John Calvin Commentary Acts 15:24

"Forasmuch as we have heard that certain who went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls; to whom we gave no commandment;" — Acts 15:24 (ASV)

Certain which went out from us. We see that there was no partiality among these holy men, a practice that always corrupts sound and right judgments. They confess that there were deceitful individuals in their own company; and yet they do not in any way flatter them, nor, through corrupt favoritism, are they inclined to cover their error; indeed, in condemning them freely, they do not spare even themselves.

First, they tear from their faces the mask that these individuals had misused for deception. They boasted that they had secret knowledge of the apostles' meaning. The apostles rebuke them and condemn them for lying in that false claim, as they utterly deny that they commanded any such thing.

Again, the apostles accuse these false teachers far more sharply of having troubled the Church and subverted souls. For by this accusation, the apostles bring these false teachers into contempt and detestation among the godly, because admitting such individuals leads only to destruction.

But false teachers are said to subvert souls because the truth of God edifies or builds them up. And so this statement contains this general doctrine: Unless we are willing for our souls to be violently pulled away from being temples of the Holy Spirit, and unless we desire their ruin, we must beware of those who try to lead us away from the pure gospel.

What these false teachers say concerning the keeping of the law refers only to ceremonies.

However, we must always remember that they spoke of ceremonies as if both human salvation and righteousness consisted in them. For the false apostles commanded that these ceremonies should be kept, as if righteousness came by the law and salvation depended upon works.