Postulasagan 15:1

Heilögum Biblíunni

1 Þá komu menn sunnan frá Júdeu og kenndu bræðrunum svo: "Eigi getið þér hólpnir orðið, nema þér látið umskerast að sið Móse."

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

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.