The Jerusalem Council

Here is my paraphrase of one of my favorite Bible stories--the Jerusalem Council! Read Acts 15 for the whole story. While I paraphrased most of the chapter, the actual letter is the Bible word-for-word.

As more and more people were being added to the Christians, problems arose. Some Jewish Christians started teaching in Antioch that Gentile Christians had to observe the same laws as the Jewish Christians. For example, these “teachers” taught that Gentiles could not be saved unless they underwent circumcision. When Paul and Barnabas heard about this, they were very upset.

Paul, Barnabas, and other believers were appointed to travel to Jerusalem for a council, and decide this matter once and for all. As they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, the apostles and believers told other believers how many Gentiles had been converted. Everyone was so excited about this!

When Paul, Barnabas, and the other believers sent with them reached Jerusalem, the believers in Jerusalem welcomed the Antioch group. Soon the council started. First off, Paul and Barnabas told of everything that God had done through them. After Paul and Barnabas finished speaking, some of the Pharisee believers started to talk. They argued that the new Gentile believers did need to follow all the laws and rituals of Moses.

After much debating, Simon Peter stood up. He said, “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made known to us that Gentiles should become Christians too, not just us Jews. He’s given them the Holy Spirit, just like us. Now why do you test God and try to burden the Gentiles with a burden that even we or our fathers haven’t been able to bear?? No, never! We believe that it’s through Jesus that we’re saved, just like the Gentiles are saved through Jesus.

Paul and Barnabas once again stood up, and told about all the marvelous signs and wonders that had accompanied their ministry to the Gentiles. While they talked, the entire assembly was quiet. When Paul and Barnabas sat down, James spoke up:

“Brothers, listen to what I have to say. Simon has just told us how God has told him that the Gentiles can be Christians as well, not just us Jews. Amos 9:11,12 affirms what Simon is saying. In my opinion, we should not make it hard for Gentiles to come to God. Instead, write them a letter outlining a few, but important and simple rules for them to follow. Those rules would be abstaining from food offered to idols, sexual immorality, from strangled animals’ meat, and from blood.”

So the entire church decided to do this, and composed a letter outlining these few simple requirements for Christians, Jew or Gentile. They decided to send Judas and Silas with Paul and Barnabas back to Antioch with the letter. It read:

The apostles and elders, your brothers,
   To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia:
   Greetings.
We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said .So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul—  men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing .It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.
   Farewell.

When the letter was read in Antioch, all the Christians were encouraged. Everyone was happy with the outcome, and after Judas and Silas spent some time in Antioch, they were sent away with a blessing of peace. However, Paul and Barnabas continued to minister in Antioch.