The New Testament contains a number of letters. Most, though not all of them, were written by apostles. For example, Jude wrote a letter but he is never called an apostle in the New Testament, and we are not sure who wrote the book of Hebrews. That being said, most Bible-reading Christians are familiar with the writings of Paul, James, Peter, and John, all of whom were apostles. But there is a short and unique letter in the New Testament that could easily be forgotten about or overlooked. This is the one that was drafted at the council in Jerusalem, you can read the text of it in Acts 15:23-29.

This brief letter shares some characteristics in common with other letters that we find in the New Testament. It mentions its writers and recipients, and addresses a problem in the early church. Those who were responsible for the composition of the letter were “The apostles and elders, your brothers” (Acts 15:23) who had gathered together at the council in Jerusalem (Acts 15:2). The recipients were the Gentile Christians “in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia” (Acts 15:23). The problem they addressed concerned the place of circumcision with regard to salvation in the Christian faith (Acts 15:1). 

In addition to its similarities with other letters it also has some differences. For example, the letter in Acts 15 is attributed to multiple apostles and multiple elders. In Acts 15:23 the words “apostles” and “elders” are plurals. But we are not given the exact number, or names, of all of the apostles who were there. The account of the council in Acts 15 makes it clear that Peter, one of the original twelve apostles, was there (Acts 15:7-11), Paul and Barnabas, who are both called apostles in Acts 14:14 were also present (Acts 15:2 and 15:12) as was James (Acts 15:13-21). Other apostles may also have been present, but their names are not given. We also do not have a list of the names of the elders or know how many of them were involved. Regardless of how many participated, they were all in some measure responsible for the contents of the letter. The document set forth the decision of the leaders who had gathered together at the council in Jerusalem. A significant amount of information was considered as these Christian leaders came to a decision about the matter under discussion, namely, the place of circumcision in the Christian faith, especially as it relates to Gentiles.

Another difference in this brief letter in Acts 15 is that it is directed specifically to Gentile Christians (Acts 15:23). New Testament letters for the most part do not specify whether they were directed to Jewish or Gentiles believers. They were generally written to gatherings of believers as a whole in specific locations. These congregations may have been composed of both Jews and Gentiles, as was the church in Rome. As some commentators have noted the letter of James seems to have been directed to Jewish Christians (Jas. 1:1). But the letter in Acts 15 is the only one I know of that in its entirety is specifically directed to Gentile believers. Though I am sure that the Jews (Acts 15:5) who were promoting a wrong view about the place of circumcision in the Christian faith, also took an interest in the decision.

Perhaps of special interest in this letter are the words that we find in Acts 15:28 “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us.” Stated differently, the message sent forth here was that the decision that was reached was not just a human decision or a matter of majority rule. It was much more. They believed that their decision reflected the mind of God on the matter. They had a confidence about it. Why was that? The text does not explicitly tell us, but I think that there are some legitimate reasons for their confidence. At the council there were a number of mature spiritual leaders, who working together could help determine the proper course of action. The pooling of their knowledge, experiences, and insights (which actually took place at the council) helped to keep the church out of error. Their quest for truth was further aided by the fact that these leaders were open to the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that the Spirit would guide His followers into all truth (John 16:13). Surely the Spirit guided the church with regard to the serious matter that was being considered at the Jerusalem Council.

The confidence of the apostles and elders was warranted. Oh, that we had more of that same kind of confidence in the church today. With all of the challenges that the church of Jesus Christ faces wouldn’t it be great if we too had the certainty that the early church leaders expressed in this letter? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the decisions we make were indeed truly God’s decisions?  This leads us to some questions that we need to ask ourselves. Are we inviting God’s input in the decisions that we are making for the church of Jesus Christ? Are we seeking to be led by His Word and His Spirit? Or are we depending on other things such as logic, human wisdom, majority rule, or the opinions of the larger culture? Do we really believe that God knows best, or do we think that we do? If we seek God’s will, find it, accept it, and act on it, how much more effective might we be as the church? How much healthier might the body of the church be? These are things to consider.

This short letter in Acts 15 shows us that there is a place for group decision-making in the church; this is especially true with regard to leaders. This practice needs to be employed on the local church level and on the denominational level. The pastors or elders in the local church should work together, and the presbytery members of a denomination should work together. There are times when a leader may have to make a decision alone, but for very important matters enlisting the input of others can be a real asset. May God help us to seek one another’s counsel and act in harmony with God and each other for the benefit of the church. The decision that was reached at the Jerusalem Council was an important one for the church. The decisions that we, especially leaders, make may also be very important for the church, both now and in the future. Let us make our decisions with care.

Scripture quotations taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. 

John P. Lathrop is a graduate of Zion Bible Institute and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and is an ordained minister with the International Fellowship of Christian Assemblies. He has written articles and book reviews for a number of publications including the Pneuma Review, the Africanus Journal of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Christian Trends Magazine, in India, and Berita Mujizat and Jurnal Jaffray, both in Indonesia. He is also the author of five books and also has created and taught a Survey of the New Testament course for PentecostalPastor.com, along with contributing regular columns for the site.