Acts 15 Studies

For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each chapter is divided into a number of studies and each study or passage has a simple four-Part, verse-by-verse approach, to help you take in and think further about what you have read.

Passage: Acts 15:1-4

1 Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: ‘Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.’ 2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. 3 The church sent them on their way, and as they travelled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the believers very glad. 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.

A. Find Out:

1. Who started the controversy where? v.1a
2. What were they saying? v.1b
3. So how did the church decide to resolve it? v.2
4. What did they do as they went? v.3
5. What did they do when they arrived? v.4

B. Think:

1. Read Gal 2:1-10 which probably refers to this period.
2. What was the problem as seen by the Jewish Christians?
3. So what did the church wisely do about it?

C. Comment:

Chapter 15 is a turning point in the book. So far we have seen the Gospel going to Gentiles, and the Jews were happy that Gentiles should come to faith in God, yet the question now arose in their minds, how should the Gentile believers conform to a Jewish Christianity. One particular group maintained that the Gentiles should come in and be the same as them, following the Law of Moses and being circumcised like the Jews were. They made this an essential for salvation, i.e. you have got to DO things to be saved, not merely believe. It was this point that Paul wrote about when he wrote to the Galatian churches that he has just left. Faith alone or faith plus works?

The Antioch church now displays an example that is worthy of being followed. Although Paul and Barnabus had just come back from a very successful missionary journey where thousands had come to Christ, simply by believing, they were willing to submit their beliefs to the Jerusalem authority for their decision. This speaks of humility. So Paul and Barnabus were sent, with a number of others from the church there, to go to Jerusalem to explain what had happened and obtain a decision from the leaders there as to what they should do about this matter of following the law and circumcision.

D. Application:

1. Works follow salvation. Salvation is not because of works, it comes from simply believing and then “love works” follow.
2. A problem of understanding? Refer it to leaders.

Passage: Acts 15:5-12

5 Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, ‘The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.’

6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: ‘Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles should hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 10 Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? 11 No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.’ 12 The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them.

A. Find Out:    

1. What did the Pharisees demand? v.5
2. Who met to consider this? v.6
3. Who got up and made what point? v.7-9
4. What did he say they were doing? v.10
5. What did he conclude? v.11
6. Who then told what? v.12

B. Think:

1. What two things did the Pharisees want?
2. How had Peter learnt?
3. How did Paul & Barnabus confirm Peter’s conclusion?

C. Comment:

As we said above, this is a turning point. Some of the Christians in Jerusalem were still good orthodox Jews, even of the Pharisees, the ultra conservative religious party, and as such they expected everybody else to conform to the Law of Moses and be circumcised. They had added on Christian faith to their legalism and were now having a problem with people who had the faith but not the legalism! The trouble was, for them, that God had been saving Gentiles with no reference being made to these two things.

It is Peter who stands up in defence of the approach to the Gentiles because it had been forced on him by the incident with Cornelius. He had seen first hand how God had accepted the Gentiles without any prior requirement to law keeping. When the Spirit had fallen on the Gentiles there was no disputing it!

As if to ram home the message, Paul and Barnabus next share and tell how, as they were preaching to the Gentiles, God had confirmed the message with signs and wonders. The Lord had not waited until these Gentiles had followed “the rules” but had simply met with them as soon as they believed. There was no room here for works + faith = salvation. This was purely faith = salvation!

D. Application:

1. We are not saved by what we do – in any shape or form!
2. We are saved, purely by believing in Jesus. Doing follows later.

Passage: Acts 15:13-21

13 When they finished, James spoke up. ‘Brothers,’ he said, ‘listen to me. 14 Simon has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. 15 The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

16 ‘“After this I will return
    and rebuild David’s fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild,
    and I will restore it,
17 that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
    even all the Gentiles who bear my name,
says the Lord, who does these things” –
18     things known from long ago.

19 ‘It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. 21 For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.’

A. Find Out:

1. Who next spoke? v.13
2. Who did he refer to first? v.14
3. To whom did he refer to next? v.15
4. What point was he making? v.16-18
5. So what did he conclude? v.19
6. What restrictions did he suggest? v.20

B. Think:

1. Why do you think James referred to Peter and not to Paul?
2. Read Amos 9:11 ,12 What was it about David God would rebuild?
3. What effect would that have?

C. Comment:

James, apparently the clear leader of the church in Jerusalem , finally speaks. He affirms Peter’s words, as Peter was one of the other key leaders at Jerusalem that the Pharisee group of Christians would listen to. He then points out that what has been happening really confirms what the prophets had said.

The prophecy that he refers to, from Amos, is God’s intention to rebuild the house of David. The glory of David’s family name had been largely lost after Rehoboam had caused the kingdom to be split. Yet God had promised “I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever” (2 Sam 7:13 ). Through Amos came God’s intention to raise again the glory of the man after God’s own heart. This was fulfilled in His own Son, Jesus, constantly referred to as the son of David. The prophecy had also indicated that this would affect all nations, i.e. Gentiles as well as Jews.

So, says James, it seems right that God is accepting Gentiles by faith alone. But, he adds, we would ask that the new Gentile believers respect the constraints their Jewish brothers have and avoid things verging towards idolatry, sexual immorality or from things that we believe are contrary to God’s teaching.

D. Application:

1. Jesus is the new man after God’s own heart.
2. God’s heart of for all peoples, not just one people grouping.

Passage: Acts 15:22-35

22 Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were leaders among the believers. 23 With them they sent the following letter:

The apostles and elders, your brothers,

To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia:

24 We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. 25 So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul – 26 men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. 27 Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. 28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things..

30 So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. 31 The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. 32 Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. 33 After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them.  35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.

A. Find Out:

1. Who were to return to Antioch & with what purpose? v.22,27
2. How did the letter describe what had happened? v.24
3. How did the letter describe Barnabus and Paul? v.25,26
4. What did they do in Antioch ? v.30,31
5. What did Judas & Silas do? v.32-34
6. What did Paul & Barnabus do? v.35

B. Think:

1. Why was it good for Judas & Silas to go to Antioch?
2. How would you describe the letter from the Jerusalem elders?
3. What was the outcome of it all?

C. Comment:

The leaders of the Jerusalem church show real commitment to their brothers at Antioch. They don’t merely send the letter back with Paul and Barnabus, they send two of their leading prophetic men to deliver the letter and confirm its contents and then bless and encourage the church at Antioch. Remember this wasn’t a quick car journey, this was a walk of over 300 miles, just to ensure the church at Antioch was brought to a place of peace over the issues raised.

As the letter indicated, the problems had arisen because Pharisee-Christians from Jerusalem had gone without authority and upset the Antioch church. This was now the Jerusalem church’s way of making amends. When they arrived at Antioch the men called the whole church together and formally delivered the letter to them and it was read. There was no room left for possible misunderstanding.

After this Judas, at least, returned to Jerusalem (see the note in your Bible for v.34, that Silas decided to stay – this would account for how he ended up going on Paul’s next journey – see the next in this series of studies). The church at Antioch is thus left at peace, knowing that they have a genuine salvation by faith alone.

D. Application:

1. When we are the cause of upset, directly or indirectly, we should do all we can to re-establish peace.
2. Salvation is by faith alone.

Passage: Acts 15:36-41

36 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, ‘Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.’ 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

A. Find Out:

1. What did Paul suggest? v.36
2. How did Barnabus want to do it? v.37
3. But what did Paul feel about that? v.38
4. So what happened? v.39a
5. What did Barnabus do? v.39b
6. What did Paul do? v.40,41

B. Think:

1. What was the apostolic strategy at this point?
2. What caused there to be a dual approach to it?
3. Read also Col 4:10, 2 Tim 4:11 What do they tell us?

C. Comment:

Observe first of all, the apostolic strategy: to go and strengthen what they had already built. This was the natural thing to do, to go back and check the growing family, this was why they went out again. Note that it isn’t a big sending thing but a natural progression. Sometimes we don’t need major guidance directives, there are simply things that are natural for us to push on with.

Next observe the characters of the two leading missionary apostles at this time. Paul is the pusher. He is the one suggesting them going out again. As an initiator the goal is the all-important thing for Paul and people have to fit into that, and if they don’t, well put them aside (note that he clearly did come back into a friendly relationship with John Mark later on). Barnabus on the other hand, as his name suggests (see Acts 4:36) is a “people-person”, an encourager who puts people before plans. Both of these men are loved by God and significant in His purposes.

Disagreement doesn’t have to mean painful upset. If we see that in this story it’s perhaps more our expectation of it from our experience rather than what happened. They simply go their different ways to do the same job, both starting from their individual home ground, and so the work progresses even more effectively.

D. Application:

1. We’re human, we sometimes disagree, but God still loves us.
2. Identify the “type” of person we are: plans or people. Both are valid.