1  And certain persons, having come down from Judaea, taught the brethren, If ye shall not have been circumcised according to the custom of Moses, ye cannot be saved.[1]

2  A commotion therefore having taken place, and no small discussion on the part of Paul and Barnabas against them, they arranged that Paul and Barnabas, and certain others from amongst them, should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders about this question.

3  They therefore, having been set on their way by the assembly, passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, relating the conversion of those of the nations. And they caused great joy to all the brethren.

4  And being arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the assembly, and the apostles, and the elders, and related all that God had wrought with them.

5  And some of those who were of the sect of the Pharisees[2], who believed, rose up from among them , saying that they ought to circumcise them and enjoin them to keep the law of Moses.

6  And the apostles and the elders[3] were gathered together to see about this matter.

7  And much discussion having taken place, Peter, standing up, said to them, Brethren, *ye* know that from the earliest days God amongst you chose that the nations by my mouth[4] should hear the word of the glad tidings and believe.

8  And the heart-knowing God bore them witness, giving them the Holy Spirit as to us also,

9  and put no difference between us and them, having purified their hearts by faith.

10  Now therefore why tempt ye God, by putting a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?[5]

11  But we believe that we shall be saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same manner as they also.[6]

12  And all the multitude kept silence and listened to Barnabas and Paul relating all the signs and wonders which God had wrought among the nations by them.

13  And after they had held their peace, James[7] answered, saying, Brethren, listen to me:[8]

14  Simon has related how God first visited to take out of the nations a people for his name.

15  And with this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written:

16  After these things I will return, and will rebuild the tabernacle of David[9] which is fallen, and will rebuild its ruins, and will set it up,

17  so that the residue of men may seek out the Lord, and all the nations on whom my name is invoked, saith the Lord, who does these things

18  known from eternity.

19  Wherefore *I* judge, not to trouble those who from the nations turn to God;[10]

20  but to write to them to abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from what is strangled, and from blood.

21  For Moses, from generations of old, has in every city those who preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath.

22  Then it seemed good to the apostles and to the elders, with the whole assembly, to send chosen men from among them with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch, Judas called Barsabas[11] and Silas[12], leading men among the brethren,

23  having by their hand written thus : The apostles, and the elders, and the brethren, to the brethren who are from among the nations at Antioch, and in Syria and Cilicia, greeting:

24  Inasmuch as we have heard that some who went out from amongst us have troubled you by words, upsetting your souls, saying that ye must be circumcised and keep the law ; to whom we gave no commandment;

25  it seemed good to us, having arrived at a common judgment, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

26  men who have given up their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

27  We have therefore sent Judas and Silas, who themselves also will tell you by word of mouth the same things.

28  For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things:

29  to abstain from things sacrificed to idols, and from blood, and from what is strangled, and from fornication; keeping yourselves from which ye will do well. Farewell.

30  They therefore, being let go, came to Antioch, and having gathered the multitude delivered to them the epistle.

31  And having read it, they rejoiced at the consolation.

32  And Judas and Silas, being themselves also prophets, exhorted the brethren with much discourse, and strengthened them.

33  And having passed some time there , they were let go in peace from the brethren to those who sent them.

35  And Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch, teaching and announcing the glad tidings, with many others also, of the word of the Lord.[13]

36  But after certain days Paul said to Barnabas, Let us return now and visit the brethren in every city where we have announced the word of the Lord, and see how they are getting on.

37  And Barnabas proposed to take with them John also, called Mark;

38  but Paul thought it not well to take with them him who had abandoned them, going back from Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work.

39  There arose therefore very warm feeling, so that they separated from one another; and Barnabas taking Mark sailed away to Cyprus;

40  but Paul having chosen Silas went forth, committed by the brethren to the grace of God.

41  And he passed through Syria and Cilicia[14], confirming the assemblies.

---

[1] (15:1). ye cannot be saved. The Jews practiced circumcision on the eighth day as the law taught (See Gen. 17:9-14). Here the Jews are making the case for circumcision. They are saying that in order to be part of God’s people a person must first become part of Israel. Adding to the work of Christ.

[2] (15:5). sect of the Pharisees. It is believed that some Pharisees had converted to the Christian faith.

[3] (15:6). the apostles and elders. Luke stresses that the Council of Jerusalem will represent the official ruling on the matter.

[4] (15:7). nations by my mouth. A reference to Peter’s ministry in the house of Cornelius (Acts 10:44).

[5] (15:10). The law with its additions became a burden.

[6] (15:11). Peter is saying that both the Jew and the non-Jew will be saved by grace without circumcision.

[7] (15:13). James. The half-brother of Jesus and one of the early church fathers. He is the author of the Letter of James in the New Testament. He was a leader in the Jerusalem.

[8] (15:13). In terms of dispensationalism, this passage is regarded as the most significant in the New Testament. It outlines the divine intention for the current age and the onset of the next one.

(a) The process of selecting a people from among the Gentiles for His name is the unique position of the present church age. The church, known as the ecclesia or “called-out assembly,” has been actively forming since Pentecost. While the Gospel has not converted everyone, it has consistently called out individuals.

(b) James references Amos 9:11-12. The subsequent verses in Amos detail Israel’s ultimate regathering, a theme frequently associated by other prophets with the fulfilment of the Davidic Covenant (e.g., Isaiah 11:1; Isaiah 11:10-12; Jeremiah 23:5-8).

(c) “And will rebuild the tabernacle of David,” which means to restore the Davidic reign over Israel (2 Samuel 7:8-17; Luke 1:31-33).

(d) ” so that the residue of men [Israelites] may seek out the Lord” (see Zechariah 12:7-8; 13:1-2).

(e) “And all the nations,” etc. (refer to Micah 4:2; Zechariah 8:21-22). This follows the sequence seen in Romans 11:24-27.

[9] (15:16). tabernacle of David. Reference to the Davidic dynasty. God promised to restore the Davidic dynasty.

[10] (15:19). The implications of the decision extend well beyond just the issue of circumcision. The entire matter of how the law relates to Gentile believers was debated (v. 5), and their exemption from the law is affirmed in the ruling (v. 19, 24). This decision could also be expressed in the terms of Rom. 6:14: “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not under law but under grace.” Gentile believers were expected to demonstrate grace by refraining from actions that would offend devout Jews. (vs. 20; 21; 28; 29 cf; Rom. 14:12-17; 1 Cor. 8:1-13.

[11] (15:22). Judas called Barsabas. A Prophet and leader of the brethren in Jerusalem, chosen with Silas to accompany Paul and Barnabas to Antioch.

[12] (15:22). Silas. A Roman citizen, he was a prophet and the leader of the saints in Jerusalem. He was selected alongside Judas by the apostles and elders to join Paul and Barnabas on their journey to Antioch. After encouraging the believers there, he returned to Jerusalem with Judas. When Barnabas separated from Paul, Paul chose Silas to join him on his next missionary journey. Silas was imprisoned with Paul, and they prayed and sang hymns together until an earthquake struck, freeing the doors of the prison. He traveled with Paul to Thessalonica and Berea, and later reunited with Paul in Athens alongside Timothy.

[13] (15:35). The second missionary journey was intended to revisit the assemblies founded during the first trip rather than to extend into new regions. Nevertheless, God had other intentions.

[14] (15:41). Syria and Cilicia. Neighboring providences in modern-day Turkey. Paul travelled through these area on his way to Derbe and Lystra.