Acts 15 is about controversy in the early church. We can understand Paul and Peter, who insist that God has granted Gentiles repentance that leads to life without the Gentiles needing to be circumcised (as we saw in Acts 11). And we can understand the circumcision faction, who are named more precisely as believing Pharisees in Acts 15:5; Paul was himself a believer who had belonged to the Pharisaic party. But we must be clear that Acts 15 is not simply a matter of tradition versus innovation. It is about a very specific and concrete point which is central to the whole of early Christianity: because God has fulfilled his covenant with Israel in sending Jesus as Messiah, the covenant family is now thrown open to all, without distinction.

Sermon by Ivan Stanchev