How do we answer questions and disagreements? The early church faced “dissension and debate” (Acts 15:2) about what some were “teaching the brothers” (Acts 15:1). This wasn’t a minor difference of judgment; it was about what was “necessary” (Acts 15:5) to “be saved” (Acts 15:1). It raised a “question” (Acts 15:2) for the brethren.

So how did they resolve the issue? Not with opinion, but with divine authority derived from what God implied, showed, and told them. In this account, we learn how we can act with Divine authority by Biblically considering together what God wants. What peace and harmony we discover when we can walk confidently under his rule, seeking his will as one!

Consider what God wants ALONE

It was a given in the early church: Only God has the authority to settle a matter. As they gathered to determine their course, each speaker emphasized God’s authority. 

What peace and harmony we discover when we can walk confidently under his rule, seeking his will as one!

• Peter emphasized God’s authoritative decision: “God made a choice” (Acts 15:7), “God … bore witness” (15:8), God made no distinction (Acts 15:9), so we shouldn’t “put God to the test” adding a yoke of rules God didn’t require (Acts 15:10).

• Paul and Barnabas emphasized God’s authoritative approval, shown in the “signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles” (Acts 15:12, cf. 15:4). God gave signs to confirm that the message had his authority (Mark 16:20; Heb. 2:3-4). The miracles showed them God backed the message by his power (Rom. 15:18-19; 1 Cor. 2:4-5).

• James emphasized “the words of the prophets” (Acts 15:15), which have authority because “no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God” (2 Pet. 1:21). He quoted and applied the Bible, God’s holy word.

Consider what God wants TOGETHER

If we want to resolve disputes as the early church did, we must:

1. Gather & Consider. They could’ve gone separate ways, but instead, they “were gathered together to consider this matter” (Acts 15:6). Don’t try to work out your faith in isolation, Christ gave us the local church to help each of us. God’s people seek his will in the community of faith (Acts 2:41; 17:11; 18:26). We can isolate ourselves with our secret opinions, our fear of confrontation, or our insecurity about our knowledge of Scriptures.

2. Speak & Listen. We must be willing to lovingly, respectfully speak up and listen up. They spoke as to brothers (Acts 15:7, 13) and quietly listened (Acts 15:12, 13). This is a far cry from what we see too often in churches.

God’s people seek his will in the community of faith.

3. Unite & Support. They came “to one accord” (Acts 15:25), so they could act in unison: “it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church” to choose some men to go to Antioch (Acts 15:22). The speakers were recognized church leaders — apostles and elders (Acts 15:6-7, 12-13, 22). The chosen approach was supported by the whole church (Acts 15:22), illustrating how God’s people can stand together within the authority of Christ.

Consider what God wants BIBLICALLY

God reveals his will in different ways. The early church looked intently into what God told them, showed them, or even clearly implied — so that what they did came from God.

Peter noticed what God had implied (Acts 15:7-11). God hadn’t explicitly told him that Gentiles could be baptized. But Peter drew a necessary inference from what God said and did. It was an inference because he used common sense to conclude (as Jesus did – Mark 12:26-27). It was necessary because there was really no other logical conclusion he could reach.

Paul and Barnabas appealed to their own approved example of converting Gentiles accompanied by signs (Acts 15:12).

Finally, James showed how a direct statement of Scripture authorized them to bring the gospel to the nations (15:13-19).

The early church looked intently into what God told them, showed them, or even clearly implied — so that what they did came from God.

We use this same approach in every other part of our lives. Our bosses expect us to consider what they show us, tell us, and even imply they want us to do, without spelling out every step.

So we use the same approach to discern God’s will. For example, we consider the approved example of the church meeting to break bread on the first day of the week under Paul’s apostolic authority (Acts 20:7). We consider Jesus’ statement that we take the bread and the cup, remembering him (1 Cor. 11:24-26). And just as the Israelites inferred from God’s command to remember the Sabbath (Exod. 20:8) that they should do this every Sabbath, we conclude that any time it’s the first day of the week, we’ll take the Lord’s Supper.

The “Therefore” Formula

How do we draw necessary conclusions from the Bible, taking from it only what God intends? By reasoning together under the guidance of God-given leaders (“apostles and the elders” — Acts 15:6), they settled this matter by considering God-given revelation. They said, “It has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay on you no greater burden than these requirements” (Acts 15:28, cf. Matt. 18:18).

How do we seek authority to settle matters? Opinions are the source of “dissension” (Acts 15:2) and “quarreling over words” (1 Tim. 2:14). We avoid so much trouble when we embrace James’ powerful “therefore” formula: James says “it is written” (Acts 15:15), then quotes Scripture (Acts 15:16-18), and lastly gives his judgment as a “therefore,” coming OUT OF the Scripture.

This approach — 1) “It is written,” 2) “Therefore” 3) “My judgment” — is quite different from an opinion put INTO Scripture, where our logic starts with 1) My judgment followed by, 2) Therefore and a 3) Twisted proof text (see 2 Pet. 3:16).

False teachers “troubled” the Gentile Christians, “unsettling” their minds. However, the apostles and elders “gave them no instructions” to do so (Acts 15:24). Teaching without God’s authority leaves people conflicted about what to believe. Under God’s rule, we stand in confidence and grace, teaching only “the gospel of peace” (Eph 6:15).