Acts 15

Acts 15:1

Good News for Everyone An EasyEnglish Bible Version and Commentary (2800 word vocabulary) on the Book of Acts www.easyenglish.info Marion Adams This commentary has been through Advanced Checking.

Words in boxes are from the Bible.

Tap the * before a word to show an explanation.

Chapter 15 An important meeting in *Jerusalem, 15:1-21 v1 Some men came from *Judea to Antioch. They were teaching the *believers like this. ‘You must receive *circumcision, as Moses taught. Otherwise, you cannot receive *salvation.’ v2 Paul and Barnabas argued a lot with those men about this. So, the people decided to send Paul, Barnabas and some other *believers to *Jerusalem. These people would go to talk about that problem. They would talk about it with the *apostles and leaders. v3 The people sent them on their journey.

They travelled through Phoenicia and *Samaria. On the way, they told how the *Gentiles had decided to trust God. All the *believers were very happy about this. v4 Paul, Barnabas and the other men arrived in *Jerusalem. Then the members of the *church, the *apostles and the leaders welcomed them. Paul and his companions reported everything that God had helped them to do. v5 Some *Pharisees had become *believers. They stood up and they said this: ‘*Gentiles who believe in the *Lord must receive *circumcision.

We must tell them to obey Moses’ *Law.’

v6 The *apostles and leaders met. And they discussed that problem about the *Gentiles. v7 They talked for a long time. Afterwards, Peter stood up. He said, ‘Brothers! You know that God chose me from among you. He did it a long time ago. He chose me to *preach the good news to the *Gentiles. He did it so that they could hear the good news. And then they could believe it. v8 God knows everyone’s thoughts. He gave the *Holy Spirit to the *Gentiles. In this way, he showed that he accepted them. It was the same as when he gave the *Holy Spirit to us. v9 God made no distinction between them and us. They put their *faith in him. So, he forgave their *sins.

v10 Therefore, do not make God angry. Moses’ *Law is like a heavy load. You will make God angry, if you put this heavy load on these *believers. The *Law was too hard for us. And it was too hard for our *ancestors! v11 But we believe that we receive *salvation by means of the *Lord Jesus’ *grace. It is the same for the *Gentiles.’

Verses 1-2 This chapter describes a decision. This is among the most important decisions that the *church ever made. The *church had a difficult problem. Some *Gentiles had become *believers, although they had not become *Jews. So, the *church had to decide whether to accept them. If a *Gentile wanted to become a *Jew, he had to receive *circumcision. Also, he had to obey Moses’ *Law. Peter had already struggled with this problem. God had given the answer to him by means of Cornelius (Acts 10). But the *Jews from *Judea did not like this answer. They wanted *Gentiles to become *Jews. The *Jews believed that *Gentiles must become *Jews first. Only then, they thought, could they become *Christians. Paul and Barnabas argued with the *Jews about this.

*Salvation is a free gift from God. We should obey rules. But we cannot earn *salvation in that way, even if those rules are good. We should do good things. But we cannot earn *salvation in that way. We can receive *salvation by means of Jesus only. We must believe in him and we must have *faith in him. God gives us *salvation because of his own *grace. It is not because of what we do.

So, the Christians in Antioch decided to send Paul and Barnabas to *Jerusalem. That was because those Christians wanted them to discuss the problem with the *apostles and leaders of the first *church. And the first *church was in *Jerusalem.

Verse 3 ‘The people sent them on their journey.’ This means that some members of the *church began the journey with them. Those members came for part of the journey. There had been a disagreement. But the people in the *church showed that they cared about Paul and Barnabas.

*Christians may not agree about some things. But we must always show that we love each other.

The journey was 483 kilometres (300 miles) long. On their way, Paul and Barnabas visited the *churches in Phoenicia and Samaria. The *Jews who spoke *Greek had left *Jerusalem. These *churches had started after that. (Look at Acts 8:1-4.) These *Jews were happy that the *Gentiles believed. For these *Jews, the fact that the *Gentiles did not receive *circumcision was not a problem.

Verse 4 In *Jerusalem, Paul and Barnabas told the people in the *church what had happened. The people wanted to hear all about it. So, they listened to Paul and Barnabas’s report. But that did not mean that the people were happy about it all.

Verse 5 ‘Some *Pharisees had become *believers’ means that they had accepted Jesus as the *Messiah. But they had believed that he was the *Messiah for *Jews only. He was the king of *Israel. The *Pharisees were *Jews. In the *Jews opinion, *Gentiles had to become *Jews first, by means of *circumcision. Otherwise, the *Jews believed that *Gentiles could not enter the *Messiah’s *kingdom.

Paul was a *Pharisee too. So, he understood what they believed. The *Law was very important to them. They tried to obey it about everything. They also made up many more little rules. But Paul had changed. He had met Jesus on the road to Damascus. He knew that although we should obey rules, we cannot please God in that way. But when we have a friendship with God, we want to obey him. We want to obey him because we love him. He gives us the *Holy Spirit. And the *Holy Spirit helps us to obey God. We do not do this by ourselves.

Verse 6 We do not know how many *apostles still lived in *Jerusalem. But, together with the leaders, they made important decisions. This was a very important decision. It might have divided the *church. But nothing should divide the *church.

Verses 7-9 Peter was a very famous *apostle. He remembered what had happened to Cornelius and his family. He knew that God accepted the *Gentiles. He had seen the *Holy Spirit come down onto them. This had happened while they were listening to Peter. They had not yet said that they believed. But God knows what people are thinking. He knew that these *Gentiles had *faith. He had accepted them immediately. He had not made them become *Jews first. Therefore the *Jewish *Christians must accept them too.

Verses 10-11 Peter said that the *Law was like ‘a heavy load’. The *Jews thought that it was difficult to obey the *Law. That is why Peter said that. In verse 11, Peter tells what the good news is all about. It is all about *grace! This is what makes the *Christian *faith different from all other religions. We cannot save ourselves from the results of our *sin. To obey rules cannot bring us close to God. There is only one way to receive *salvation. That is by means of the *Lord Jesus’ *grace.

v12 Everyone was silent. They listened. Barnabas and Paul told them what God had done for the *Gentiles. Barnabas and Paul told the people how God did *miracles and wonderful things by means of them (Barnabas and Paul). v13 After they had finished speaking, James said this: ‘Listen, brothers. v14 Simon Peter has told us this. He told us that God first showed that he cared about the *Gentiles in this way. He took some *Gentiles to be his own people. v15 This is the same as what the *prophets wrote. They wrote this:

v16 “The *Lord says: After this, I will return.

I will build David’s house again, the house that fell.

I will repair it. I will build it up and I will make it strong again.

v17 Then all the other nations will decide to *worship me.

That is, all the *Gentiles that I have chosen to be mine.

v18 I say this. I am the *Lord.

I promised it long ago.” ’

v19 James continued to speak. ‘This is what I think. We should not cause trouble for the *Gentiles who are deciding to trust God. v20 Instead, we should write a letter to them. We should tell them these things. They must not eat any food that people have offered to *idols. They must not eat animals that people have *strangled. They must not eat meat that has blood in it. They must not *sin in sexual ways. (If something is ‘sexual’, it has a connection with sex.) v21 Every *Sabbath, people read Moses’ *Law in the *synagogues. People have *preached his words in every city. This has continued for very many years.’

Verse 12 There was a disagreement about the *Gentiles. But *Christians from both sides showed that they respected each other. They listened to what Barnabas and Paul said. They did not interrupt. When there is a disagreement in the *church today, we should do the same. We must never forget that we are brothers and sisters in God’s family.

Here, Luke puts Barnabas’s name first. This is probably because people in *Jerusalem knew Barnabas better. They knew him better than they knew Paul.

Verse 13 This James was a brother of Jesus. (Look at Mark 6:3.) He wrote another letter that is in the *New Testament. In it, he emphasised the connection between our *faith and our actions. He also talked about wisdom from heaven. Among other things, he called this wisdom ‘kind’ and ‘genuine’ (James 3:17). Here in Acts, he showed that he had this wisdom from heaven. He listened to the *Pharisees. He listened to Peter, Paul and Barnabas. Then he suggested a solution to the problem.

Verses 14-18 James reminded them about what Peter had said. James did not mention Paul and Barnabas’s report. Peter’s words would have more authority in *Jerusalem because he was a leader there.

‘He took some *Gentiles to be his own people’ (verse 14). In the *Old Testament, ‘God’s own people’ meant *Israel. So, now James was saying that the Christian *Gentiles now also belonged to God’s own people.

He provided proof from the *scriptures. He needed to do this. In its important decisions, the *church must agree with the *scriptures. This is true today too. James spoke words from the book that Amos wrote (Amos 9:11-12). *Christians understand that verse 16 is a *prophecy about *Christ’s *resurrection. It is also a *prophecy about the growth of his *church.

God will include people from all nations in his future *kingdom (verse 17).

Verses 19-20 James offered his opinions. *Faith was enough for *Gentiles who were deciding to trust God. The *Jews should not make it difficult for them. The *Gentiles did not have to become *Jews and therefore they did not have to receive *circumcision. But they did have to respect the *Jews. So, they should not do things that would offend *Jews very much.

James asked those *Gentiles not to do these four things.

1. They should not eat food that people had offered to *idols. So, if some people *worshipped *idols, those *Gentiles should not have any connection with that. (Look at 1 Corinthians 8:10.)

2. They should not eat animals that people had *strangled.

3. They should not eat meat with blood in it.

4. They should not do wicked things that have a connection with sex. This often happened when people *worshipped *idols and false gods. The *Law only allowed *Jews to have sex with their wives or husbands. This is what God wants (Genesis 2:24).

James did not suggest these rules because they were necessary for *salvation. He suggested them so that *Jews could mix with *Gentiles. Some *Jewish *Christians would always want to obey all parts of the *Law. Those 4 rules meant that they could eat with *Gentiles. And they could be friends with *Gentiles. Although the *Law could not give *salvation, it was very important to *Jews. It was part of *Jewish history and tradition. So, *Gentiles must respect this. A letter to *Gentile *believers, 15:22-29 v22 The *apostles and leaders, together with the whole *church, made a decision. They chose some people from among their own men. They wanted to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas, who was also called Barsabbas. And they chose Silas. The *believers respected these two men very much. v23 They sent a letter with the men. It contained this message.

‘We are writing to the *Gentile *believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. We, the *apostles and leaders, are your brothers. We send you greetings.

v24 We have heard that some men from here have upset you very much. But we did not send them. v25 So, we have met together. And we all agreed to choose some men. We have sent them to you, with Barnabas and Paul. Barnabas and Paul are our good friends. v26 They have risked their lives to serve our *Lord Jesus *Christ. v27 So, we send to you Judas and Silas. What we write is true.

And they will say this. v28 This seemed right to the *Holy Spirit and to us. It seemed right that we should not cause extra difficulties for you. That is, nothing more than these rules. v29 You must not eat food that people have offered to *idols. You must not eat meat with blood in it. You must not eat animals that people have *strangled. You must not do wicked things that have a connection with sex.

If you do not do these things, you will do well.

Goodbye.’

Verses 22-29 All the Christians in *Jerusalem agreed with James’s idea. They chose two members of their *church to take the message. Luke does not mention Judas Barsabbas again after this event. But Silas went with Paul to *preach the *gospel in Philippi, Thessalonica and Corinth. We shall read about this later in Acts.

The *apostles and leaders called themselves ‘brothers’ of the *Gentile *believers because *believers are like one big family.

The *Jews who had upset the *church in Antioch did not have any authority. The leaders in *Jerusalem had not told them to go there. But Judas and Silas did have authority from their leaders. The leaders made this clear in the letter. In it, the leaders also introduced Paul and Barnabas as good men. The leaders then described the 4 rules that James had suggested. The men go to Antioch, 15:30-35 v30 They sent the men off on their journey and the men went to Antioch. They gathered the members of the *church there together. Then, they gave the letter to the members. v31 The people read it. And they were happy because the message encouraged them. v32 Judas and Silas were *prophets. And they said many things that encouraged the *believers. What they said made the *believers’ *faith strong. v33 Judas and Silas stayed in Antioch for some time. Then the *believers there sent the men off on their journey in peace. They blessed the men. The men intended to return to the people who had sent them. v34 [But Silas decided to stay in Antioch.] v35 Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch. There, they and many other men taught the *Lord’s message and they *preached it.

Verses 30-33 The members of the *church in Antioch were very happy. They were happy because they did not have to become *Jews. And this meant that they did not need to receive *circumcision. They accepted the 4 rules. They did not argue about them. Perhaps already they were not doing those things that they should not do.

Judas and Silas also encouraged the *believers. That is what real *prophets do for the *church. They speak words from God that make the *believers stronger in *faith.

When Judas and Silas left, the *believers prayed for them. The *believers prayed that Judas and Silas would have peace. (Peace means freedom from mental or *spiritual troubles.) So, then Judas and Silas would have a safe journey.

Verse 34 may not have been in the original account. Perhaps someone added it later. In verse 40, we can see that Silas was in Antioch. Verse 34 shows why he was still there.

Verse 35 However, Paul and Barnabas stayed and they taught the *believers. They continued to tell the good news to people who did not yet believe. Paul and Barnabas separate, 15:36-41 v36 Some time later, Paul said this to Barnabas: ‘Let us return to those towns where we *preached the *Lord’s message. We could visit the *believers there. And we could see how they are. We could see what they are doing.’ v37 Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them. v38 But John Mark had left them in Pamphylia. He had not stayed with them until they finished their work. So, Paul did not want to take him. v39 Paul and Barnabas argued. Then they separated. Barnabas took Mark and they sailed to *Cyprus. v40 But Paul chose Silas. The *believers placed them in God’s care. Then Paul left, with Silas. v41 Paul travelled through Syria and Cilicia. He encouraged the Christians and he made them stronger in *faith.

Verses 36-38 ‘Some time later’ probably means several months later. Perhaps when spring came, Paul and Barnabas could travel again. Paul suggested that they should visit the *churches that they had started. They had started those *churches on their first journey as *missionaries. Barnabas agreed with that.

But then there was a problem. Barnabas wanted his cousin, John Mark (also called Mark), to come with them. So, then Mark could help them again. Perhaps Barnabas wanted to give him a second chance because, on their first journey, John Mark had left them. He had given up and they had to finish the work without him (Acts 13:13). But Paul did not trust John Mark. He thought that Mark might do the same thing again. Paul would not give him a second chance.

Verses 39-41 Paul and Barnabas could not agree about John Mark. So, Paul and Barnabas decided to part. And they went in different directions. Barnabas took Mark with him and they went to *Cyprus. That was the country where Barnabas was born. Paul chose Silas to help him.

We know that Paul and Barnabas became friends again later. In two letters, Paul wrote good things about Barnabas (1 Corinthians 9:6 and Colossians 4:10). Paul also became friends with John Mark again. Later, he wrote that Mark had helped him (2 Timothy 4:11 and Philemon 24). Also, when Paul’s life was ending, he wanted Mark to be near him (2 Timothy 4:11).

© 1997-2005, Wycliffe Associates (UK)

This publication is written in EasyEnglish Level B (2800 words).

April 2005

Visit our website: www.easyenglish.info

var w0 = new Array;w0[0]=’<b%3EJerusalem</b%3E ~ the capital city in Israel.