The Acts of the Apostles

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- Chapter 15 -

Then some Jewish believers went down from Judea province to Antioch. They started teaching the non-Jewish believers there, saying, “You must be circumcised to show that you belong to God, as Moses commanded in the laws that he received from God. If you do not do that, you will not be saved.”

Paul and Barnabas strongly disagreed with those Jews and started arguing with them. So the believers at Antioch appointed Paul and Barnabas and some of the other believers to go to Jerusalem, in order that they might discuss this matter with the apostles and other leaders.

After Paul, Barnabas, and the others were sent on their way by the believers in Antioch, they traveled through the provinces of Phoenicia and Samaria. When they stopped at different places along the way, they reported to the believers that many non-Jews had become believers. As a result, all the believers in those places rejoiced greatly.

When Paul, Barnabas, and the others arrived in Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the apostles, other elders, and the other believers in the group there. Then Paul and Barnabas reported the things that God had enabled them to do among non-Jewish people.

The Council at Jerusalem

(Amos 9:11–15; Galatians 2:1–10)

But some of the Jewish believers who belonged to the Pharisee sect stood up among the other believers and said to them, “The non-Jews who have believed in Jesus must be circumcised, and they must be told to obey the laws that God gave to Moses.”

Then the apostles and the elders met together in order to talk about this matter.

After they had discussed it for a long time, Peter stood up and spoke to them. He said, “Fellow believers, you all know that a long time ago God chose me from among you other apostles, in order that I might tell the non-Jewish people also about God’s love, and in order that they might believe in him.

God knows the hearts of all people. He showed me and others that he had accepted the non-Jews to be his people by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just like he had also done for us.

God made no distinction between us and them, because he made them clean inside simply as a result of their believing in the Lord Jesus. That is exactly how he has forgiven us.

Why do you want to force the non-Jewish believers to obey our Jewish rituals and laws? Doing that is like putting a heavy burden on them, because it forces them to obey laws that even our ancestors broke and that we Jews today have never been able to keep! So then, stop making God angry by doing that!

We know that God saves us Jews from our sins because of what the Lord Jesus did for us. God saves us Jews exactly like he saves those non-Jews who believe in the Lord Jesus.”

All the people there became silent after Peter had spoken. Then they all listened to Barnabas and Paul, as the two of them told about the many great miracles that God had enabled them to do among the non-Jewish people, miracles that showed that God had accepted the non-Jews.

When Barnabas and Paul had finished speaking, James, the leader of the group of believers in Jerusalem, spoke to them. He said, “Fellow believers, listen to me.

Simon Peter has told you how God previously blessed the non-Jews. God did that by choosing from among them a people who would belong to himself.

The words that God spoke long ago, words that were written by one of the prophets, agree with that:

Later on I will return and I will choose a king from the descendants of David. It will be like someone who builds a house again after it has been torn down.

I will do this in order that all other people might try to know me, Lord God. This will include even the non-Israelites whom I have called to belong to me. You can be certain that this will happen because I Lord God have spoken these words.

I have done these things, and I have made my people know about them since long ago.”

James continued to speak. He said, “Therefore I think that we should stop bothering the non-Jewish people who are turning away from their sins and turning to God. That is, we should stop demanding that they obey all our laws and rituals.

Instead, we should write a letter to them, requiring only four things: They should not eat meat that people have offered to idols, they should not sleep with someone to whom they are not married, they should not eat meat from animals that have been killed by being strangled, and they should not eat the blood of animals.

In many cities, for a very long time people have been proclaiming the laws that Moses wrote, laws prohibiting those things. And every Sabbath those laws are read in the Jewish meeting places. So if the non-Jews want to know more about those laws, they can find out in our meeting houses.”

The Letter to the Gentile Believers

The apostles and the other elders, along with all the other believers in Jerusalem, accepted what James had said. Then they decided that they should choose men from among themselves and that they should send them, along with Paul and Barnabas, to Antioch, to let the believers there know what the leaders at Jerusalem had decided. So they chose Judas, who was also called Barsabbas, and Silas. These were both leaders among the believers at Jerusalem.

Then they wrote the following letter that they asked Judas and Silas to take to the believers at Antioch: “We apostles and elders who are your fellow believers send our greetings to you as we write this to you non-Jewish believers who live in Antioch and other places in the provinces of Syria and Cilicia.

People have told us that some men from among us went to you, although we had not sent them to you. We heard that they have troubled you by telling you things that confused your thinking.

So after we met together here, we decided to choose some men and ask them to go to you, along with Barnabas and Paul, whom we love very much.

Those two have put their lives in danger because they serve our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have also sent Judas and Silas to you. They will tell you the same things that we are writing.

It seemed right to the Holy Spirit and to us that you should not be required to obey a lot of burdensome Jewish laws. Instead, we only require you to obey the following instructions,

You should not eat food that people have sacrificed to idols. You should not eat blood from animals, and you should not eat meat from animals that people have killed by strangling them. Also, you should not sleep with someone to whom you are not married. If you avoid doing these things, you will be doing what is right. Farewell.”

The Believers at Antioch Rejoice

The four men they selected went down from Jerusalem and came to Antioch. When all the believers there had assembled together, they gave the letter to them.

When the believers there read the letter, they rejoiced, because its message encouraged them.

Being prophets, Judas and Silas spoke a lot and encouraged the believers there, and helped them to trust more strongly in the Lord Jesus.

After Judas and Silas had stayed there for some time and were ready to return to Jerusalem, the believers at Antioch wished them well, and then they left.

But Silas thought it would be best for him to stay there.

However, Paul and Barnabas continued to stay in Antioch. While they were there, they, along with many others, were teaching people and preaching to them the message about the Lord Jesus.

Paul’s Second Missionary Journey Begins

(Acts 13:1–3; Acts 18:23–28)

After some time Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the fellow believers in every city where we previously proclaimed the message about the Lord Jesus. In that way, we will know how well they are continuing to believe in the Lord Jesus.”

Barnabas agreed with Paul, and said that he wanted to take John, whose other name was Mark, along with them again.

However, Paul told Barnabas that he thought that it would not be good to take Mark with them, because Mark had left them when they were previously in the region of Pamphylia, and had not continued to work with them.

Paul and Barnabas strongly disagreed with each other about this matter, so they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark along with him. They got on a ship and went to the Island of Cyprus.

Paul chose Silas, who had returned to Antioch, to work with him. The believers there prayed to Lord God, asking him to graciously help Paul and Silas. Then the two of them departed from Antioch.

Paul continued traveling with Silas through Syria and Cilicia provinces. In those places they were helping the groups of believers to trust strongly in the Lord Jesus.

Some men came down from Judea and taught the brothers,(a) “Unless you are circumcised after the custom of Moses, you can’t be saved.”

Therefore when Paul and Barnabas had no small discord and discussion with them, they appointed Paul, Barnabas, and some others of them to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders about this question.

They, being sent on their way by the assembly, passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles. They caused great joy to all the brothers.

When they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the assembly and the apostles and the elders, and they reported everything that God had done with them.

The Council at Jerusalem

(Amos 9:11–15; Galatians 2:1–10)

But some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, “It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”

The apostles and the elders were gathered together to see about this matter.

When there had been much discussion, Peter rose up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that a good while ago God made a choice among you that by my mouth the nations should hear the word of the Good News and believe.

God, who knows the heart, testified about them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just like he did to us.

He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.

Now therefore why do you tempt God, that you should put a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus,(b) just as they are.”

All the multitude kept silence, and they listened to Barnabas and Paul reporting what signs and wonders God had done among the nations through them.

After they were silent, James answered, “Brothers, listen to me.

Simeon has reported how God first visited the nations to take out of them a people for his name.

This agrees with the words of the prophets. As it is written,

‘After these things I will return. I will again build the tabernacle of David, which has fallen. I will again build its ruins. I will set it up

that the rest of men may seek after the Lord: all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord, who does all these things.’(c)

“All of God’s works are known to him from eternity.

Therefore my judgment is that we don’t trouble those from among the Gentiles who turn to God,

but that we write to them that they abstain from the pollution of idols, from sexual immorality, from what is strangled, and from blood.

For Moses from generations of old has in every city those who preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

The Letter to the Gentile Believers

Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole assembly, to choose men out of their company, and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, chief men among the brothers.(d)

They wrote these things by their hand: “The apostles, the elders, and the brothers, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: greetings.

Because we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, ‘You must be circumcised and keep the law,’ to whom we gave no commandment;

it seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose out men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who themselves will also tell you the same things by word of mouth.

For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay no greater burden on you than these necessary things:

that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality, from which if you keep yourselves, it will be well with you. Farewell.”

The Believers at Antioch Rejoice

So, when they were sent off, they came to Antioch. Having gathered the multitude together, they delivered the letter.

When they had read it, they rejoiced over the encouragement.

Judas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged the brothers with many words and strengthened them.

After they had spent some time there, they were dismissed in peace from the brothers to the apostles.

(e)

But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

Paul’s Second Missionary Journey Begins

(Acts 13:1–3; Acts 18:23–28)

After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s return now and visit our brothers in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, to see how they are doing.”

Barnabas planned to take John, who was called Mark, with them also.

But Paul didn’t think that it was a good idea to take with them someone who had withdrawn from them in Pamphylia, and didn’t go with them to do the work.

Then the contention grew so sharp that they separated from each other. Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus,

but Paul chose Silas and went out, being commended by the brothers to the grace of God.

He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the assemblies.

Footnotes

(a)15:1 The word for “brothers” here and where the context allows may also be correctly translated “brothers and sisters” or “siblings.”

(b)15:11 TR adds “Christ”

(d)15:22 The word for “brothers” here and where the context allows may also be correctly translated “brothers and sisters” or “siblings.”

(e)15:34 Some manuscripts add: But it seemed good to Silas to stay there.