The Council At Jerusalem
THE COUNCIL AT JERUSALEM
ACTS 15:6-12
Both Jews and non-Jews get right with God by faith—not by rules.
Much debate evidently led nowhere (15:7) and Peter’s statement was intended to cut through the knot by an assertion that the grace of the Lord Jesus was the sole requirement for salvation (15:11).
His rehearsal of God’s dealings with him served to underscore the important points of conviction:
Peter had profited from the rebuke administered by Paul at Antioch (Galatians 2:11-21). At that earlier time he had vacillated by, at first, welcoming the Gentiles as brothers and sharers in a common table but later, when put under pressure, he had “played the Pharisee” (Galatians 2:12a) by a deliberate withdrawal and refusal to share fellowship. Note his motivation then (Galatians 2:12b). And its effect on others. What exactly was at stake in Antioch?
Notes 15:7: “early days”—the Cornelius episode happened some ten years before. The divine “choice” recalls the election of Abraham (Nehemiah 9:7); Cornelius is the firstfruits of a new people of God. 15:9: “cleansed,” as in 10:15; 11:9. 15:10: “a yoke upon the neck” re-echoes a familiar Jewish phrase (“to take up the yoke of the kingdom of heaven”) for accepting the Jewish religion. Peter here reflects the attitude of Galilean Jews to the burdensome regulations of Pharisaism. Jesus too offered release from this heavy “yoke” (Matthew 11:29-30; cf. Matthew 23:4; Luke 11:46). 15:11: a clear statement of free grace, unencumbered by any “works,” of which Paul would not have been ashamed.
Meditation In a day when theological discussion and debate get more and more complicated, let us ponder the apostolic declaration (15:11) with its note of (a) impressive simplicity—“the grace of the Lord Jesus”; (b) triumphant certainty—“we believe … that we shall be saved”; and (c) unconfined universality—“we … as … they.”