Acts 15 Part 1
Introduction
Acts 15 is a highly-debated and crucial text on the place of the Mosaic Law in the believer’s life. In this pivotal text, the early church leaders wrestle with the question of whether Gentile believers should be circumcised and follow the Torah, at what is commonly referred to as the Jerusalem Council. Many have used this passage to claim that believers, and especially Gentile converts, do not need to follow the law that was given to the Israelites. In this paper, we will consider the following questions:
Background on Acts
To understand the Jerusalem Council, we need to build a backdrop of the book as a whole. In the book of Acts, Luke depicts the spread of the gospel message after the ascension of Christ. Jesus’ words in Acts 1:8 read as a thesis statement or outline for the entire book: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Starting at Pentecost in Acts 2, the disciples share the gospel in Jerusalem, and it quickly spreads to all of Judea, to Samaria (Acts 8), and throughout the Roman Empire (Acts 9ff).
In Acts 10, God makes clear to Peter that the gospel message is not just for Jews, but also for Gentiles, and the God-fearing Gentile Cornelius and his entire household receive the Holy Spirit, just as believing Jews have (10:44-47). Immediately after, Peter visits Jerusalem, and Luke records the opposition Peter receives (11:1-2). The reader is introduced to the “circumcision party,” presumably Jewish believers who criticize Peter for fellowshipping and eating with uncircumcised men. But Peter quickly puts their criticism to rest by sharing his story of how God led him to Cornelius’ house, where Cornelius and his household were saved and received the Holy Spirit. Clearly, we cannot call any person common or unclean that God has made clean (10:15,28; 11:8).
God was not only working through Peter, but also through Saul (later called Paul in 13:9), the former persecutor of the church who was miraculously saved on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). God tells Saul that he will have a special role of carrying the gospel to the Gentiles: “But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel’” (9:15). In Acts 13, the Holy Spirit sets apart Saul and Barnabas for going “to the ends of the earth” (1:8) on what is typically called Paul’s first missionary journey. They depart from Antioch and share the gospel wherever they go, beginning at synagogues and then witnessing to Gentiles (Acts 13 and 14). Upon returning to Antioch, Paul and Barnabas “... declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles” (14:27).
Circumcision and The Jerusalem Council
With this backdrop, we can begin to unpack Acts 15, often called “The Jerusalem Council.” New Testament scholar FF Bruce writes,
Acts 15 is a highly-debated and crucial text on the place of the Mosaic Law in the believer’s life. In this pivotal text, the early church leaders wrestle with the question of whether Gentile believers should be circumcised and follow the Torah, at what is commonly referred to as the Jerusalem Council. Many have used this passage to claim that believers, and especially Gentile converts, do not need to follow the law that was given to the Israelites. In this paper, we will consider the following questions:
- What was the primary issue being addressed at the Jerusalem Council?
- How is a Gentile believer (or any believer) saved?
- What is required for salvation/conversion?
- What role do works play in salvation, if any?
- Should believers, whether Jewish or Gentile, follow the Torah?
Background on Acts
To understand the Jerusalem Council, we need to build a backdrop of the book as a whole. In the book of Acts, Luke depicts the spread of the gospel message after the ascension of Christ. Jesus’ words in Acts 1:8 read as a thesis statement or outline for the entire book: “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Starting at Pentecost in Acts 2, the disciples share the gospel in Jerusalem, and it quickly spreads to all of Judea, to Samaria (Acts 8), and throughout the Roman Empire (Acts 9ff).
In Acts 10, God makes clear to Peter that the gospel message is not just for Jews, but also for Gentiles, and the God-fearing Gentile Cornelius and his entire household receive the Holy Spirit, just as believing Jews have (10:44-47). Immediately after, Peter visits Jerusalem, and Luke records the opposition Peter receives (11:1-2). The reader is introduced to the “circumcision party,” presumably Jewish believers who criticize Peter for fellowshipping and eating with uncircumcised men. But Peter quickly puts their criticism to rest by sharing his story of how God led him to Cornelius’ house, where Cornelius and his household were saved and received the Holy Spirit. Clearly, we cannot call any person common or unclean that God has made clean (10:15,28; 11:8).
God was not only working through Peter, but also through Saul (later called Paul in 13:9), the former persecutor of the church who was miraculously saved on the road to Damascus (Acts 9). God tells Saul that he will have a special role of carrying the gospel to the Gentiles: “But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel’” (9:15). In Acts 13, the Holy Spirit sets apart Saul and Barnabas for going “to the ends of the earth” (1:8) on what is typically called Paul’s first missionary journey. They depart from Antioch and share the gospel wherever they go, beginning at synagogues and then witnessing to Gentiles (Acts 13 and 14). Upon returning to Antioch, Paul and Barnabas “... declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles” (14:27).
Circumcision and The Jerusalem Council
With this backdrop, we can begin to unpack Acts 15, often called “The Jerusalem Council.” New Testament scholar FF Bruce writes,
The Council of Jerusalem is an event to which Luke attaches the highest importance; it is as epoch-making, in his eyes, as the conversion of Paul or the preaching of the gospel to Cornelius and his household. As he reports it, the Council was a meeting of the apostles and elders of the Jerusalem church convened to consider, primarily, the terms on which Gentile believers might be admitted to church membership (with special attention to the question whether they should be circumcised or not); in the second place, the means by which social intercourse, and especially table fellowship, might be promoted between Jewish and Gentile believers (282).
As Bruce comments, the issue at hand was how Gentiles can become part of the church and covenant members of the body of believers. In other words, how are they saved? How are they brought into the family of God? Specifically, did the Gentiles have to be circumcised? An important clarification must be made here: The root issue was not if the Gentiles should follow the Torah, but rather, if keeping the commandments, and specifically circumcision, was a requirement for salvation and acceptance among the body of Christ.
Relationship to Galatians
In Galatians 2:1-10, Paul describes a conference that he and Barnabas had with the leaders of the Jerusalem church, namely James, Peter, and John (2:9). A majority of scholars have suggested that the Jerusalem council detailed by Luke in Acts 15 is the same event as Paul discusses in Galatians 2. However, others question their relationship. Whether or not Luke and Paul are describing the same event, we can note some key similarities between them. In both, the question of how Gentiles are to be brought into the body of Christ is of primary concern, with a particular focus on whether they must be circumcised to be included. In Galatians 2, Paul stresses that circumcision is not necessary for salvation and should not be forced on anyone, using Titus as an example (2:3). He warns against false brothers who are compromising the truth of the gospel message (2:4-5), which is that salvation is through faith in the work of Christ and not by our own works. In Acts 15, the root issue is the same: how Gentiles are saved and become a part of the people of God. While we may not have certainty that the events in Acts and Galatians were the same, their parallels help us understand the nature of the issue being addressed at the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15: Do Gentiles need to be circumcised as part of conversion? The answer in both Acts and Galatians is a resounding “no.”
To Jerusalem
Acts 15 opens with a description of some men from Judea who had come to Antioch and began teaching the necessity of circumcision:
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" (1).
These are likely the same men described later in verse 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.’” Thus, the teachers of verse 1 are misguided believers with a wrong understanding of Gentile inclusion, teaching that Gentile believers must first be circumcised. The true gospel does not leave room for a works-based or blood-line based salvation.
Luke records in verse 2 that Paul and Barnabas disagreed and debated with the men from Judea, and ultimately decided to travel to Jerusalem to bring the issue before the apostles and elders. Upon arrival, Paul, Barnabas, and those with them shared all that God had been doing among them, likely sharing stories of the work God did among the Gentiles on the first missionary journey. At this point, some believers from the party of the Pharisees (mentioned above) rose up and argued that Gentile believers must be circumcised and ordered to keep the law of Moses. Contextually, the argument is not whether they should ever be circumcised or follow the law, but rather, if it was necessary for salvation. Did the Gentiles who had accepted the gospel message and received the Holy Spirit need to do something more to become full members of the body of Christ? This is the question put before the apostles and elders.
Luke records in verse 2 that Paul and Barnabas disagreed and debated with the men from Judea, and ultimately decided to travel to Jerusalem to bring the issue before the apostles and elders. Upon arrival, Paul, Barnabas, and those with them shared all that God had been doing among them, likely sharing stories of the work God did among the Gentiles on the first missionary journey. At this point, some believers from the party of the Pharisees (mentioned above) rose up and argued that Gentile believers must be circumcised and ordered to keep the law of Moses. Contextually, the argument is not whether they should ever be circumcised or follow the law, but rather, if it was necessary for salvation. Did the Gentiles who had accepted the gospel message and received the Holy Spirit need to do something more to become full members of the body of Christ? This is the question put before the apostles and elders.
The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. 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. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith (15:6–10).
After considerable discussion, Peter stands up and recounts his story from Acts 10, where he was directed by God to preach the gospel to the God-fearing Gentile Cornelius and his household. They heard the gospel and believed, and God bore witness to the validity of their salvation and their acceptance into the family of God by giving them the Holy Spirit. Circumcision was not the guarantee of their salvation, nor was their obedience to any other commandment. Rather, the gift of the Holy Spirit demonstrated their salvation. Moreover, Peter argues that God makes no distinction between Jews and Gentiles because both are given the Holy Spirit, indicating their hearts have been cleansed by faith.
An Unbearable Yoke
Peter then implores his Jewish brothers,
An Unbearable Yoke
Peter then implores his Jewish brothers,
“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?” (10)
What is this yoke that for generations the Jews have not been able to bear and therefore should not be put on the new Gentile converts? Many assume it is the Torah, the law given to Moses. In his commentary on Acts, David Peterson writes,
Peter implies that the divine command for foreigners to be circumcised, and thus become members of the covenant community (Gn. 17:12-14), has now been superseded by God’s action in bringing Gentiles to faith through the preaching of the gospel and giving them his Holy Spirit. God has moved on in his dealings with humanity and it is sinful to demand obedience to the old way (cf. Gal. 2:18). Peter also insists that the old way was unbearable (a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear) (426).
Peterson states that at one time, God had required foreigners to be circumcised, but now God has “moved on” and initiated a new way whereby all people, Gentiles included, are saved through belief in the gospel. The problem with this view, however, is it is inconsistent with what the Torah actually teaches. God has always taught that justification is by faith and not works. Paul argues in both Romans and Galatians that Abraham is our example of justification by faith. In Genesis 15, God makes a covenant with Abraham, and Abraham believes God and is justified. It is not until Genesis 17 that God teaches Abraham to practice circumcision as a sign of the promise. The promise precedes the sign. In Romans 4, Paul uses Abraham’s story to demonstrate that salvation is by faith and that circumcision is not necessary for salvation:
Is this blessing then only for the circumcised, or also for the uncircumcised? For we say that faith was counted to Abraham as righteousness. How then was it counted to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised. He received the sign of circumcision as a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. The purpose was to make him the father of all who believe without being circumcised, so that righteousness would be counted to them as well, and to make him the father of the circumcised who are not merely circumcised but who also walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had before he was circumcised (Romans 4:9–12).
From the beginning, God has taught justification by faith, not works. It is not after but before Abraham’s circumcision that he was justified. Paul also argues that God preached the gospel to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, well before the covenant of circumcision in Genesis 17:
Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith (Galatians 3:7–9).
God has not moved on in his dealings with mankind. His gospel message has not changed. He is consistent. As the writer of Hebrews encourages, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
We must also ask, does the Bible teach that the law of God is a burden? In Deuteronomy, Moses gives his last words to the Israelites, before he dies and they enter the promise land. In Deuteronomy 30, after Moses has reminded the Israelites of all the Torah, he says, “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you” (Deuteronomy 30:11). In Psalm 119, the great psalm expressing the goodness of God’s law, the psalmist says he delights in God’s law as in all riches (14); he beholds wondrous things in God’s law (18); he is consumed with longing for God’s law at all times (20); God’s testimonies are his delight and his counselors (24); he walks in a wide place because he has sought God’s precepts (45); he will never forget God’s precepts because they have brought him life (93); God’s commandment is exceedingly broad (96), and brings wisdom (98) and understanding (99); God’s words are sweeter than honey (103); they bring light to his path (105); they are the joy of his heart (111); he pants in longing for God’s commandments (131); and on and on! The psalmist’s description of the Torah sounds nothing like bondage because he knows, “the sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever” (160). The Bible consistently teaches that’s God’s law is good and that his people should walk in it. How can we say that the Torah is a burden in one breath and yet life and blessing in the next? And if the Torah is not a burden, what is Peter talking about in Acts 15:10?
We must also ask, does the Bible teach that the law of God is a burden? In Deuteronomy, Moses gives his last words to the Israelites, before he dies and they enter the promise land. In Deuteronomy 30, after Moses has reminded the Israelites of all the Torah, he says, “For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you” (Deuteronomy 30:11). In Psalm 119, the great psalm expressing the goodness of God’s law, the psalmist says he delights in God’s law as in all riches (14); he beholds wondrous things in God’s law (18); he is consumed with longing for God’s law at all times (20); God’s testimonies are his delight and his counselors (24); he walks in a wide place because he has sought God’s precepts (45); he will never forget God’s precepts because they have brought him life (93); God’s commandment is exceedingly broad (96), and brings wisdom (98) and understanding (99); God’s words are sweeter than honey (103); they bring light to his path (105); they are the joy of his heart (111); he pants in longing for God’s commandments (131); and on and on! The psalmist’s description of the Torah sounds nothing like bondage because he knows, “the sum of your word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever” (160). The Bible consistently teaches that’s God’s law is good and that his people should walk in it. How can we say that the Torah is a burden in one breath and yet life and blessing in the next? And if the Torah is not a burden, what is Peter talking about in Acts 15:10?