They wrote these things by their hand: “The apostles, the elders, and the brothers, to the brothers who are of the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: greetings.
Because we have heard that some who went out from us have troubled you with words, unsettling your souls, saying, ‘You must be circumcised and keep the law,’ to whom we gave no commandment; it seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose out men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who themselves will also tell you the same things by word of mouth. For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay no greater burden on you than these necessary things: that you abstain from things sacrificed to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality, from which if you keep yourselves, it will be well with you. Farewell.”
John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain On vv24, 25, 28 24. Certain which went out from us. We see…
24. Certain which went out from us. We see that there was no respect of persons among these holy men, which doth always corrupt sound and right judgments. They confess that there were knaves of their own company; and yet they do no whit flatter them, or, through corrupt favor, incline to cover their error; yea, rather in condemning them freely, they spare not even themselves. And, first, they pluck from their faces that visure [mask] which they had abused, to deceive withal. They boasted that they were privy to the meaning of the apostles. The apostles reprove them, and condemn them of and for lying in that false pretense, when they utterly deny that they did command any such thing. Again, they accuse them far more sharply, that they troubled the Church and subverted souls. For by this means they bring them in contempt and detestation with the godly, because they cannot be admitted but to their destruction. But false teachers are said to subvert souls, because the truth of God doth edify or build them up, and so this speech containeth a [this] general doctrine, Unless we will willingly have our souls drawn headlong from being any longer temples of the Holy Ghost, and unless we desire their ruin, we must beware of those which go about to lead us away from the pure gospel. That which they say touching the keeping of the law doth only appertain unto ceremonies, though we must always remember, that they did so intreat of ceremonies; that [as if] both the salvation and also the righteousness of men did therein consist. For the false apostles did command that they should be kept, as if righteousness came by the law and salvation did depend upon works.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv24, 26, 28, 29 A borrowed kind of speech taken of them which…
A borrowed kind of speech taken of them which pull down that that was built up: and it is a very usual metaphor in the Scriptures: to say the Church is built, for, the Church is planted and stablished.
The Council of Jerusalem concludeth, that they trouble men’s consciences, which teach us to seek salvation in any other means than in Christ only, apprehended by faith, from whence soever they come, and whomsoever they pretend to be author of their vocation.
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From our congregation.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain On vv23–29 23 And they wrote letters by them after this…
23 And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia:
Ver. 23. And wrote letters by them] For the better confirmation of the weak and confutation of the wilful, to be as a standing monument.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain On vv23–29 The apostles and elders and brethren; the letter was…
The apostles and elders and brethren; the letter was wrote in the name of them all, that it might have the greater force, and better acceptance; that so strong a cord might not be broken by the false apostles.
Of the Gentiles; such as out of Gentilism, or paganism, were converted unto Christ; to whom the determination of this case was of the greatest concern; their right of belonging unto Christ, and having any hopes of salvation, being questioned, unless they would be circumcised.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain On vv23–29 And wrote letters by them after this manner,.... Not…
And wrote letters by them after this manner,.... Not that they made use of them as their amanuenses, to write their letters for them; but being written they put them into their hands, and sent them by them, and they were written in the following form:
the apostles, and elders, and brethren; which belonged to, or were members of the church at Jerusalem; they are severally set in their proper place and order: the apostles, Peter, and James, and John, and it may be some others first; for these God had set in the first place in the church; then the elders, or preachers of the Gospel, such as were Judas and Silas: and then the brethren, or private members of the church; who are called so, because they are of one family, and have one Father, and are partakers of the same grace and privileges: these,
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send greeting; or their Christian salutation, wishing all peace and prosperity, both for soul and body, temporal, spiritual and eternal:
unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch, and Syria and Cilicia; the brethren or members of the several churches in these parts, who were Gentiles, are particularly sent to; and not the brethren who were Jews; because they were especially concerned, and to them is the advice directed: Antioch is first mentioned, that being the place where the controversy began; but there being other churches in Syria, besides Antioch, in which were many Gentiles, and also in Cilicia, and particularly at Tarsus, Paul's native place, and where he had preached, Act 9:30 they are therefore mentioned, and being countries near to one another, it is very likely that the controversy had spread itself among them.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain On vv23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29 Writing thus, and sending it by their hand -…
Writing thus, and sending it by their hand - The whole conduct of this affair plainly shows that the Church in those days had no conception of St. Peter's primacy, or of his being the chief judge in controversies. For the decree is drawn up, not according to his, but the Apostle James's proposal and direction: and that in the name, not of St. Peter, but of all the apostles and elders, and of the whole Church. Nay, St. Peter's name is not mentioned at all, either in the order for sending to Jerusalem on the question, ver. 2, or in the address of the messengers concerning it, ver. 4, or in the letter which was written in answer.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain On vv23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29 Verse 23. Send greeting unto the brethren - of…
Verse 23. Send greeting unto the brethren - of the Gentiles] There was no occasion to send such a letter to the brethren which were of the Jews, because that law which had been so long read in their synagogues taught them all those things; and therefore the epistle is sent exclusively to the Gentiles. The word greeting is in the original χαιρειν, to be well, to be safe; a very usual form in Greek epistles, the word ευχομαι being understood, I wish thee to be well.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain On vv24, 28 Act 15:24-27. Forasmuch as we have heard, &c. —…
Act 15:24-27. Forasmuch as we have heard, &c. — The simplicity, weightiness, and conciseness of this letter, are highly observable; that certain which went out from us — That is, pretending to be sent out by us; have troubled you with words — By requiring you to be circumcised and to keep the law; subverting your souls — That is, unsettling your minds; to whom we gave no such commandment — No commission to make use of our names, or teach any such doctrine. It seemed good unto us — After duly considering the matter in a general assembly, called for the purpose; to send chosen men unto you — Men of our own body; with our beloved Barnabas and Paul — Whom we greatly respect, as men that have hazarded their lives — In repeated instances, and with great courage; for the name of our Lord Jesus — Such a testimony as this to the reputation of Paul and Barnabas was by no means a mere compliment, but exceedingly prudent, as it might tend to remove the prejudices conceived against them by the Jewish converts or teachers, who, as appears from many passages of the epistles, endeavoured as much as possible to lessen the character of these apostles. It would also be an evidence of the harmony subsisting between them and those of the circumcision. We have sent therefore Judas and Silas — Men that have heard our debates, and are perfectly acquainted with our judgment and decision. This precaution of sending approved witnesses along with the copy of the decree, which was delivered to Barnabas and Paul, was intended to prevent the zealous and bigoted Judaizers from affirming that the letter did not contain a just account of what was determined by the church. For these chosen men, having assisted at the council, would not only tell the brethren of Antioch the same things by mouth, but attest that it was the unanimous opinion of the whole assembly.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain On vv23, 24, 26, 27, 28, 29 And wrote letters - Greek: “Having written.” It does…
And wrote letters - Greek: “Having written.” It does not mean that they wrote more than one epistle.
By them - Greek: by their hand.”
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After this manner - Greek: these things.
Send greeting - A word of salutation, expressing their desire of the happiness (χαίρειν chairein) of the persons addressed. Compare Mat 26:49; Mat 27:29; Luk 1:28; Joh 19:3.
In Antioch - Where the difficulty first arose.
And Syria - Antioch was the capital of Syria, and it is probable that the dispute was not confined to the capital.
And Cilicia - See the notes on Act 6:9. Cilicia was adjacent to Syria. Paul and Barnabas had traveled through it, and it is probable that the same difficulty would exist there which had disturbed the churches in Syria.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv23, 24, 28, 29 The brethren of the Gentiles. Hence we see, that…
The brethren of the Gentiles. Hence we see, that he letter, with the decree of the Council, only regarded those converts, who had been Gentiles; neither are they forbidden to use the Jewish ceremonies, but a declaration is made, that they have no obligation to follow the said ceremonies and precepts, as it will appear by other places. (Witham)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain On vv23, 24, 25, 26, 28 And they wrote . . . by them--This is…
And they wrote . . . by them--This is the first mention in the New Testament history of writing as an element in its development. And the combination here of written and oral transmission of an important decision reminds us of the first occasion of writing mentioned in the Old Testament, where a similar combination occurs (Exo 17:14). But whereas there it is the deep difference between Israel and the Gentiles which is proclaimed, here it is the obliteration of that difference through faith in the Lord Jesus [BAUMGARTEN].
greeting--The only other place in the New Testament where this word occurs (except in the letter of Lysias, Act 23:26) is Jam 1:1, which seems to show that both letters were drawn up by the same hand [BENGEL].
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the Gentiles in Antioch, and Syria, and Cilicia--showing that churches then existed in Cilicia as well as Syria, which owed their existence, in all likelihood, to Paul's labors during the interval between his return to Tarsus (Act 9:30) and his departure in company with Barnabas for Antioch (see on Act 11:25).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain On vv23, 24, 26, 28, 29 23. Apostles… elders… brethren—Clerical and lay are here associated.
23. Apostles… elders… brethren—Clerical and lay are here associated.
Syria—Including here all between the Mediterranean and the Lebanon range, but excluding Judea and Samaria.
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Greeting—It is a curious “undesigned coincidence” that the word greeting is used but once more in the New Testament, and that in the Epistle of James. We may safely from this infer that this letter is also an epistle written by James, and that both are by this same hand.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv23–29 23. And they wrote letters by them after this…
23. And they wrote letters by them after this manner] From the form in which the document is here given, we should judge that the original was in Greek. A translation from a Hebrew original would hardly have begun with a greeting and ended with “Fare ye well.” It seems likely that this was so too, because the population of Antioch, the chief town in Syria, would use Greek much more than Hebrew, at this date. The construction of the Greek in the beginning of this verse is not strictly grammatical, but such irregularities are not unusual in a passage which begins impersonally, as does Act_15:22.
by them (lit. by their hand)] This is a Hebraism. The letter was not delivered to Paul and Barnabas, but to the two ambassadors from Jerusalem. It is the oldest synodical circular letter in existence, and the only one of Apostolic times which has come down to us. Bengel suggests that it was composed by James, in the name and at the request of the assembly.
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The apostles and elders and brethren] The oldest MSS. omit the second and, thus making the Epistle run in the name of the apostles and elder brethren, and this rendering is adopted in R. V. The conjunction of the two last words to signify ‘the elders’ is very unusual, and after what has been said in the previous verse about the decree expressing the voice of the whole church as well as of the apostles and elders, it seems much more in accord with the rest of the narrative to adhere to the Text. Rec. which has a large amount of good MS. support.
in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia] As we have no mention of this decree of the synod of Jerusalem in St Paul’s Epistles, we may suppose that the agitation on the subject, begun at Antioch, had spread only into Syria and Cilicia, and that the authoritative decision of the mother church quieted the controversy there, while it did not arise in the same form in other places.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv23, 24, 25, 26, 28, 29 (23) And they wrote letters by them.—Literally, wrote letters…
(23) And they wrote letters by them.—Literally, wrote letters by their hands. What follows, unless we assume a deliberate fraud, is clearly the transcript of a document—the first in the long list of decrees and canons and encyclical letters which mark the Church’s history.
The apostles and elders and brethren.—The MSS. present a singular variation of readings, some of the earliest omitting the conjunction and article before the last noun, and giving “the Apostles and elders, brethren.” Such a mode of speech, however, is foreign to the usage of the New Testament, and it is probable that this reading originated in a desire to bring the text into harmony with the later practice of the Church, which excluded the laity from all participation in its synods. (See Note on Act_15:22.)
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Send greeting.—Literally, wish joy. The formula was common in Greek epistles, but is not used in the New Testament, except here and in Jas_1:1. As it is reasonable to suppose that this letter was written or dictated by him, its occurrence is primâ facie evidence of the authorship of the Epistle that bears his name, and which, on the view taken in these Notes, had been already written to the Church of the Circumcision.
Unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles.—The letter was therefore addressed to them exclusively (see Note on Act_15:20), as the Epistle of St. James had probably been previously addressed to the Jews of the “dispersion,” and not to the Gentiles.
In Antioch and Syria and Cilicia.—The mention of the latter country is important as showing the extent of St. Paul’s work there prior to his joining Barnabas at Antioch (Act_11:25). There also he had founded churches in which Gentile converts were admitted as such to full communion.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv23–29 Wrote thus by them for wrote letters by them…
Wrote thus by them for wrote letters by them after this manner, A.V.; the elder brethren for elders and brethren, A.V.; unto... greeting for send greeting unto, etc., A.V., as Act_23:26. The elder brethren, etc. The grammar of the sentence is irregular, as there is nothing for grayantev to agree with. But "the elder brethren" is a phrase unknown to the Scriptures, and it is much more in accordance with the feeling of the times that "the brethren," i.e. the whole Church, should be included in the salutation. Greeting. It is remarkable that the only other place in the New Testament where this Greek salutation occurs is Jam_1:1.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain On vv23, 28 And they wrote letters.
Act_15:23-29
And they wrote letters.
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The Apostolic letter
1. A model of brotherly love and Divine wisdom.
2. A pattern for the modern Church.
3. A great standing deliverance from all ceremonial and ritualistic observances.
Improvement--
(1) Be not narrow-minded.
(2) Trust in Christ and not ordinances. (J. Dowse.)
The yoke broken
I. The relation of Christianity to Judaism. The decision was an admission that the Jewish ordinances were not permanent or essential. That old system had only a shadow of good things to come. It educated for the gospel, and having accomplished this its work really ended. The gospel succeeded. Christ was declared to be the end of the law to everyone that believeth; and the apostle to the Gentiles said, He is not a Jew which is one outwardly, but We are the circumcision which worship God, etc. To insist on the continued obligation of the Mosaic customs would be like drilling a reader in the alphabet. As well might the butterfly keep up its caterpillar existence--fly and crawl at the same time. For the Gentiles to practise the customs of the Old Law would be both irksome and also liable to lead to the error that salvation was dependent on these observances. Against this danger Paul most carefully guarded. The epistles to the Romans and to the Galatians are the strong ramparts which were erected to oppose it.
II. The tolerant spirit of Christianity. It seems strange to have such an example in the infant Church, since toleration is usually the fruit of long experience. Even more surprising is it, when we consider the antecedents of the men who displayed it. They were Jews, of a most bigoted race. One of the hardest lessons for men to learn is to unlearn, and act contrary to early convictions. Though they themselves, through force of habit, continued to observe the national customs, they would not bind the Gentiles to do the same. It is strange that this decision should have been ever forgotten. The intolerance which has resulted from losing sight of it has been the disgrace of Christianity. The greatest names have been in fault here. As an old divine says, Whilst we wrangle here in the dark, we are dying and passing to that world which will decide all controversies: the safest passage thither is by peaceable righteousness.
III. Christianity, while tolerant in spirit, has its self-denials (verse 29). If, after their conversion from heathenism to Christianity, they still continued to eat meat offered to idols, and to frequent the idolatrous feasts where it was served, they were more likely to relapse into their old heathen life. Evil communications corrupt good manners. The same thing in effect has to be perpetually guarded against. The Christian of today must, for his own spiritual good, beware of certain worldly habits and indulgences, lest he go back to the world. (A. H. Currier.)
Saying, ye must be circumcised and keep the law.--
Legal Christians
Thousands and tens of thousands of Christians yet live in the dreary shadow of legalism. God is only Lawgiver and Judge to them; and their experience is limited, first, to self-condemnation and suffering, then to violent endeavours of the spirit, or of the body, or of both to throw off this suffering, with results, sometimes of exhaustion, and sometimes of unnatural peace, and then to reaction into moral indifference, arising from a totally unsatisfied heart and soul. There are thousands of persons who think that they are Christians because they are endeavouring to live aright, but they are Christians because they are endeavouring to live aright no more than a person is at home because he is trying to go there, though he does not know the way. A child that has lost its fathers house, and that is striving to find it, is not at home, but is a wanderer; and the person that is simply endeavouring to live aright, and nothing more, and that when he measures his life by the law of God, as interpreted to him through his own conscience, is conscious of daily breaking that law in every direction, is no more a Christian than a wanderer is a child at home. For a Christian is one that has found his way home, and to the fatherhood of God, and not one that is merely seeking to do his duty. A Christian is a child under the parental roof, saying, Abba, Father. (H. W. Beecher.)
Our beloved Barnabas and Paul, men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Two heroes
I. The principles by which they were actuated.
1. The highest admiration for their Lord and Master.
2. An entire consecration to His service. We must honour Christ--
(1) From gratitude.
(2) From duty.
II. The work they undertook. To proclaim the name, etc. This was--
1. An arduous duty.
2. A disagreeable toil.
3. A continuous self-sacrifice.
III. The reward they attained.
1. A reward of their magnanimity.
2. The approbation of God.
3. An immortal crown.
IV. The instruction they impart.
1. That there is something more precious than life or pleasure--Christ.
2. That however humble our sphere we may hope to accomplish something for our Lord and Master.
3. That whatever efforts we may make for our Masters glory shall be acknowledged and rewarded by God. (Preachers Analyst.)
The motto of Christian service
During the American war with England, a young midshipman named Joel Abbot was serving under the United States flag. Winning the good opinion of the commander, he was put in the way of promotion by being commended to Macdonough, then controlling the forces on Lake Champlain. Reports were received that the English were accumulating a large supply of spars at Sorel. Could not the spars be destroyed? Who would undertake the task? Joel Abbot was sent for. Grimly the commander asked him if he were willing to die for his country. Certainly, sir: that is what I came into the service for, was the prompt reply. Entrusted with the dangerous commission, Joel Abbot fulfilled it in the spirit of his words. The perils and privations of his exploit were so great, that although he came back alive, he was completely prostrate for a considerable time, and his recovery was slow. Later, a sword of honour was voted him for his gallantry. How is it with soldiers of the Great King--workers for Christ? The test word of this service is Self-surrender for Christ.
A life hazarded for Christ
A touching story is told as characteristic of the missionary spirit by a friendly writer in the Contemporary. Rev. John Robinson was suddenly summoned one day to the Leper asylum to baptise a dying convert. My friend went in fear and trembling, baptised the dying man, consoled him, and then was seized with a throe of mental agony. It is the custom of many missionaries on receiving a neophyte, especially if sick, to give him the kiss of peace. Mr. Robinson thought this his bounden duty, but he was himself a half-breed, and he was absolutely persuaded of the Indian theory that leprosy, though non-contagious in the case of a white man, is frightfully contagious in the case of one with native blood in his veins. He hesitated, walked to the door, and returned to kiss the leper on the lips and then to lie for days in his own house, prostrated with an uncontrollable and not an unreasonable nervous terror. A superstitious fool, the doctor thought him. True soldier of Christ, say I, who, when his duty called him, faced something far worse than shot.
Christian self-devotion
For some time after Mr. Hunt settled in Somasoma, one of the Fejee Islands, his life was in daily danger from the hostile and cannibal savages. But he went on with his Christian work, and when the captain of an American warship heard of their threats to kill and eat the missionary, and sent to offer him an asylum on board his vessel, Mr. Hunt declined with thanks, saying that he regarded the horrible depravity of the natives as only an additional reason for risking his life to convert them.
Life hazarded in Christs cause
I. The spirit which is described in the text. Several particulars are included here.
1. Their ardent love for Christ Jesus. It was not always thus with these men. Pauls object was to root out the name of the Saviour. What occasioned then this marvellous change? In his case they were very extraordinary means. In other cases, the means are ordinary. The Spirit of God convinces them of sin, shows them that they have no help in themselves; but must accept Christ and His cross. And then they love Christ. They love Him
(1) For dignity of His person.
(2) For the perfection of His atonement. They love Him because He first loved them.
(3) Because He has taken their nature and their cause to heaven. When they see this, it is impossible but their hearts should glow with love to such a Saviour. The life He so dearly bought becomes His, and they hazard it willingly in His service.
2. Their high estimation of the gospel. Man is a depraved creature. This depravity exhibits itself in different forms; in one country in idolatry, in another in blasphemy, etc. Philosophers have bent over the scene and wept, and politicians have devised innumerable schemes to recover fallen creatures. But they have failed. Now God sent the gospel to redeem and sanctify man. Now the men, that hazarded their lives for the name of the Lord Jesus, believed that there was no other name whereby men might be saved; and therefore they published it. They had the conviction of an enlightened understanding, and an experimental enjoyment of the truth.
3. Their tender compassion for lost souls. Christs value met their enlightened judgment. What shall it profit a man, etc. They saw millions of immortal spirits, hurrying on to irremediable woe. Now when the men had this remedy, and saw souls in this condition, and had their hearts lighted with the heavenly fire, you do not wonder that they went forth and hazarded their lives to communicate it to lost souls.
4. The aggressive spirit in which they attempted to set up Christs kingdom. They did not wait till a petition came from these miserable souls, requesting them to send the gospel; or till a door was opened by some special act of the government of the country, or a change of opinion took place among the people; but wherever they could open their lips for Jesus Christ, there they went, though edicts were issued against them, and they were imprisoned and reviled and threatened with death.
5. Their exalted character in the opinion of the Church. They selected them to go on an important embassy, as men who copied most of their Masters spirit. It appeared to them, that the chief excellency was in hazarding their lives for Him. Doubtless many in their day considered them very visionary men, and thought they had better not plunge rashly into things; but the apostles and elders, those who had love to Christ, thought their zeal their glory, and held it up to the imitation and approbation of the Church.
II. Lessons.
1. We see in the text a picture of fallen and of regenerated humanity; and among which class are you? Here is one class of men, opposing those who come to them with the gospel; here is another, ready to die for the name of the Lord Jesus. He that is not with Me is against Me.
2. A suitable apology for all those who exhibit the same conduct. By many it has been upbraided as zeal without knowledge. But here is the answer; it is done for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. A soldier hazards his life, it may be, for fortune, for fame, for honour. But here are men who hazard their lives, without honour, fame or fortune, for the name of Jesus Christ.
3. One of the modes by which God augments the number of His servants and the efficiency of their service. The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church. It is not the cold, calculating, cautious men, who carry measures either in Church or in state; but the men who hazard their lives for the cause which they undertake.
4. The honour which God puts upon us by permitting us to send out such men to evangelise the world.
5. A spirit worthy of imitation. Who is willing to hazard his life for the name of our Lord Jesus? (J. Sherman.)
The true missionary
Once, in lifting from its shelf a certain folio, there fluttered out from between its leaves a paper dated 1763. It had evidently been mislaid as soon as it was written, and one hundred years after, just where the writer left it, I found it. It ran thus, We beg to certify that the bearer, Mr. John Wyers, is well known to us, and we do hereby commend him to all Christian Churches where, in Providence, he may come as a godly minister who hath much devoted himself to the service of our Lord Jesus Christ. This was signed David Fermie, Thomas Blackett. My text is a line out of an old letter of introduction written by the elders of the Church at Jerusalem. Now, this old certificate is not to be torn up for waste paper as a thing that is now dead and done with. It is a live thing, it is wanted now, to show what kind of missionaries are wanted, and how the armies of Christ in the field of foreign service are to win the day. Just take the words as they stand.
I. Men. An ancient lawgiver said, that what Sparta wanted was not a wall of bricks but a wall of men. Men, said a certain sarcastic journalist, are cheap. No. If men be what is meant by certain advocates of muscular Christianity, then men are cheap, but when I look at Paul I remember that it is not muscle that makes a man. If you mean by a man, an undesigned result of molecular forces, then men are cheap, and they ought to be, but a man is not the consummation of a tadpole. If by men you mean an average human being, men ought to be cheap; but many a human being passes for a man who is not so much a person as a thing. What I mean by man is a son of Adam, who has been born again, and who is therefore a Son of God by faith in Christ Jesus, and of whom we may say, Like father, like son. I want to blow into infinite space the mean, false notion that anything will do for a missionary; anything will not do. Before you are a missionary you must be a man.
II. That have hazarded their lives. This, in itself, is not matter for plaudit. Most extreme must be the case, when the author of life sanctions the hazard of life. But, while grace makes us understand the sanctity of life, grace inspires us with a will to give ourselves to the service of something higher than life. That man is not worth calling a man who lives to save himself. The man who answers to the standard we are now looking at, is a man who, being called to the service of Christ, is prepared, if need be, to hazard his life for that service.
III. For the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. This means that the men hazarded their lives--
1. Out of love to Christ. The name of a person is the person to whom that name belongs. We all know the rousing, or soothing, or melting magic of a name. But no name has such power to stir the hearts of men as the name of Jesus Christ. When it was first uttered to the Jews, it stirred their hearts to hatred. Among the most inexorable and deep haters was Paul. He breathed out threatenings and slaughters till Jesus stopped him. After that, the love of Christ set his life on fire. What have we hazarded for Christ? Where is your love to Christ? Is that the thing you call love? Then love knows how to take care of itself; looks upon religion as a question of safe investment and social respectability; sometimes joins the Church like a traveller taking his ticket who books himself quite through, wraps his rug around him, and goes to sleep till the train stops; hates originality like the plague. What you call love I call prudence. But love, whether to God or man, tends to scorn of consequence, and to the forgetfulness of self.
2. Out of obedience to Christ. If ye love Me keep My commandments. The commandment now waiting for our obedience is, Go, make disciples of all nations. Now it is strange the first thing men in general do is to give their opinion about this. One man is of opinion that it is unnecessary; another, that it is impossible; another, that we should look at home; another, that we should civilise first; another, that every nation has already its own religion fitted to its own nationality. But Christ waits not for our opinion but our obedience. The question is how we can best obey. Some can best obey in this way, some in that. The principle is not that Christians should leave work at home for work abroad, but that all Christians are charged with the evangelisation of the world to do it between them. Though the difficulties may be massive, they are not your concern. Charge, is the captains cry. Say, as the negro said, Does Jesus Christ ask me to jump through that stone wall? Here I go at it.
3. In the service of their fellow men. It is a great service to save lives, and a noble thing when men do it at the hazard of their own. Lady Edgeworth, in the days of King Charles II, had suddenly to defend the family castle at Lissom, in the absence Of her husband. In doing so she had to go down and fetch powder from the castle vaults. On her return she said to the woman who had gone with her, Where did you put the candle? I left it stuck in the barrel of black salt. Then did that glorious lady go down to the spot where the candle was burning into the powder, and put her hand round it like a cup, and lift it up and take it out, and so at the hazard of her own life saved the lives of others. Dear, glorious lady, that was well done. The lifeboat with its brave crew shoots out into the night over the swaying hills of water, to snatch twenty men off from a wreck. On their return, when the cry comes on the wind, All saved, my heart gives a great bound, and I say, There is a noble service nobly done. The Son of Man came not t¢ destroy mens lives, but to save them; and if it be a great thing to save the lives of bodies through the hazard of our own bodily life, it is a small thing to hazard it to save the lives of souls. Conclusion: We learn from these men--
1. How our faithful and mighty Master through all hazards keeps His servants alive until their work is done.
2. Only men like these hazard their lives, and the men who at Christs call to service most totally give themselves up, most totally let themselves go, are the men whom the King delighteth to honour. (C. Stanford, D. D.)
Who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.--
Preference for the spoken word
The Dean of Rochester said: A woman said about a certain preacher, Hes a very nice gentleman, but he has no deliverance. He himself had been wont for years to preach written sermons. One night, to his horror, the church was so dark that it was impossible to read his sermon. He passed through a brief period of anxiety. Then, thinking, Have I nothing to say to these people? Am I really a servant of God? He threw himself on the Holy Spirits help, and spoke as best he could. The churchwarden apologetically told him that the people said It was the best sermon he had ever preached, and they hoped he would never read another. Nor did I, said the Dean; and then I awoke not to find myself famous, but at any rate more useful than I had been before.
The spoken word
A preacher is, in some degree, a reproduction of the truth in personal form. The truth must exist in him as a living experience, a glowing enthusiasm: an intense reality. The Word of God in the Book is a dead letter, it is paper, type, and ink. In the preacher that Word becomes again as it was when first spoken by prophet, priest, or apostle. It springs up in him as if it were first kindled in his heart, and he were moved by the Holy Ghost to give it forth. He is so moved. (H. W. Beecher.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
J. W. McGarvey 1914 · Public Domain On vv23–29 See notes on verse 22
See notes on verse 22
J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On vv24, 27 General Information:
General Information:
Here all instances of "we," "our," and "us" refer to the believers in the church in Jerusalem. (See: Exclusive and Inclusive "We" and Acts 15:22)
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that certain men
"that some men"
with no orders from us
"even though we gave no orders for them to go"
disturbed you with teachings that upset your souls
Here "souls" refers to the people. AT: "have taught things that have troubled you" (See: Synecdoche)
to choose men
The men they sent were Judas called Barsabbas and Silas. (See: Acts 15:22)
for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
Here "name" refers to the whole person. AT: "because they believe in our Lord Jesus Christ" or "because they serve our Lord Jesus Christ" (See: Metonymy)
translationWords
command
trouble
teach
soul
beloved
name
lord
Jesus
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v29 15:29 Farewell: The letter to the churches includes this…
15:29 Farewell: The letter to the churches includes this familiar Hellenistic greeting at the end of a letter, found only here in the New Testament. Paul often ended his letters on a more theological note (e.g., 1 Cor 16:23-24; 2 Cor 13:13; see Eph 6:23-24; Phil 4:23; Col 4:18; 1 Thes 5:23-28; 1 Tim 6:21).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.