1. The apostolic council
Acts 15

2. The apostolic council
Today we consider one of the most crucial decisions in the history of the church of Jesus Christ
It took place nearly 1970 years ago, in the year AD

3. The apostolic council
Today we consider one of the most crucial decisions in the history of the church of Jesus Christ
It took place nearly 1970 years ago, in the year AD
We see disagreement in the church

4. Though our situation may be different,
The apostolic council
And, let’s ask the question,
Though our situation may be different,
are we facing a similar decision today?

5. The apostolic council
As we consider the decision in Acts 15, let’s focus on
Why it was and is important,
How the decision was made,
What was the decision, and
How was it communicated

6. The apostolic council Background
From the beginning, Jewish believers had trouble accepting Gentiles
It began with that God-fearing centurion in Caesarea, Cornelius
Remember? God had to repeat his “vision lesson” three times before Peter began to understand

7. The apostolic council Background
Then Peter had to go back and explain the full facts to the Jerusalem leaders, who instead of raising objections, they “glorified God” (Acts 11:18)
Next came the movement in Antioch where unnamed missionaries “spoke to” the Greeks also (Acts 11:20)

8. The apostolic council Background A great number believed
The Jerusalem church heard this and sent Barnabas to check it out
He saw great evidence of the grace of God

9. The apostolic council Background
The third development was the first missionary trip
Remember the magician, and Sergius Paulus who believed
And then Paul and Barnabas responded to the Jewish unbelief with the bold declaration “we are turning to the Gentiles”. (Acts 13:46)

10. The apostolic council Background
Thereafter everywhere they went, both Jew and Gentile believed
Now, one or two Gentiles becoming Christians, like Cornelius and the Ethiopian eunuch – well that was at least tolerable for the Jewish believers in Jerusalem

11. The apostolic council Background
But, in their opinion, things got out of hand when Paul and Barnabas returned from the first missionary trip and told how God had “opened a door of faith to the Gentiles…” (Acts 14:27)
After the conversions of Cornelius and the Gentiles in Antioch, the Jewish leaders were able to assure themselves that God was in it

12. The apostolic council Background
They did not have a problem with the general concept of believing Gentiles – the Old Testament passages predicted their inclusion
But, something quite different was happening
Something that disturbed and even alarmed them

13. The apostolic council Something had to be done
Gentile converts were being welcomed into the fellowship by baptism without circumcision
So they sent some men to Antioch saying that enough is enough
Now, here is the dispute, the heresy

14. he must first become a Jew
The apostolic council
If a Gentile was
to become a Christian,
he must first become a Jew
and be circumcised

15. The apostolic council
These converted Pharisees and their followers were not bad people
They were Jews who knew the Old Testament well
They wanted to follow the Word of God

16. The apostolic council
And, the Old Testament required circumcision as a sign of the covenant – a sign of belong to God’s people
Their problem was that they stood with one foot in Moses’ Law and one foot in Christ’s love
And the ground was separating beneath them

17. They were saying, “you have to have faith in God’s amazing grace, AND
The apostolic council
They were saying, “you have to have faith in God’s amazing grace,
AND

18. The apostolic council
They were saying, “you have to have faith in God’s amazing grace,
AND
You had to be circumcised

19. The apostolic council
The issue was central for the future of the church
To insist on circumcision would have demanded a person to become a Jew before they would be accepted as a Christian
And it would have made Christianity a sect of the Jewish religion

20. The apostolic council
But even more important, the issue cut to the central belief of the Christian church
On what is our salvation based?
Is it based on Christ alone?
Is Christ’s death on the cross sufficient or do we also have to follow rules to be saved?

21. Do we in part make the same sort of mistake today?
The apostolic council
Do we in part make the
same sort of mistake today?

22. The apostolic council Consider
Because people of different faiths are moving to our country, and because the media makes us more aware of what is going on in other parts of the world, we are confronted with more and more religions
We can find in some major cities, within a few blocks, a Buddhist temple, a Moslem mosque, a Jewish synagogue, and a Christian church

23. The apostolic council Consider
Do we have the right to say to these people, who are seeking God, that they will not be saved unless they renounce their beliefs and put their faith in Christ alone?
Do we have the right to say about salvation that there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved?

24. The apostolic council Consider Many say no – we cannot say that
Many churches are starting to say there are different ways to God
Some are saying, “Who are we to say that other religions are wrong?”
Do we believe that Christ is necessary for salvation and Christ alone?

25. The apostolic council Consider Or, is it more subtle
Do some say the grace of God is not enough – that to be a Christian – to be saved – there is something extra a person must do:
Tithe their 10%
Attend church 3 times per week
Serve on committees

26. The apostolic council Importance of this Issue
Paul and Barnabas were mature enough spiritually to understand that this position on circumcision impacted a foundational principle of our faith
They realized that this issue need to be dealt with
So, with the blessing of the church leaders in Antioch, they went to Jerusalem

27. The apostolic council How the decision was made
The series of meeting that followed have been called the Jerusalem Council
Notice the procedure
The proponents of the circumcision position were permitted to present their position (Acts 15:5)
Much debate followed (Acts 15:7)
Then Peter stood up and spoke

28. The apostolic council How the decision was made
Peter reminds the council of his own experience with the household of Cornelius
Peter had gotten into trouble from the Jerusalem Christians for entering a Gentile house and peaching the gospel
But his answer was that if God had made them clean, and that was shown by the fact that the Holy Spirit fell on them, then how could anyone consider them unclean

29. The apostolic council How the decision was made
Peter reminds the council of that, and that it is through the grace of the Lord Jesus that we are saved
In Peter’s last statement recorded in Acts, he opens the way for Paul and Barnabas, who tell of the way that God has blessed their mission into Asia Minor

30. The apostolic council How the decision was made
Finally, James, the brother of Jesus, the leader of the Jerusalem church, speaks
His conclusion is a wise and Godly compromise based upon his clear reading of Scripture and his understanding of the theology of salvation
He quotes from the words of Amos 9 where God says He will restore Israel, at the same time including in it those Gentiles who bear His name

31. The apostolic council How the decision was made
So, the inclusion of the Gentiles is not some divine afterthought, or a mistake by Paul, but part of God’s salvation plan foretold by the prophets
Then James concludes, and shows the compromise in stating “we should not trouble those of the Gentiles who turn to God, but should write to them to abstain from the things polluted by idols, and from sexual immorality, and from what has been strangled, and from blood.” (Acts 15:19-20)

32. The apostolic council The Decision
James made it clear what was to be voted upon
First, that ANYONE, Jew or Gentile, can be saved
Second, was that Jesus ALONE can save

33. The apostolic council The Decision
James made it clear what was to be voted upon
First, that ANYONE, Jew or Gentile, can be saved
Second, was that Jesus ALONE can save
Not Jesus plus baptism
Not Jesus plus circumcision
Not Jesus plus a holy life
Not Jesus plus anything

34. The Decision We are saved through faith in JESUS ALONE
The apostolic council
The Decision
We are saved through faith
in JESUS ALONE

35. The apostolic council The Decision Notice James’ sensitivity
He realized how hard it would be for Jews to worship and fellowship with Gentile believers
Although they were now Christians, they still followed Jewish customs written down by Moses
The Gentiles were told that they were to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood

36. The apostolic council The Decision
These were not requirements to be saved, but rather a result of their salvation
As believers, they were not to take part of sexual immorality
This had often been part of their pagan worship before they had become believers
To eat food polluted by idols, would be offensive to the Jewish Christians and would easily tempt the Gentiles to idol worship

37. The apostolic council The Decision
The call to not eat meat of strangled animals nor blood is out of respect to the customs of the Jewish Christians
The Jerusalem Council affirmed the two statements of doctrine, and the four compromise guidelines

38. of the Jerusalem Council
The apostolic council
Application
How does the decision
of the Jerusalem Council
apply to us today?

39. Application Our Christian Faith
The apostolic council
Non-Essential
Application
Our
Christian
Faith
Essential

40. The apostolic council Essential
Those things which we believe that we do not waver on or compromise on
Non-Essential
Those things which we may reasonably differ on, which we approach in a humble and sensitive to the positions held by others

41. The apostolic council Communication of Decision
The decision was written down so people could not later dispute what was decided
The written decision was given to the church – note that Paul and Barnabas went, but also two from the council itself – Judas called Barsabbas and Silas – presented the letter to the church – representing the council, not one side of the issue

42. The apostolic council The Jerusalem Council
Decided that anyone, Jew or Gentile, can be saved

43. The apostolic council The Jerusalem Council
Anyone, Jew or Gentile, can be saved
Jesus alone can save

44. The apostolic council The Jerusalem Council
Anyone, Jew or Gentile, can be saved
Jesus alone can save
In considering issues within the church, give both sides an opportunity to speak

45. The apostolic council The Jerusalem Council
Anyone, Jew or Gentile, can be saved
Jesus alone can save
In considering issues within the church, give both sides an opportunity to speak
Use the Word of God to guide decision making

46. The apostolic council The Jerusalem Council
Anyone, Jew or Gentile, can be saved
Jesus alone can save
In considering issues within the church, give both sides an opportunity to speak
Use the Word of God to guide decision making
Communicate the decision directly to the church

47. The apostolic council Our Great and Glorious God,
Prayer
Our Great and Glorious God,
Help us to be firm and steadfast
in the Essentials of our Christian faith,
and to be humble and sensitive
to the Non-Essentials impacting
the daily lives of other Christians