Stop Troubling

Today’s reading: Acts 15:1-35

“Stop troubling the Gentiles who turn to God.” - Acts 15:19

We see in Acts 15 that there were some Pharisee-Christians who were trying to blend the law of Moses with the law of freedom in Jesus. Paul and Barnabas “argued forcefully and at length” with these false teachers (15:2), but it wasn’t enough. They knew they’d need to get confirmation from the Apostles and Elders Jerusalem.

The resolution to this issue (vs. 20) may not seem like much of a resolution to us, but it was a game changer for all Gentile Christians moving forward.

Ben Witherington says it well, “The issue was venue over menu.”

The prohibition here (Paul unpacks it more in 1 Corinthians 10:7-28) has to do with an avoidance of pagan temple feasts that were happening all over the Mediterranean world. They would eat meals sacrificed to the idols and engage in sex with temple prostitutes.

Now we see why the Gentile Christians were encouraged (15:31). These were things they had already repented from! Unity was intact.