Concerns About the Foundations of the Gentile Christian Movement in Acts 15
- By stevevw
- Christian Philosophy & Ethics
- 8 Replies
The first thing that struck me is that premise two seems to be the same as premise one. Just said in a different way. Jesus is referring to the Jews doing the Will of His Father.12/12/25
Concerns About the Foundations of the Gentile Christian Movement in Acts 15
Premise #1:
True Jews will hear and obey the words of Yeshua. See Mt 12:50: “For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” How can you get any closer than that? The Apostle John is also an excellent example of a believing Jew. His epistles closely parallel the words of our Savior in every aspect. 1 John 1:3 is a great example: “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you…” The overall context and focus of John’s epistles are about hearing and obeying the Law of Love that Yeshua has given us.
Premise #2:
The foundation of the Gospel to the Gentiles in Acts 15 is NOT on solid ground. For proper understanding, see Mt. 7:24: “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.” Yeshua is not quoted at all in Acts 15. Neither by Peter, James, Paul, Barnabas, Judas (Barsabas) or Silas. The stated focus is on the Holy Ghost regarding the legitimacy and authority for the proposed decision from the Jerusalem Council that was to be sent to the Gentile church in Antioch. (See Acts 15:28).
True Mission of the Holy Ghost:
The problem here is this contradicts the direction, per Yeshua, regarding the mission of the Holy Ghost, as stated in John 14:26: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatever I have said unto you.” Yeshua would never have supported the proposed letter to the Church at Antioch, especially what was stated in Acts 15:24. The originators of this statement, i.e., “…certain (men) which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying ye must be circumcised and keep the law; to whom we gave no such commandment”, combined two different subjects which Yeshua clearly differentiated in John 7:22, saying that circumcision was “of the fathers”, and not directly from Moses. The subject of circumcision was minimized by Yeshua and John 7:22-23 was his only direct mention of it, and the intent of his comments were to resolve accusations towards him about not keeping the Sabbath. By his example, the Jerusalem council should have avoided the subject, instead it became a huge point of discussion then and later in Paul’s writings. Regarding keeping the Torah, Yeshua’s stand is extremely clear on the eternal validity of the Torah, per his words in Matthew 5:17-18.
Background—Outpouring of the Holy Ghost to the House of Cornelius:
It would also be appropriate to mention the events in Acts 10, and especially regarding the outpouring of the Holy Ghost. As we know, Peter was sent to the house of Cornelius with God working in two directions here to bring this important message to the Gentiles to preach to them the good news about Yeshua the Messiah. In verse 44, the outpouring of the Holy Ghost was indisputable, and clearly from the heart of Yeshua to this Gentile household. We need to keep in mind however, regarding the original prophecy about speaking in tongues, per Isaiah 28:11: “For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people…” points to Yeshua as the sure foundation and precious cornerstone in verse 16. But these verses are accompanied by several adjacent verses, warning about a lack of correct hearing or a lack of hearing altogether. Verse 12 says: …”This is the rest, wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing; yet they would not hear.” The bottom line is that the outpouring of the Holy Ghost in the book of Acts is framed on every side per Isaiah 28 with warnings about correct hearing of the word of God, i.e., words of Yeshua. (See Hebrews 1:1-2 if any questions). Per Acts 10, Yeshua’s message clearly applies to everyone who would hear his words, Jew or Gentile, but fully understanding that not all persons would hear and receive his words. His heart of compassion was clearly extended to the Gentiles via Peter’s visit to the house of Cornelius.
Background—Questions About the Authority / Structure of the Jerusalem Council:
First, Yeshua was not supportive at all of church organizational structures or any structures that would replace his direct authority or that of his heavenly Father, and for good reasons. If you read Matthew 23:8-10, he says: “But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and ye are all brethren.” James seems to end up with the leadership role by the conclusion of Acts 15, and he was probably trying his best under the circumstances, but this is a great example again of the very weak foundation that was created at the origins of the Gentile Church in several areas. Just for thinking purposes, what if the at the beginning of the Jerusalem council in Acts 15:2, when the questions arose from the men that came down from Judea that needed to be answered, the Apostles and Elders would have responded as follows: “These are important questions, and we need to understand exactly how Yeshua would have responded.” “Give us a few days, and we will go into fasting and prayer, plus ask the Holy Ghost to help us remember accurately the words He had spoken while he was yet with us.” Do we realize the wonderful blessings, and wise decisions that would have followed?
Yeshua’s statements on fulfilling the Law:
Yeshua’s answer to the Gentile believers would most likely have stated “how” to fulfill the Law as follows, (for example): When asked this question, i.e., which is the greatest commandment in the Law by a lawyer in Mt. 22:37-40, Yeshua’s response was: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind….this is the first and great commandment.” “The second is like unto it: Thou shalt love they neighbor as thyself…on these two commandments hang (suspend) all the law and prophets.” The likely response from the Apostle John, especially after the “period of darkness” mentioned in 1 John 2:8-10, would also have been to state the Law of Love that Yeshua had given unto us. Yeshua clearly states in Matthew 5:17-18 that he did not come to destroy the law or the prophets, but to fulfill the law. When studied at a deeper level, Yeshua later clearly makes the point that if we hear and obey his words, we can have that love in our hearts that he mentions in John 14, 15 & 16 and we can fulfill the Torah.
Paul’s Statements on fulfilling the Law:
In Paul’s gospel to the Gentiles, fulfillment of the Law was not prioritized or emphasized at all, as we know. Paul only quotes Yeshua once in all of his epistles. (See 1 Cor 11:24-25). Agreeably, Paul mentions that love is the fulfillment of the law in Galatians 5:14 and Romans 13:8-10. These statements are absolutely correct, and they coincide with Yeshua’s words even if Paul never quoted Yeshua as the source. To caution, however, Paul’s contempt and disregard for God’s moral law is well documented in his writings. For example, in Romans 7:3-4, he uses a figurative example of the Law of Adultery, equating Christ to “the deceased husband”, to conclude that: “…ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ.” This directly conflicts with the words of Yeshua in Matthew 5:27-28 where in no case does he indicate that the Law of Adultery or any of God’s moral law will ever become null and void.
The Apostle John Links True Love and True Holiness:
This becomes an important consideration when studying John’s epistles where he links true love and true holiness together. The two are intertwined per his statements, and you cannot have one without the other. Remember that John states in 1 John 3:4 that sin is a transgression of the Law, and this applies to everyone in exactly the same way. Remember also that Yeshua warns in Mt. 5:19 that: “Whosoever therefore shall break one of the least of these commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven…” John’s epistles proclaim a high standard of holiness and sanctification and indicates in 1 John 3:6 that we can live a life above sin if we stay close to Yeshua and diligently heed his words.
Peter Missteps in Acts 15:
Peter also misses the mark and direction that Yeshua had previously provided when he states in Acts 15:10-11: “Why tempt ye God, and put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor us were able to bear?? He states further in verse 11 that: “We believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved.” This conflicts with the words of Yeshua in at least four counts: 1) In Matthew 11:28-30 he said that his yoke was easy, and burden was light. 2) Yeshua repeats clearly in multiple passages that true believers in Him would hear and obey his words. 3) The Apostle John, in his epistles, discusses the wonderful joy and blessings that accompany true faith and obedience to the words of Yeshua. (Not a hardship). 4) Yeshua never distances himself from the Old Testament scriptures. His response to the lawyer regarding the greatest commandment of the Law in Matthew 22:36-40, was a quote from Leviticus 19:18, and Deuteronomy 6:5. See also Psalms 119 in its entirety.
Beginning of Paul’s Gospel:
Unfortunately, Paul takes Peter’s words here to support his current and proposed theology and runs full speed ahead with his gospel of grace (without works or any reference to obedience), and with almost complete contempt for the Law and lack of reference to the words of Yeshua. Following Acts 15, we see the rise of Paul and an almost complete minimization of Peter.
Paul’s Position of Idolatry:
There is also a serious concern to consider now and in the immediate future due to Paul’s weak stand on idolatry. In 1Cor 8:4-8 Paul clearly states that eating meat offered to idols was only a matter of conscience and would become a problem only if it offended a weaker brother’s conscience. This is in direct conflict to the first commandment in the Law, and Yeshua had to step in twice in Revelation 2:14 and 2:20 to address this issue. This is also in direct conflict with the 1st of the four precepts that were correctly stated by James in Acts 15:29: “That ye abstain from meats offered to idols.”
Immediate Consequences of the Acts 15 Decisions:
We can observe the results of the lack of a solid foundation and adherence to the words of Yeshua in Acts 15 at that important moment in history, by looking at verses 39 & 40 which describes the falling out between Paul and Barnabas over John Mark: “Paul thought it not good to take him with them, who departed from them at Pamphylia, and the contention was so sharp between them that they departed asunder one from the other, and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed for Cyprus.” “And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God.” Would this have happened if close adherence and respect was kept towards the words of Yeshua?
Acts 15—Concluding Verses (39-40):
“Being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God”, regretfully, is an outrageous statement, implying back patting by the “brethren” and basically condoning a very serious sin, per Yeshua. If you read Mt. 5:23-25, Yeshua placed a high priority on getting things straightened up between brethren and resolved as quickly as possible. In this case the serious sin was not necessarily the falling out between Paul and Barnabas, but the fact that amends were not made quickly, and they went separate ways. We have no record that this quarrel and contention was immediately resolved.
The word Grace:
The word “grace” is unfortunately used here foundationally also to imply that this disagreement between Paul and Barnabas now and in the future falls into a dispensational category of “unmerited favor” that sort of overlooks sins and shortcomings as “all forgiven” now that we are under this “dispensation of grace.” Yeshua is clear on this also and indicates in Mt. 6:15 that our forgiveness before God is conditional on our forgiveness to others. The word “grace” was never spoken or quoted by Yeshua, other than indirectly by way of revelation to Paul in 2 Cor 12:9, even though it became a cornerstone of Paul’s teachings and subsequent Gospel to the Gentiles.
Finally, where do we go from here?
Thank you.
- Pay extremely close attention to the words of Yeshua, now and going forward. They are true and precious and worth more than all the riches in this world. Read Matthew 17:5 and Hebrews 1:1-2 as key scriptures in this regard.
- Minimize Bible commentators, other than we need to pay attention to accurate language translations from the original Greek and Hebrew, etc.
- Pay diligent attention to John’s epistles, as they have an obvious message of the hour for Jewish believers.
- Pay diligent attention also to Yeshua’s message to the church of Philadelphia, per Rev 3:7-13.
- Most important, remember that if we want to fulfill the Law it must start with a sincere love for our Savior, love for others, and love for the precious words and promises that he has given to us.
He is directing them to the God of their forefathers who they know are part of the covenant Christ the Messiah was to come. Jews mostly relate to this view of Christ in the fullfillment of Gods promise. So its taylored to them specifically.
Whereas though Jesus does not mention the Father He is the way to the Father for the Gentiles. They don't relate this relationship the same as the Jews. They don't have that heritage. They are made inclusive by Christ. So it makes sense that the focus is on Christ. Following His teachings as they are taylored to the Gentiles.
Paul elaborates on this for the Gentiles when he says that he is making way for the Gentiles as a pure sacrifice to God in Christ. He is linking it back to the Jewish tradition and covenant.
But I think its the same thing. Just framed differently for the Gentiles. As Christ was the only way to God and was God made flesh as John mentions. Then following Christs teachings and way is doing the will of the Father.
Maybe this is because for the Gentiles they were of the world, they came from a world of Hellinistic thought and it was not just about Gods Will and the Law. But wise council, a rationale that following Christ was wise in building Gods Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Gentiles tend to need some logical reason lol. The Jews respect their tradition and relate more to God the Father.
True Jews will hear and obey the words of Yeshua. See Mt 12:50: “For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.” How can you get any closer than that? The Apostle John is also an excellent example of a believing Jew. His epistles closely parallel the words of our Savior in every aspect. 1 John 1:3 is a great example: “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you…” The overall context and focus of John’s epistles are about hearing and obeying the Law of Love that Yeshua has given us.
Premise #2:
The foundation of the Gospel to the Gentiles in Acts 15 is NOT on solid ground. For proper understanding, see Mt. 7:24: “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.” Yeshua is not quoted at all in Acts 15. Neither by Peter, James, Paul, Barnabas, Judas (Barsabas) or Silas. The stated focus is on the Holy Ghost regarding the legitimacy and authority for the proposed decision from the Jerusalem Council that was to be sent to the Gentile church in Antioch. (See Acts 15:28).
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