Kisah 15

Acts 15:1

Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

(a) Some men. These men are known in scripture as the “party of the circumcision” (Gal. 2:12) or “those of the circumcision” (Tit. 1:10), but we know them as Judaizers. Paul also referred to them as dogs, evil workers, and the false circumcision (Php. 3:2). They taught that non-Jewish believers had to adopt Jewish customs such as circumcision in order to be saved. Paul vigorously refuted this idea and insisted that we are saved by grace alone (Acts 15:2, Eph. 2:5–8). Peter agreed (Acts 15:11) and so did James (Acts 15:19, 24–25).

(b) The custom of Moses. Circumcision originated with Abraham (Gen. 17:9–11) but these men refer to it as the custom of Moses. They are not interested in the grace given to Abraham, but the law given to Moses. Circumcision is just the first step. “Just do this one little thing for Jesus.” It was the thin edge of a bad wedge. Paul warned there would be more law to follow. “Every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law” (Gal. 5:3).

Acts 15:2

And when Paul and Barnabas had great dissension and debate with them, the brethren determined that Paul and Barnabas and some others of them should go up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders concerning this issue.

(a) Paul. This was the third of at least five visits Paul made to Jerusalem after his conversion; see kemasukan for Acts 9:26.

(b) Barnabas; see kemasukan for Acts 9:27.

(c) Elders. An elder or overseer is responsible for shepherding the church. See kemasukan for 1 Tim. 5:17.

Acts 15:4

When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were received by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them.

The church in Jerusalem had been so severely persecuted that all the Christians fled, except the apostles (Acts 8:1). But like a well-pruned tree, the church grew and thrived again.

Kisah Para Rasul 15:5

Tetapi beberapa dari golongan Farisi yang telah percaya itu bangkit dan berkata: "Mereka perlu disunat dan menyuruh mereka berpegang pada Taurat Musa."

The Hukum Musa refers to the commandments, ordinances, punishments, and ceremonial observances given to the nation of Israel through Moses (Jos. 8:31, John 1:17, 7:19). This law is sometimes referred to as the law of commandments (Eph. 2:15) or the law of the Jews (Acts 25:8). See kemasukan untuk Undang-undang.

Kisah Para Rasul 15:7

Setelah terjadi banyak perdebatan, Petrus berdiri dan berkata kepada mereka, “Saudara-saudara, kamu tahu, bahwa pada masa awal Allah telah memilih di antara kamu, supaya melalui mulutku orang-orang bukan Yahudi mendengar firman Injil dan percaya.

(a) Dengarlah firman injil dan percayalah. Iman datang daripada mendengar berita baik tentang Yesus Kristus (lihat kemasukan for Rom. 10:17).

(b) Injil merujuk kepada Injil Kristus atau Injil Tuhan atau Injil Kerajaan. Ini semua adalah label yang berbeza untuk Injil rahmat. Lihat kemasukan untuk Injil.

(c) Percaya. Like Jesus before them, the apostles preached for a verdict (Mark 1:15). We are to believe the gospel. Believing the good news about Jesus is both the work of God and his command (John 6:29, 1 John 3:23).

Kisah Para Rasul 15:9

dan Dia tidak membeda-bedakan antara kita dan mereka, menyucikan hati mereka dengan iman.

Membersihkan hati mereka dengan iman. Semua berkat Tuhan, termasuk pengampunan, keselamatan, kebenaran dan pengudusan, datang kepada kita dengan cuma-cuma melalui anugerah dan diterima dengan iman. Iman tidak memaksa Tuhan untuk mengampuni kita atau menyucikan kita. Tetapi iman adalah saluran yang melaluinya rahmat mengalir. Lihat kemasukan for Eph. 2:8.

Acts 15:10

“Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?

(a) Disciples. The first Christians called themselves disciples or followers, which was a holdover from the time when people followed Jesus. However, none of the New Testament epistle writers used this word. See kemasukan for Acts 6:1.

(b) Yoke. The yoke refers to the burdensome demands of the Law of Moses, which Paul called a yoke of slavery (Gal. 5:10).

In contrast with the light and easy yoke of Jesus (Matt. 11:28–30), the yoke of law is too heavy to bear (Acts 15:10). If your walk with God is characterized by pressure to perform, weariness, and a lack of joy, that is a sign that you are under the wrong yoke.

Kisah Para Rasul 15:11

“Tetapi kita percaya, bahwa kita diselamatkan oleh kasih karunia Tuhan Yesus, sama seperti mereka juga.”

(a) Diselamatkan melalui rahmat. We are not forgiven, saved, or made right on account of anything we have done (Rom. 11:6, 2 Tim: 1:9); we are saved because God loves us and out of the goodness he did what needed to be done to rescue us from our captivity to sin (Eph. 2:7). Salvation is entirely of God (Php. 1:28, Rev. 19:1). See kemasukan untuk Keselamatan.

(b) The grace of the Lord Jesus refers to the grace of God that comes to us through his Son (John 1:16–17).

(c) Dengan cara yang sama, iaitu dengan iman.

Acts 15:13

After they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, “Brethren, listen to me.

Yakobus the Just, the step-brother of Jesus (Matt. 13:55, Mark 6:3, Gal. 1:19). As a younger man, James did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah (John 7:5). However, after the risen Lord appeared to him (1 Cor. 15:7), James became a new man. Later he became the letter-writing leader of the church in Jerusalem (Acts 15:13, 21:18, 25, Gal. 2:9). According to Josephus, James was martyred for his faith in AD62 (Antiquities, 20.9.1).

James takes the lead here in the Jerusalem Council and it is soon clear that in the matter of circumcision and law he is of the same mind as Paul, Barnabas, and Peter. There was no division among the apostles. Peter had known for years that God accepted the Gentiles (Acts 2:17, 10:34), while James was one of the first apostles to meet with Paul after his conversion (Acts 9:27). Much of what James says in the following verses about circumcision, idol food, and sexual immorality mirrors what Paul would later write in his epistles. There is not the slightest suggestion that the Jerusalem apostles needed to be convinced by the apostles from Antioch about God’s acceptance of the Gentiles and his grace for all people. The only source of division came from the party of the circumcision.

Acts 15:19

“Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles,

Do not trouble those who are turning to God. In other words, “Do not put them under law.” James is agreeing with Paul (Acts 15:10, see also Rom. 6:14–15).

Kisah Para Rasul 15:20

tetapi kami menulis kepada mereka supaya mereka menjauhkan diri daripada perkara yang dicemari oleh berhala dan dari percabulan dan dari daging yang dicekik dan daripada darah.

(a) Menjauhkan diri daripada perkara yang dicemari oleh berhala. In idol-worshipping cultures, meat that had been offered to idols was often sold for public consumption (1 Cor. 10:25). This raised several issues for Christians, the first of which was, is it okay to eat this meat? The short answer is we are free to eat anything. But if our freedom causes others to stumble or be offended – as would surely be the case in a Jewish city like Jerusalem – then it’s better not to eat. Paul would later say the same thing (1 Cor. 8:8–9).

In Jerusalem, the consumption of idol meat was not a major issue. The Jews abhorred idols and had little to do with them. But in the Greek-speaking cities the situation was very different. When Paul travelled to Athens, he found a “city full of idols” (Acts 17:16). Gentile believers had to deal with a host of questions that the Jews never faced. For this reason Paul devoted at least three chapters to the subject of idol food (Rom. 14, 1 Cor. 8, 10).

Seorang mualaf bukan Yahudi telah terdedah kepada penyembahan berhala sepanjang hidupnya. Bolehkah orang seperti itu terus membeli daging dari pasar jika ada kemungkinan daging telah dipersembahkan kepada berhala? Paul berkata ia bergantung (lihat kemasukan for 1 Cor. 8:9).

(b) Fornication. Sexual immorality. Again, James is anticipating what Paul will later say in his letters. “Have nothing to do with sexual immorality” (Eph. 5:3, Col. 3:5).

Sexual immorality is degrading. It diminishes us and destroys marriages, families, reputations, careers, and ministries. It is the driving force behind the evils of trafficking and sexual slavery, and as children of God we are to have nothing to do with it. Like Joseph in Potiphar’s house, we are to “flee immorality” (1 Cor. 6:18).

Acts 15:21

“For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”

Moses… in every city. There were Jewish synagogues and communities all over the world. A Gentile believer who purchased meat that had been offered to idols and then brought that meat to a church meal would create a stumbling block for their Jewish brethren. For the sake of unity, it was best not to do it. Paul said the same thing (Rom. 14:13).

Acts 15:23

and they sent this letter by them,
“The apostles and the brethren who are elders, to the brethren in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia who are from the Gentiles, greetings.

(a) Antioch; see kemasukan for Acts 11:19.

(b) Syria was a Roman province located to the north of Judea. In New Testament times, its capital city was Antioch. Syrians were among the first to respond to Jesus’ ministry (Matt. 4:24).

(c) Cilicia; see kemasukan for Acts 21:39.

Acts 15:24

“Since we have heard that some of our number to whom we gave no instruction have disturbed you with their words, unsettling your souls,

Some of our number. These are the “certain men from James” that went to Antioch to spy on the freedom of the new believers (Gal. 2:11). These men claimed to come from James, but they belonged to “the party of the circumcision” (Gal. 2:12), which James opposed.

Acts 15:25

it seemed good to us, having become of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

Beloved Barnabas and Paul. James leaves no doubts as to who he supports. He wants the Christians in Antioch to know he does not side with the circumcisers, but the apostles of grace.

Acts 15:26

men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

(a) Lord. When Jesus walked the earth he was known as Jesus of Nazareth (e.g., Matt. 26:71). But after he ascended to heaven he was given a new name above every name, and that name is Lord (Php. 2:9–11). The original word for Lord (kyrios) means the One who is supreme above all. “You call me Teacher and Lord; and you are right, for so I am” (John 13:13).

(b) Jesus Christ. To refer to Jesus as Christ is to recognize that he is the prophesied Messiah or Rescuer (John 1:41). The word Christ means yang diurapi. Peter was one of the first to recognize that Jesus was the Christ (Matt 16:16).

Kisah Para Rasul 15:29

supaya kamu menjauhkan diri daripada segala yang dipersembahkan kepada berhala dan daripada darah dan daripada binatang yang mati dicekik dan daripada percabulan; jika kamu menjaga diri kamu daripada perkara-perkara seperti itu, kamu akan berbuat baik. Selamat tinggal.”

Jauhkan diri daripada perkara yang dikorbankan kepada berhala; lihat kemasukan for Acts 15:20.

Kisah Para Rasul 15:35

Tetapi Paulus dan Barnabas tinggal di Antiokhia, mengajar dan memberitakan firman Tuhan dengan banyak orang lain.

(a) Teaching. Biblical teaching is the ability to reveal Jesus the Living Word of God (Acts 4:2, 13:12, 15:35, 18:11, 28:31, Col. 3:16). Teaching also includes the ability to unpack the scriptures (Acts 2:42).

(b) Preaching. Announcing the good news. The original word for preaching (euaggelizo) is closely related to the word for gospel (euaggelion). This is one of three words that are commonly translated as “preaching” in the New Testament. See kemasukan for Acts 5:42.

(c) Firman Tuhan adalah sinonim dengan firman Allah. Injil Yesus, dengan kata lain. Lihat kemasukan for Acts 12:24.

Acts 15:39

And there occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus.

Disagreement. Perhaps it wasn’t John Mark’s desertion that troubled Paul so deeply, but Barnabas’s. When the Judaizers came to Antioch, the Jewish believers had withdrawn from the Gentile believers and so had Barnabas (Gal. 2:11–13). Peter had swung one way, Paul the other, and Barnabas had gone with Peter. The betrayal from such a close friend would’ve stung Paul deeply. We can only speculate, but it’s possible that Paul was still feeling the pain.

The Grace Commentary is a work in progress with new content added regularly. Sign up for occasional updates below. Got a suggestion? Please use the Maklum balasmuka surat. Untuk melaporkan kesilapan silap atau pautan rosak pada halaman ini, sila gunakan borang ulasan di bawah.

“The Grace Commentary is full of God’s love notes to us.” We’re building the world’s first grace-based Bible commentary. Join the team and your support will help us complete the Grace Commentary and offer versions in multiple formats and languages.

Navigator Bab

Navigator Buku

Leave a Reply