Acts 15:7-21
Chapter 15
God, who can read hearts, put himself on their side by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.
He made no distinction between them and us and purified their hearts through faith.
So, why do you want to test God? Why do you place a burden on the disciples that neither our ancestors nor we could carry?
We truly believe that we are saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they are.
The entire assembly remained silent as they listened to Paul and Barnabas share all the miraculous signs and wonders that God had performed through them among the non-Jews.
After they finished, James spoke up:
“Listen to me, brothers.
Symeon has just explained how God first showed his care by taking a people for himself from non-Jewish nations.
And the words of the prophets agree with this, for Scripture says,
After this, I will return
and rebuild David’s fallen booth;
I will restore its ruins and set it up again.
Then, the rest of humanity
will seek the Lord,
and all nations will be consecrated to my Name.
So says the Lord,
who is today doing what he decided
from the beginning.
Because of this, I believe we should not create obstacles for non-Jews seeking God.
Let us simply instruct them not to eat food that is unclean because it has been offered to idols; to avoid prohibited marriages; and not to eat the flesh of animals that have been strangled or any blood.
For, from the earliest times, Moses has been taught everywhere, and every Sabbath his laws are remembered.
Commentaries
The Council of Jerusalem.
The Church in Jerusalem was led by Jewish Christians who saw themselves as a sort of “remnant” or ghetto where the new, definitive Israel was being shaped. However, they did not fully understand the novelty of Jesus, his death, and resurrection, which, while maintaining the spiritual roots linking him to the people of Israel, abolished all boundaries set by race, discriminatory laws, and exclusionary traditions. In contrast, the Antioch community was diverse in composition and active in its mission. Its main characteristic was, internally, the ability to live together in diversity; externally, openness to people of various cultures. This situation, which had lasted for several years, could no longer continue. The spark that ignited the conflict between the two churches came from a group of extremists from Judea. Paul calls them “false brothers,” who traveled to Antioch and began to teach that salvation was impossible without circumcision. Paul, Barnabas, and their group responded strongly. A meeting of representatives from both churches was needed to resolve the issue. The unity of the church was maintained, but discriminatory barriers were broken down, and Gentiles were welcomed into the community. Peter’s words in Jerusalem continue to resonate prophetically today. If God has chosen them, who are we to exclude them? With this statement, Luke concludes his mention of Peter in the book. He no longer refers to him. His actions follow the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the central figure throughout the Book of Acts.