The Jerusalem Council: The Second Serious Error of the Apostles
Galatian 2.1-10 is the Council of Jerusalem of Acts 15
One of the elements which must be considered in this discussion of the Council in Jerusalem is whether the account Luke recorded in Acts chapter 15 is the same event as recorded by the Apostle Paul in Galatians chapter 2.
My position in this series is that Galatian 2.1-10, the Apostle Paul’s record of the Council of Jerusalem, is the same as that event recorded by Luke in Acts Chapter 15.
There are two common theories regarding the event about which Paul wrote in Galatians chapter 2: namely, that he spoke either of
- the “famine-relief” trip (Act 11.27-30), or
- the Council of Jerusalem of (Acts chapter 15).
I won’t here summarize their arguments; extended arguments are found in competent commentaries.
[A good deal of their argumentation lies in where, exactly, the “churches of Galatia” were. You’ll find much on the Northern Galatia and Southern Galatia theories along with the time sequences of a span of 3 years + 14 years or 3 years overlapped with 14 years and the two different Greek prepositions that distinguish their mention.
As I now present, these theories are moot. It really isn’t necessary to know these details; it isn’t even necessary to know if the Northern/Southern theory is plausible in the first place…]
There are exactly two reasons that Acts chapter 15 and Galatians chapter 2 are the same event and which stand out from the “interpretive noise and chaos” typically presented in commentaries:
- The descriptions of the accounts in Acts 15 and Gal 2 are identical. This is such an obvious and simple detail that it is surprising that alternate theories would even be proffered.
- The problem with the incipient legalism recorded in both accounts is so serious and destructive to the gospel of grace that the LORD was pleased to illuminate it in two separate accounts: the historical (Acts 15) and the historical/theological (Gal 2).
This is very significant; to miss this glaring fact is to fail to recognize the deadly nature of the legalism which essentially “cloned” early Christianity and emasculated it by denigrating free grace, elevated the Law, then sent it out into the world for all time.
Once we realize that the Apostle deals with the theological nature of the issue in Galatians chapter 2, everything falls into place.
Stated another way: Luke recorded (in Acts 15) what happened; the Apostle (in Gal 2) told us why it happened and, more importantly, the significance of the entire event relative to the true gospel of free grace.
[The Epistle to the Galatians is often regarded as the first of Paul’s epistles. (Some chronologies place the Thessalonian epistles earlier, but this is irrelevant for the details below.) This assumption is very reasonable if you understand what was happening in the early church regarding the attempted distortions of truth that it faced daily from Jewish legalism.]
It is helpful to view the sequence of events in chronological order (without attempting to present actual dates). The following fits with the accounts both in the book of Acts and in the Epistle to the Galatians:
Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest ...
Act 9.26
When he came to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.
Act 22.17-21
“It happened when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I fell into a trance, and I saw Him saying to me, ‘Make haste, and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.’ And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves understand that in one synagogue after another I used to imprison and beat those who believed in You. And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing by approving, and watching out for the coats of those who were slaying him.’ And He said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”
And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul; 26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
Now at this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them named Agabus stood up and began to indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over the world. And this took place in the reign of Claudius. And in the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution for the relief of the brethren living in Judea. And this they did, sending it in charge of Barnabas and Saul to the elders.
But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage.
Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”
Act 15.22
Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas—Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren,
Act 15.30
So when they were sent away, they went down to Antioch; and having gathered the congregation together, they delivered the letter.
For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision.
[I maintain in this series that the Council’s decision did not stop the legalists; it may, in fact, have caused them to intensify their efforts. Luke records that by the time (many years later!) Acts chapters 21 and 22 occur, the legalists are still firmly entrenched in Jerusalem, had a huge following among so-called “believers” and essentially forced James’ hand in the ridiculous and doomed advice he gives to the Apostle Paul during what became Paul’s last trip to Jerusalem.]
For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision.
For prior to the coming of certain men from James, he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision.
[Interestingly, Peter is never again mentioned in the books of Acts and is mentioned only in passing in the remainder of the NT until you encounter his epistles. He might have traveled to Corinth (there was a “sect of Cephas” just as there was for Paul, Apollos and Christ; this could have formed merely from his reputation, but we know nothing of his work there, if any).]
Now I mean this, that each one of you is saying, “I am of Paul,” and “I of Apollos,” and “I of Cephas,” and “I of Christ.”
[Note that the Holy Spirit forbad them to preach in the Phrygian and Galatian region; as a result, we can safely assume that the gospel was not yet established there and therefore could not have been infected with the legalism that was present when Paul wrote the Galatian epistle.]
Act 15.36
After some days Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us return and visit the brethren in every city in which we proclaimed the word of the Lord, and see how they are.”
Act 18.22
When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and went down to Antioch.
Act 16.6
They passed through the Phrygian and Galatian region, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia;
And having spent some time there, he left and passed successively through the Galatian region and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
[With the memory of his third journey among the Galatians fresh in his mind, and perhaps hearing of additional inroads into Galatia by the Jewish legalists, Paul had detailed knowledge of the trap into which the Galatians were falling and wrote the epistle to warn them. There are severe criticisms (“You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you!?”), and terse and impassioned warnings throughout the short epistle. The Apostle feared greatly for them; they “[had] been severed from Christ” and “had fallen from grace”.]
Gal 3.1
You foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?
Gal 5.4
You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.
[In another chapter I detail the record of the attempts made by the Jewish legalists to pollute assemblies throughout the region with error throughout Paul’s long and very extensive ministry, particularly among the Gentiles.
Let it suffice here to say that if you read the NT epistles carefully, many present evidence that the influence of the Jewish legalists literally was everywhere. Paul, Peter and Jude all deal with various aspects of it as they detected its presence within the groups to whom they wrote.]
Therefore, as I proceed through this series, I do so with the conclusion that the event recorded by Luke in Acts chapter 15 is the same as the event recorded by Paul in Galatians chapter 2.
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