The Kingdom Assembled: The Judgment of James Text: Acts 15:13-21
Introduction: A Crisis of Two Covenants
We come now to the very heart of the book of Acts, a moment of crisis that would determine the trajectory of the Christian faith for all time. The question on the floor was not a small one. It was this: do you have to become a Jew in order to become a Christian? Certain men from Judea, Pharisees who had come to believe in Jesus, were insisting that the Gentile converts must be circumcised and commanded to keep the law of Moses. They were, in effect, trying to make the gospel a small annex on the back of the old covenant house. They wanted to pour the new wine of the Spirit into the old, brittle wineskins of the Mosaic economy.
Paul and Barnabas saw this for what it was: a different gospel, which is no gospel at all. It was an attack on the finished work of Christ. If salvation is by grace through faith, plus circumcision, plus kosher laws, plus Sabbath regulations, then it is not by grace at all. It is a return to the bondage of works. This was not a matter of cultural preference; it was a foundational, theological battle for the soul of the church. And so the apostles and elders gathered in Jerusalem to settle the matter. Peter has spoken, powerfully recounting how God saved Cornelius and his household by faith alone, making no distinction between Jew and Gentile. Paul and Barnabas have testified to the miracles God performed among the Gentiles, confirming that His blessing was on their ministry. The evidence is on the table. And now, James, the brother of our Lord and the leader of the Jerusalem church, rises to give the definitive judgment.
What he says here is not merely a wise compromise to keep the peace. It is a profound exposition of Old Testament prophecy, demonstrating that the inclusion of the Gentiles was not a surprise, not a Plan B, but was in fact the central promise of God all along. James shows us that the kingdom of Christ is the restored kingdom of David, and its purpose was always to encompass the globe. This council is a constitutional convention for the new covenant people of God, and the principles laid down here are the bedrock of Christian freedom and catholicity.
The Text
Now after they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, “Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name. And with this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, ‘AFTER THESE THINGS I will return, AND I WILL REBUILD THE FALLEN BOOTH OF DAVID, AND I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS, AND I WILL RESTORE IT, SO THAT THE REST OF MANKIND MAY SEEK THE LORD, AND ALL THE GENTILES WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME,’ SAYS THE LORD, WHO MAKES THESE THINGS KNOWN FROM LONG AGO. Therefore I judge that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from sexual immorality and from what is strangled and from blood. For from ancient generations, Moses has those who preach him in every city, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”
(Acts 15:13-21 LSB)
Confirming the Testimony (v. 13-14)
James begins by establishing his ground, not on his own authority, but on the twin pillars of apostolic testimony and prophetic Scripture.
"Now after they had stopped speaking, James answered, saying, 'Brothers, listen to me. Simeon has related how God first concerned Himself about taking from among the Gentiles a people for His name.'" (Acts 15:13-14 LSB)
James, a man known for his deep Jewish piety, commands the attention of the assembly. He refers to Peter by his Hebrew name, Simeon, which is a deft touch. It reminds everyone, particularly the Pharisee party, of Peter's unimpeachable Jewish credentials. James then summarizes Peter's testimony: God Himself initiated this. This wasn't Paul's maverick idea. God "first concerned Himself" to visit the Gentiles. The verb here indicates a sovereign visitation, a divine inspection and intervention.
And what was the purpose? To take "from among the Gentiles a people for His name." This is covenant language through and through. In the Old Testament, Israel was the people for God's name (Deut. 28:10). Now, James affirms that God is doing the same work among the nations. He is building one people, not two. He is not creating a "Gentile" church and a "Jewish" church. He is creating the Church, composed of believing Jews and Gentiles, who together constitute the true Israel of God. The name of God is being placed upon them. This is not replacement; it is fulfillment and expansion. The olive tree is not being cut down; wild branches are being grafted in (Rom. 11:17).
The Prophetic Foundation (v. 15-18)
James now anchors this new reality in the bedrock of the Old Testament, quoting from the prophet Amos.
"And with this the words of the Prophets agree, just as it is written, ‘AFTER THESE THINGS I will return, AND I WILL REBUILD THE FALLEN BOOTH OF DAVID, AND I WILL REBUILD ITS RUINS, AND I WILL RESTORE IT, SO THAT THE REST OF MANKIND MAY SEEK THE LORD, AND ALL THE GENTILES WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME,’ SAYS THE LORD, WHO MAKES THESE THINGS KNOWN FROM LONG AGO." (Acts 15:15-18 LSB)
This is the theological heart of the judgment. James declares that what Peter witnessed is precisely what the prophets promised. He quotes Amos 9:11-12. The "fallen booth of David" refers to the Davidic dynasty after it had fallen into ruin and disrepair, culminating in the exile. The promise was that God would one day return and rebuild it. The Judaizers would have thought of this in terms of a restored political kingdom, a new temple, and a renewed Mosaic administration.
But James, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gives the definitive interpretation. What is the rebuilt booth of David? It is the person and work of Jesus Christ, the great Son of David, and His body, the Church. Christ has ascended to the throne of David. He is reigning now. The restoration is happening now. And what is the stated purpose of this restoration? "SO THAT THE REST OF MANKIND MAY SEEK THE LORD, AND ALL THE GENTILES WHO ARE CALLED BY MY NAME."
This is a death blow to the Judaizers' entire paradigm. The very purpose of rebuilding David's kingdom was so that the Gentiles could be brought in. The inclusion of the nations was not an afterthought; it was the main event. The restoration of Israel finds its ultimate meaning in the salvation of the world. This is not about Gentiles becoming Jews. It is about all of mankind, Jew and Gentile, seeking the one true Lord through the one true King, Jesus. This is a robustly postmillennial vision. The kingdom is being built, the ruins are being restored, and the nations are flowing to it, all according to God's plan "known from long ago."
The Apostolic Judgment (v. 19)
Based on this firm foundation of testimony and prophecy, James delivers his verdict.
"Therefore I judge that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles," (Acts 15:19 LSB)
The word "judge" here is a formal declaration. James is speaking with apostolic authority. And his conclusion is magnificently simple: "we do not trouble" them. The Greek word means to harass, to burden, to annoy with unnecessary obstacles. The demands of the Judaizers were a stumbling block placed in the path of Gentile converts. They were adding man-made burdens to the free grace of God. The gospel yoke is easy, and its burden is light. Legalism always makes it heavy.
The principle here is of immense pastoral importance. The church must be vigilant not to "trouble" new believers with extra-biblical requirements. We are not to erect fences where God has placed none. We must not demand that people get cleaned up before they can come to Christ. They come to Christ, and He cleans them up. The gate is narrow, to be sure, but we have no right to make it narrower than Christ did.
Pastoral Wisdom for Unity (v. 20-21)
Having established the principle of freedom, James now applies pastoral wisdom to maintain unity.
"but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from sexual immorality and from what is strangled and from blood. For from ancient generations, Moses has those who preach him in every city, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.” (Acts 15:20-21 LSB)
It is crucial to understand what these four prohibitions are, and what they are not. They are not a new set of laws for salvation. That would contradict the entire point of the council. Rather, they are pastoral guardrails designed to promote fellowship between Jewish and Gentile believers and to ensure a clean break from paganism. These were not arbitrary rules. Three of the four relate directly to the pagan temple worship that these Gentiles were coming out of. The temples were the centers of idolatry, ritual prostitution, and feasts where meat was offered to idols, often without being properly bled.
Abstaining from "things contaminated by idols" and "sexual immorality" was a direct repudiation of the pagan cults. Abstaining from "what is strangled and from blood" was a significant concession to Jewish conscience. The prohibition against consuming blood goes all the way back to Noah (Gen. 9:4) and was a deeply ingrained part of Jewish law and identity. For a Gentile Christian to be eating blood in the presence of a Jewish Christian would have been a massive, unnecessary offense, a stumbling block to fellowship.
James provides the reason in verse 21. Moses is read in synagogues everywhere. This means two things. First, the Jewish believers are everywhere, and their consciences on these matters are well-formed and sensitive. The Gentile believers, exercising their freedom in love, should not needlessly trample on that. Second, it means that any Gentile who wants to learn more about the Old Testament foundations of their faith has ample opportunity to do so. This is not about keeping them ignorant; it is about starting them off with the basics of love for God and neighbor.
This is the application of Christian liberty. We are free in Christ, but we are not free to use our liberty to destroy our brother (Rom. 14). These are not laws of salvation, but rules for table fellowship. They are applications of the eternal moral law: you shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Conclusion: One New Man
The Jerusalem Council is a glorious victory for the gospel. It affirms that salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. It affirms that the Church is the true, restored Israel, the rebuilt booth of David, into which all nations are called. And it provides a masterful example of how to apply theological truth with pastoral wisdom.
The Judaizing threat did not disappear after this council. Paul would have to fight this battle again and again, most notably in his letter to the Galatians. It is a perennial temptation for the church to want to add something to the finished work of Christ, to create little checklists of righteousness that we can control. But the verdict of James stands. We are not to trouble those who are turning to God. We are to welcome them, love them, and walk with them in the freedom that Christ purchased with His own blood.
The goal is what Paul describes in Ephesians: to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace (Eph. 2:15). That one new man is the Church, the tabernacle of David, a house of prayer and praise for all nations. And we are being built into it, stone by living stone.