BibleStudyIt - Acts 15 | Bible Study It

Image is to set the theme, not to be accurate.

Paul and Barnabas go to Jerusalem

15 Some men arrived in Antioch from Judea. ^{[ a ]} They began to teach the believers there who were not Jews. They said to them, ‘God cannot save you unless someone circumcises you. This is in the Law that God gave to Moses.’

² Paul and Barnabas did not agree with these men. They argued strongly against them. As a result, the believers in Antioch decided what to do. They chose Paul, Barnabas and some of the other believers to go to Jerusalem. They should go to meet with the apostles and the other leaders of the believers. The leaders should decide who was right in this quarrel. ³ The group of believers at Antioch sent Paul, Barnabas and the other men on their way. They travelled through Phoenicia and Samaria. They spoke to the believers in those places. They told them, ‘Gentiles are also turning to God and they are believing in Jesus.’ The believers were all very happy to hear this news. ⁴ When Paul, Barnabas and the other men arrived in Jerusalem, they met with the believers there. The apostles, the other leaders and the whole group of believers were happy to see them. Paul and Barnabas told them about everything that God had helped them to do.

⁵ Some Jewish believers were there who also belonged to the Pharisees' group. They stood up and they said, ‘We must circumcise Gentiles when they become believers. We must tell them to obey all the Law that God gave to Moses.’

⁶ So the apostles and the other leaders of the believers met to talk about this problem. ⁷ After they had all talked about this problem for a long time, Peter stood up to speak. ^{[ b ]} He said, ‘My friends, you know that, a long time ago, God chose me from among all you leaders. He wanted me to teach Gentiles the good news about Jesus. God wanted them to hear his message and to believe in Jesus. ⁸ God knows what people truly believe. He showed clearly that he accepts Gentile believers as his people. He gave his Holy Spirit to them in the same way that he did for us. ⁹ He made no difference between them and us. When they believed in Jesus, he saved them. He made them clean inside.

¹⁰ So do not say that God has done a wrong thing. God has shown us that he accepts Gentiles when they believe in Jesus. If you make the Gentile believers obey the Law of Moses, that is like a heavy weight on their necks. Even we Jews and our ancestors could not carry that heavy weight. ¹¹ God saves us who are Jews when we believe in Jesus. It is not because we obey the Law of Moses. It is because the Lord Jesus is kind to us. God saves Gentiles in the same way, when they believe in Jesus.’

¹² After Peter said this everybody in the group was quiet. Then Barnabas and Paul spoke to them. They said, ‘God helped us to do great miracles among the Gentiles. These showed that God was with us.’

¹³ When they had finished their report, James spoke to the group. He said, ‘Listen to me, my friends. ¹⁴ Simon Peter has just described to us what happened first with the Gentile believers. He explained how God chose some of them to belong to him as his own people.

¹⁵ The message of God's prophets agrees completely with this. They wrote long ago:

¹⁶ The Lord God said,

“Later I will return.
At that time I will make David's kingdom strong again. ^{[ c ]}
It has become like a house that has fallen down,
but I will build it again so that it is strong.
¹⁷ Then many other people will want to know me, the Lord God.
Those are the Gentiles that I have chosen to belong to me.
I, the Lord God, say this,
and I will make these things happen.
¹⁸ Long ago I caused people to know all these things.” ’ ^{[ d ]}

¹⁹ James then said, ‘So this is what I have decided about this problem. Many Gentiles are now turning to God as believers. We should not make it difficult for them. ²⁰ Instead of that, we should write a letter to tell them how to live as believers. We should say to them, “Do not eat any food which people have given to their idols. That food has become unclean. Do not have sex with anyone that you are not married to. If people have strangled an animal to kill it, do not eat its meat. Do not eat anything that still has blood in it.” ^{[ e ]} ²¹ These rules are important, because people have known the Law of Moses for a very long time. On every Jewish day of rest, someone teaches us about the Law in our Jewish meeting places in every city.’

The leaders in Jerusalem write a letter to the Gentile believers

²² The whole group of believers agreed with what James said. So the apostles and the other leaders decided to choose some men from among the group of believers. These men would go to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Silas and Judas, who was also called Barsabbas. The believers all respected these men as leaders.

²³ This is the letter that they sent with those men:

‘We, the apostles and leaders of the believers here say “hello” to you, our friends who also believe in Jesus. We say “hello” to all of you Gentile believers who live in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia. ^{[ f ]}

²⁴ We have heard that some men from our group have confused your thoughts. These men came to you and they taught you without our authority. The things that they said were not right and they have upset you. ²⁵ So now we have all met together. We have agreed what to do about this problem. We have chosen some men to bring this message to you. They will travel with our good friends, Barnabas and Paul. ²⁶ These two men have worked as servants of the Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that, they have almost lost their lives. ²⁷ So we are also sending Judas and Silas to you. They will tell you the same things that we have written in this letter. ²⁸ The Holy Spirit has shown us what we should do. We also think that this is the right thing to do. We do not want to put a heavy weight on you. So these are the only rules that we want you to obey: ²⁹ Do not eat any food that people have given to their idols. Do not eat anything that still has blood in it. If people have strangled an animal to kill it, do not eat its meat. Do not have sex with anyone that you are not married to. If you obey these rules, you will do well. Goodbye.’

³⁰ So the believers in Jerusalem sent these four men to go to Antioch. When they arrived there, they told the group of believers to meet together. When they all met, Silas and Judas gave them the letter. ³¹ When the believers in Antioch read the letter, they were very happy. They said, ‘This message will help us very much.’ ³² Judas and Silas were both prophets. They spoke a message from God to the believers there. They spoke for a long time to help the believers and to make them strong. ³³ Judas and Silas remained in Antioch for some time. Then the group of believers sent them back to Jerusalem. The believers prayed that God would help them and take care of them. ³⁴ ^{[ g ]} [But Silas decided to stay there.]

³⁵ Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch for a longer time. Together with many other believers, they taught the people, and they spoke the message about the Lord Jesus.

³⁶ After some time, Paul said to Barnabas, ‘We should go back to the towns where we already spoke the message about the Lord Jesus. Then we can visit the believers in all those places. We can see if they are doing well.’

³⁷ Barnabas agreed and he wanted to take John Mark with them. ³⁸ But Paul did not think that this was right. He said to Barnabas, ‘John Mark did not remain with us until we had finished our work. He left us when we were in Pamphylia.’

³⁹ Paul and Barnabas argued strongly about this. They could not agree, so they went in different directions. Barnabas took John Mark with him and they sailed to Cyprus. ⁴⁰ Paul chose Silas to go with him. The believers in Antioch asked the Lord God to take care of Paul and Silas. ⁴¹ They travelled through Syria and Cilicia. Paul taught the believers in those regions. He helped them to be strong and to trust Jesus.

Footnotes

15:1 These men were Jewish believers.
15:7 Peter was one of the apostles.
15:16 Jesus was a descendant of King David.
15:18 See Amos 9:11-12 .
15:20 We can read about these rules in Leviticus 18:6-23 ; 17:10-12 .
15:23 Antioch was a city, but Syria and Cilicia were regions.
15:34 Many Bibles leave out Acts 15:34.

The Meeting at Jerusalem

15 Then some men came to Antioch from Judea and began teaching the non-Jewish believers: “You cannot be saved if you are not circumcised as Moses taught us.” ² Paul and Barnabas were against this teaching and argued with these men about it. So the group decided to send Paul, Barnabas, and some others to Jerusalem to talk more about this with the apostles and elders.

³ The church helped them get ready to leave on their trip. The men went through the countries of Phoenicia and Samaria, where they told all about how the non-Jewish people had turned to the true God. This made all the believers very happy. ⁴ When the men arrived in Jerusalem, the apostles, the elders, and the whole church welcomed them. Paul, Barnabas, and the others told about all that God had done with them. ⁵ Some of the believers in Jerusalem had belonged to the Pharisees. They stood up and said, “The non-Jewish believers must be circumcised. We must tell them to obey the Law of Moses!”

⁶ Then the apostles and the elders gathered to study this problem. ⁷ After a long debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “My brothers, I am sure you remember what happened in the early days. God chose me from among you to tell the Good News to those who are not Jewish. It was from me that they heard the Good News and believed. ⁸ God knows everyone, even their thoughts, and he accepted these non-Jewish people. He showed this to us by giving them the Holy Spirit the same as he did to us. ⁹ To God, those people are not different from us. When they believed, God made their hearts pure. ¹⁰ So now, why are you putting a heavy burden ^{[ a ]} around the necks of the non-Jewish followers of Jesus? Are you trying to make God angry? We and our fathers were not able to carry that burden. ¹¹ No, we believe that we and these people will be saved the same way—by the grace of the Lord Jesus.”

¹² Then the whole group became quiet. They listened while Paul and Barnabas told about all the miraculous signs and wonders that God had done through them among the non-Jewish people. ¹³ When they finished speaking, James said, “My brothers, listen to me. ¹⁴ Simon Peter has told us how God showed his love for the non-Jewish people. For the first time, God accepted them and made them his people. ¹⁵ The words of the prophets agree with this too:

¹⁶ ‘I will return after this.
I will build David’s house again.
It has fallen down.
I will build again the parts of his house that have been pulled down.
I will make his house new.
¹⁷ Then the rest of the world will look for the Lord God—
all those of other nations who are my people too.
The Lord said this.
And he is the one who does all these things.’ ^{( A )}

¹⁸ ‘All this has been known from the beginning of time.’ ^{[ b ]}

¹⁹ “So I think we should not make things hard for those who have turned to God from among the non-Jewish people. ²⁰ Instead, we should send a letter telling them only the things they should not do:

Don’t eat food that has been given to idols. This makes the food unclean.

Don’t be involved in sexual sin.

Don’t eat meat from animals that have been strangled or any meat that still has the blood in it.

²¹ They should not do any of these things, because there are still men in every city who teach the Law of Moses. The words of Moses have been read in the synagogue every Sabbath day for many years.”

The Letter to the Non-Jewish Believers

²² The apostles, the elders, and the whole church wanted to send some men with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch. The group decided to choose some of their own men. They chose Judas (also called Barsabbas) and Silas, men who were respected by the believers. ²³ The group sent the letter with these men. The letter said:

From the apostles and elders, your brothers,

To all the non-Jewish brothers in the city of Antioch and in the countries of Syria and Cilicia.

Dear Brothers:

²⁴ We have heard that some men have come to you from our group. What they said troubled and upset you. But we did not tell them to do this. ²⁵ We have all agreed to choose some men and send them to you. They will be with our dear friends, Barnabas and Paul. ²⁶ Barnabas and Paul have given their lives to serve our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁷ So we have sent Judas and Silas with them. They will tell you the same things. ²⁸ We agree with the Holy Spirit that you should have no more burdens, except for these necessary things:

²⁹ Don’t eat food that has been given to idols.

Don’t eat meat from animals that have been strangled or any meat that still has the blood in it.

Don’t be involved in sexual sin.

If you stay away from these, you will do well.

We say goodbye now.

³⁰ So Paul, Barnabas, Judas, and Silas left Jerusalem and went to Antioch. There they gathered the group of believers together and gave them the letter. ³¹ When the believers read it, they were happy. The letter comforted them. ³² Judas and Silas, who were also prophets, said many things to encourage the believers and make them stronger in their faith. ³³ After Judas and Silas stayed there for a while, they left. They received a blessing of peace from the believers. Then they went back to those who had sent them. ³⁴ ^{[ c ]}

³⁵ But Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch. They and many others taught the believers and told other people the Good News about the Lord.

Paul and Barnabas Separate

³⁶ A few days later, Paul said to Barnabas, “We should go back to all the towns where we told people the message of the Lord. We should visit the believers to see how they are doing.”

³⁷ Barnabas wanted to bring John Mark with them too. ³⁸ But on their first trip John Mark did not continue with them in the work. He had left them at Pamphylia. So Paul did not think it was a good idea to take him this time. ³⁹ Paul and Barnabas had a big argument about this. It was so bad that they separated and went different ways. Barnabas sailed to Cyprus and took Mark with him.

⁴⁰ Paul chose Silas to go with him. The believers in Antioch put Paul into the Lord’s care and sent him out. ⁴¹ Paul and Silas went through the countries of Syria and Cilicia, helping the churches grow stronger.

Footnotes

Acts 15:10 burden The Jewish law. Some of the Jews tried to make the non-Jewish believers follow this law.
Acts 15:18 See Isa. 45:21.
Acts 15:34 Some Greek copies add verse 34: “But Silas decided to remain there.”

15 And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.

² When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.

³ And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren.

⁴ And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.

⁵ But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses.

⁶ And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.

⁷ And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.

⁸ And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;

⁹ And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

¹⁰ Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

¹¹ But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.

¹² Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them.

¹³ And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me:

¹⁴ Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.

¹⁵ And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,

¹⁶ After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:

¹⁷ That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.

¹⁸ Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.

¹⁹ Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:

²⁰ But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.

²¹ For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.

²² Then pleased it the apostles and elders with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas and Silas, chief men among the brethren:

²³ And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia.

²⁴ Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:

²⁵ It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

²⁶ Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

²⁷ We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.

²⁸ For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;

²⁹ That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

³⁰ So when they were dismissed, they came to Antioch: and when they had gathered the multitude together, they delivered the epistle:

³¹ Which when they had read, they rejoiced for the consolation.

³² And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them.

³³ And after they had tarried there a space, they were let go in peace from the brethren unto the apostles.

³⁴ Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide there still.

³⁵ Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.

³⁶ And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord , and see how they do.

³⁷ And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark.

³⁸ But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.

³⁹ And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus;

⁴⁰ And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God.

⁴¹ And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.

The Council at Jerusalem

15 Certain people ^{( A )} came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: ^{( B )} “Unless you are circumcised, ^{( C )} according to the custom taught by Moses, ^{( D )} you cannot be saved.” ² This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem ^{( E )} to see the apostles and elders ^{( F )} about this question. ³ The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia ^{( G )} and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. ^{( H )} This news made all the believers very glad. ⁴ When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them. ^{( I )}

⁵ Then some of the believers who belonged to the party ^{( J )} of the Pharisees ^{( K )} stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.” ^{( L )}

⁶ The apostles and elders met to consider this question. ⁷ After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. ^{( M )} ⁸ God, who knows the heart, ^{( N )} showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, ^{( O )} just as he did to us. ⁹ He did not discriminate between us and them, ^{( P )} for he purified their hearts by faith. ^{( Q )} ¹⁰ Now then, why do you try to test God ^{( R )} by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke ^{( S )} that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear? ¹¹ No! We believe it is through the grace ^{( T )} of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.”

¹² The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders ^{( U )} God had done among the Gentiles through them. ^{( V )} ¹³ When they finished, James ^{( W )} spoke up. “Brothers,” he said, “listen to me. ¹⁴ Simon ^{[ a ]} has described to us how God first intervened to choose a people for his name from the Gentiles. ^{( X )} ¹⁵ The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written:

¹⁶ “‘After this I will return
and rebuild David’s fallen tent.
Its ruins I will rebuild,
and I will restore it,
¹⁷ that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
even all the Gentiles who bear my name,
says the Lord, who does these things’ ^{[ b ]} ^{( Y )} —
¹⁸ things known from long ago. ^{[ c ]} ^{( Z )}

¹⁹ “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. ²⁰ Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, ^{( AA )} from sexual immorality, ^{( AB )} from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. ^{( AC )} ²¹ For the law of Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.” ^{( AD )}

The Council’s Letter to Gentile Believers

²² Then the apostles and elders, ^{( AE )} with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch ^{( AF )} with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, ^{( AG )} men who were leaders among the believers. ²³ With them they sent the following letter:

The apostles and elders, your brothers,

To the Gentile believers in Antioch, ^{( AH )} Syria ^{( AI )} and Cilicia: ^{( AJ )}

Greetings. ^{( AK )}

²⁴ We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. ^{( AL )} ²⁵ So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul— ²⁶ men who have risked their lives ^{( AM )} for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁷ Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas ^{( AN )} to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. ²⁸ It seemed good to the Holy Spirit ^{( AO )} and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: ²⁹ You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. ^{( AP )} You will do well to avoid these things.

Farewell.

³⁰ So the men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. ³¹ The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. ³² Judas and Silas, ^{( AQ )} who themselves were prophets, ^{( AR )} said much to encourage and strengthen the believers. ³³ After spending some time there, they were sent off by the believers with the blessing of peace ^{( AS )} to return to those who had sent them. ^[34] ^{[ d ]} ³⁵ But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached ^{( AT )} the word of the Lord. ^{( AU )}

Disagreement Between Paul and Barnabas

³⁶ Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns ^{( AV )} where we preached the word of the Lord ^{( AW )} and see how they are doing.” ³⁷ Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, ^{( AX )} with them, ³⁸ but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them ^{( AY )} in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. ³⁹ They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, ⁴⁰ but Paul chose Silas ^{( AZ )} and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. ^{( BA )} ⁴¹ He went through Syria ^{( BB )} and Cilicia, ^{( BC )} strengthening the churches. ^{( BD )}

Footnotes

Acts 15:14 Greek Simeon , a variant of Simon ; that is, Peter
Acts 15:17 Amos 9:11,12 (see Septuagint)
Acts 15:18 Some manuscripts things’— / ¹⁸ the Lord’s work is known to him from long ago
Acts 15:34 Some manuscripts include here But Silas decided to remain there.

Next Chapter

Search

BibleStudyIt Acts 15

Acts 15's Chapter Tabs
Scroll past these tabs to continue or click on one of them to navigate out of this webpage.

Scroll past these tabs to continue or click on one of them to navigate out of this webpage.

Read Chapter

Your Private Notes

Proxy widget

Submit Art

Submit Notes

Table of Contents

Paul and Barnabas go to Jerusalem

The leaders in Jerusalem write a letter to the Gentile believers

Footnotes

The Meeting at Jerusalem

The Letter to the Non-Jewish Believers

Paul and Barnabas Separate

Footnotes

Cross references

The Council in Jerusalem

James’ Judgment

Second Missionary Journey

Footnotes

Cross references

The Council at Jerusalem

The Council’s Letter to Gentile Believers

Disagreement Between Paul and Barnabas

Footnotes

Cross references

Share this page

BibleStudyIt Acts 15

Acts 15's Chapter Tabs Scroll past these tabs to continue or click on one of them to navigate out of this webpage.

Scroll past these tabs to continue or click on one of them to navigate out of this webpage.

Read Chapter

Your Private Notes

Proxy widget

Submit Art

Submit Notes

Paul and Barnabas go to Jerusalem

The leaders in Jerusalem write a letter to the Gentile believers

Footnotes

The Meeting at Jerusalem

The Letter to the Non-Jewish Believers

Paul and Barnabas Separate

Footnotes

Cross references

The Council in Jerusalem

James’ Judgment

Second Missionary Journey

Footnotes

Cross references

The Council at Jerusalem

The Council’s Letter to Gentile Believers

Disagreement Between Paul and Barnabas

Footnotes

Cross references

Share this page

Acts 15's Chapter Tabs
Scroll past these tabs to continue or click on one of them to navigate out of this webpage.