Acts 15 has a lot of significance for most Christians, because most Christians are not of Jewish descent and are considered Gentiles. At this meeting of the early church leaders, our destiny as Christians was decided. The question came down to this. Should all new Christians have to follow the complete Law of Moses (convert to Judaism) or not? They were specifically concerned about circumcision, but in the end the agreement included all of the Jewish law.
There is so much to be gleaned out of Acts Chapter 15 regarding conflict resolution, unity, and how to share the news of the decision with the churches so that everyone will be on the same page. “After much discussion” Peter reiterates that God himself had accepted the Gentiles by giving them them Holy Spirit without requiring them to be Jews first. “8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us.” And then James submits this compromise: “19 “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. 20 Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.” That’s it? That’s it!
Now that the Holy Spirit is available to all believers God, who knows the heart, will show that he accepts us. It isn’t about following a long list of laws, it isn’t about doing this or doing that, it isn’t about your parentage, it is about your heart and your relationship with God. No one else can do it for you and no one else will be held accountable for your actions. You will know you are saved by the presence of the Holy Spirit and the fruit of the spirit in your life.
What an important day it was when the leaders of the church joined together for what we call the Jerusalem council!
