Acts 15 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
Time Period
~AD 48-49, roughly twenty years after the crucifixion
Location
Antioch in Syria and Jerusalem, then back to Antioch
Audience
Theophilus and Luke's Greek-speaking readers, above all Gentile believers asking whether they were second-class members
Situation
Teachers from Judea insist Gentile converts must be circumcised, so the Antioch church sends Paul and Barnabas to Jerusalem, where the apostles and elders decide against imposing the law of Moses and send a letter with four practical requests instead.
Key Background
Circumcision was the covenant sign that marked a man as belonging to Israel, so the question was not a minor rule but whether a Gentile had to become Jewish in order to follow Israel's Messiah. The four items in the final letter, avoiding food offered to idols, blood, strangled meat, and sexual immorality, correspond closely to the rules the law of Moses already applied to foreigners living among Israel, which made them a workable basis for Jews and Gentiles to share meals. The meeting ends with a sharp personal split between Paul and Barnabas over John Mark, a reminder that the chapter's unity was institutional rather than a resolution of every strain.
Then some people came down from Judea and started teaching the brothers, "Unless you get following Moses' custom, you can't be
This created a huge argument. Paul and Barnabas clashed with them hard. So the group decided to send Paul and Barnabas, along with some others, up to Jerusalem to bring this question to the and
So the sent them on their way, and as they passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told the full story of how non-Jewish people were to This news made everyone incredibly happy.
When they arrived in Jerusalem, the gathered community and the apostles and elders welcomed them, and Paul and Barnabas reported everything God had done through them.
But some believers who belonged to the stood up and said, "They have to be circumcised. They need to be told to follow the of
So the apostles and elders met to look into this matter.
After a long, heated discussion, Peter stood up and said to them, "Brothers, you know that a while back God chose me from among you to be the one through whom non-Jewish people would hear the and come to it.
And who in every backed them up by giving them the of just like he gave it to us.
He no distinction between us and them — he their through trust.
So why are you testing God now by putting a on these necks that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to carry?
No — we trust that we are through the of the Lord Jesus, and so are they."
The whole crowd went quiet. Then they listened as Barnabas and Paul described all the and God had done through them among the non-Jewish people.
After they finished, spoke up: "Brothers, listen to me.
has described how God first stepped in to take from among the non-Jewish peoples a for own
The words of the line up with this. As it's written:
"After this I will come back and rebuild I will rebuild its ruins and restore it,
so that the rest of humanity will look for the Lord — all the non-Jewish people who are by my says the Lord, who has been making this known from the very beginning."
James continued, "So here's my judgment:
We should it for non-Jewish people who are turning to God.
Instead, we should write and tell them to stay away from by from from meat of strangled animals, and from
After all, Moses has been read aloud in every in every city for generations."
Then the apostles and elders, together with the whole gathered community, decided to choose some men from among them and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas — both among the brothers.
They sent this letter with them: "From the apostles and elders, your To the non-Jewish and in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings.
We've heard that some people from our group troubled you with their words and — though we never authorized them to do that.
So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you along with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul —
people who have their for the name of our Lord Jesus, The
So we're sending Judas and Silas, who will tell you the same things in person.
It seemed good to the of and to us not to put any on you beyond these essentials:
Stay away from to from blood, from meat of strangled animals, and from sexual corruption. You'll do well to keep yourselves from these things. Take care of yourselves."
So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch. They gathered the whole community together and delivered the letter.
When the people read it, they were thrilled by the
Judas and Silas, who were themselves said a lot to encourage and the brothers and sisters.
After spending some time there, they were sent off in by the brothers and sisters back to those who had sent them.
add: But Silas decided to stay there.]
But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and spreading the along with many others.
After some time, Paul said to Barnabas, "Let's go back and visit the brothers and sisters in every city where we spread the Lord's message, and see how they're doing."
Barnabas wanted to bring who was along with them.
But Paul didn't think it was a good idea to bring someone who had them in and hadn't continued with them in the work.
This created such a that they split up. Barnabas took Mark and sailed to
while Paul chose Silas and left, handed over to the Lord's by the brothers and sisters.
He traveled through Syria and Cilicia, the