Sermon 26
Don't Close The Doors
Acts 15:1-35
When we arrive in Acts 15, it has been a little more than a decade since the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ (according to Usher about 13 years). In that time, Christianity has traveled from the small villages of Palestine to the highly populated urban centers of the Greco / Roman world. Other changes have also taken place. Jerusalem is no longer center stage. Antioch, a Gentile city, has taken its place. And the leader looked to for direction is also in transition - from Peter to Paul.
Acts gives us a detailed account of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus to Paul the Apostle. In Acts 13-14, we learned of Paul's first missionary tour - God opening doors of opportunity for the gospel in a number of cities in Asia Minor. Chapter 14 closes with Paul's return to his home church, reporting "all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles" (14:26-27).
With that, we begin the second half of the Book of Acts.
The Crisis, 15:1-5
The second half of Acts begins with a crisis. The crisis was no small matter. The danger here was going to threaten the truth of the Gospel and the missionary outreach of the church.
The dispute started when some Jewish Christians came to Antioch teaching the Gentiles that, in order to be saved, one had to be circumcised and obey the law of Moses. Who were these teachers? They were associated with the church at Jerusalem, but not authorized by the church to go and teach, v. 24. Verse 5 indicates that they were saved Pharisees.
We should not be surprised that there were Christians in Jerusalem who were strong advocates of the Law of Moses but ignorant of the relationship between law and grace. From their birth they had been taught by their parents and by their entire culture to respect and obey the Law of Moses, and, after all, Romans, Galatians and Hebrews had not been written yet! According to Romans 6:7, a large group of Jewish priests had been saved. Acts 21:20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law. It was a time of transition and such times are always dangerous.
While we can understand their respect for the law, their teaching was an error, it was wrong, it was false. To require circumcision for salvation and to preach law-keeping was an attempt to mix law and grace. It was pouring new wine into old bottles (Luke 5:37-38). It was stitching up the rent veil (Luke 23:45), blocking the new and living way that Jesus had opened up to God when He died on the cross (Hebrews 10:19-25), rebuilding the wall between Jews and Gentiles that had been torn down by the cross (Ephesians 2:14-16), putting a heavy Jewish yoke on Gentile shoulders (Galatians 5:1). In essence they were saying that a Gentile must first become a Jew before he can become a Christians! It is not sufficient for them to simply trust in Jesus Christ. They must also obey Moses.
God had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles, but these close-minded men were standing in front of those open doors, blocking the way for others. This was more than "another gospel". It would also kill missionary outreach. In fact, had it been accepted, it would virtually undo all of Paul's work in Acts 13-14. Little wonder, then, that there was "no small dissension and disputation with them" (v. 2).
According to this verse, the church at Antioch "determined that Paul and Barnabas" and some others should travel to Jerusalem to consult with the apostles and elders on this issue. As they traveled, they visited churches along the way reporting the conversion of Gentiles and causing great joy, v. 3. Their initial arrival at the church in Jerusalem was also a missionary report which brought the false teachers out of their cover, vs. 4-5.
The Conference, 15:6-21
The Jerusalem conference was, in no way, a threat to the autonomy of the local church. There are some churches that have a great influence and Jerusalem was one of them by virtue of the presence of the apostles. Throughout history there have been times when church leaders met to settle doctrinal issues. This was one of those times. This was a "conference" in every sense of the word. They leaders conferred with each other.
The Discussion. The meeting began with much discussion (disputing). Then ...
Peter spoke about the past, vs. 7-11.
1. God chose that the Gentiles would hear the gospel and believe, v. 7.
2. God gave them the Holy Spirit, v. 8.
3. God erased the differences between Jews and Gentiles, v. 9.
5. Legalism is a yoke of bondage, v. 10.
Paul spoke about the present, v. 12. In one simple summary sentence, Luke records all of chapters 13-14. It was God. It was miraculous. And it was among the Gentiles.
James related it all to the future, vs. 13-18. This James was a half- brother to Jesus and the author of the Epistle of James. It is clear that the church is in a transition of leadership from apostles to elders. The first mention of elders in the church is in Acts 11. And the last mention of apostles in the church is in Acts 16. I get the impression that the church at Jerusalem had been led by Peter but was not being led by James. He is the last to speak. He is the one who tells them what should be done. James points out the historical truth (v. 14) and the biblical truth (vs. 15-18).
The Decision, vs. 19-21. James' decision was that nothing needed to be added to the message which Paul and Barnabas had been preaching to the Gentiles. This was the doctrinal decision. There was also a practical decision about how to live the Christian life. A letter to the Gentile churches about the outcome of the conference was in order.
The Correspondence, 15:22-35
Everyone agreed. A letter was carried by respected Christians which said (vs. 23-29). Two Commands - idolatry / immorality - esp. prevalent among Gentiles; Two Considerations - Don't eat things strangled / blood - cause divisions. Produced unity; present a consistent witness (v. 21); brought blessing to the churches.