Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Acts 15

The immediate occasion for the Jerusalem Council was the visit to Syrian Antioch of some Jewish Christians from Jerusalem and their teaching that on principle, circumcision was essential to salvation. These became known as “Judaizers,” and their comrades were promoting similar teaching among Paul’s converts in Galatia. They may have been incited by the return of John Mark and his unfavorable report (cf. comment on 13:13). Both James and Peter (cf. Galatians 2:9) were interested in minimizing conflicts between Judaism and Jewish Christianity. Yet neither was prepared to sacrifice the principles of the Gospel to expediency when the implications of doing this became plain. Undoubtedly the Judaizers thought of themselves as acting conscientiously and on sound theological principles (cf. comment on v.5 below). But as Paul saw it, they sought “a good impression outwardly... to avoid being persecuted for the cross of Christ” (Galatians 6:12).

With the issues highlighted by the “sharp dispute and debate” that followed, Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with certain others from the Antioch congregation, to go up to Jerusalem to meet with “the apostles and elders” about the matter. It was probably the entire congregation at Antioch and its leaders that appointed these men to discuss the issue (cf. 13:3). Antioch Christians were desirous for the relation between the Jerusalem church’s policy of cautious expediency and the Judaizers’ argument founded on theological principle to be clarified. The Jerusalem Christians, for their part, undoubtedly welcomed an opportunity to air their concerns—particularly the impasse created for them by Paul and Barnabas through their Gentile policy. For while there may have been general agreement on the validity of evangelizing Gentiles (cf. Galatians 2:7–10), recent events opened that agreement for reconsideration.

As the delegation from Antioch journeyed to Jerusalem, they told the believers in Phoenicia and Samaria the news of “the conversion of the Gentiles.” The Phoenician and Samaritan Christians, being themselves converts of the Hellenists’ mission after Stephen’s martyrdom (cf. 8:4–25; 11:19), probably took a broader view than that which prevailed at Jerusalem and rejoiced at the news. Believers at Jerusalem also were interested, but their interest by no means involved whole-hearted approval.

As the delegation from Antioch journeyed to Jerusalem, they told the believers in Phoenicia and Samaria the news of “the conversion of the Gentiles.” The Phoenician and Samaritan Christians, being themselves converts of the Hellenists’ mission after Stephen’s martyrdom (cf. 8:4–25; 11:19), probably took a broader view than that which prevailed at Jerusalem and rejoiced at the news. Believers at Jerusalem also were interested, but their interest by no means involved whole-hearted approval.

In the ensuing debate among believers in general and in the council itself, some Christian Pharisees, in support of the Judaizers, insisted that it was necessary for Gentile Christians to “be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.” And by this necessity they meant that these things were not only expedient but required by the revealed will of God. In their thinking, they read that the prophets spoke of the salvation of the Gentiles as an event of the last days (cf. Isaiah 2:2; 11:10; 25:8–9; Zechariah 8:23) through the witness of a restored Israel (cf. Isaiah 2:3; 60:2–3; Zechariah 8:23). Thus they could hardly oppose reaching Gentiles through the ministry of the church. But they felt that the outreach to Gentiles should come from within their group and follow a proselyte model, not come from outside their group and be apart from the law. After all, in the last days, all nations were to flow to the house of the Lord at Jerusalem (cf. Isaiah 2:2– 3; 25:6–8; 56:7; 60:3–22; Zechariah 8:21–23), not depart from it.