But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed saying that it was needful to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses.

And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.

Hey listeners, this is Nick from Scripture Central.

And today's podcast addresses the question,

why was the Jerusalem Council important?

When Jesus commissioned his apostles to spread the gospel after his resurrection,

he told them that ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea and in Samaria and unto the

utmost part of the earth. As Luke describes the growth of the church, the apostles and missionaries

of the church would ultimately fulfill that very blessing. They would preach first in Jerusalem and

Judea, then in Samaria. Finally, in a dramatic vision manifested to Peter,

the Lord made it known that the gospel was now to go to the Gentiles. That raised the need for the

leadership of the church to hold a formal council meeting in order to reach a unanimous decision

on what should be required of a Gentile who joined the Church

of Jesus Christ.

The conversion of Cornelius, a Roman military leader, broke new ground.

Prior to Cornelius's baptism at the hands of Peter, all Christians were either Jews,

who were already keeping the law of Moses, or proselytes, Gentiles who had previously

converted to Judaism, and were also keeping the law of Moses at the time they became Christians.

Cornelius, however, was not observing any of the provisions of the law of Moses, but was simply

one that feared God, and prayed to God Allway.

In the New Testament, the term Godfehrer referred to Gentiles,

who were sympathetic towards Judaism and worshipped Jehovah,

...