Acts 15:22–35: Godly Authority
Introduction
In the last passage, James the Elder had concluded his speech in the Jerusalem Council with recommendations not to trouble Gentiles with keeping ceremonial aspects of the law beyond instructions for observing ceremonial regulations that touched on moral issues: sexual immorality and eating foods related to idolatrous practices (Acts 15:19–20). Although in some cases a believer might have claimed a certain measure of liberty, James counsels that Gentiles should adhere to a minimum standard of conduct to avoid causing unnecessary offense to Jewish believers “in every city” where Moses has been proclaimed and read (Acts 15:21). This proposal was James’s personal judgment (“Therefore my judgment is that…”; Acts 15:19). This next passage picks up at the adoption of this resolution by the assembly to lay down a perpetual principle for the church: godly authority blesses the church with joy, encouragement, strength, and peace.
Discussion Questions
1. What had James proposed in the previous passage (Acts 15:19–20)? How closely does the final decision of the Assembly reflect James’s proposal (vv. 28–29)? Why does the Jerusalem Council appoint men to go with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch (v. 22)? Who were these men (vv. 22, 26)? What role did they exercise while they were in Antioch (v. 32)? Now that the gift of prophecy has ceased in the church, what equivalent role would exist to these men in the church today?
2. What does the greeting of the letter teach us about the specific people who exercised godly authority to make this determination in the church (“The brothers, both the apostles and the elders”; v. 23)? When the Council describes those who troubled the church in Antioch, “though we gave them no instructions,” what does this suggest about the authority of the church in matters of doctrine and practice (v. 24)?
3. How does the Council’s act of writing down the decision of the council in the form of a letter provide an example for doctrinal clarity in the church? How does the Council’s act of gathering the church at Antioch to read the letter model relational closeness (v. 30)? What kind of fruit is produced by the godly authority exercised by these leaders in the church at Antioch (vv. 31–33)? What should we learn about godly authority for the church today?
4. What has your experience been with authority in the church? How does your heart relate to authority in the church? Where do you seek authoritative teaching on spiritual matters—from those who possess that authority lawfully, or from other voices in the world? Are you experiencing the fruit that this passage describes from godly authority (joy, encouragement, strength, and peace)? If so, why do you think that is? How might you grow in this area?
