‘NO GREATER BURDEN’

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on March 1, 2023 under AM Bible Study |

AM Bible Study Group: March 1, 2023 from Acts 15:1-35

Theme: The church of Jesus proclaims salvation by grace—apart from the rituals of the law.

(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).

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One of the most significant events in human history had just occurred. The first Christian mission to the Gentile world had been completed, and the great task of ‘world missions’ had begun. Missionaries Paul and Barnabas had just returned to Antioch in Syria after having gone out—in the power of the Holy Spirit—to the regions of Pamphylia, Pisidia, and Lycaonia. Through many trials and much opposition, they preached the good news of Jesus Christ; and as they were able to report to their missionary headquarters in Antioch, many Gentiles were embracing the gospel of Jesus Christ. What great news!

But it was right then—in the context of this great missionary victory—that a conflict arose. It was a conflict directly related to the people who had just begun to believe. Acts 15:1 tells us;

And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved” (Acts 15:1).

And so; immediately after the church’s first great missionary work of bringing the gospel to the Gentiles had begun, the church experienced its first great doctrinal conflict. Acts 15 tells us the story of this conflict; but it also tells us how this conflict was resolved to the glory of God. And more, it shows us how the doctrine of ‘salvation by grace’ for all people—completely apart from the ceremonies and rituals of the Old Testament law—became the official declaration of the church from then on.

* * * * * * * * * *

Now; it would be important to understand that this was a period of tremendous transition for the church. From its very beginning, the church of Jesus Christ had been primarily Jewish. But now, Gentiles were believing in Jesus. How should the church respond to this new reality?

We can see the tensions of this new reality arise as we read through the Book of Acts. It began back in Acts 6:1-7; when the church had to decide how to solve the problem of the Hellenistic Jewish widows being neglected in the daily distribution of food. It arose again in Acts 10 and 11; after Peter—and the Jewish men with him—went to the home of the Roman centurion named Cornelius to preach the gospel to him, and after the Holy Spirit came upon Cornelius’ household. It arose further still in Acts 11:19-30, when the focus of the Holy Spirit’s work through the church shifted from Jerusalem to Antioch in Syria. And now, it had shown itself even further in how Paul and Barnabas were able to report in 14:27—at the end of their first journey—that God “had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles”. It’s hard to overstate the theological and practical implications of this tremendous transition. With all of these Gentiles becoming established in the church, what would the church now be? Would it be Jewish or would it be Gentile? Could it be both? If so, then—as the Gentiles believed on the Jewish Messiah—how much of the Jewish law would it be necessary for them to embrace? Should they become Jewish in order to be saved?

A controversy like this had the potential of ripping the early church in half. But let’s look carefully at the story in Acts 15:1-35 to see how it was handled.

First, we see that …

1. THE QUESTION WAS FACED (vv. 1-5).

We’re told in verse 1 that certain Jewish men came “down” from Judea (which means that, in the non-Jewish sense, they went “up” north to Antioch) and taught the Gentile Christians in that city, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” Was this true? Clearly Paul and Barnabas—established leaders in the church—said that it was not true. Verse 2 tells us,

Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question (v. 2).

The Jewish men from Judea were not being ‘the bad guys’ in all of this. Given their devotion to their Jewish heritage, their side of the argument was completely understandable. But rather than allow conflict and division to continue to plague the church and potentially harm the fellowship, it was decided to go to the leaders of the church in Jerusalem to get it settled. What a wise thing this was to do! And notice that they didn’t simply decide the matter for themselves in Antioch. They protected the unity of the early church by going to the apostolic leadership in Jerusalem. Verses 3-4 tell us;

So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, describing the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy to all the brethren. And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them (vv. 3-4).

The good news that they had reported at the end of their missionary journey in Antioch was also shared with the churches in other regions as they made their way to Jerusalem. And what’s more, the news was greeted in Jerusalem with great joy. But it was then that the lines of debate were more clearly drawn. It wasn’t just about circumcision. It was about the whole of the law. Verse 5 tells us;

But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses” (v. 5).

These weren’t unbelievers who were raising this issue. They were fellow believers in Jesus. But their commitment to their Jewish heritage in this conflict made it necessary—in their minds—to insist that the law be faithfully kept by those who were coming to Jesus. In Genesis 17, circumcision was the covenant sign that God gave to Abraham and to all his offspring. It was later commanded as a part of the law in Exodus 12 and in Leviticus 12. Under the old covenant, even the Gentile men who connected themselves with the Jewish people were required to be circumcised. And so, to simply ignore this command was—in the mind of these devoted Jewish believers—virtually the same as disregarding the whole law and all the commandments of God!

So then; that’s what led to how …

2. THE CONFERENCE WAS CONVENED (vv. 6-12).

There have been many church conferences and councils in history. And this ‘Jerusalem Council’ was the first. We’re given an amazing ‘inside look’ into this important meeting. Peter was the first speaker. We’re told;

Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: “Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith” (vv. 6-9).

You can recognize the event that Peter is talking about; can’t you? He was speaking of the time when he and several other Jewish believers went to the home of the centurion Cornelius at the command of the Lord. The Holy Spirit came upon those Gentile believers just as He came upon the Jewish believers at Pentecost. The Holy Spirit did not distinguish between Jew and Gentile in His ministry to them. And so; Peter drew this conclusion:

“Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they” (vv. 10-11).

There are two remarkable things to notice in Peter’s words. First, he admitted that the Jewish people were never able to bear the yoke of the law of Moses. It had only served to condemn them and make them sinners who desperately needed a Savior. And second, he declared that, in the end, he and his fellow Jewish kinsmen were saved only by faith in God’s grace through Jesus Christ—in exactly the same way as the Gentiles. This is an astonishing admission—coming as it does from a devout Jewish man. But it’s just like Paul said about Jesus in Ephesians 2:14-16;

For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity (Ephesians 2:14-16).

These words didn’t end up stirring further controversy, however. They were words of truth. We’re told in verse 12;

Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles (v. 12).

All that the testimony of the two missionaries did was make it all the more obvious: God saves by grace, apart from the works of the law.

This led then to how …

3. THE DECISION WAS DECLARED (vv. 13-21).

After hearing all sides, the decision was made by James—the half-brother of the Lord Jesus, and the pastor of the church in Jerusalem. He made it clear that what everyone was hearing was in complete concord with the word of Scripture, He proved it by quoting from the Old Testament prophet Amos 9:11-12—showing that, from the beginning, the sovereign God would not only restore His Jewish people but also of all people who seek Him:

And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, “Men and brethren, listen to me: Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written:

‘After this I will return
And will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down;
I will rebuild its ruins,
And I will set it up;
So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name,
Says the Lord who does all these things.’

“Known to God from eternity are all His works. Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God … (vv. 13-19).

There was no direct statement from James about circumcision. But that circumcision isn’t necessary is clearly implied by the fact that the Gentiles received the Holy Spirit while uncircumcised. Thus, the official decision of the early church was that conformity to the Old Testament ceremonial law (including and most clearly identified by circumcision) should not be imposed on the Gentiles.

But that didn’t mean that nothing was required of the Gentiles at all. James went on to say;

… but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood. For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath” (vv. 20-21).

Why were the believing Gentiles called upon to do this? It was so that they would show loving sensitivity to their Jewish brethren and not offend them. James ordered that they observe four things:

• They should abstain from things polluted by idols. Because the Jewish people found foods offered to idols to be particularly offensive, the Gentiles could best serve their Jewish brethren by avoiding such things.
• They should avoid “sexual immorality”. This is probably speaking of the form of sexual immorality that would have come from entering into marriage relationships with near relatives; as was forbidden in the Old Testament law—such as in Leviticus 18:6-18.
• They should avoid eating animals that had been strangled. This would be because the blood of the animal had not been drained—and the Jewish people were forbidden from eating blood in Leviticus 17:10-14.
• Finally—and similar to the above prohibition—they should avoid eating blood.

This was not meant to put the Gentiles under the bondage of the law; but rather to put them under the obligation of love.

This was all well-received by the church. And it led finally to how …

4. THE DECREE WAS DELIVERED (vv. 22-33).

It was put in the form of a letter. As we read on, we’re told;

Then it pleased the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named Barsabas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren. They wrote this letter by them:

The apostles, the elders, and the brethren,

To the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia:

Greetings.

Since we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, “You must be circumcised and keep the law”—to whom we gave no such commandment—it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. 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 offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.

Farewell.

So when they were sent off, they came to Antioch; and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter. When they had read it, they rejoiced over its encouragement. Now Judas and Silas, themselves being prophets also, exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words. And after they had stayed there for a time, they were sent back with greetings from the brethren to the apostles (vv. 22-33).

The testimony of the apostles was that this decree wasn’t just something that they decided on their own authority. It was something that “seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us …” And though it didn’t seem to entirely bring the conflict to a complete close (as the Book of Galatians shows us), it did nevertheless establish—once and for all—that the official doctrine of the church of Jesus Christ is that women and men are saved by God’s grace through faith … and not through the works of the law. We have this letter in our Bible as a permanent declaration!

Perhaps it was necessary to continue to establish this tremendous and liberating truth. And so, we read in verses 34-35;

However, it seemed good to Silas to remain there. Paul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also (vv. 34-35).

Not all ancient copies of the Book of Acts contain verse 34; so we can’t say for sure whether Silas actually remained in Antioch. But Paul and Barnabas definitely did.

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Thus; the first great conflict in the church was settled. And as a result, the gospel of grace was established, the unity of the church was protected, and the Gentiles were reached around the world.

And in all of this, we—dear brothers and sisters—should all respond by affirming Paul’s instruction to the saints in Galatians 5:1;

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage (Galatians 5:1).

Praise God for how this great conflict was resolved! And praise God for our liberty in Jesus Christ!

AE