Justification By Faith Confirmed in Jerusalem

Acts 15:1-35 — The Jerusalem Council
After completing the study of Acts 14, over the past couple of months, we went through the book of Galatians before coming back to Acts 15 this week. The reason we went through the book of Galatians between Acts 14 and 15 is not only chronological but also theological. The message of Galatians is significant to a major theme of the book of Acts, namely, why and how did the church which started as very Jewish become Gentile and break away from the fold of Judaism.  This also goes hand-in-hand with chapter 15.

Acts 15 is a central chapter in Acts. We are right in the middle of the book.  In many English translations, Acts 1–14 has about 12,000 words, and Acts 15–28 has about 12,000 words. However, Acts 15 is not only central because of its location but also because of the significance of the theological controversy it describes and its connectedness to the book of Galatians. It shows how the church dealt decisively with the matter of including Gentiles in the church. The basis of their inclusion is a major theme in Acts.

After going through the Book of Galatians and especially considering what happened in Cornelius's house, sometimes referred to as the Gentile Pentecost (Acts 10), it might seem odd that the church is still struggling with this matter. However, there are several points to be made. First, the church might have understood the case that the Apostle Peter made to the church in Acts 11 regarding the Gentile Pentecost to be why the Gentiles should be included, not how they should be included and remain to be included. Second, the case was almost years before the events in Acts 15. The passing of time and ever-increasing Gentile converts might have troubled the Jewish believers who did not completely understand what happened at the Gentile Pentecost. Third, the Apostle Paul's letter to the Galatians seemed to have been effective since now the leadership in Jerusalem do not feel the need to address the issue again with them when they send their decision to "the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia" (Acts 15:23). Lastly, this was perhaps the Apostle Paul way of trying to put the issue to rest by clarifying the unified position of all the apostles, including him and the leadership in Jerusalem.

Once again, it was the Apostle Peter who made the case for not only why should the Gentiles be part of the church (Acts 11), but now also for how they can remain part of it (Acts 15:7-11).  The answer is that the  Gentiles are neither justified nor sanctified by obedience to the Law of Moses. They are neither brought into the Body of Christ nor remain in the Body of Christ through the Law. Some may object to this conclusion indicating that the apostolic decree in Acts 15 added four new laws that the Gentiles must live under. However, that is not the case. These instructions are not given to the Gentile to either earn righteousness or maintain righteousness. Rather, they were given to help Jewish believers who maintained strict observance of the Mosaic law to still be able to fellowship with Gentile believers without getting ritually defiled.

The reason the Apostle Peter gave was that both the Jews and the Gentiles are given the Holy Spirit by God "who knows the heart" (Acts 15:8). The Apostle Peter is reminding the church, that although ten years had passed, God poured out the Holy Spirit on the Gentiles in the house of Cornelius just like He did on the Apostles even though the house of Cornelius was not circumcised. Why? Because God looks at the heart. This was most likely a reference to the Lord asking Israel to circumcised their heart (Jeremiah 4:4) and including them with the uncircumcised nations because they were "uncircumcised in the heart" (Jeremiah 9:26). Later on, the Apostle Paul will say that a person is "not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit" (Romans 2:28–29). Since the matter of Gentile purification was essential to this debate, the Apostle Peter add that God is "purifying their hearts by faith" (Acts 15:9).

Has God given you the Holy Spirit?
Has He purified your heart by faith?