Acts 15:6 states, "And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter." This gathering, sometimes identified by Bible students as "the Jerusalem Council," took place in about A.D. 49 in the city of Jerusalem (15:4). "This matter" or "this question" (15:2) that was causing turmoil in the church was the claim of some that it was necessary to follow the Law of Moses, and in particular, to circumcise the males. Those that propagated such a position were known as Judaizers. The gathering that ensued in Jerusalem involved the church, Judaizing teachers, apostles, and elders (15:4,22). There are a number of significant questions that could be considered about the contents of Acts 15. However, for the sake of this study we will limit our inquiries to five questions.

(1) What message was being taught that prompted the meeting, and how serious was the whole matter? Here is exactly what some were saying beforehand: "Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved" (Acts 15:1). Then, when the brethren gathered in Jerusalem, "But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was needful [‘necessary,’ NKJV] to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses" (Acts 15:5). The "them" that supposedly were required to be circumcised and keep the old law were the Gentiles that had been converted to the Christ (15:3).

Notice that the people involved (the Judaizers) were not saying, "We think it would be wise for the Gentile converts to be circumcised." Nor were they saying, "We prefer to have the new converts circumcised." No, theirs was a much different position. They insisted that the old law be followed in the matter of circumcision. When they said, "Except ye be circumcised . . . ye cannot be saved" (15:1), that really meant "You cannot be saved without being circumcised." The seriousness of such a claim is seen in the fact that Jesus abolished the Law of Moses when He died on the cross, and thus what the old law had said about circumcision was no longer binding on anyone, Jew or Gentile (Ephesians 2:14-16). The Judaizers were trying to force people to obey something that God did not require of them. Because God did not demand physical circumcision in order to be saved, but the Judaizers did demand it, in reality the Judaizers were attempting to bind a matter that God had not bound. It is sinful for humans to make up rules or laws and try to convince people that their man-made laws are really God’s laws, and therefore must be followed in order to please the Lord. We are to follow all that the Christ has authorized, nothing more, nothing less (Matthew 28:20). Brethren, we may have some personal preferences in a number of areas, but if there is no plain Bible teaching that 100% supports our conviction, then we must hold it as our personal opinion and nothing more. The body of the Christ faces enough serious attacks from Satan as it is. We don’t need to invent any extra havoc by trying to bind doctrines that are not founded in the scriptures.

(2) If the apostles were inspired, why did they need to come together to discuss whether or not a certain teaching (that pertaining to physical circumcision) was right or wrong? What had Peter and John been preaching prior to this special session in Jerusalem? The Bible calls their message "the word of the Lord" or "the gospel" (Acts 8:25). What about Paul and those that had been traveling with him? What had they been preaching? Answer: "the word of God," "the faith," "the right ways of the Lord," also called "the doctrine of the Lord" (Acts 13:5,8,10,12).

How did those apostles preach such a message? Answer: They received it from the Godhead by revelation (Galatians 1:11,12). That means that their message was true, and it also means that their message was not contradictory. They did not gather in Jerusalem to see if they were teaching the same message. Of course they taught the same message! They did not come together to make sure they were "all on the same page." Of course they were united in doctrine: the Holy Spirit could not produce a message that was not united! The apostles already knew the truth about the Law of Moses and circumcision. Our conclusion is that the conference in Jerusalem was not to help the apostles see the difference between right and wrong in this matter. They already knew that. Rather, the gathering and discussion served to help others in the church, both Jews and Gentiles, including Judaizers and those that opposed the Judaizers, to see that the apostles taught a united message: physical circumcision is not required in order to be saved and please God.

(3) For the sake of peace and harmony in the church, would it not have been better for the apostles and elders to be longsuffering with the Judaizers, not make an issue out their teaching, and just let God sort it all out on the day of judgment? The one-word answer is, "No." When Paul and Barnabas first learned of the Judaizers’ false claim about circumcision, they "had no small dissension and disputation with them" (15:2). Let it be clear to all: Paul and Barnabas did not "make an issue" out of the circumcision question. No, the false teachers are the ones that made it an issue! When the Israel of God (Galatians 6:16) is troubled, it is never the truth that causes trouble. It is false teaching, inappropriate conduct, or poor attitudes that create and maintain turmoil. Truth is never guilty of anything evil.

Physical circumcision was not part of God’s scheme of redemption in the Christian era. To teach that a person was still lost in sin without such circumcision was false. Those that made such a claim are identified by the Holy Spirit as "false brethren" which tried to bring the church into bondage (Galatians 2:4). Throughout the Book of Galatians, the apostle Paul addressed the problem of the Judaizing teachers trying to bind the Law of Moses and circumcision. Here are some of the ways that the Spirit of God described their work and teaching: (1) They "perverted" the gospel (Galatians 1:6-8); (2) They "bewitched" the saints, which resulted in them not obeying the truth (Galatians 3:1); (3) They "hindered" the Christians from obeying the truth (Galatians 5:1); (4) They "troubled" the churches (Galatians 5:12).

We must strive "to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4:3). That does not mean, though, that we are obligated to overlook, give in to, or compromise with false teaching. As we have just seen, the false message of the Judaizers bewitched, hindered, and troubled the first century church. The church’s harmony, stability, and faithfulness were at stake at the time of the meeting recorded in Acts 15. There was a need for the apostles to make a concentrated effort to oppose the false teachers, "Whose mouths must be stopped" (Titus 1:11) before their evil leaven spread any further. To be silent about their false teaching would not be loving, but deadly.

(4) Does Acts 15 authorize the church to have a national or international convention that governs its activities? No. First, this gathering involved apostles, men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write a letter about their discussions (Acts 15:28). They were supernaturally guided in what they said. No one living today can honestly make that claim. Second, the gathering in Jerusalem did not involve representatives "from all over." The context indicates that it included the Jerusalem church and her elders, but not every congregation and the overseers of such (Acts 15:4,6,22,23). Third, those that are to rule over a local congregation ("flock of God) are the elders of that particular congregation, not a group of delegates from other churches (1 Peter 5:1-3).

(5) The instructions of the letter that was sent out to churches after the Jerusalem gathering concluded – are those still binding on Christians living today? Yes. The contents of the letter are recorded in Acts 15:22-29. The command that required physical circumcision for the Gentile converts did not come from the apostles. Physical circumcision, or a failure to be circumcised, has nothing to do with one’s salvation or standing with God (Galatians 5:6). The letter gave these instructions: "For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things; 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" (15:28,29).

Notice that this message was from the Holy Spirit. It thus came from God and was binding. One particular aspect of this message that catches our attention is the part about abstaining from blood. In every age of man’s history, God has forbidden man to eat blood. He made this restriction known immediately after the great flood of Noah’s day (Genesis 9:4). Jehovah repeated this restriction to the Israelites in the Law of Moses (Leviticus 17:10,11). Now, we see it as part of the teaching of the new covenant (Acts 15:20,28,29).

Peter reminded those that assembled in Jerusalem that salvation is by grace through faith (Acts 15:7-11). Physical circumcision has nothing to do with becoming or remaining a saved person. May we learn well the lessons of Acts 15.