Acts 15:1-35 Is Doctrine That Important? Tradition or Evangelism
When we first attended a local Anglican church, a Bible Study was started that quickly attracted 60 people. I well remember the vicar giving a sermon soon after, when he said:
“Doctrine is divisive”.
He felt there were other more important priorities for the church.
In Acts chapters 13-14, large numbers of Gentiles had become Christians. The church was on a roll. However, one problem was becoming very troublesome. How can Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians live in harmony together? Paul and Barnabas realised that this was a foundational issue for the church that had to be addressed. Was Christianity to be a splinter group on the fringes of Judaism or was it to be an international movement for people of all nations and backgrounds?
1. A man-centred disagreement
“Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.”This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them.” Acts 15:1-2
These Judaisers were emphasising the teaching of the Torah, the first five books of the Bible, and contains the 613 commandments (mitzvot) that govern Orthodox Jewish life. This teaching was a serious problem. It was becoming a salvation issue. They were saying:
v.1 “Unless you are circumcised . . . you cannot be saved”.
v.5. “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.”
The Judaising Christians recognised that pagan religion was drifting into idolatry and immorality, and they wanted to protect God’s people from this by building walls of rules. This view contrasted with what Paul and Barnabas had to report. God was working and saving Gentiles:
“… they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad.When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.” Acts 15:3-4
When Paul had written what is thought to be his first letter, that to the Galatian churches, in 48-49 AD, he spends much time addressing this problem. Now, a year later, he feels it right to take time away from his mission work to sort out this vital doctrinal issue. The first Council of the church, chaired by James, the brother of Jesus, met in 49-50 AD. Some felt that Paul was being difficult and was teaching that the laws in Jewish Scriptures could be overlooked, a doctrine that angered so many Orthodox Jews. How can such a deep-seated conflict be resolved? Compromise will satisfy no one. What is the way forward?
The question is essentially simple.
“Who can be admitted into the Kingdom of God?”
There is some simple gospel arithmetic: Jesus plus really means Jesus minus. If the way to be right with God has been opened by what Jesus has done for us on the cross and the response he constantly demands is that we simply believe him, which means to follow him, then what right has anyone to try and add requirements to this? Adding to Jesus’ work really means detracting from who he is and what he has done. At root, the question was:
“Is my salvation based on who Jesus is and what he has done for us?” or
“Is my salvation dependent on my actions, my religious adherence, and my obedience?”
How can this be resolved?
2. A God-centred answer
When this council meets in Jerusalem, there are three key-note speeches.
a. Peter
This is the last time we hear from Peter in this book, yet what he had to say was so important. He reminds the Council of how he had been sent by God to visit the Gentile centurion Cornelius up in Caesarea (Acts 10) and how they had put their trust in Jesus and had been given the Holy Spirit. The news about Jesus meant so much to them that it overflowed to others. The Holy Spirit has been given to every Christian to help us become like Jesus, to be a holy people who long to share the gospel with others.
“Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.” Acts 15:7-9
Peter had spent three years being taught by Jesus, and he had no doubt that the gospel came from God. It was the fulfilment, the completion, of Judaism, so the church must not return to a rules-based religion. Sin is still the central problem, but it has been solved not by the sacrifice of animals and the keeping of rules but completely by the final sacrifice that Jesus made for us. God chooses who will be saved, and God has accepted Gentiles, proved by the fact that God has given them his Holy Spirit. Under the Law, Gentiles were ‘unclean’, but under the gospel, they can also be made ‘clean’ and be justified, made pure, in God’s eyes.
Look back at verse 8 and notice that the gospel then was the same as it is today. People hear the message about Jesus, and they believe, they turn to the Lord Jesus as their Lord and Saviour. Those who turn to Christ are then given the gift of the Holy Spirit, so we can glory in Christ openly, just as they did two thousand years ago. Gentiles are unclean just as religious Jews are, but anyone can be saved if they submit to the Lord Jesus.
Peter was very clear, saying:
“Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.” Acts 15:10-11
b. Paul and Barnabas
They were the next to give their evidence. They relate how God had been at work through them amongst the Gentiles. They had explained the gospel to all who would listen and some had realised the message was true and resonated with their consciences and they had put their faith in the Lord Jesus. They had been given the Holy Spirit and the news had overflowed from them. His is always how we know we have the Holy Spirit, we want to be holy in our private lives and we find ways to share the news about Jesus in our public, interpersonal lives.
What were these signs and wonders God did amongst them? In the past God had used ‘signs and wonders’ to authenticate his people at specific times. Thus Moses, some prophets, Jesus and his apostles were given this gift. Undoubtedly here this primarily referred to the miracles the apostles had performed. It is important to stress that it was a feature of the apostles that they could perform miracles, it was not a gift given to others. In the New Testament, miracles primarily served to validate the authority of the Apostles as messengers of the gospel, often referred to as ‘signs and wonders’. It is worth stressing today that this gift was given to specific people in the early church.
“Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles.” Acts 2:43
“The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people.” Acts 5:12
“I persevered in demonstrating among you the marks of a true apostle, including signs, wonders and miracles." 2 Corinthians 12:12
By the time the letter to the Hebrews was written, probably before 70 AD, miracles seem to be a thing of the past. Note the past tense in this verse:
“God also testified to it by signs, wonders, and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.” Hebrews 2:4
Whilst in the earliest days, some non-apostles like Philip performed miracles (Acts 8:6), the power to impart these gifts was restricted to the apostles (Acts 8:14-17), establishing a unique, foundational role for them.
Another miraculous aspect of the Spirit’s work was seen then and still occurs today. Turning to Christ is a miraculous work of God. Filling us with God’s Spirit so we overflow with genuine praise of God is also a miraculous change. Non-Christians cannot do this without god’s help.
c. James
James, the brother of Jesus, then concludes the discussion by showing that the acceptance of Gentiles as equal members of the Kingdom of God had always been the Lord’s plan. He reminds them of what Amos 9:11-12 teaches. Amos lived in the early 8th century BC, before the upper kingdom of Israel had been destroyed by the Assyrians. James said:
“The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: ‘After this I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,even all the Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things.’ Acts 15:16-17
This is a great reminder that all church ministers, elders, and leaders must be people who know the Scriptures well and have a passion to share what it teaches with others.
Although it was James who summed up the conclusion the Council came to, note that their decision was controlled by what God had shown all of them, both through Scripture and through the apostles’ experiences of what God had done. This was not a human decision; it was God’s.
3. A gospel-centred conclusion
This was momentous. It was the death knell to those who wanted the church to be Jewish and rules-based. It is a reminder that outreach must trump tradition. James announced
“It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead, we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals, and from blood. For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.” Acts 15:19-21
The point is clear. We are accepted by God freely; the price was paid by Jesus. However, Christians limit our freedom because we now belong to Christ. The church leaders wanted everyone to know that God welcomes all people.
There was a church that put up a large notice board outside saying:
“You are welcome here.”
Someone wrote in spray paint below this:
“If . . .”
Too often this is true. You’re welcome if you don’t smoke, don’t swear, and you are a successful, pleasant person. No, all are welcome in Christ’s church; it is the work of God’s Spirit to change us to be like Jesus.
A recent survey showed that over 50 per cent of 18-30-year-olds have never been to an ordinary church service. Christ’s message is ‘come as you are and accept both the forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit’. Are my standards of acceptance of people higher than God’s? If a drug addict, thief, or murderer came to the church, would we welcome them? Of course, there should be safeguards, but do we want to win all people for Christ’s sake? Paul had learned to be flexible about non-essentials to win people for Christ, so we should be also.
John Newton, the anti-slavery church minister in London, was a member of the Eclectic Society, a London-based discussion group founded in 1783 for evangelical Anglicans. The society, which met fortnightly, played a crucial role in establishing the Church Missionary Society in 1799. Newton explained to them about Paul:
“He was a reed (i.e. bendy) in non-essentials and an iron pillar in essentials.”
a. The four prohibitions
The question is raised, ‘Why are these four prohibitions chosen?’ The answer is given in verse 21.
“For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.” Acts 15:21
Jews were everywhere and so the Christians were told not to put up unnecessary barriers both to church unity and to the effective spread of the gospel. The four restrictions were to abstain from:
Food polluted by idols: Eating meat that had been sacrificed to pagan gods.
Sexual immorality: Often interpreted as avoiding the promiscuity and ritual prostitution common in pagan temple worship.
Meat of strangled animals: Refers to animals not killed according to Jewish "kosher" practices where the blood is properly drained.
Blood: Consuming blood in any form, which was strictly forbidden in the Mosaic Law.
These were particularly relevant to that current situation; they are not laws for all time but guides for a particular situation.
Jews valued marriage highly, so anything that undermines marriage, such as sexual immorality, would be detrimental to church unity. How we need to keep repeating this today when a few church leaders have caused immense harm to the gospel by the immoral ways they have behaved. If they were to win Jews, they will have to eat with them, so don’t put meat with blood in it as that will put them off. There is nothing sinful about meat with blood or black pudding with your fried breakfast, but think of who you are trying to win.
In the cities the first missionaries went to, the vast majority of the population followed the general thinking of the time. Women and children counted for little. The temples had cult prostitutes that made temple worship very attractive to many men; sexual promiscuity was the norm. The council was urging Christians to think of their witness to these groups. These were key issues to try and unite the fragile unity in the early churches and to keep evangelism at the top of the priorities.
What lay behind this momentous decision?
b. Evangelism is a priority for all Christians
The underlying thinking of the early Christians was that the message of the gospel must be spread. Paul wrote,
“How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” Romans 10:14-15
Have we all understood why we have been called by Christ? Churches are here to spread the faith about Jesus. That is the responsibility of all of us, so we need to be very careful how we behave to keep the unity and help outsiders to be attracted to Christ. Surely we must be more concerned to make the outsider feel welcome rather than cling to the kind of traditions we appreciate, whether it’s solemn liturgy with organ music or long sessions of lively music with many repetitions. We must ask ourselves, would what we are doing attract unbelievers, even though we might love it?
Any rules are subservient to this need. Paul had been outspoken against the need for circumcision of Gentiles, but in Acts 16:3 Paul circumcised the Gentile Timothy. He did this to keep doors open when sharing the gospel with Jews. When it was a salvation issue, Paul would not budge in his doctrine, but he was flexible in practice when it came to mission.
“I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” 1 Corinthians 9:19-23
There is a time for us to abandon tradition in order to save the lost. Martin Luther once said:
“If it means you can preach the gospel, you should go around in a procession carrying a silver or gold cross or wearing a cowl or surplus of linen, and if one of them isn’t enough, put on three!”
We need to learn to be reeds in non-essentials but strong pillars in the essentials.
c) Sexual practices matter
The first Council in Jerusalem considered that marriage was a foundational truth and anything that undermined this was contrary to what God wants. This is why so many Christians across many denominations have made such a stance against condoning homosexual practices. The Bible is clear that any sexual activity outside marriage is contrary to what wants. For this reason, Christians must do all we can to behave in a way that honours the Lord Jesus.
May it never be that anyone in our church succumbs to the lies of Satan as it not only dishonours our Lord but also would bring immense dishonour on Christ’s church.
What a joy it is to know, however, that the Lord welcomes thieves, adulterers, and murderers into his kingdom if they repent and change direction, so we also should accept those who have failed the Lord, but still keep our eyes open, as when a person has fallen, once the tendency to roam again still remains.
d) Salvation is open to all
Salvation is a free gift that is given to all who turn to Christ. We are saved by grace alone.
The question we must ask ourselves and of those around us is:
“Have we really turned to Christ? Is his honour the priority of my life?”
A Baptist church in Bournemouth had a mission, rather like ‘Passion for Life’ we hold. One night the pastor, Dr Francis Dixon, asked a man to share his testimony. He said:
“This is how I was saved. I was in the Royal Navy. I was walking down George Street in Sydney, Australia, and out of nowhere stepped a gentleman and he said to me,
‘Excuse me, sir, but could I ask you a question? I hope that it won’t offend you, but if you were to die today, where would you spend eternity? The Bible says that it will either be in heaven or in hell. Would you think about that, please? Thank you. God bless you!”
Then the man left. I had never been confronted with that question – I couldn’t get it out of my mind. I got back to England and met someone who took me to a mission and that’s where I became a Christian”.
Some while later that same church had a youth meeting and Noel, one of the visiting team, shared his testimony.
“This is how I came to know Jesus Christ. I was in the Royal Navy and my ship was stationed in Sydney. One evening I was walking down George Street when out of nowhere stepped a man. He said to me,
“Young man, I have a question to ask you. If you should die tonight, where would you go? Would it be heaven or hell? Now don’t try to evade the question, it must be one or the other.”
What he said bothered me for many months. I sought out a Christian, he helped me, and I gave my life to Christ.”
Frank Jenner, who asked that question, was a short ex-naval man. He did not know that he had been used by God to help many throughout the world to become Christians, many entering full-time Christian work. Frank’s own journey to faith is every bit as remarkable as the lives of those he touched.
“Before I knew Jesus,” he said, “I lived the wild life of a sailor to the full and had become addicted to gambling. Then, in 1937, I met my Saviour for the first time, and my life was transformed – the addiction to gambling gone forever.”
In gratitude for his second chance at life, he pledged to serve God to the best of his ability. He said:
“Each day, my aim was to speak to ten people about Jesus, and I did so for twenty-eight years until Parkinson’s disease took its toll. In wartime and in peace, good times and bad, I continued with the work that I had promised to do.”
He did this by walking up and down George Street in Sydney, talking winsomely to any he could. It has been estimated that over the years, Frank talked to more than one hundred thousand people. Actually, more than most pastors would address in their lifetime.
Can we see that the Lord Jesus, Peter, Paul, Barnabas, James, and the Council were concerned that nothing should prevent this news about the possibility of salvation being made available to all people? Nothing has changed. This is what each one of us who is following Christ is committed to do. Our individual ways of sharing Jesus will differ, but our goal must be the same: to win people, young and old, for the Lord by the way we live and by the message we share with them.
Are we all in full agreement with our Lord’s wishes?
BVP
