Acts 15: The Jerusalem Council and the Gospel to the Nations

[vassal]

I have no doubt that idolatry was common. That commonality does not insert words into Scripture that the Holy Spirit did not inspire. You are making an argument from silence, and it doesn’t stand up to examination.

Acts 15 is not silent or speculative — it clearly shows what the Jerusalem council required of Gentile believers: to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from blood, and from strangled animals (Acts 15:20, 28–29 ASV). These were not random rules. They were chosen because Gentiles were coming out of a culture steeped in idolatry and pagan practices. Meat offered to idols, blood rituals, and sexual rites were common in the Greco-Roman world, and James and the other apostles were helping new believers separate from those customs while staying united with Jewish believers.

This is supported in Scripture itself: the law of Moses forbade these things (Leviticus 17–18), the early church repeatedly warned about idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:20–21), and Acts 15:21 points out that Gentiles would continue learning God’s law in the synagogues every Sabbath. Historical and scholarly studies confirm that idolatry and temple rituals were widespread in first-century society, so the four prohibitions directly addressed real cultural and spiritual dangers, not imagined or invented rules.

In short, the council’s instructions were inspired, practical, and connected to Scripture and the historical context — not a mere argument from silence. Gentiles were taught to honor God by avoiding what symbolized their former pagan life, showing that God’s Word works in real-world circumstances.

My argument is not from silence, paul confirms also read in full context what Paul wrote;

1Co 10:1 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud, and that they all passed through the sea.

1Co 10:2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.

1Co 10:3 They all ate the same spiritual food

1Co 10:4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.

1Co 10:5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the wilderness.

1Co 10:6 These things took place as examples to keep us from craving evil things as they did.

1Co 10:7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written: “The people sat down to eat and to drink, and got up to indulge in revelry.”

1Co 10:8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.

1Co 10:9 We should not test Christ, as some of them did, and were killed by snakes.

1Co 10:10 And do not complain, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroying angel.

1Co 10:11 Now these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.

1Co 10:12 So the one who thinks he is standing firm should be careful not to fall.

1Co 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it.

1Co 10:14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

1Co 10:15 I speak to reasonable people; judge for yourselves what I say.

1Co 10:16 Is not the cup of blessing that we bless a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?

1Co 10:17 Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one loaf.

1Co 10:18 Consider the people of Israel: Are not those who eat the sacrifices fellow partakers in the altar?

1Co 10:19 Am I suggesting, then, that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything?

1Co 10:20 No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be participants with demons.

1Co 10:21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot partake in the table of the Lord and the table of demons too.

1Co 10:22 Are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?

 

[vassal]

So why do you argue that Acts 15 only addresses circumcision, as you did in post 56?

this is what i wrote :"be circumcised and follow the Law of Moses" in post 56, you missed it or did nor read to the end of it.

 

[Dino246]

Acts 15 is not silent or speculative — it clearly shows what the Jerusalem council required of Gentile believers: to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from blood, and from strangled animals (Acts 15:20, 28–29 ASV). These were not random rules. They were chosen because Gentiles were coming out of a culture steeped in idolatry and pagan practices. Meat offered to idols, blood rituals, and sexual rites were common in the Greco-Roman world, and James and the other apostles were helping new believers separate from those customs while staying united with Jewish believers.

This is supported in Scripture itself: the law of Moses forbade these things (Leviticus 17–18), the early church repeatedly warned about idolatry (1 Corinthians 10:20–21), and Acts 15:21 points out that Gentiles would continue learning God’s law in the synagogues every Sabbath. Historical and scholarly studies confirm that idolatry and temple rituals were widespread in first-century society, so the four prohibitions directly addressed real cultural and spiritual dangers, not imagined or invented rules.

In short, the council’s instructions were inspired, practical, and connected to Scripture and the historical context — not a mere argument from silence. Gentiles were taught to honor God by avoiding what symbolized their former pagan life, showing that God’s Word works in real-world circumstances.

My argument is not from silence, paul confirms also read in full context what Paul wrote;

1Co 10:1 I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, that our forefathers were all under the cloud, and that they all passed through the sea.

1Co 10:2 They were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea.

1Co 10:3 They all ate the same spiritual food

1Co 10:4 and drank the same spiritual drink; for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.

1Co 10:5 Nevertheless, God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the wilderness.

1Co 10:6 These things took place as examples to keep us from craving evil things as they did.

1Co 10:7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were. As it is written: “The people sat down to eat and to drink, and got up to indulge in revelry.”

1Co 10:8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died.

1Co 10:9 We should not test Christ, as some of them did, and were killed by snakes.

1Co 10:10 And do not complain, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroying angel.

1Co 10:11 Now these things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come.

1Co 10:12 So the one who thinks he is standing firm should be careful not to fall.

1Co 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide an escape, so that you can stand up under it.

1Co 10:14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.

1Co 10:15 I speak to reasonable people; judge for yourselves what I say.

1Co 10:16 Is not the cup of blessing that we bless a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread that we break a participation in the body of Christ?

1Co 10:17 Because there is one loaf, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one loaf.

1Co 10:18 Consider the people of Israel: Are not those who eat the sacrifices fellow partakers in the altar?

1Co 10:19 Am I suggesting, then, that food sacrificed to an idol is anything, or that an idol is anything?

1Co 10:20 No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God. And I do not want you to be participants with demons.

1Co 10:21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too; you cannot partake in the table of the Lord and the table of demons too.

1Co 10:22 Are we trying to provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than He?

Yours is indeed an argument from silence because nothing in Acts 15 suggests that these restrictions are specifically oriented at avoiding or stepping away from idolatry. They are, in contrast, specifically oriented at countering the assertions of the Judaizers.

1 Corinthians 10 is not directly relevant context for Acts 15. Related? Certainly, but it doesn't your rationale.

 

[Dino246]

this is what i wrote :"be circumcised and follow the Law of Moses" in post 56, you missed it or did nor read to the end of it.

I saw what you wrote (there's no need for the snark!), but your post appeared to be an attempt to refute my post.

My point is this: the Judaizers expected the gentile converts to follow the whole law, beginning with circumcision. The Christian leaders said No. They did not enjoin upon the converts obedience to the ten commandments. They did not explain that the converts needed to "start with" getting out of idolatry. They gave them four things... that's it, that's all.

 

[Dino246]

@vassal

I have asked you and I am asking again. With what, specifically, do you disagree in my post #8, and why.

 

[vassal]

I saw what you wrote (there's no need for the snark!), but your post appeared to be an attempt to refute my post.

My point is this: the Judaizers expected the gentile converts to follow the whole law, beginning with circumcision. The Christian leaders said No. They did not enjoin upon the converts obedience to the ten commandments. They did not explain that the converts needed to "start with" getting out of idolatry. They gave them four things... that's it, that's all.

this is where we disagree, you still do not see the difference between the ten commandments and the law of Moses, i have explained this 100 times already . Jesus did spend a large part of ministry to teach the ten commandments and asked his disciples to teach all he said and did, acts 15 was not about the commandments but about a Jewish sect asking gentiles to adopt the full law of Moses including circumcision . why do you conclude the Jerusalem council refuse to teach the 10 commandments like Jesus asked them to?

 

[vassal]

@vassal

I have asked you and I am asking again. With what, specifically, do you disagree in my post #8, and why.

that request, the questions were a bit vague and full pf words like Horrible.... i care not to read it again, if you simplify it and clean it up i just might reply to it I have a bit of time now.

 

[Dino246]

this is where we disagree, you still do not see the difference between the ten commandments and the law of Moses, i have explained this 100 times already . Jesus did spend a large part of ministry to teach the ten commandments and asked his disciples to teach all he said and did, acts 15 was not about the commandments but about a Jewish sect asking gentiles to adopt the full law of Moses including circumcision . why do you conclude the Jerusalem council refuse to teach the 10 commandments like Jesus asked them to?

I agree in this: Acts 15 is not about "the ten commandments" versus "the rest of the Law"... at all. It is about faith in Christ versus ALL of the Law. I don't conclude that the council refused to teach the commandments; I state with full confidence that this issue IS NOT MENTIONED therefore it cannot be used as the basis for any conclusion.

 

[Dino246]

that request, the questions were a bit vague and full pf words like Horrible.... i care not to read it again, if you simplify it and clean it up i just might reply to it I have a bit of time now.

I see nothing that needs to be cleaned up or simplified. I don't care whether you agree, but your disagreement should be based on something more substantial than emotional reactions about individual words.

 

[presidente]

This contradicts what Paul wrote saying idols are nothing and eating meat sacrificed to idols is nothing.

No it does not. You need to read the rest of the epistle. Paul warned that eating meat in an idols temple was fellowshipping with demons and warned that it might provoke the Lord to jealousy.

He allowed for eating meat at feasts and purchased in the marketplace without asking if it were sacrificed to an idol, for the earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof. But if someone tells you it is, you are not to partake.

So basically James was instructing the gentile believers to keep doing what they were already doing so that they could continue to learn about Christ in the synagogues. Other than abstaining from fornication, those rules had nothing to do with Christian morality, but they were important to the Jewish sense of morality.

Gentile Christians with faith could have eaten meat sacrificed to idols, meat containing blood and meat from strangled animals and would have been guiltless before God, but not to their Jewish hosts.

When God gave Noah, ancestor of Jews and Gentiles flesh to eat, of the animals that move upon the ground, he did not give the blood to us to eat.