The Big Story: The Jerusalem Council


How do we gain a right relationship with God?  This is a fundamental religious question.  In Acts 15, we find the early church wrestling with it.

The debate started in the church in Antioch.  Paul and Barnabas were working there and the church was growing rapidly.  Gentiles were entering the church through faith in Christ.  God had already shown that he accepted Gentiles as they were, and that they didn't need to become Jews in order to be saved (see Acts10:1ff).  Yet a group of Jewish Christ followers from Jerusalem arrived in Antioch and began to teach the Gentiles that they needed to be circumcised and follow the Old Testament law to be saved.

This discouraged and confused the new Christ followers in the church.  Paul and Barnabas promptly travelled to Jerusalem to consult with the apostles and elders to get clarity on the situation.  When they arrived in the city, they shared with church leaders what God was doing in Antioch and elsewhere.  But some in the church rose and said that the Gentiles needed to become Jews in order to be saved.

The apostles and elders called a meeting to address the issue.  Peter got up and told about his vision at Joppa and his experience with the Gentiles in Caesarea.  God showed he accepted Gentiles as they were, without becoming Jews.  He asked how in the world could they impose a burden on Gentile believers that he and his fellow Jews had never been able to bear.  After that, Paul and Barnabas got up and shared about all God was doing among the Gentiles in Antioch and elsewhere.  

Then James got up to speak.  Most likely, this was the half-brother of Jesus.  He quoted Amos 9:11-12 and said what was happening among the Gentiles was in fulfillment of the scriptures.  Based on this, he felt they shouldn't make things difficult for Gentile believers.  All they should require of them was that they refrain from eating meat offered to idols, sexual immorality, eating the meat of strangled animals, and drinking blood.  When you think of how many Old Testament laws there were, it's an astonishingly short list!

The council agreed with this, and wrote a letter to the church in Antioch describing their decision.  Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch with this letter, accompanied by some leaders from Jerusalem to verify its validity.  The church received it with joy, and continued to grow.

This council teaches us at least a couple of things.  One is that we become saved by faith through God's grace.  Salvation is a gift received, not an award earned!  

Another is that we should never add to the good news of Christ.  Sadly, many of us evangelicals are adding practices or beliefs to the gospel.  For example, some seem to believe that to be a Christ follower you must be a Republican, support nuclear a strong military and nuclear arsenal, and advocate certain views about creation and the end times.

But when we add these things, we pollute the gospel just as much as those who led astray the church at Antioch.  

Share the good news of Christ in its purity, without adding to or taking away from it!


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