Makestraightpaths.com examines the teachings of the religious group variously known as “the Family,” “The Family International,” the “Children of God,” or the “Family of Love,” and evaluates these teachings from a Christian perspective.

This page contains an exegetical analysis of Acts ch.15.

Acts 15

The following study was not written to address any particular issue concerning the Family, with the exception of the almost complete lack of Bible study that is a Family characteristic. It is therefore posted here as an example of how to study, rather than an exposition of Family doctrines.

Acts 15:1-11 (NASB)

15:1 And some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue. 3 Therefore, being sent on their way by the church, they were passing through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and were bringing great joy to all the brethren. 4 And when they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. 5 But certain ones of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed, stood up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses.”

6 And the apostles and the elders came together to look into this matter. 7 And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brethren, 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. 8 “And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; 9 and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. 10 “Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? 11 “But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.”

Genre

This passage is a narrative. As such, it should be interpreted with the general principles applicable to other biblical narratives: with a view to the author, setting, characters, dialogue, its place in its particular book, and its particular place in history. However, precisely due to the particular place in history in which this incident occurs, some additional interpretive principles apply. The events in the book of Acts describe the growth of Christianity following the tremendous theological and spiritual changes brought about by Pentecost. Therefore, any incident occurring after Pentecost should be understood in relation to the influence of the Holy Spirit, both personally and corporately. Individual people were moved and changed in ways unprecedented in the Old Testament, while the church as a whole grew and expanded beyond boundaries that had been in place for millennia. For the first time, God’s people were actively seeking proselytes from the nations of the Gentiles; for the first time those proselytes were accorded equal status in God’s sight. For the first time, God sent His presence into all believers, for the first time those believers had the law of God inscribed upon their hearts. The book of Acts may therefore be classified a unique genre. Additionally, the fervour with which many churches seek to find modern application of Acts necessitates a careful differentiation of the normative passages (those which all Christians are expected to emulate) from the repeatable incidents (those that Christians may put into practice but which are not necessarily mandatory).

The Book of Acts

Acts 1:8 is traditionally given as a summary of the book of Acts, with its prediction of witnessing in “Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth” (NASB). However, this verse does not take into consideration the direct movement towards Rome described in Acts, nor the progressive transfer from a Judaic monopoly to a belief system that embraces all nations. Instead, a close examination of Acts reveals a series of six divisions, each marking a new phase in the movement. The story of Acts 15 occurs within the fourth division of Acts, which also includes Paul’s first missionary journey and the entire Jerusalem council. In fact, the events of this division mark an important transition in Luke’s narrative as they tell of the divine authorisation that motivated the apostles to preach to the Gentiles. The decision of the Jerusalem council “serves as the key to full expansion into the Gentile world” (Fee & Stuart). Throughout the entire book of Acts, Luke emphasises the influence, power and direction of the Holy Spirit; it is the Holy Spirit who called the Gentiles unto God, it is the Holy Spirit who calls the apostles to witness to them, and therefore the dispute between Paul and the Judaizers in this passage is in actuality a conflict between man and God.

The Author

The book of Acts continues many of the themes Luke began in his Gospel. This particular incident calls to mind incidents in the book of Luke where Jesus extended forgiveness to an ‘outsider’, and was questioned by the Pharisees. Jesus ate with the tax-collectors (Luke 5:30), healed the man with the withered hand who was therefore ritually unclean (Luke 6:6-7) and accepted the sinful woman who washed His feet (Luke 7:38), all under the critical eye of the Pharisees. With this incident, Luke, himself a Gentile, continues the joyful good news of salvation for people previously excluded, all the while showing the dramatic conflict with those who could not embrace God’s new way. Luke was not an eyewitness of the events of ch.15, apparently joining Paul a little later in Troas on his second missionary journey (Acts 16:10).

The Story

In Acts chapter 14, Paul and Barnabus returned from their first missionary journey, through Cyprus and the regions of Pisidia and Pamphylia (now southern Turkey). During this journey, they had great success among the Gentiles, although they received persecution from the Jews (Acts 13:48-51). Eventually they returned to Syrian Antioch where they remained for ‘a long time’ (Acts 14:28). At length some Christian Pharisees (also called ‘Judaizers’) from Jerusalem took upon themselves to visit the church in Antioch with some unauthorised teaching regarding circumcision for the Gentile converts: “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved” (Acts 15:1 NASB). Paul and Barnabus objected strongly to this doctrine, which resulted in a heated argument. As they could not come to an agreement, a delegation was appointed to travel to Jerusalem in order to consult with the elders of the church. The delegation travelled through Phoenicia and Samaria, constantly spreading the exciting news of the Gentiles’ conversion, eventually arriving in Jerusalem. There was another long discussion and argument among the elders of the church, but then Peter testified as to the divine backing of His own ministry to the Gentiles, which apparently was enough to turn the tide of opinion. James pronounced his decision to “not make it difficult for the gentiles who are turning to God” (Acts 15:10 NIV). A letter was then sent back to Antioch distancing the Jerusalem church from the Judaizers who had started the argument. The letter contained a few regulations, which should probably not be considered doctrinal instructions in salvation, considering the occasional nature of the situation. The result in Antioch was joy and encouragement. It wasn’t long before Paul began making plans for his second missionary journey (Acts 15:36).

The Characters

This story mentions Paul and Barnabas, the Judaizers, the Gentiles, Peter and the apostles and elders of Jerusalem as well as numerous unnamed brethren in Antioch, Phoenicia and Samaria. Although the disputation centres on a conflict between Paul and the Judaizers, neither are quoted extensively in this passage. In fact, the focus of this incident is no person in particular but the conflict itself, which began with Jesus’ ministry to the outcasts, and continued throughout the developments that shaped the early church. This conflict is central to the entire book of Acts, and this incident appears as one of its many manifestations.

Modern believers should refrain from judging the Judaizers too hastily by remembering that they did not have the benefit of the epistles of Paul that comprise the bulk of the New Testament. Christians have long been able to study the doctrinal expositions of Romans and Galatians, but the Judaizers were facing a radical new move of God, as He opened up salvation for Gentiles. These Jewish believers may have allowed some of their prejudices to get in the way, and may have held too strongly to the perpetuity of the Old Testament covenant, without allowing for the discontinuous elements brought in by Pentecost. Luke’s account does not record the names of the Judaizers nor their reaction to the adverse decision. They are minor players in the story, mentioned only in order to highlight the conflict between the old and the new, the traditional and the new acceptance of the previously marginalised Gentiles.

The Gentiles themselves, around whom the dispute centred, are likewise unnamed, except as the recipients of the unorthodox teaching in verse one. Salvation thus far had been an exclusively Jewish domain: the Jews were the chosen people, and the best Gentiles could hope for was to become proselytes, adopting Jewish worship but being “regarded as outside the fellowship of the Jewish communities” (Unger). There must have been immense excitement generated as God threw the door wide open for Gentiles to gain equal status in the Kingdom of God. Yet that joy was not without deference to the Jews from whom came Christ the Messiah. It is noteworthy that the Gentiles themselves did not argue with the Judaizers. Luke’s interest, writing as a Gentile believer, is not to show the Judaizers as false, but to show God’s hand in what was being accomplished.

The membership of the Jerusalem council is not clear, as only Peter and James are mentioned: Peter because he was the first to preach to the Gentiles, and James because he apparently was in a position of authority. Peter “neither presided, nor summoned, nor dismissed the council, nor took the votes, nor pronounced the decision; he claimed none of the powers which Rome claims for the pope” (Fausset). In a later account of the Jerusalem council, Paul names James in first place, followed by Peter and John (Gal 2:9).

Paul, who was converted at about the same time when the Gospel was being opened to the Gentiles is portrayed by Luke as God’s minister of choice to the Gentiles. He is the epitome of enthusiasm, the ultimate example of dedication. Luke does not idolise him, however, but plainly sets him forth as the instrument God used to bring salvation to the Gentiles. By the time of this incident, Paul had already survived several attempts on his life, he had seen God’s power manifest miraculously through him and had seen many Gentiles brought to faith. He was clear in his doctrine, having received it through special revelation (Gal 1:12). He was not, therefore, willing to allow the truth to be subverted or the Gentiles’ faith corrupted. He was not, however, an ‘elder’ of the church. He and Barnabas were ‘appointed’ to go to Jerusalem (Acts 15:2 NIV), but the Antioch leadership who appointed him is not mentioned at all.

The Issue

The Jerusalem council was discussing a far more important issue than the rite of circumcision, or which Old Testament laws were applicable to Gentiles. The argument centred around the Judaizers’ opinion that “a Gentile had first to become a proselyte to Judaism, including circumcision, before one could become a Christian” (NET Bible, footnote to Acts 15:1). They believed Gentiles should show the outward sign of their conversion to Judaism, before becoming a Christian. In fact, the Pharisees in Jerusalem demanded that the Gentiles were not only circumcised, but that they kept the entire law of Moses. In their opinion, “It was necessary to become a Jew in order to become a Christian” (Lewis).

Paul objected strenuously. He later explained “Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law” (Gal 5:2-3 NASB). Paul saw the message of the Judaizers as diametrically opposite the message of the cross, and later derided these Pharisees as the ‘mutilation’− the NASB has ‘false circumcision’ in Phil 3:2, but Thayer’s dictionary says “Paul sarcastically alludes to the word circumcision… as though he would say, Keep your eye on that boasted circumcision, or to call it by its true name ‘concision’ or ‘mutilation’” (NT:2699).

The issue was emotionally charged, carrying with it centuries of Jewish dislike for ‘the uncircumcision.’ Paul and the Judaizers were both vocal, passionate proponents for their ideology, and neither were prepared to give way.

Christians today are generally familiar with the distaste with which Jews held Samaritans, but Gentiles were held in even lower esteem, if such were possible. Even proselytes were despised as “leprosy cleaving to the house of Jacob… No wise man would trust a proselyte to the 24^th generation” (Fausset). This means that the resulting argument between Paul and the Judaizers was intense. In order to appreciate the feeling generated in this issue it is probably necessary to imagine the feeling generated among a church board meeting called to decide on membership requirements for a group of new converts from a satanic cult. There would probably be numerous calls for these prospective members to show that they were willing to conform to church by-laws before membership was granted. Even then, many would feel uncomfortable, fearful that the new people would become a negative influence or otherwise bring unwelcome change to the church.

The Discussion in Jerusalem

Peter’s speech to the council is intriguing. He pinpoints God’s role in the conversion of the Gentiles, in effect stating that the Judaizers’ complaints were directed against God Himself. “Why do you put God to the test?” (Acts 15:10). The NET Bible explains this in a footnote: “After God’s will has been clearly made known through granting of the Spirit to the Gentiles (v.8), some doubt and make trial to see whether God’s will really becomes operative”. Throughout this passage, Peter repeatedly shows that God had already decided that the Gentiles should be admitted to the kingdom: It was God who made a choice, God who knows the heart, God who bore witness to them and gave them the Holy Spirit, and God made no distinction between the Jews and the Gentiles”. The Greek word for ‘bore witness’ (NT:3140) means “to give testimony in one’s favour, to commend” (Thayer). Peter was citing God as the ultimate referee, the one who had spoken on behalf of the Gentiles. Rather than discuss the specific issue (circumcision), Peter shows that it was God who ordained the inclusion of the Gentiles. The Judaizers are left in the uncomfortable place of having to defend their position against the moving of God’s spirit, which had been itself responsible for their own conversion. This is why Peter asks why the Judaizers were putting God to the test (Acts 15:10). The Greek word ‘put to the test’ (NT:3985) means “by exhibitions of distrust, as though they wished to try whether he is not justly distrusted; by impious or wicked conduct to test God’s justice and patience, and to challenge him, as it were, to give proof of his perfections” (Thayer). Finally, Peter reverses the Judaizers’ thinking with the exclamation that “we are saved… in the same way as they also are” (Acts 15:11). He does not state that the Gentiles are saved in the same way as the Jewish Christians, but the reverse, that Jewish Christians are saved in the same way as the Gentiles, that is, without recourse to the law. Much later, Paul echoed Peter’s words in likening Judaism with an unbearable yoke (Gal 5:1). The Judaizers’ argument was effectively destroyed, and Luke’s overall theme (the progression from Judaic Christianity to a predominantly Gentile church) was reinforced.

Application

As an incident in the book of Acts, it is important to clarify exactly what this story does and does not teach. For example, this story tells of the dramatic events that preceded the entrance of Christianity into Europe, and testifies to the involvement of God in the conversion of the Gentiles. It does not detail a ‘plan of salvation’, or specifically address the ‘faith versus works’ dilemma. It does not explain exactly which Old Testament laws are mandatory for all Christians. In fact, if modern readers attempt to use this passage to specify which Old Testament laws remain in force today, they place themselves firmly in the role of the Christian Pharisees, who were so focussed on the law that they could not accept the moving of the Holy Spirit. Neither does the story, of course, exonerate believers from adherence to the ten commandments. It does not specify how all disputes within the Christian church should be handled nor give lessons on leadership. It does, however, proclaim God’s personal interest in the salvation of the world, with incidental details on how the infant church struggled through the history-changing events that inexorably moved the world into a new day.

As modern believers are for the most part from a non-Jewish background, they should in fact, probably first attempt to understand the impact of this question from the perspective of the Gentiles who were overcome with joy at being included in the kingdom of God. Modern Christians should read this passage with incredulity and joy at being included in God’s universal plan. This story highlights the fact that God has made a way for all mankind to stand in His presence. He has fulfilled the purpose of His chosen people.

Conclusion

To summarise, this story tells of an incident in which early Christians struggled to come to terms with God’s movement as He threw open the way of faith to all, Jews and Gentiles alike. Those were the days when the Gentiles were ‘grafted’ onto the Jewish tree (Rom 11:17); this was the birth of the Gentile Christian church, a church of which the majority of modern Christians are members.

It is an incident that highlights the internal strife that plagued the early church. The opponents in the conflict are all from Jewish backgrounds, and modern believers from a Gentile background, separated from the early church by thousands of years, can do little but praise God in awe of the opportunity He opened for them.

References

Fausset, AR 2003, ‘Peter’, Fausset’s Bible Dictionary, Biblesoft, Seattle, WA.

Fausset, AR 2003, ‘Proselyte’, Fausset’s Bible Dictionary, CD-ROM, Biblesoft, Seattle, WA.

Fee, GD & Stuart, D 2003, How to Read the Bible for All its Worth (Third Edition), Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids MI.

Klein, WW, Blomberg, CL, & Hubbard, RL 2004, Introduction to Biblical Interpretation, Thomas Nelson, Nashville, TN.

Lewis, T 2003, ‘Circumcision’, International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Biblesoft, Seattle, WA.

Thayer, JH 2003, Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, Biblesoft, Seattle, WA.

The Holy Bible: The NET Bible (NET) 2005, Biblical Studies Press, Dallas, TX. http://www.bible.org/netbible/

Unger, MF 1988, ‘Proselyte’, The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary, Moody Press, Chicago.

 © 2006 Make Straight Paths

Home