Acts 15 - Arguments about circumcision

There is a big debate going on in acts 15. How much of the law do you have to keep or how Jewish must you become to be a follower of Jesus. Jesus is the Jewish messiah. Must you convert to Judaism to come to faith in Christ.

Scripture quoted by permission. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2016 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

[healthandhonour]

I am studying the book of Acts in my ladies BSF class (we have Tuesday night Zoom meetings) and I have been using your videos about Acts as a major part of my personal Bible study to answer our questions! Thank you for your channel it is very encouraging!!

[marriagelife]

God is good and so are His commandments. We obey because we love Him, not as a prerequisite for salvation.
Blessings

[percival]

Excellent application, thanks pastor 💯

[williejefferson]

Pastor Jared''thats something really to think about..it really make wonder what other walls, wow''Amen

[rubensnatalizio]

Great ! We can not put up any barriers among the people and Jesus.

[opungopung]

See Galatian 5:1-2 and 1 Corinthian 7:18-20!!!

[jessewhitstine]

If the law was done away with then why are they told to Abstain from things Strangled, From Blood, Sexual Immorality etc etc? Isn't that following Torah ?

[robertv]

What strangled food should we avoid as Christians?

[ronevartt]

Acts 15 starts with the reason for the letter.
Act 15:1 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.

So immediately we see that they were teaching a false gospel, by relating circumcision to salvation. Salvation is only through the righteousness of Jesus Christ, but that doesn’t void God’s perfect and eternal laws. This teaching is about how the law of God means nothing until your heart is properly circumcised, thus salvation doesn’t come by the law, but by the One who perfectly fulfilled it, to the point of death on the cross!

God puts no difference between Jew and Gentile and never has. Anyone can look back at Israel (the Nation) and see even the twelve tribes were not of a pure race. God has always had one way to the Father of us all. Genetics has nothing to do with the Jews or the Gentiles; it has always been a matter of the heart. The Law of God is for HIS people who love HIM!

True Israel explained:
Gal 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. Gal 3:29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed (True Israel), and heirs according to the promise.

Act 15:9 And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.

In the past they looked to the cross, and for us we are looking back at the cross.
Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that brings salvation hath appeared to all men, Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope (His return), and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ; Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Tit 2:15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.

Verse 5 is referring to verse 1. Circumcision = Salvation (Wrong)
Act 15:5 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.

Does anyone think that you can “go into the entire world, and preach the gospel…” by trying to first start by saying salvation comes through circumcision? Who would listen to you? You must always start with the milk of the Word before you can try to have them eat meat, also that our salvation is through Jesus by our faith that accesses His grace (Rom. 5:2, Eph. 2:8). Nowhere in Acts or elsewhere does it say God’s eternal and perfect law has been abolished or that it is just for the Jewish race, in fact Jesus and Paul, along with others teach the opposite.
The doctrines of men have led many into a false understanding, and because most don’t thoroughly study His Word ever to discover Truth. Many Bible translations came from Hort and Wescott, who greatly perverted the Hebrew and Greek definitions, and they were “anti-Christ”! Today’s teachings in the church are fairly new, and began around 150 years ago.

One thing you can always trust is the Words of Jesus to give you the Truth by what He said!

Understand that they are “writing unto them” in this next verse (20). That they first leave their religious practices (…pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.) Then they will learn the law of God (Torah) on every Sabbath Day, where the law of God is taught in the synagogues. Besides, so then is murder, adultery, drunkenness… now OK?

Act 15:20 But that we write unto them, that (The starting point) they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood. Act 15:21 For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath day.

Jesus teaching the same thing!
Mat 23:1 Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, Mat 23:2 Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat (the reading of the Torah/Law every Sabbath in the synagogues): Mat 23:3 All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

[papabear]

(1) The people who brought the circumcision requirement were believers in Jesus but raised it thinking it was a requirement based from Genesis 17 which is a misreading of the text.
(2) The other issue was that physical circumcision by itself was a burden that they (jews) could not follow. Paul was blameless with the observance of law but struggled with his flesh nature. Moses, Joshua and Caleb and all the people who were born in the wilderness obeyed all God’s commandments including circumcision before entering the promised land (Joshua 21:44, 24:31). God gave them complete rest on all sides as they have pleased God. In fact they were zealous of the things of God that the rest of Israel was preparing to wage war with tribes of Reuben, Gad, half tribe of Manasseh in Joshua 22:15-30.
(3) Law of Moses is not the property of the Jews but God’s and those who embrace His Laws, His statutes, His commandments, His ordinances are His people (Exodus 19:5-6, Leviticus 26:3-12).
(5) The Law of Moses was given to both the descendants of Jacob and the mix multitudes equally and God called them as His Armies and ALL as Sons of Israel TWICE (Exodus 12). It was the first “jew and gentile” mega-mega gathering for the next 40 years then all the way to the promised land- Canaan.
(6) The term “Jew” is a term first appeared in II Kings 16:6. This has been used erroneously as simply direct descendants of Israel and thus over time associates Law of God to Jews alone. This is far from the truth. Law of God was given to the Sons of Israel which comprised of the house of Jacob and the mix multitudes (Exodus 12).
(7) The four things that James decided for the entering Gentiles to begin to observe were meant for living a holy (set apart) conduct for verse 21 says that they will hear “Moses read in every city in synagogues every Sabbath”. They were therefore observing five Laws of Moses right at the beginning and the rest will be learned over time. Paul warns TWICE in Galatians 5:19-21 that those who practice sexual immorality will not inherit God’s kingdom. Jesus says in Revelation chapters 2 and 3 that those who practice sexual immorality and eat foods sacrificed to idols will face His wrath or if they do not repent their names will be removed from the book of life.
(8) Salvation is by faith alone in Jesus through grace for both jews and gentiles and NEVER in addition to Law (Moses) observance or good deeds (outside of law of Moses).
(9) Jesus then transforms the person into a new clean vessel (ie. new wineskin so new wine may be poured in and it will not burst). But then if they only partly embrace Jesus it will fail just like ‘tearing a new unshrunk patch and put it on the old garment, the unshrunk patch will tear the old garment’.
(10) The Holy Spirit is the one who teaches, guides, enables, fills up the new vessel with new wine such as the four things that James decided in behalf of the Jewish believers and the gentiles entering the faith.

[percival]

I think Simeon = Peter in this chapter. Simeon is the Hebrew first name of Peter and was being referred to that way because they were in Jerusalem.

[williamrevis]

First and foremost the four things James said for them to no longer do are all from the Torah the very thing you say they were ruling against this chapter is talking about being saved not the Law of the Father.

[TheCatholicChurchIsJesusChurch]

Wouldn’t Peter have been the leader since he was the first Pope. And since Jesus founded His Church on Peter?

[TheCatholicChurchIsJesusChurch]

Romans 10:9-10 “9 If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord, ” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”