1. SERIOUS DIFFICULTY IN ANTIOCH CHURCH.

Acts 15:1-5.

(1) And certain men came down from Judaea and taught the brethren, saying, Except ye be circumcised after the custom of Moses, ye cannot be saved. (2) 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 unto the apostles and elders about this question.

(3) 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.

(4) 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. (5) 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.

Paul and Barnabas had been used by the Lord in establishing a number of churches on their first missionary journey, and recognized that their special mission was to do work among the Gentiles. This they had learned to be very difficult because of meeting the opposition of the Jews, who felt that salvation was offered only to the Jewish nation; and if any Gentiles should receive salvation it must be in obedience to the teaching of the law and tradition. The Antioch church prospered and became the mother church for the Gentile converts. After the missionaries returned to this church and made their report, they soon found some trouble arising in this church, which was aggravated by men who came down from the church in Jerusalem, which was made up of all circumcised Jews, who insisted that salvation could be obtained only by obedience to the rite of circumcision, as taught by Moses. Paul and Barnabas had everywhere taught, both in the Antioch church and on their missionary journey, that circumcision was not binding on Gentile converts, and he had uniformly acted in accordance with his teaching. We know that God had settled this matter Himself in the case of Cornelius, and considerable time had elapsed since and the number of Jewish Christians had been greatly increased. During this period of increase in Jewish Christians came the renewal of this controversy, and serious disturbance in the Antioch church. Paul opposed these Judaizing teachers, which resulted in a heated discussion, without producing any definite settlement in this point of the dispute.

In the early church the affairs were directed by authority higher than man. A special revelation at this time was communicated, either to Paul or the church (Gal. 2:2), to send a committee to Jerusalem, that this important question might be settled, not for the church of Antioch alone, but for all the churches already established and that would be established in the time to come. The question was not taken to Jerusalem for a decision by a higher tribunal, for in fact no such decision had been rendered. This question had been decided a number of years before, and the new converts who had come into the church had not received the information that Peter had given to the Jerusalem church at that time, which showed that God Himself had settled this question, and the Jerusalem church only confirmed what Paul had so earnestly set forth before the Antioch church was in keeping with God's own directions.

The journey to Jerusalem was made by land, passing through Phenice and Samaria, where considerable preaching had been done before. They declared the conversion of the Gentiles, which brought great joy to the people in the district through which they traveled. When they arrived at Jerusalem they were formally received by the church and its leaders. Paul and Barnabas at once made a report of their work among the heathen. No one in the church seemed to doubt their interest from the report given, but certain of the believing Pharisees held that, in addition to all that had been done, it was necessary that these Gentile converts should be circumcised and commanded to keep the law of Moses.

QUESTIONS.

• Give date of the Jerusalem council.

  It was about A. D. 50. The church had been in existence about twenty years. It had extended over Palestine, Phoenicia, Damascus, Antioch, Cyprus, and part of Asia Minor. There had been a gradual development and broadening of the church for at least fifteen years, since the death of Stephen.

• What was the serious difficulty in the church at this time?

  The Jews wanted the Gentiles to be saved. However, the stricter orthodox tradition-believing Jews felt that the Gentiles must first become Jewish proselytes and submit to the Jewish ceremonial law.

• Where were these teachers educated that made the trouble in the Antioch church?

• Who referred the matter to Jerusalem and why? What was the distance to Jerusalem?

  It was a journey of about three hundred miles, southward along the Mediterranean Sea.

• What did Paul and Barnabas do on the journey that caused great joy?

2. MEETING OF APOSTLES AND ELDERS, AND SPEECHES AT COUNCIL.

Acts 15:6-21.

(1) Speech of Peter.-—Acts 15:6-11.

(6) And the apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider of this matter. (7) And when there had been much questioning, Peter rose up, and said unto them,

Brethren, ye know that a good while ago (Gr. from early days) God made choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel, and believe. (8) And God, who knoweth the heart, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as he did unto us; (9) and he made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. (10) Now therefore why make ye trial of God, that ye should put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? (11) But we believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in like manner as they.

After the Pharisees had made a statement that the Gentiles could not be received into the church without the rite of circumcision, the meeting adjourned to come together later. It was some time between this adjournment and the public meeting of the church that Paul and Barnabas had a private meeting with the leaders of the church (Gal. 2:2-3), seeking to know their mind concerning the matter of bringing the Gentiles into the church. He was anxious to know if these Apostles were in harmony with the believing Jews and would give their strength to support the measure of bringing the Gentile converts under the bondage of the Mosaic law.

It may be possible that at the first part of this meeting the entire church had not gathered, and Peter made his address to the leaders. Before Peter made his address there was much disputing, principally by those who had not understood God's direct method in opening the doors to the Gentiles. Peter made a full statement of the same facts he had presented to this church, of how the Gentiles had been brought into the church by direct revelation while he was at Joppa, and also by direct revelation to Cornelius to send for him that he might preach the Gospel unto them. "And God who was their Witness, gave them the Holy Spirit, the same as he did to us on the day of Pentecost." " Thus He broke down the wall of difference between us, and the hearts of all are purified through faith. By this discussion we are failing to recognize God and submit to Him, and therefore tempt Him. What use is there to put the burden upon others, that is grievous and unable to be borne by ourselves? By compelling the Gentiles to become debtors to the whole law (Gal. 5:3), we ask them to do more than we or our fathers could do in the bearing of the Mosaic law and traditions which were forced upon us."

Peter concluded his address. The Jews as well as the Gentiles were saved by the grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

QUESTIONS.

• What did the people do after the delegates made their statement and Pharisees insisted that Gentiles must be circumcised?

• How did Paul learn the mind of the Apostles about their attitude on the question before the public meeting of the church?

• Why were some of the church members in Jerusalem demanding circumcision of Gentiles?

  These may have been new converts, or not present when Peter made the statement to the church after opening the way for Gentiles to be converted.

• What did he say about obedience to the rites themselves that they had put upon others?

• How did God bear witness?

  By giving to the Gentiles the same Spirit as was given to the Apostles on Pentecost. How purify the heart?

  We are not saved through the merits of obedience to the law, but through faith in Jesus. How tempt God?

  By their inclination to act in opposition to His will, clearly manifested in the case of Cornelius.

• Meaning of " put a yoke upon the neck which we nor our fathers were able to bear"?

  It was not only circumcision, but the entire Mosaic law.

• This law could not be fulfilled and so was not a means of salvation, but faith in Jesus Christ.

(2) Speech of Barnabas and Paul.—Acts 15:12.

(12) And all the multitude kept silence; and they hearkened unto Barnabas and Paul rehearsing what signs and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles through them.

Peter's speech had a great influence upon the people. The Pharisees themselves could no longer object. If they were not fully convinced, at least he had silenced them, and opened the way for Paul and Barnabas to give a full account of their labors. The audience was quiet and gave due respect to their interesting report. Their statement was, no doubt, somewhat similiar to the one made by Peter, showing that God had manifested Himself by wonders and miracles during their mission among the Gentiles. Thus it was that God Himself gave testimony by these manifestations, that His Word as preached by the Apostles, was the Way of Salvation.

QUESTIONS.

• Why say "all the multitude"?

  The brief statement of facts by Peter had such a good effect upon the multitude that Barnabas and Paul decided to follow with the rehearsal of similar facts in the history of their own labors among the Gentiles.

• Why did they both speak?

  Barnabas' name is mentioned first, and no doubt he spoke first because he was more familiar with the church at Jerusalem, and gave Paul the closing argument on the points that had been stated.

• What was the connection of their argument with what Peter said?

  Their reports not only confirmed but also more fully developed what Peter had communicated as to the result of his experience in bringing the Gentiles into the church.

(3) Speech by James.—Acts 15:13-21.

(13) And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying,

Brethren, hearken unto me: (14) Symeon hath rehearsed how first God visited the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. (15) And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,

(16) (Amos 9:11,12) After these things I will return, and I will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:

(17) That the residue of men may seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called,

(18) Saith the Lord, who maketh these things known from of old.

(19) Wherefore my judgment is, that we trouble not them that from among the Gentiles turn to God; (20) but that we write unto them (or, enjoin them), that they abstain from the pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from what is strangled, and from blood. (21) For Moses from generations of old hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath.

The two missionaries having made their report to the church, James, a man of great influence with the Jew and Gentile believer, now proceeded to address the assembly. Peter had made a careful statement of how God manifested Himself when he preached, in the bringing in of the Gentiles, and the two missionaries testified that in their preaching God bore testimony to strengthen them in their mission of bringing Light to the Gentiles. James now supported these facts by showing that God bore testimony through the prophets as revealed in His Word (Amos 9:11-12), that the heathen, which no one would deny in this meeting, formed a part of spiritual Israel, of whom Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was to be the Head. If these facts and revelations by the prophets were correct then these were not to submit to the rite of baptism for admission into the church. This prophecy was not taught by Amos alone, but other prophets spoke in harmony with Amos. Jesus Christ was creating a new nation, a called-out people, not restricted to any race or nation, but in accepting Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and Savior of the world. This revelation of the mystery, which was not revealed, was now made known by the Holy Spirit directing the mind of James. James knew the feeling of the Jewish nation and how firmly they held to the teaching of the law; and while they could not impose the law upon their brethren, it might harmonize the differences and produce better feelings and be no disadvantage to the Gentiles to lay upon them certain restrictions. Four things he requested that the Gentiles should abstain from. The heathen had lived so long in sin and in worship of idols, sin was so common among them, that they had lost all conscience about it. Moses' law, which was to be read in the synagogue, forbade some of these sins as practiced by the heathen. They were to abstain from pollution of idols, fornications, things strangled, and from blood. We know that it was sinful to have any connection with idols or to indulge in fornication—that is the strict teaching of the law; and from the time the revelation was made to Noah, eating blood or things strangled, in which the blood would be retained, was wrong and would always be so.

QUESTIONS.

• Who was the last speaker and what position did he hold in the church?

  He was the bishop of the church in Jerusalem. He was the brother of the Lord. He spoke as the bishop of the church while the Apostles had spoken by the mouth of Peter.

• Explain reference to the tabernacle of David. 16, cf. Amos 9:11-12.

  David, in the beginning, was a shepherd and dwelt in tents, and his house, which had been a stately palace, had become a displaced tabernacle. God did, in return, raise it out of ruin and build it again. The tabernacle was built in Christ, and now the prophecy of Amos was being fulfilled by the extension of His kingdom among the Gentiles.

• Why refer to Moses after the advice? 20.

  James states that, besides private admonition, they should be publicly warned to abstain from pollution of idols and from fornication, as these gave most offense to the Jews. They were also to abstain from things strangled and from blood, which though not evil in themselves, as were the other two, yet were forbidden by the precepts of Noah (Gen. 9:4) before even the Law of Moses was given. The Jews had a great dislike to them and therefore, to avoid giving offense, let the Gentile converts learn from the Scriptures what was expected of them (1 Cor. 8:9-13). There was no danger that the Mosaic law would be forgotten, because it was read every Sabbath.

3. DECISION AND LETTER OF COUNCIL.

Acts 15:22-29.

(22) 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:(23) and they wrote thus by them, The apostles and the elders, brethren, (or, The apostles and the elder brethren), unto the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilieia, greeting:(24) Forasmuch as we have heard that certain who went out (some ancient authorities omit "who went out") from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls; to whom we gave no commandment; (25) it seemed good unto us, having come to one accord, to choose out men and send them unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, (26) men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (27) We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who themselves also shall tell you the same things by word of mouth. (28) For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things:(29) that ye abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication; from which if ye keep yourselves, it shall be well with you. Fare ye well.

James seemed to satisfy the minds of the Jews concerning the bringing in of the Gentiles without obedience to the law, and thought that by so doing the Jewish law would not only be brought into disrepute but would be entirely forgotten. But the service being held in the synagogue, each Sabbath, and the law read, would make it so that the law could not be forgotten. James had so fully expressed the situation that it seemed to give entire satisfaction to the church at Jerusalem and the delegates who had been there from the Antioch church. It was agreed then that this opinion should be put in the form of a letter, which should be read in the districts where the different Gentile churches were located. And to show the deep interest in the welfare of the church they set apart two men of influence to accompany Paul and Barnabas, to carry this good news back to the churches. It was their purpose to correct the false teaching of those who had gone forth from Jerusalem, saying that the Gentiles must be circumcised, when they had been given no such authority by the Christian believers at Jerusalem. These two men appointed by the church, with Paul, immediately returned to Antioch. These two brethren, before leaving the church, received recognition for their great interest in the cause of Christ and were praised for the great sacrifice they made in giving their lives to the opening of missions among the Gentiles. We learn here from verse 28, that the Holy Spirit was directing this meeting, and the disciples were directed by Him in framing this wonderful document, which is so brief and tactful. It produced absolute harmony between the mother church of the Jews and the mother church of the Gentiles. Is it not great when the Holy Spirit is permitted to speak and influence the church never to lay any burden on any follower of Jesus more than that which Jesus requires?

QUESTIONS.

• What about the advice of James?

  It was approved and agreed to unanimously.

• Give the names of the persons appointed to accompany Paul and Barnabas.

  Judas, surnamed Barsabbas; Barsabbas means the son of Sabas. Nothing further is known of him. Silas, shortened form of Silvanus, became Paul's missionary companion. These delegates were sent to give strength to the document sent forth by the Jerusalem church.

• Why send a written decision?

  To show that those who had gone from Jerusalem and had troubled the Gentiles exceeded their authority.

• How was this liberty established?

  It seemed good to the Holy Spirit, by His action upon the Gentiles, and as related in the conference, convinced by argument, by the inspired Scriptures and by the work of the Holy Spirit.

4. PEACE RESTORED IN ANTIOCH.

Acts 15:30-35.

(30) So they, when they were dismissed, came down to Antioch; and having gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle. (31) And when they had read it, they rejoiced for the consolation. (32) And Judas and Silas, being themselves also prophets, exhorted (or, comforted) the brethren with many words, and confirmed them. (33) And after they had spent some time there, they were dismissed in peace from the brethren unto those that had sent them forth. (35) But Paul and Barnabas tarried in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

The time had come for the brethren to leave the church in which they labored for a little while, so that perfect harmony might prevail in all the churches. It must have been an interesting period for the Antioch church, waiting for the return of the delegates, to learn what results their visit would have upon the troubles then existing in this church. This had been a very spiritual body, used by the Holy Spirit to send forth missionaries, and no doubt, members would be together in prayer that the work should not be hindered. As soon as they arrived a church meeting was being held, the letter then was read, and Judas and Silas, being prophets, whose hearts were filled with good things, delivered messages to these people, confirming the report given by the letter, and gave valuable assistance to the church at this time. Great joy was experienced in the church in the reading of this letter, and in the good words and wishes brought them by these two appointed for said purpose. The church, being well pleased, sent forth these messengers in peace, that they might return to Jerusalem. But Silas felt a call to remain there at that time. After this difficulty was adjusted Paul and Silas continued their missionary efforts for some time in the home church.

QUESTIONS.

• What was done when they reached Antioch?

• How did the church receive the news?

• What name did they give Judas and Silas and why?

• What did Paul and Barnabas do?

  Antioch still continued to be a fruitful field for Apostolic labors. It is generally understood that it was during the period between the return from the council A. D. 50 and the second missionary journey, that Peter visited Antioch and the rebuke was administered to him by Paul (Gal. 2:11-14). Peter's fault was not in disobeying what had been recorded in the letter from the council, but in refusing to associate and eat with them in private circles.