Acts 15:1–11

Dispute in Antioch

15Some men ^ucame down from Judea and began to teach the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised ^vaccording to the custom prescribed by Moses, ^wyou cannot be saved!” ²But after Paul and Barnabas had engaged them in serious argument and debate, the church arranged for Paul and Barnabas and some others of them to go up to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem concerning this controversy. ^x3When they had been sent on their way by the church, ^ythey passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, explaining in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they created great joy among all the brothers.

⁴When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them. ^z5But some of the believers from the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses!”

The Jerusalem Council

⁶Then the apostles and the elders assembled to consider this matter. ⁷After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them: “Brothers, you are aware that in the early days God made a choice among you, ^athat by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the gospel message and believe. ⁸And God, who knows the heart, testified to them by giving ^bthe Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us. ^c9He made no distinction between us and them, ^dcleansing their hearts by faith. ^e10Now then, why are you testing God by putting a yoke on the disciples’ necks ^fthat neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? ¹¹On the contrary, we believe we are saved through the grace ^gof the Lord Jesus in the same way they are.”