and rescues; he works signs and wonders.” More remarkably, 7 of the 9 times the exact phrase is used, it’s referring to God’s rescue of His people from Egypt in the Exodus.

No other time in Israel’s history was as significant as the Exodus. That was the time in God’s unfolding plan of redemption when He “made a name” for Himself by showing “signs and wonders in the land of Egypt” (Jer. 32:20). That was when God said He would take Israel “to be my people,” and He would “be [their] God,” and the whole world would “know” that “I am the LORD your God” (Ex. 6:6-8; cf. Ex. 6:29, 7:5, 10:2, 14:4-18, 15:11-16, 16:12, 29:46).

Think about it: “signs and wonders” were how God delivered Israel… for the purpose of establishing them as His covenant people… under His covenantal blessings and parameters. And now, the book of Acts is telling us about God’s ultimate deliverance, that God rescues sinners from the bondage of sin and the curse of judgment. The book of Acts is also telling us about God’s establishment of His New Covenant people, who enjoy all the blessings of God, not on the basis of their own covenant obedience, but on the basis of Christ’s obedience on their behalf. And right in the middle of the debate over who can be counted among God’s New Covenant people (and on what basis), Paul and Barnabas tell stories of “what signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles” (v12)!

The theological argument, as Peter and Paul and Barnabas put it, is that God has chosen and is establishing His New Covenant people – which is and will be a kingdom of disciples from every tribe and language and people of the earth! And the basis upon which anyone is included among the New Covenant people of God is by grace alone through faith alone in the person and work of Christ alone.

And to this theological claim, James added, “Yeah, and the Bible agrees!”

4. A Biblical Argument (v13-21)

James’s speech (in v13-21) is the centerpiece of this chapter, and James’s conclusion (in v19-21) is the central theological and biblical theme of the whole book of Acts. One might say the book of Romans is an explanation of these 9 verses. How are sinners of any kind (Jew or Gentile) to be received into the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ? How are Gentile Christians to show love and humility in relationship with their Jewish brethren? What has the restoration of Israel to do with the establishment of the New Testament Church? James answers all these questions in this short passage. Let’s take them one at a time.

First, how are sinners to be received into the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ? Well, they are to be received without “trouble” or “difficulty” (v19). James said, in v19, “my judgment is that we should not trouble [or “make it difficult for” (NIV)] those of the Gentiles who turn to God.” In other words, “The Faith Alone guys are right, and we should not add any further demands than those of repentance and faith.” Whether Jew or Gentile, entry into the Church or kingdom or family of Jesus Christ was then and is now through the door of simple and genuine faith or belief or trust in the person and work of Christ.

It’s important that I clarify here… This was not just James’s opinion alone. Verse 22 says that “the apostles and the elders” along with the “whole church” in Jerusalem affirmed the same conclusion. Furthermore, this is in harmony with what the whole Bible teaches. The doctrine of justification by grace alone through faith alone doesn’t rest on one decision from the Jerusalem council; it’s the pervasive theme and beating heart of the gospel message all over Scripture.

Second, how are Gentile Christians to show love and humility in relationship with their Jewish brethren? If all the civil and ceremonial laws of the Mosaic covenant are no longer binding, Gentile Christians who have never lived under such laws would have an easy time leaving them behind. Not many of us feel guilty about eating shrimp, and I’d be surprised if any of us keep kosher.

But the first-century Jewish Christian was another story. Their whole lives had been impacted by the Mosaic law or by the tradition that Jewish society had built up around it. The family calendar, grocery shopping, animal keeping, child-rearing, and communal celebrations were entirely wrapped in tradition. It would be unlikely that many Jewish converts would just stop doing life the way they had been doing it for generations. And it was also pretty shocking for those same Jewish converts to see fellow Christians living so differently from them.

James said that there are many Jews and God-fearers spread out “in every city” of the known world (v21). And these people gathered “in the synagogues” to hear from the law of Moses “every Sabbath” (v21). Out of pastoral care, James asked the Gentile converts to show love and humility to their Jewish brethren by “abstaining from” those things most closely associated with idolatry in the Roman world: “things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood” (v20).

I think Paul explains this well in Romans 14. He wrote, “I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself, but it is unclean for anyone who things it unclean… Let us not pass judgment on one another… but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother” (Rom. 14:13-14). It is good for us to remember that adding to the gospel is certainly damaging to the soul, but so too is flaunting Christian liberty. Jewish Christians were to show love and humility by not passing judgment, and Gentile Christians were to show love and humility by giving up their Christian freedoms for the sake of their brethren. I think we would all do well to show more of this kind of love and humility.

Third, what does Acts 15, and especially James’s speech, say about the connection between the restoration of Israel and the establishment of the New Testament people of God – the Church? Well, this question deserves a whole sermon of its own, but we’ve been seeing the connection throughout the book of Acts. We can at least touch it again here, and we will certainly keep revisiting it.

James’s conclusion, which we’ve already unpacked was based on his understanding of the right way to interpret OT prophecies about the restoration of Israel (and this is really where the biblical argument is on display). James’s perspective was the same as the Apostles, and they all repeatedly argued that God’s OT promises to restore and rebuild Israel were being fulfilled in the establishment of a New Covenant people (i.e., those who believed the gospel of Christ). Jesus was and is the rightful Davidic king, and His kingdom was and is comprised of a spiritual people, not an ethnic or geographical one.

Citing the prophet Amos, James argued that the restoration of Israel, which God had promised hundreds of years before, already included promises that “all the Gentiles” [or “nations”] would participate among the people who would be “called” by God’s covenant “name” (v17; cf. Amos 9:12). Biblically speaking, then, James was saying that God was fulfilling his promises right in front of them.

Now, if you’ve been following me so far, then here’s what we’ve got: Some preachers came to Antioch, preaching a gospel of Faith Plus Works. Paul and Barnabas went to Jerusalem, along with some church members from Antioch, to find out why this seemed to conflict with the gospel they knew (i.e., Faith Alone). The Faith Plus Works guys stated their case, and then the Faith Alone guys made their theological and biblical arguments. Let’s see what happened next.

5. The Unifying Gospel (v22-35)

Verse 22 says, “Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church” to send messengers (church members from Jerusalem) along with Paul and Barnabas back to Antioch. And, incredibly, Luke recorded the contents of the letter they sent! With this short letter, and by sending “Barsabbas” and “Silas,” who were both “leading men among the brothers” in Jerusalem (v22), the church in Jerusalem ensured that any breach in their relationship with the church in Antioch would be healed. They denounced the Faith Plus Works guys, they clearly expressed welcome and unity with Gentile believers, and they affirmed Paul’s ongoing evangelistic ministry to the Gentiles.[1]

See v24. They said, “we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you,” but to these men “we gave no instructions” [or “commandment” (KJV) or “authorization” (NIV)]. In other words, “They didn’t speak for us!” And, with that, the Faith Plus Works guys were sent out in the cold.

Notice quickly here that unity in the churches of Jerusalem and Antioch did not mean that everyone was accepted or welcome. No! The gospel of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone was the basis or ground of their unity; so, by definition, anyone who disbelieved that gospel or who preached contrary to that gospel was not welcome. Unity in the gospel necessarily excludes, and we must be very careful to maintain the sort of unity that matters.

See also in this letter how the Jerusalem church expressed such love and welcome to the church in Antioch. The letter begins in v23, “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles…” And the letter ends with the statement that it was good “to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burdens” than abstaining from those things which appear to be gross idolatry.[2] This was an overt statement that the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem believed they shared the same Spirit of God with the Gentile Christians in Antioch.

And what happened so many times before in the book of Acts, happened again. When the gospel message went out, sinners were converted and/or believers were edified or strengthened. Verse 30 says that when the envoy from Jerusalem arrived in Antioch, the whole “congregation… gathered” to hear the letter read aloud. And when the Gentile church members heard it, “they rejoiced because of its encouragement” (v32).

Conclusion

This whole episode is dripping with love and unity, but not without cost and even division. When a false gospel crept in, unity was threatened, so it had to be addressed. Those who taught or believed the false gospel were marked off as “troubling” and “unauthorized” (v24). And the Apostles clarified the true gospel for what it was, based on special revelation and on the fulfillment of OT Scripture.

Those within the churches in Jerusalem and Antioch (as well as other Gentile regions) shared the bond of the one true gospel. They were all believing and trusting in the one Lord Jesus Christ, who is the promised Messiah and King of an everlasting kingdom, which is comprised of believers from all nations (ἐθνη). And they were all sharing in the same Holy Spirit, who empowers Christians both to love one another humbly and to pursue holiness diligently.

Brothers and sisters, this is Christian unity! This is the sort of unity we share with all true churches! This the sort of unity we share (as individuals) with all true Christians! This is the sort of unity that only the gospel can produce… unity that transcends every temporal feature… socio-economic status, ethnicity, nationality, age-demographic, gender, previous religious experience, and even total paganism. All sinners stand on even ground at the foot of the cross, and all those who believe the gospel are both united to Christ and to one another in an eternal bond that shall never wear out.

May God grant us faith to believe or to have faith in Christ to save us. May God grant us unity in the gospel of Jesus Christ. And may God help us to walk in humility and peace with one another especially in those areas where our consciences may pinch us differently.

Endnotes

[1]Space does not allow for expounding this point further but consider the following. See how they affirm Paul’s missionary efforts to the Gentiles. In v23, they include not only “the Gentiles I Antioch” as recipients, but also those in “Syria and Cilicia” as well. This was an affirmation of Paul’s missionary efforts thus far. But look also at the gushing language at the end of v25 and all of v26. Barnabas and Paul are “beloved” brothers to those in Jerusalem (v25). These two missionaries were exemplary, even “risking their lives” to complete their task (v26). And their mission was nothing less than the spread of the “name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v26). [2]“Another significant issue, however, remains to be investigated. Are the ‘necessary things’ of Acts 15:29 still binding in any way on Gentile Christians? Related to this is the question of any parallel NT teaching that might assist in the application of the Apostolic Decree. Witherington observes first the teaching in 1 Thessalonians 1:9 about the demand for Gentiles to turn from idolatry to serve the living and true God, coupled with instructions about avoiding all forms of sexual immorality in 4:1–8. More extensively, Paul deals with porneia in 1 Corinthians 5–6 and then the issue of eating food sacrificed to idols in 1 Corinthians 8–10, where the word eidōlothyton is used several times (8:1, 4, 7, 10; 10:19; cf. Acts 15:29). A specific connection between sexual sin and dining at a pagan temple feast is made in 1 Corinthians 10:7–22. ‘For Paul, the issue is clearly one of venue rather than menu, as the advice in 1 Cor. 10:23–28 shows.… In short, Paul, like James, insists that pagans flee idolatry and immorality and the temple context where such things are thought to be prevalent.’” David G. Peterson, The Acts of the Apostles, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2009), 445–446.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Aland, Kurt, Barbara Aland, Johannes Karavidopoulos, Carlo M. Martini, and Bruce M. Metzger. Novum Testamentum Graece. 28th Edition. Stuttgart: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft, 2012.

Biblical Studies Press. The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press, 2005.

Calvin, John. Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles. Edited by Henry Beveridge. Translated by Christopher Fetherstone. Vol. 2. 2 vols. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

Peterson, David. The Acts of the Apostles. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos, 2009.

Polhill, John B. Acts. Vol. 26. The New American Commentary. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992.

Sproul, R. C., ed. The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version. 2015 Edition. Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016.

The Holy Bible: King James Version. Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009.