“Answers For A Study in the Book of Acts” is a weekly post in addition to the regular “Case for Christianity, Person of Interest” posts on the weekend. The original questions can be found at the bottom of the “Case for Christianity, Person of Interest” study the weekend before, and the answers appear here mid-week (this week is an exception as we are a few days behind). This gives you time to do your own research, and then check your answers here. Keep in mind these will be basic answers with a little depth, but you can go much deeper for discussion if you’d like.
Note: The answers will focus on what the text of the Bible says, and commentaries and speculative answers will be noted as such. There are many scholarly commentaries out there but it will be important, as students of the Bible, to keep the text of the Bible as our first source. Commentaries can be used, keeping in mind that they are human thoughts about God’s Word.
The Goal for the notes, questions and answers: Share and reuse to lead your own Bible study!
Bible Study
Always remember to pray before you study and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and lead you into the truth found in God’s Word – pray for protection from the evil one who will try to discourage, distract and deceive us when we commit to growing closer to the LORD.
Read Acts Chapter 15: Then, to the best of your ability, answer the following questions.
NOTE: The New American Standard Version (NASB) is the Bible being used here, unless otherwise noted. Questions are taken directly from the chapters, and answers should be found and cited from the Scripture text in order to be Biblically accurate (unless asked to summarize in your own words). Study Bibles, commentaries and your own thoughts can be used for “Discussion” or “Going Deeper” questions. Cite sources to share with your group.
The Council at Jerusalem; James’ Judgment; Paul and Barnabus Split
1. Read Chapter 15:1-12 with your table group
In the first part of this chapter a problem arises in the Church at Antioch:
a. What happened that caused dissension and debate among the people in this early Church?
Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.” And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue. Acts 15:1-2
- These men causing dissension were supposedly Jewish Christians, but they may have been “Judaizers” who were stirring up trouble amongst the Gentiles by telling them they had to first become Jewish before they could become Christians.
- Paul addresses this problem in the Epistle to the Galatians (see Galatians 1-2).
b. What did they decide to do, where did they go for help and who did they send?
- The brethren there decided to send Paul and Barnabus and some of the others up to the leaders and elders in Jerusalem for direction on this matter – this would have been to James (the half-brother of Jesus), Peter, and the other apostles and disciples of Jesus who were still there in Jerusalem
c. What did Peter end up saying after the apostles and disciples had gotten together and debated the problem (summarize the important points he made)?
After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brethren, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, testified to them giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us; and He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith. Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they also are.” Acts 15:7-11
- By Peter’s mouth the Gentiles would hear the Word of the Gospel and believe
- God gave them (Gentiles) the Holy Spirit, just as he did to apostles and disciples (Jews)
- God cleansed their hearts by faith
- They should not test God and put a yoke on the Gentiles neck that even they themselves could not follow (the Law)
- All are saved through the grace of Jesus
d. Discuss: What does Peter say about how a person is saved, and why is that important for us to focus on when we are sharing our faith, or debating our faith, with others?
In verse 11 Peter says: “But we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus” and when he says this, he means everyone that believes in Jesus. This is important for others to understand, because yes, Christianity is an exclusive faith in that Jesus is the only way because He is the only one who can provide an eternal home and forgiveness of sins; yet Christianity in all-inclusive because that offer is for everyone who would accept it, and by faith believe it (knowing too that Christianity is a reasonable and intellectual faith that can be backed up with evidence for its claims).
2. Read Chapter 15:13-35 with your table group
In the second part of this chapter James (the half-brother of Jesus and leader of the early Church in Jerusalem) is the last one to address the council of believers:
a. What conclusion did James come to, and what Old Testament prophets did he reference? Site the Old Testament “addresses” (verses).
James answered, saying, “Brethren, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. With this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written,
‘After these things I will return,
And I will rebuild the tabernacle of David which has fallen,
And I will rebuild its ruins,
And I will restore it,
So that the rest of mankind may seek the Lord,
And all the Gentiles who are called by My name,’
Says the Lord, who makes these things known from long ago.
Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.” Acts 15:13-21
- James concluded that they should not require the Gentiles to follow the “Law” and the requirement of circumcision, but only that they abstain from things contaminated by idols, from fornication, from what is strangled and from blood.”
- The Old Testament passages referenced here are from Amos 9:11-12; Deuteronomy 28:10; Isaiah 45:21, 63:19; Jeremiah 12:15, 14:9; and Daniel 9:19
b. Who did the apostles and elders, with the whole church, choose to send back to Antioch, and why? What was the result of reading the letter to the Church in Antioch?
Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas—Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren, and they sent this letter by them, “The apostles and the brethren who are elders, to the brethren in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia who are from the Gentiles, greetings. “Since we have heard that some of our number to whom we gave no instruction have disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls, it seemed good to us, having become of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. “Therefore we have sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will also report the same things by word of mouth. “For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay upon you no greater burden than these essentials: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols and from blood and from things strangled and from fornication; if you keep yourselves free from such things, you will do well. Farewell.” So when they were sent away, they went down to Antioch; and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter. When they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement. Acts 15:22-31
- With Baranabus and Paul then sent Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas – they sent these men with them because they were well respected, in addition to being “prophets,” and could confirm the reading of the judgment; they also “encouraged and strengthened the brethren with a lengthy message” as seen in verse 32.
- After the reading of the letter of judgment from the Jerusalem elders, the people “rejoiced because of its encouragement.”
c. Discuss: Have you ever been in a debate or discussion with another Christian over a Christian doctrine (teaching)? How does this chapter help us understand how to solve a disagreement, or come to a common understanding with other Christians? (Note: this is not about sharing with unbelievers/non-Christians)
- Answers will vary for the first part of this question…
- It is important to note that this chapter, and teaching, is not about debating with non-Christians, but on how to come to an understanding over a question or debate between the believers. There are several points we can see modeled here for us:
- Once an issue arose, and it could not be settled among the church there, they sent representative to get direction from believers who had a more “mature” understanding of the Gospel – in fact, these believers were in an exceptional situation in that they could go directly to Jesus’ original disciples who heard his teachings firsthand – we can also do this today by going directly to the Bible, written by many of these same apostles and disciples.
- The elders in Jerusalem allowed each other to speak on the issues before a final judgment was made.
- The judgment was made based not only on the Gospel message at its core, but also on Old Testament Scripture that had prophetically pointed to this exact issue.
- The elders sent respected members to confirm the judgment (not just one person).
- The recipients of the judgment were relieved of the false teaching and therefore could rejoice.
d. Going Deeper: Are there other Biblical passages we can go to on this topic of Christians debating or disagreeing?
- The Old Testament saints, in the earliest records, relied on God through direct revelation, visions and dreams. Later on in their history it was the priests who were God’s direct representatives (using the Urim and the Thummim), as well as the reading of the Law. In the New Testament the model here in Acts is one that we see throughout Christian history, modeled in the early Churches, and works in the same basic manner as the five points above in 2c.
3. Read Chapter 15:36-41 with your table group
In the last part of this chapter, Paul prepares for his second missionary journey:
a. Why did Paul want to go out on a second missionary journey?
After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.” Acts 15:36
- Paul wanted to check on the Churches they established to make sure they were doing alright, and did not have issues with false teachers or false doctrine that Paul had seen happen in other young Churches. Throughout Paul’s ministry he will continue to check on the young Churches through visits and letter writing.
b. What happened that caused Paul and Barnabus to split up?
Barnabas wanted to take John, called Mark, along with them also. But Paul kept insisting that they should not take him along who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone with them to the work. And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. But Paul chose Silas and left, being committed by the brethren to the grace of the Lord. And he was traveling through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches. Acts 15:37-41
- Paul did not want to take John-Mark on the second missionary journey because he had deserted them earlier. John-Mark was Barnabus’ cousin, so the family tie seemed to be unbreakable for Barnabus, so he took John-Mark and Paul took Silas.
- Most scholars believe John-Mark was very young, and had not had the time to mature, as he will later on. He is also the author of the Gospel of Mark, and close companion of the Apostle Peter.
- This break-up at first look seemed sad, but in hindsight we can see that they were able to cover more territory and reach more people for the LORD, and they eventually reconnected with each other.
c. Discuss: Why was it important for Paul to want to revisit places he had already been? How can that help us with our witness to others today?
- As we have seen, many of the early Churches were vulnerable to Judaizers and other false teachings. So it was important for Paul to revisit and leave men of mature understanding in charge of these young Churches.
- Many of Paul’s Epistles were written for this very purpose of commending or rebuking the practices of some of these early Churches (for example: Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and others), and for encouraging young pastors he had left in charge (for example: Timothy and Titus).
d. Going Deeper: Is there anywhere in Scripture where we find Paul reuniting with Barnabus and/or John Mark later on?
- Paul speaks of Barnabus and Mark as being with him in Colossians 4:10; and Mark as being with him in Philemon 1:24; and Peter speaks of Mark being important to him and is with him in 1 Peter 5:13
- Paul asks specifically for Mark at the end of his life in 2 Timothy 4:11
Please continue to join us in making our “Case for Christianity, Person of Interest” along with a study in the book of Acts, and share it with others!
Note: Class presentation, videos, reflections and Bible study question are posted on the weekend – Bible study answers (like these) posted mid-week (this week is an exception).
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Teri Dugan
TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com
1 Peter 3:15
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