Last week, we saw Paul and Barnabas completing their First Missionary Journey into Asia Minor. After returning to their “home church” in Antioch, they soon discovered that some of the Jewish believers from the church in Jerusalem had come to Antioch and began teaching the brethren:

“Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved” (Acts 15:1).

Naturally, Paul and Barnabas felt otherwise, and there was great dissension in the church, and it was determined that Paul and Barnabas (and others) should go up to Jerusalem to meet with the apostles and elders. Once in Jerusalem, they reported to the church all that God had done among the Gentiles. But some of the Pharisees objected saying:

“It is necessary to circumcise them and to direct them to observe the Law of Moses” (Acts 15:5).

After much debate, Peter grabbed the microphone (so to speak!) and reminded them of his encounter with Cornelius many years prior, and how his entire Gentile household came to faith in Christ and received the Holy Spirit, noting that there was no distinction between them and us (Acts 10). And then Peter said:

“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? But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are” (Acts 15:10-11).

Notice how Peter referred to these new Gentile converts as “disciples.” I love Peter’s boldness in the face of opposition from the believing Pharisees in the church. Amazingly,

“All the people kept silent, and they were listening to Barnabas and Paul as they were relating the signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles” (Acts 15:12).

And then the “microphone” was passed over to James (the Lord’s half-brother, who believed after Jesus’ resurrection) who said:

Therefore, it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood.” (Acts 15:19-20).

Above all else, the Council wanted unity in the churches, that is, unity between the believing Jews and Gentiles. Except for their insistence on abstaining from fornication (a common Gentile practice prior to their conversion), the concern of the Council had to do with cultural and social matters. The Gentiles were used to eating meat from animals who had been strangled and ingesting the blood from those animals. The Gentiles were asked to consider the cultural “offense” of doing so whenever they gathered with their Jewish brothers and sisters who had never done such things because of the dietary restrictions in the Law of Moses. It was about maintaining church unity, not pushing for Christian liberty. By not insisting on doing things that were not offensive to other Gentiles, they were honoring the feelings and sensitivities of Jewish believers who felt that doing such things was not “kosher,” so to speak. Furthermore, I can just imagine the relief felt by those male Gentile believers who discovered that the Council was not insisting on circumcision!!!

I love the wisdom of the Council when they decided to send Paul and Barnabas back to Antioch with two other men who represented the decision of the Council, one of whom was Silas (we will hear more about him next week), along with a letter drafted by James and the other members of the Council:   

“Since we have heard that some of our number to whom we gave no instruction have disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls, it seemed good to us, having become of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, we have sent Judas and Silas, who themselves 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 essentials: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.”(Acts 15:24-29).

Notice the ending – “if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well.” Not “you will be saved” and not “you will be obedient to the law we are imposing.” They were not making this a matter of salvation, nor a matter of obedience to a law, but simply a matter of cultural sensitivity in order to maintain the unity of the body of Christ.

As you can imagine, when the letter was read to the church in Antioch, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. After encouraging the church, Silas decided to remain in Antioch along with Paul and Barnabas. But, of course, the letter from the Jerusalem Council had to be delivered to the new churches in Asia Minor, so the church started making plans for Paul’s Second Missionary Journey.

Maintaining Christian unity is so essential to the life of a healthy church. In fact, Jesus prayed that “they may be one, as we are one! (John 17:21). In other words, as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are “One,” so Jesus prayed that the church would also be “one,” that is, one unified body. Of course, there are differences of opinion regarding theological and practical issues but maintaining “…the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph 4:3) is essential.

If you are doing something that may be “morally legal” in Christian practice, but you know that it is likely offensive to some brothers and sisters in the faith, then in their presence, you should refrain from doing so. We must never flex our “Christian liberty” while causing a “weaker” brother or sister to stumble. Paul addressed this issue when he discussed eating meat that had been sacrificed to idols. You might want to take a minute to review Paul’s discussion in 1 Corinthians 8:1-13.

Next week, we will jump right into Paul’s Second Missionary Journey, as he and Silas deliver the letter from the Council to the new churches in Asia Minor. I hope you will join me.