Conflict’s Sovereign Counsel

Acts 15:1-21

Conflict over Circumcision

1 And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved." 2 Therefore, when Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and dispute with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas and certain others of them should go up to Jerusalem, to the apostles and elders, about this question.

3 So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, describing the conversion of the Gentiles; and they caused great joy to all the brethren. 4 And when they had come to Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders; and they reported all things that God had done with them. 5 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 Jerusalem Council

6 Now the apostles and elders came together to consider this matter. 7 And when there had been much dispute, Peter rose up and said to them: "Men and brethren, you know that a good while ago God chose among us, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. 8 So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, 9 and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. 10 Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? 11 But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they."

12 Then all the multitude kept silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles. 13 And after they had become silent, James answered, saying, "Men and brethren, listen to me: 14 Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of 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 will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down;
I will rebuild its ruins,
And I will set it up;
17 So that the rest of mankind may seek the LORD,
Even all the Gentiles who are called by My name,
Says the LORD who does all these things.'

18 "Known to God from eternity are all His works. 19 Therefore I judge that we should not trouble those from among the Gentiles who are turning to God, 20 but that we write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from things strangled, and from blood. 21 For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath."

Here the early church dealt wisely with conflict by seeking God’s sovereign counsel from His word and drew the conclusion shown them by the Spirit in them all as a body to determine the truth and the way forward through the conflict.  This conflict originated in the legalists leaning on their Judaism with the Old Covenant of circumcision, not yet grasping that cutting away of the flesh as a sign of that covenant was no longer applicable to the new covenant in Christ’s blood whereby He cleanses our hearts (Romans 2:28-29, Galatians 6:15) as intended all along (Deuteronomy 10:16, 30:6) as it was written.  These claimed that unless the people followed the old covenant of Moses they could not be saved.  Paul the learned former Pharisee and Barnabas the faithful who both knew the truth by the acts of the Spirit working in their hearts and minds heartily disagreed with these men and then took it before the church to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for a godly conclusion and resolution.  This was in a way the first church council long before that of Nicaea in AD 325, and was essential to avoid division or conflict by determining doctrine as agreed upon from scripture and not out of mere tradition or personal opinion (2 Peter 1:20-21).  This is why the pattern of a multiplicity of elders to determine what the scriptures say and mean for us to follow is absolutely essential to the mission of the church universal and local by these determinations according to examination of the scriptures and setting forth statements of faith for living.  We do well to consider and continue this avenue today and tomorrow as well to avoid errors and hold to the essential elements of the faith which we teach and practice.  The council examined the scriptures and the work of God’s Spirit in converting non-Jews into His church in Jesus Christ and then determined that hearing the gospel with active belief in receiving Christ and being circumcised in their hearts by the cleansing work of the blood of Jesus in His sacrifice for all Abraham’s children was sufficient proof of the matter.  Their hearts were purified by faith.  This grace unearned was for both Jew and non-Jew alike with absolutely no distinction or need to yoke them again to the law which no man has or could ever keep to earn salvation (Galatians 2:16, 3:10-11, 13-14, James 2:10, Romans 3:10, 23, 19-20).  James who appears to be the head elder and apostle in the head church at Jerusalem (not Rome) listened to all the discussions and reminded everyone how God promised to take out of the nations a people for His name and not just from Israel.  He quoted Amos 9:12 and summarized Isaiah 45:21 by saying that God knows and has always known His works from before time began as predetermined and then seen as events unfold.  He said, “Known to God from eternity are all His works.” as the conclusion of the matter and then only commanded new believers of Jew and Gentile alike to avoid idolatry and immortality as well as eating sacrifices of blood in which the life (Genesis 9:4-5) was contained as both for their health and in recognition of the blood of Christ being the only sacrifice and life needed for them all.  They were not to require the ceremonial Laws of Moses for salvation or living, but only the moral laws of God in the commandments in other words.  Sovereign counsel of the church council resolved the conflict and clarified the truths of the scriptures for salvation and obedient living.   May we continually follow this pattern and resolve to be ready to always reform our doctrine when it varies from the written word of God as described by itself to apply to the gospel and the Christ-centered life.