the Week of Proper 20 / Ordinary 25
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The Holy Bible, Berean Study Bible
Acts 15:1
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While Paul and Barnabas were still in Antioch in Syria, some cowboys showed up from the country around Jerusalem. These cowboys began giving clinics on how to ride for God, but they were telling people, "You've got to have the tip of your pickle clipped like the code of Moses says if you want to be saved. If you ain't got a clipped pickle, then you ain't saved."
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."
Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."
Now certain men came down from Judaea, teaching the brothers and saying that without circumcision, after the rule of Moses, there is no salvation.
And certain persons, having come down from Judaea, taught the brethren, If ye shall not have been circumcised according to the custom of Moses, ye cannot be saved.
And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."
Some men came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers: "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom prescribed by Moses, you cannot be saved!"
Some men came down from Judea and taught the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised after the custom of Moses, you can't be saved."
But certain men coming down from Judea taught the brethren, Except ye be circumcised, after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.
But certain persons who had come down from Judaea tried to convince the brethren, saying, "Unless you are circumcised in accordance with the Mosaic custom, you cannot be saved."
And certaine men which came downe from Iudea, taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saued.
And going down from Judea, some taught the brothers, saying , If you are not circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.
And there came certayne fro Iewry, and taughte the brethren: Excepte ye be circumcysed after the maner of Moses, ye can not be saued.
However some that arrived from Judea, told the Gentile converts, unless you are circumcised agreeably to the law of Moses, you cannot be saved.
It wasn't long before some Jews showed up from Judea insisting that everyone be circumcised: "If you're not circumcised in the Mosaic fashion, you can't be saved." Paul and Barnabas were up on their feet at once in fierce protest. The church decided to resolve the matter by sending Paul, Barnabas, and a few others to put it before the apostles and leaders in Jerusalem.
Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised in accordance with the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."
And certain men came down from Judaea and taught the brethren, saying, Except ye be circumcised after the custom of Moses, ye cannot be saved.
But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brethren, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."
Then cam certayne from Iewrie and taught the brethren: excepte ye be circumcysed after the maner of Moses ye cannot be saved.
And certain men came down from Judea and taught the brothers, [saying], Except you are circumcised after the custom of Moses, you can't be saved.
And certain men who came down from Judea, taught the brethren, [and said], Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.
And certain having come down from Judea, were teaching the brethren -- `If ye be not circumcised after the custom of Moses, ye are not able to be saved;'
Then some people came to Antioch from Judea and began teaching the non-Jewish believers: "You cannot be saved if you are not circumcised as Moses taught us."
Now some men came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."
Some people came from Judea and started teaching the Lord's followers that they could not be saved, unless they were circumcised as Moses had taught.
But some men came down from Y'hudah to Antioch and began teaching the brothers, "You can't be saved unless you undergo b'rit-milah in the manner prescribed by Moshe."
But some men came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."
Then came downe certaine from Iudea, and taught the brethren, saying, Except ye be circumcised after the maner of Moses, ye cannot be saued.
AND certain men who had come down from Jud''a taught the brethren, Unless you be circumcised in accordance with the custom of the law you cannot be saved.
Some men came down from Yehudah and taught the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised after the custom of Moshe, you can't be saved."
Then some men came down from Judea and started to teach the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised according to the law of Moses, you can't be saved."Genesis 17:10; Leviticus 12:3; John 7:22; Acts 7:5; Galatians 2:12; 5:2; Philippians 3:2; Colossians 2:8,11, 16;">[xr]
But men from Jihud came down and taught the brethren, If you be not circumcised after the custom of the law, you cannot be saved.
And certain men came down from Judaea, and taught the brethren, that unless ye be circumcised, in accordance with the rite of the law, ye cannot have life.
While Paul and Barnabas were at Antioch of Syria, some men from Judea arrived and began to teach the believers: "Unless you are circumcised as required by the law of Moses, you cannot be saved."
Some men came down from the country of Judea and started to teach the Christians. They said, "Unless you go through the religious act of becoming a Jew as Moses taught, you cannot be saved from the punishment of sin."
And certain men came down from Judaea and taught the brethren, saying, Except ye be circumcised after the custom of Moses, ye cannot be saved.
Then certain individuals came down from Judea and were teaching the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."
And, certain persons, coming down from Judea, began to teach the brethren - Except ye be circumcised according to the custom of Moses, ye cannot be saved.
And some, coming down from Judea, taught the brethren: That, except you be circumcised after the manner of Moses, you cannot be saved.
And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.
And some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom prescribed by Moses, you cannot be saved."
And certayne men whiche came downe fro Iurie, taught the brethren, except ye be circumcised after the maner of Moyses, ye can not be saued.
Then some men came to Antioch from Judea and began teaching the non-Jewish believers: "You cannot be saved if you are not circumcised as Moses taught us."
Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brothers, "Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved."
Some men came from Judea to Antioch and started teaching the believers, "You cannot be saved unless you are circumcised as the Law of Moses requires."
And summe camen doun fro Judee, and tauyten britheren, That but ye ben circumcidid after the lawe of Moises, ye moun not be maad saaf.
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Cir, am 4057, ad 53
certain: Acts 21:20, Galatians 2:4, Galatians 2:12, Galatians 2:13
the brethren: Acts 15:23
Except: Acts 15:5, Romans 4:8-12, Galatians 5:1-4, Philippians 3:2, Philippians 3:3, Colossians 2:8, Colossians 2:11, Colossians 2:12, Colossians 2:16
after: Genesis 17:10-27, Leviticus 12:3, John 7:22
ye: Acts 15:24, 1 Corinthians 7:18, 1 Corinthians 7:19, Galatians 2:1, Galatians 2:3, Galatians 5:6, Galatians 6:13-16
Reciprocal: Acts 11:2 - they Acts 15:31 - they rejoiced Romans 16:17 - cause 1 Corinthians 2:15 - yet 2 Corinthians 11:13 - false Galatians 1:7 - but Galatians 5:2 - that Galatians 5:10 - but Galatians 5:12 - trouble Galatians 6:12 - they constrain 1 Thessalonians 2:2 - much 1 Timothy 1:7 - to Titus 1:10 - specially
Cross-References
After these events, the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward."
But Abram replied, "O Lord GOD, what can You give me, since I remain childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?"
Abram continued, "Behold, You have given me no offspring, so a servant in my household will be my heir."
Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This one will not be your heir, but one who comes from your own body will be your heir."
And the LORD took him outside and said, "Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able." Then He declared, "So shall your offspring be."
Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as righteousness.
So Abram brought all these to Him, split each of them down the middle, and laid the halves opposite each other. The birds, however, he did not cut.
But I will judge the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will depart with many possessions.
In the fourth generation your descendants will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete."
When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, behold, a smoking firepot and a flaming torch appeared and passed between the halves of the carcasses.
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And certain men which came down from Judea,.... To Antioch; they were not sent by the apostles, they came down of "themselves"; who they were, is not certain; that they were "judaizing" Christians, and teachers among them, is plain from the following account: according to Epiphanius g they were Cerinthus, and some of his followers: these
taught the brethren; the Gentile converts at Antioch, who are styled "brethren", though they were Gentiles, because they were regenerated by the grace of God, and were of the same faith with the believing Jews, and in the same church state with them at Antioch: and said,
except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses; or custom of Moses, which had been used from the time of Abraham, and was revived and reinforced by Moses; wherefore the Syriac version renders it, "the law of Moses"; :-
ye cannot be saved; these men were not only for retaining circumcision, which was now abolished, but they made it necessary to salvation; which was carrying the matter further than even the unbelieving Jews themselves did, at least some of them: for though indeed it is a notion with them, that no circumcised persons go to hell, but are all saved; and some of them say, that God rejects uncircumcised persons, and brings them down to hell h; yet others of them speak of the godly among the nations of the world, and of the proselytes of the gate, who keep the seven precepts of Noah, as persons that shall be saved; so Ananias the Jew, preceptor to King Izates, when he signified his great desire to be circumcised, in order to put him off of it, told him, that if he was determined to follow the customs of the Jews, he might worship God without circumcision, which was more peculiar to the Jews than to be circumcised i.
g Contra Haeres. l. 1. Haeres. 28. h Shemot Rabba, sect. 19. fol. 104. 4. i Joseph. Antiqu. l. 20. c. 2. sect. 5.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
And certain men - These were undoubtedly men who had been Jews, but who were now converted to Christianity. The fact that they were willing to refer the matter in dispute to the apostles and elders Acts 15:2 shows that they had professedly embraced the Christian religion. The account which follows is a record of the first internal dissension which occurred in the Christian church. Hitherto the church had been struggling against external foes. Violent persecutions had raged, and had fully occupied the attention of Christians. But now the churches were at peace. They enjoyed great external prosperity in Antioch, and the great enemy of souls took occasion then, as he has often done in similar circumstances since, to excite contentions in the church itself, so that when external violence could not destroy it, an effort was made to secure the same object by internal dissension and strife. This history, therefore, is particularly important, as it is the record of the first unhappy debate which arose in the bosom of the church. It is further important, as it shows the manner in which such controversies were settled in apostolic times, and as it established some very important principles respecting the perpetuity of the religious rites of the Jews.
Came down from Judea - To Antioch, and to the regions adjacent, which had been visited by the apostles, Acts 15:23. Judea was a high and hilly region, and going from that toward the level countries adjacent to the sea was represented to be descending, or going down.
Taught the brethren - That is, Christians. They endeavored to convince them of the necessity of keeping the laws of Moses.
Except ye be circumcised - This was the leading or principal rite of the Jewish religion. It was indispensable to the name and privileges of a Jew. Proselytes to their religion were circumcised as well as native-born Jews, and they held it to be indispensable to salvation. It is evident from this that Paul and Barnabas had dispensed with this rite in regard to the Gentile converts, and that they intended to found the Christian church on the principle that the Jewish ceremonies were to cease. When, however, it was necessary to conciliate the minds of the Jews and to prevent contention, Paul did not hesitate to practice circumcision, Acts 16:3.
After the manner of Moses - According to the custom which Moses commanded; according to the Mosaic ritual.
Ye cannot be saved - The Jews regarded this as indispensable to salvation. The grounds on which they would press it on the attention of Gentile converts would be very plausible, and such as would produce much embarrassment. For:
(1) It would be maintained that the laws of Moses were the laws of God, and were therefore unchangeable; and,
(2) It would doubtless be maintained that the religion of the Messiah was only a completing and perfecting of the Jewish religion that it was designed simply to carry out its principles according to the promises, and not to subvert and destroy anything that had been established by divine authority. It is usually not difficult to perplex and embarrass young converts with questions of modes, and rites, and forms of religion; and it is not uncommon that a revival is followed by some contention just like this. Opposing sects urge the claims of their special rites, and seek to make proselytes, and introduce contention and strife into an otherwise peaceful and happy Christian community.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
CHAPTER XV.
Certain teachers from Judea insist on the necessity of the
converted Gentiles being circumcised, 1.
Paul and Barnabas are sent to Jerusalem to consult the apostles
on this subject, 2.
They come to Jerusalem, and inform the apostles of the
conversion of the Gentiles; and of the trouble which certain
Pharisees had occasioned concerning circumcision, 3-5.
The apostles having assembled to consider the question, Peter
delivers his opinion, 6-11.
Barnabas and Paul relate their success among the Gentiles, 12.
James delivers his judgment, 13-21.
The apostles and elders agree to what he proposes, and send
Judas and Silas with Paul and Barnabas to the converted
Gentiles, 22;
and send an epistle containing their decree to the Churches of
Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia, 23-29.
Paul and his company return, and read the epistle to the
brethren at Antioch, which produces great joy; and Judas and
Silas preach to them, 30-32.
Judas returns to Jerusalem, but Silas continues with Paul and
Barnabas, teaching and preaching, 33-35.
Paul proposes to Barnabas to visit the Churches where they had
preached; and, on the latter determining to take John Mark
with them, Paul refuses, 36-38.
They disagree; and Barnabas, taking John Mark, sails to Cyprus,
39.
And Paul, taking Silas, goes through Syria and Cilicia,
confirming the Churches, 40, 41.
NOTES ON CHAP. XV.
Verse Acts 15:1. Except ye be circumcised, c.] The persons who taught this doctrine appear to have been converts to Christianity but, supposing that the Christian religion was intended to perfect the Mosaic, and not to supersede it, they insisted on the necessity of circumcision, because, by that, a man was made debtor to the whole law, to observe all its rites and ceremonies. This question produced great disturbance in the apostolic Church; and, notwithstanding the decree mentioned in this chapter, the apostles were frequently obliged to interpose their authority in order to settle it; and we find a whole Church, that at Galatia, drawn aside from the simplicity of the Christian faith by the subtilty of Judaizing teachers among themselves, who insisted on the necessity of the converted Gentiles being circumcised.
Ye cannot be saved. — Ye can neither enjoy God's blessing in time, nor his glory in eternity. Such an assertion as this, from any reputable authority, must necessarily shake the confidence of young converts.
