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Home , Acts 15, Acts 23

O= Old Law Not Binding

Jews: God’s chosen people first. They received God’s word first. In the Word now goes to the Gentiles. Gentiles: Anyone not a Jew

Chapter 14 continues on into 15. Paul and tell the church at how God has opened the door for the Gentiles. Then Jewish men come from to Antioch and began teaching the new Gentile they had to be circumcised to be saved. Paul and Barnabas disagreed with them and were appointed to go to to ask about circumcision to the apostles and elders there. Along the way to Jerusalem, they preached about how the Gentiles had been converted. The two towns were about 300 miles apart.

At Jerusalem some stood up and said, “the Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses.” Paul was also a Pharisee (:6). Pharisees wanted everyone to keep the law. The command of circumcision came from Genesis 17.

Peter reminds the crowd that God wanted the Gentiles to hear the gospel and believe. God even gave them the Holy Spirit (Acts 10) like the did to the apostles in . Peter asks, “why do you test God?” Our fathers couldn’t keep the whole law; how can we? Only one to keep the Law perfectly was (II Cor. 5:21) Peter’s final words were so powerful. “Through the grace of our Lord Jesus, we are saved.” Grace is “unmerited favor”-- We don’t deserve it.

Then James the half-brother of Jesus (Matt. 13:55) gets up to talk. He tells the people we can’t make it hard for Gentiles to turn to God. He says, “Let’s write to them and tell them to abstain from 3 things. Food polluted by idols, sexual immorality and animals strangled and blood.”

They (apostles and elders) chose Judas and to go back with Paul and Barnabas and take the Antioch church the letter. The letter basically reassures the Gentiles and tells them to avoid those 3 things. These 3 things would have made the typical Jewish person uneasy. This letter was inspired :28.

Paul and Barnabas get into it next. Barnabas wants to take Mark with them, and Paul takes no part. Barnabas and Mark are cousins. Col. 4:10. Paul and Barnabas separate and go their own way. So Silas becomes Paul’s new traveling companion.

The Old Law is not binding because it was nailed to the cross. Col. 2:14

Acts 15 Review Questions

1. Who did Paul and Barnabas go see in Jerusalem to ask about circumcision? ______2. How far apart were Antioch and Jerusalem? ______3. What did the Pharisees want the Gentile converts to obey?______4. What 4 men spoke during this meeting? ______5. Where did the command of circumcision come from in ? ______6. What things did James say the Gentiles should refrain from?______

7. What men went back to Antioch to share the letter with them? ______

8. Who did Paul and Barnabas get into it over? ______

9. List 2 verses about how the Old Law was nailed to the cross and how the OL was hard to follow. ______