The Jerusalem Council - Part 1, Dissension

Acts 15 is a pivotal chapter in the history of the church. Some twenty years have elapsed since the Savior ascended and gifted the church with the Holy Spirit to oversee the building of Christ's kingdom (Acts 2). The early years of the gospel have resulted in Jewish converts and Jewish churches believing that Christianity was the fulfillment and continuation of God's covenants with Israel. However, in keeping with Jesus' agenda for the progress and expansion of His kingdom (Acts 1:8), gentiles are coming to faith. In fact, the epicenter of evangelism and missions has shifted from Jerusalem to Antioch of Syria (Acts 12). The Antiochan church is primarily gentile—gentiles that have not submitted to circumcision. On top of this, Paul and Barnabas have just completed the first authentic gentile missionary trip through cities in Galatia, establishing more gentile churches with uncircumcised gentile converts.

Troubled by this trend, Jews from Judea (Jerusalem, note Acts 15:24) took it upon themselves to teach the gentiles that circumcision was necessary, correcting this failing that they perceived. Paul, however, resisted their claims, arguing that circumcision was no longer necessary in the tradition of Moses. Circumcision is now a spiritual work in the heart, not in the flesh (Col. 2:11, 12). Even Jews are no longer identified by circumcision in the flesh (Rom. 2:28, 29).

The impasse at Antioch prompted the church to seek advice from the elders at Jerusalem. Paul, Barnabas, and some elders at Antioch traveled to Jerusalem to Jerusalem to confer with the apostles and elder on this matter. This first message seeks to understand the problem.