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.” And after Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and debate with them, Paul and Barnabas and some of the others were appointed to go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and the elders about this question. So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers. When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them. But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.”

Acts 15:1-5

When some people from Judea arrive and begin preaching a “gospel” of circumcision, Paul and Barnabas engage in a rigorous defense of the true gospel of Jesus Christ. I’m impressed by this as I read through Acts slowly: the early church is not soft on doctrine. Whereas we might be tempted to politely overlook someone’s unorthodox theology for the sake of unity and peace, the early church was quick to dissent and debate these matters. It is clear that there was a desire to adhere to apostolic teaching on the core doctrines of the faith, respecting the clear line of movement from Jesus (as origin of Gospel and doctrinal teaching) to the apostles (proclaimers and interpreters of the Gospel and its teaching) down to the church. This has been the position of the church for thousands of years and we see it in full form here in the description of the early church.

Paul and Barnabas have witnessed God’s saving work among the Gentiles firsthand. So naturally, they oppose the circumcision gospel, knowing it to be falsehood. This debate prompts the church in Antioch to send a delegation to Jerusalem. It seems as though Antioch is asking the pillars of the faith to weigh in on this matter and give a ruling. But this is complicated by the fact that some of the earliest believers belong to the circumcision group – the Pharisees!

It’s discouraging that some of these believers hold this view. But at the same time, we can draw encouragement from the fact that some of the Pharisees came to believe in Jesus!

This sets the stage for the important Jerusalem council which will dominate the rest of Acts 15.