Bible Fact · Acts 15:11 — 'We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.'
The Council of Jerusalem
The Fact
Around AD 49, a controversy threatened to split the early church: must Gentile converts be circumcised and follow the Law of Moses to be saved? A group from Judea was teaching that faith in Jesus was insufficient — full Torah observance was required. Paul and Barnabas brought the question to Jerusalem, where a council of apostles and elders met. After extensive debate, Peter rose and declared: God had accepted the Gentiles 'by faith, just as he did us... Why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of Gentiles a yoke that neither we nor our ancestors have been able to bear?' (Acts 15:10–11). James supported Peter with Scripture from Amos 9:11–12. The council decided that Gentiles need not be circumcised; they should only abstain from food offered to idols, from blood, from strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. This decision preserved the gospel as grace through faith alone — not faith plus ethnic/ritual observance. It is arguably the most consequential church council ever held.
Context
Paul's letter to the Galatians was likely written around the same time as the Jerusalem Council, addressing the same controversy. His passionate defense of justification by faith alone in Galatians was the theological argument that the council ultimately affirmed.
Significance
The Jerusalem Council's decision meant the gospel could cross every ethnic boundary without cultural assimilation — you don't have to become Jewish to follow the Jewish Messiah. It was the moment Christianity became truly universal.
Reflection
What 'extra requirements' do Christians sometimes add to grace — cultural conformity, religious behavior, social respectability — that Paul fought against in Galatians?