Articles
The Lord’s Will - Acts 15
The Lord’s Will - Acts 15
The gospel was to be preached unto all nations (Matt. 28:18-19). Those who put their trust in Jesus as the Messiah and became disciples would be saved (Mark 16:15-16). At first, the apostles preached only to Jews and Jewish proselytes. Then in Acts 8 they included the Samaritans. In Acts 10 Peter converted some Gentiles, baptizing them upon their belief and repentance. With the conversion of Paul, the Holy Spirit called and sent him to preach with his primary emphasis upon working with the Gentiles. Having made his first preaching trip through the area of Galatia, he returned and reported of the success that they had.
THEN, some Jewish brethren came from James (see Gal. 2:12), and began saying that while converting gentiles was acceptable, they MUST also be circumcised and made to observe the law of Moses. This was not an option to them, this was a MUST do or you are not saved idea. They argued this forcefully and publicly.
HOW can this be settled? It is a question of how to discern what the will of God is in such a matter. Since these brethren came from Jerusalem, and the rest of the apostles were yet there, they send a delegation to Jerusalem. There they arrive at the conclusion of what God’s will is.
· You go to the apostles.
· The apostles were taught by the Lord.
· The Lord told Peter to preach to the gentiles.
· The Lord gave evidence of the gentiles being accepted without being circumcised or keeping the law by the miraculous activity accompanying this preaching to Cornelius.
· The Lord chose and commissioned Paul.
· The Spirit chose and sent Paul and Barnabas to preach. They taught the gentiles to trust in God and Jesus. They preached repentance and baptism in the name of Jesus. They did NOT teach them to be circumcised nor to keep the law of Moses.
· The Spirit confirmed their preaching to the Gentiles with the signs and wonders that he worked in connection with their preaching.
· This was the message that God had revealed in the Old Testament: that He would raise up one from David’s line that would be a light to the whole world, a light to both Jew and Gentile.
· They then write an inspired letter stating what is to be taught. They state emphatically that this conclusion is ‘of the Holy Spirit’ and NOT just their opinion.
· They reiterate that those teaching what the apostles had not directed them to teach, were in error.
Without living apostles today, and having much more of their writing which was revealed unto them by the Holy Spirit, we go to their writings. Paul later instructed: "What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9).
Hugh DeLong
