Acts 15, Part 2
Notes
Transcript
We go from correction of those who were teaching works on top of faith as the route to salvation, but now they have heard Paul stating to the apostles and elders that all would be saved simply through the grace of Jesus, just as they are. The crowd is now silenced, listening to them, taking in what they have said, and truly seeking to learn from what was being taught. Now we transition into the response of James, Jesus’ brother.
13 After they finished speaking, James replied, “Brothers, listen to me.
14 Simeon has related how God first visited the Gentiles, to take from them a people for his name.
15 And with this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written,
16 “ ‘After this I will return, and I will rebuild the tent of David that has fallen; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will restore it,
17 that the remnant of mankind may seek the Lord, and all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who makes these things
18 known from of old.’
19 Therefore my judgment is that we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God,
20 but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood.
21 For from ancient generations Moses has had in every city those who proclaim him, for he is read every Sabbath in the synagogues.”
James’ great declaration—all men must be able to turn to God apart from the burden of ritual and law. James was the Lord’s brother. Apparently, he was the leading elder or minister of the church at Jerusalem.
James supported Peter’s great declaration. The way James worded his support is significant.
“God … did visit the Gentiles” (epeskepsato): looked upon, oversaw, cared for, looked after, provided for the Gentiles.
“to take out of them a people”: to choose; to appoint; to remove them from the Gentile nations and select a chosen people. The word “people” (laon) is the same word used of the Jewish people (see Acts 10:2). The point is that God was calling a new people out—a new body, a new nation, a new race—to be His chosen people, just as He had done with Abraham and the Jews. (See DEEPER STUDY # 8, pt. 6—Mt. 21:43; notes—Eph. 2:11–18; 2:14–15; 2:19–22; 4:17–19 for more discussion.)
“For His name”: two verses clearly show what God means by choosing a people “for His name.”
James declared that Scripture supported the truth. God calls out people from both the Jews and the Gentiles. He quoted Amos 9:11–12 and applied it to Jesus Christ and believers.
11 “In that day I will raise up the booth of David that is fallen and repair its breaches, and raise up its ruins and rebuild it as in the days of old,
12 that they may possess the remnant of Edom and all the nations who are called by my name,” declares the Lord who does this.
God promised three things. 1) I will return (the first coming of Christ). 2) There will be Jewish believers (The tabernacle of David). 3) There will be Gentile believers (seeking the Lord and are called and known by God).
James declared that God foreknew and destined from the beginning of the world - salvation by faith, and salvation to ALL who seek the Lord. This is and always has been the purpose of God.
James recommended a written exhortation instead of burdening rules. He did this for three reasons.
That no man be troubled or hindered from turning to God by rituals and law. All men cannot keep a ritual. All who can should, but some are just not able to keep a ritual due to such things as birth defects, injury, disease, or paralysis. And although everyone should obey God, no one is capable of keeping the law, not perfectly. Therefore, no one is saved by the law. The only hope of salvation is for man to turn to God and trust God to accept him simply because God loves that much.
b. That all men live as they should. Note the great significance of the sins that James listed …
idolatry: following and sacrificing to the gods of man’s imaginations and desires; partaking of things that pertain to idols (v. 29).
fornication: all forms of immorality.
“things strangled”: the sin of indulgence, of going against God’s law and fulfilling one’s own desire. Specifically, it refers to eating forbidden meats, to the dietary laws of the Jews
“blood”: may refer to murder or to the blood of animals. It probably refers to murder.
These four sins are the sins so common to mankind as a whole.
That no man offend or be a stumbling block to another. The sins listed by James were very offensive to the believing Jews. They were often preached against by Jewish rabbis. James stressed this fact, pointing out that keeping these four simple exhortations would please the body of Jewish believers, the strict religionists.
22 Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They sent Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brothers,
23 with the following letter: “The brothers, both the apostles and the elders, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings.
24 Since we have heard that some persons have gone out from us and troubled you with words, unsettling your minds, although we gave them no instructions,
25 it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
27 We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will tell you the same things by word of mouth.
28 For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements:
29 that you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell.”
30 So when they were sent off, they went down to Antioch, and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter.
31 And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement.
32 And Judas and Silas, who were themselves prophets, encouraged and strengthened the brothers with many words.
33 And after they had spent some time, they were sent off in peace by the brothers to those who had sent them.
35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.
The important thing here to take note of is - there was agreement of the church council. The whole church agreed with what had been proclaimed, at least officially.
The church went beyond the decision, reaching out to settle whatever disturbance and doubt existed. It reached out by sending two chief ministers back to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. The two men would …
• reinforce the message of the decision: salvation is by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and nothing else (v. 11)
• exhort the new believers in the faith, and assure them that the message of the Judaizers was error
The great decree of salvation issued by the early church should have settled the issue forever. There is no question: salvation is “through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 11). But some people still insist on adding to the plan of salvation. For this reason, the great decree of salvation needs to be proclaimed and taught time and again.
There was the attitude that brought about the decree—humility. The leaders, the apostles and elders, placed themselves on an equal level with the brothers of the church. There was no sign of exaltation or superiority or of exalting one’s position; no claim that they had the authority to speak for the church. They humbly declared that the decision was a decision of all the brothers. The oldest and best manuscripts read “the apostles and elders, brothers send greetings to the brothers which are of the Gentiles.…” In this reading the apostles and elders were writing as brothers to brothers, placing themselves on the same level as the brothers among the Gentiles.
In either case, the point is well made. The great decree of salvation is based upon humility. Everyone involved, and in particular the leaders, including the apostles themselves, realized that they were humble recipients of salvation just as all other men were. They were all “brothers in the Lord.” They all stood on an equal footing, no one above another, not in the great decree of salvation. No one had the authority to lord it over another person, not in the area of salvation. Before the Lord, all men are brothers. All are saved alike, “through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 11).
There was the declaration of the decree—ritual and law are not necessary to salvation. No matter what anyone teaches, no matter who they are or how influential they are, salvation is …
• “by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ” and by Him alone. Ritual and law are not necessary (v. 11)
• “by the miracles and wonders of God” and by Him alone (v. 12)
• by turning to God and turning to Him alone (v. 19)
The persons who taught otherwise, the false teachers, were strongly rebuked.
1. They troubled believers with their words. The picture is that of words heaped upon words, false words that “trouble” (etaraxan), agitate, disturb, and shake violently. But note: the false teachers proclaimed mere words, empty words, and the believers must always remember this. Salvation is by grace alone and nothing is to be added to it. God and God alone saves. A man either accepts God’s salvation or rejects it. It is that simple. Man can do nothing to earn salvation.
2. They “subverted” (anaskeuazontes) the believers’ souls. The word means to devastate, to plunder, to dismantle, to ravage, to wreck, to cause havoc.
3. They were never commissioned by the church. (Anyone who adds, “Ye must be circumcised [undergo a ritual] and keep the law: to [them] we gave no such commandment.”)
There were the men chosen to proclaim the truth. Note what the church council did.
1. The church sent forth Barnabas and Saul as men who had proclaimed the truth. The Judaizers (legalists) had accused them of having the gospel, but they had not. They had declared the truth: salvation is “by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ,” and they had risked their lives to declare the truth. Therefore, the church called the men beloved.
Thought 1. The church should call all ministers beloved who proclaim the truth of salvation by grace. Men tend to add to salvation. The very nature of man desires to work, to have a part, to receive some credit. It is very difficult for man to confess he is depraved, totally unable to do a thing to save himself.
Thought 2. What the church needs is men and women who will hazard (risk) their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The churches sent forth two supporters or advocates: Judas and Silas. These men were prophets (v. 32), worthy men, men gifted by the Holy Spirit; therefore, they were chosen by the church to go forth and declare the great decree of salvation.
There were the few rules that were necessary. Note two significant points.
1. The Holy Spirit and the church were both involved in the decision. The Holy Spirit led and guided the church to declare salvation “through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 11).
2. The necessary rules were not given for the purpose of saving men, but for the believers’ welfare. By doing these things the believers “do well” (en praxete), that is, fare well and experience good—love, joy, peace—both within their own hearts and lives and between themselves and other believers.
There were the glorious results of free salvation. When the four men arrived in Antioch, the whole church was called together and the great decree on salvation was read. When it was read, four great results occurred. Note how God took the dissension and its subsequent events and worked it all out for the good of the Antioch church and for the cause of Christ. The results were fourfold.
1. There was great “rejoicing” (echaresan): joy, gladness, rejoicing over the consolation (paraklesei), that is, over the encouragement and help given by the Jerusalem church.
2. There was great “exhortation.” Note that it was Silas and Judas who were exhorting and confirming the faith of the Antioch believers. Note also the phrase “many words.” They exhorted for a long time, building the believers up more and more, assuring them of their faith in the Lord Jesus. They were saved by the grace of God and His grace alone, and the two visiting preachers wanted the believers to know that the apostles and elders of the great Jerusalem church confirmed the glorious truth.
Thought 1. There is absolutely no question whatsoever about the stand that the early church took on the great declaration of salvation: salvation is “by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ” and by Him alone.
3. There was the discovery of the great missionary, Silas. The oldest Greek manuscripts do not include this verse (note the word “they” in v. 33). Some scholars feel it was added at a later date because Silas appears with Paul in Acts 15:40. There was, of course, plenty of time for Silas to travel to Jerusalem and report back to the church, and then to return to Antioch before Paul left on his second missionary journey. Other scholars believe the verse was in the original manuscript. No matter who is accurate, Silas and his great gift from God were discovered by Paul at Antioch, and apparently Paul invited him to join the great mission thrust. (See note, Silas—Acts 15:34 for more discussion.)
4. A great teaching ministry grew within the church.
a. Paul and Barnabas were busy teaching and preaching. They were not idle.
b. There were many teachers and preachers in the church, and none of them were idle. They were all teaching and preaching.
c. The message they taught and preached was “the Word of the Lord,” not their own theories and ideas.
Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 2003. The Acts of the Apostles. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
