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Acts 15:4
ESV When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them.
NIV When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them.
NASB When they arrived in Jerusalem, they were received by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them.
CSB When 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.
NLT When they arrived in Jerusalem, Barnabas and Paul were welcomed by the whole church, including the apostles and elders. They reported everything God had done through them.
KJV And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.

What does Acts 15:4 mean?

Paul and Barnabas are leaders, teachers, and evangelists in the church at Syrian Antioch. This congregation is comprised largely of Gentiles (Acts 11:19–26). The church sent them on a missionary journey to plant new churches on Cyprus and up through the middle of modern-day Asia Minor. Their efforts brought many more Jews and Gentiles to a saving relationship with Jesus (Acts 13:12, 47–48; 14:1).

When the pair returned to Syrian Antioch, a group of Jewish Jesus-followers who still identified as Pharisees arrived from Jerusalem. The ultra-legalistic Jews insist that before Gentiles can be Christian, they must convert to Judaism by becoming circumcised and following the Mosaic law (Acts 15:1, 5). Paul, Barnabas, and many others disagree. To them, it is obvious how the Holy Spirit indwelt uncircumcised Gentiles with no problem. It's also clear to Paul that these Pharisees want salvation in Jesus without losing their pious reputation among fellow Jews (Galatians 6:12). For clarity, both parties bring the matter before the leadership in Jerusalem.

"Apostle" means someone who is sent on behalf of another. There were many who had the responsibility of apostle in the early church. However, very few were an apostle of Christ, set aside personally by Jesus to be His messenger. Paul is one of these (Acts 9:5–6), but here "apostle" refers to Jesus' remaining eleven disciples plus Matthias (Acts 1:26), although at this point the apostle James had been martyred (Acts 12:2).

The concept of elder was well-established in Jewish culture (Exodus 4:29; 12:21). Moses' father-in-law advised him to appoint elders to take on issues which did not need Moses' direct attention (Exodus 18:13–23). Civil elders often sat by the city gates to decide local cases (Ruth 4:11). The elders of Jerusalem joined with the priests and the scribes to have Jesus crucified (Matthew 27:1).

Men defined as "elders" in modern churches have different roles depending on the type of church government. Their responsibilities include settling disputes, as here, praying for the sick (James 5:14), governing the church (1 Peter 5:1–4), and teaching (Acts 6:2–4). Later, Paul will give Timothy (1 Timothy 3:1–7) and Titus (Titus 1:5–9) specific qualifications for elders. Here, it is likely the elders are leaders of the inclusive body of believers in Jerusalem that meet in several smaller groups.
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