Acts 15 Outline 1. There is a major dispute within the church over the question of whether or not Gentiles must be circumcised in order to be saved (v. 1-5). 2. The apostles and elders meet together in Jerusalem (often called the Jerusalem Conference) and decide that Scripture teaches that salvation is grace alone through faith in Jesus alone for everyone, Jews and Gentiles (v. 6-21). 3. The church sends out men with a letter to communicate their decision to the churches (v. 22-29). 4. Paul and Barnabas continue their missionary travels but end up splitting up over whether or not to take Mark with them (v. 30-41). Overview This is a very important chapter that records the decision of the Jerusalem Conference, which was one of the most important events in the history of the church. Three crucial decisions were made: 1. The church is made up of Jews and Gentiles, who are on equal footing. 2. Salvation is by grace alone through faith in Jesus alone. 3. Scripture is the authority for the church. Takeaways 1. There are certain things (things pertaining to salvation being an example) that are worth fighting for. Part of being mature is knowing when to fight and when to agree to disagree (v. 2). 2. False teaching must always be confronted because it can destroy people’s lives. 3. Authority is in Scripture-not in opinion, personality, or position. Even the apostles made their decision based on the teaching of Scripture (v. 15-17). 4. The key issue is finding out what the Bible says and then doing what it says. 5. The apostles and elders gave leadership to the church and guided it doctrinally (v. 6). The apostles have passed off the scene, but they left us the Lord’s teaching through the New Testament. It is now the calling of elders to lead local churches and guide them doctrinally through the apostles teaching that was inspired by the Lord and recorded in the New Testament. 6. We cannot add anything to the grace of God and Jesus being the only way to God and still have the good news of the gospel. 7. We see at the end of the chapter that these were still imperfect men because they went from uniting the church at the Jerusalem Conference to dividing among themselves. Mark had deserted them on the first missionary journey, and Barnabas wanted to give him another chance but Paul did not. They divided into two teams and continued the work of spreading the gospel. We see later in the New Testament that Paul came to love and appreciate Mark. Paul and Barnabas were godly men who had different convictions on an issue. That will happen sometimes.
Posted on: Thu, 23 Jan 2014 02:55:51 +0000
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