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.
(22) Then it pleased the apostles and elders with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, namely, Judas who was also named Barsabas, and Silas leading men among the brethren.
They wrote this letter by them:
The apostles, the elders and the brethren, To the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings.
(24) Since 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 such commandment – (25) it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, (26) men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (27) We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who will also report the same things by word of mouth. (28) For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: (29) that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well.
Chapter 15 of the Acts of the Apostles, written by Luke, concerns the matter of Jewish Christians (Judaizers) who traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch of Syria claiming authority to preach the theological necessity of circumcision and obedience to the Mosaic Law as necessary for salvation to the newly converted Gentile Christians. This position was also being promoted among Paul’s recent converts in Galatia. They were firmly opposed by Paul and Barnabus, newly returned to Antioch after their successful first missionary journey – this became such a contentious matter that Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with others of the Antioch congregation, to travel to Jerusalem to meet with the apostles and elders to clarify the position of the ancient church on evangelization of the Gentiles.
Some of the converted Jews still expected a temporal kingdom from the Messiah – they now saw that the Gentiles were included in the salvation of the gospel and wished to extend their hegemony over the Gentiles. They did not understand or accept what the gospel was telling them. The position of these men had long been “Except you be circumcized you cannot be saved.” Paul and Barbabus opposed this. They knew that Christ unites Jew and Gentile in Himself. He freed them from the ceremonial law and rites of circumcision.
The apostles, elders and other members of the church discussed this matter at the ensuing Council of Jerusalem. Luke tells us that Peter, spoke as a missionary, not as head of the Jerusalem church. Peter spoke. (and i am including his words as quoted in Acts 15: 7-11).
“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”
After Peter reminded the Council that Paul’s approach to the Gentiles was God’s divine will, Paul and Barnabus spoke of the validation of their missionary policy through “miraculous signs and wonders”. Then James, the half brother of Jesus and the head of the Jerusalem church, who presided over the Council, said in effect that the Council cannot oppose the will of God and that Jewish Christians should not stand against the Gentile mission. The vote of the Council on this matter was unanimous in support of James’s decision and a letter was drafted to be circulated among the Christian churches in affirmation of their position.
The Council of Jerusalem was a hugely important moment in the life of the church. It recognized that salvation through Jesus Christ was meant for the Jews and the Gentiles and boldy refused to impede the progress Paul had made with the Gentiles. The Council acknowledged that the Messiah had freed them from the Law. They had refused to side with the Judaizers and they could not be in opposition to the will of God.