The Holy Spirit Leads (Acts 15)

In Acts 15 Luke reports on the Council of Jerusalem, the first ecumenical council in the history of the Church. An ecumenical council is typically called so the pope and the bishops can confer and settle a matter of disputed doctrine. At the Council of Jerusalem, the issue was whether or not gentile converts to Christianity needed to follow the laws of Moses.

The issue at hand was no small matter. Luke tells us that certain Jewish converts to Christianity were telling their gentile brothers in Christ that they could not be saved unless they were circumcised. In defense of these Jewish converts, the practice of circumcision had been a sign of God's covenant with Abraham and his descendants for some two millennia. The closest comparison we can make now would be if the sacrament of baptism were to be replaced by some new rite of entry into the Church. It was very difficult for even some Christians to wrap their heads around the idea that circumcision was no longer required.

Yet in the new age of the Church, God established a new covenant with His people, sealed by the blood and water which flowed from our Savior's side on Calvary. The old sign of the covenant, necessary in an earlier age, was a barrier to conversion as the Church set forth to proclaim the gospel to all nations. Christ gave a new command: baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). The waters of baptism would wash away their sins and seal them as a beloved son or daughter of God. 

At the Council of Jerusalem, the Church did not decide to dispense with the requirement of circumcision; rather, Peter and the apostles recognized and affirmed that the Holy Spirit revealed that circumcision should not be an obstacle to conversion. The Spirit first revealed this to the deacon Philip, who converted and baptized the Ethiopian eunuch, a man who could not be circumcised (Acts 8:26-39). The Holy Spirit likewise descended on Cornelius and the gentiles of his household, none of whom had been circumcised (Acts 10:1-43). Peter cited this in his speech to the Council: "After much debate had taken place, Peter got up and said to them, 'My brothers, you are well aware that from early days God made his choice among you that through my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness by granting them the holy Spirit just as he did us'" (Acts 15:7-8). The speech of Peter, along with the testimony of Paul and Barnabas and the prudent guidance of James the Less, proved decisive. The Council of Jerusalem dispensed with the requirements of the Old Law, save those needed to preserve the purity of the converts from unchastity and idol-worship. 

The Council of Jerusalem is a reminder that the Church will not be free from conflict and disputes; indeed, there have been 21 ecumenical councils since, and sadly no shortage of heresies to combat. Yet the Church through all the storms remains led by the Holy Spirit, to persevere in faith and proclaim the gospel until the end of the age.