Acts 15: 1-13 Essay

1. What is the point/purpose of the passage/story as it stands? In Acts 15, Luke reports on the story of the Council of Jerusalem. This council was formed to address primary issues at that time for Christians. In acts 15: 1,4, the author reports that the Judaizers were spreading false narratives regarding the criteria for salvation for the gentiles. At this point, Pentecost had already been witnessed where a mass conversion of gentiles took place, in addition to mass gentile conversions with Paul. Simply put, this dilemma was the result of so many gentiles coming to faith in Jesus. This led the Apostles and the Elders of the church to solidify their answers regarding the following two questions: 1.) Do Gentiles first have to become Jews before they can become Christians?; 2.) Do Gentiles have to observe the Mosaic Law after they become Christians? At this meeting the Apostles and Elders were able to resolve the issues. In verses 7-11, Paul shared his ministry experience
God is just and therefore His plan of redemption for the human race needs to be fulfilled accordingly. God is love and just, analogous to a coin with one truth on each side— you can not have one without the other. God’s just character is often minimized in today’s culture. Scripture tells is that a holy God cannot be in communion with anything unholy, therefore God has been set apart from his creation since chapter 3 of Genesis. God’s plan was to bring Jesus, a “perfect and spotless lamb.” A savior that has never been seen before came to make atonement for all the creation’s sin. Jesus’ death fulfills the debt that human’s had since our first parents disobeyed God. If the early church required the believers to live under the law, then they will be judged under the law (**). There is no faith needed to live under the law, therefore all those who reject Jesus reject the “robe of righteousness” that saves one from the