Chapter

Acts 15:25

ESV it has seemed good to us, having come to one accord, to choose men and send them to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
NIV So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul—
NASB it seemed good to us, having become of one mind, to select men to send to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
CSB we have unanimously decided to select men and send them to you along with our dearly loved Barnabas and Paul,
NLT So we decided, having come to complete agreement, to send you official representatives, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
KJV It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
NKJV it seemed good to us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

What does Acts 15:25 mean?

When Christian Pharisees come to Syrian Antioch from Judea and tell the Gentile Jesus-followers they need to be circumcised, Paul, Barnabas, and the elders of the church in Antioch vehemently disagree. They know Jesus chose the Gentiles as Gentiles, not as converts to Judaism (Acts 15:1–2).

The apostles and the church elders in Jerusalem—including James, half-brother of Jesus and pastor of the church—agree with the Antiochenes. They disavow the Pharisees' claims. The salvation of the Gentiles is secure. But they cannot send such affirmation with Paul and Barnabas alone; they need to send their own messengers, namely Judas Barsabbas and Silas, to validate the letter (Acts 15:6–22).

"One accord" is from the Greek root word homothymadon. It suggests many notes in harmony or several beings moving forward gracefully. Both Greek and Hebrew culture valued discussion as a way of discovering the truth, so the fact that several Christian leaders agree on such a serious topic is significant.

To that end, although the leaders in Jerusalem do not want the Gentile Christians to be troubled or burdened, James does want the Gentiles to make certain concessions. These are to ensure the harmony with their Jewish brothers and sisters is complete. He tells them to refrain from sexual immorality, blood, and food that has been sacrificed to idols (Acts 15:29).

The Pharisees wanted the Gentiles to convert to Judaism so they could fellowship in the church and still maintain their high reputation among the non-Christian Jews (Galatians 6:12). James doesn't care about their reputation. He knows true unity from Christ is far more important than worldly praise (James 2:1–13).
Expand
Expand
Expand
What is the Gospel?
Download the app: