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 ]