What is the meaning of Acts 15:10? Now then • Peter has just reminded the Jerusalem Council that God had already shown His approval of Gentile believers by giving them the Holy Spirit (Acts 15:7-9). • The phrase shifts the discussion from recounting God’s actions to applying them: “Given all that God has done, let’s draw the right conclusion.” • Similar pivot moments appear in Acts 11:17 and Romans 8:31, where a factual reminder leads directly to an exhortation. why do you test God • “Test” means putting God’s clear will on trial, as Israel did in the wilderness (Exodus 17:2; Psalm 95:8-9). • Peter warns that insisting on circumcision for salvation challenges God’s revealed acceptance of uncircumcised Gentiles (Acts 15:8-9; 10:44-48). • Acts 5:9 shows the danger: Ananias and Sapphira “tested” the Spirit and faced judgment. by placing on the necks of the disciples • The “disciples” are Gentile converts (Acts 15:3). • To “place” something on someone’s neck pictures forcing an unwanted burden (Matthew 23:4). • The neck imagery recalls Deuteronomy 28:48, where a hostile nation puts “an iron yoke on your neck” when Israel disobeys—highlighting how oppressive legal demands feel. a yoke • In Scripture a yoke symbolizes binding obligation: – Law of Moses when misapplied (Galatians 5:1; 4:24-25). – Harsh labor under Egypt (Leviticus 26:13). • Jesus offers the contrasting “easy” yoke of grace (Matthew 11:28-30). • Peter identifies the ceremonial law, especially circumcision, as a yoke unsuited to save. that neither we • “We” refers to Jewish believers present, including the apostles. • Peter admits that keeping the Law never enabled them to achieve righteousness (Acts 13:39; Romans 3:20). • Honesty about their own failure undercuts any claim that the Law should now succeed with Gentiles. nor our fathers • Israel’s history proves universal inability: – Repeated covenant breaches (Nehemiah 9:16-17). – Prophets denounce persistent disobedience (Jeremiah 7:22-26). • Galatians 3:10 affirms that reliance on the Law places people under a curse because perfect obedience is required—something “our fathers” never accomplished. have been able to bear? • The rhetorical question expects the answer “We could not.” • Acts 13:38-39: through Jesus, believers receive justification “from which you could not be justified by the Law of Moses.” • Romans 7:10-12 shows the Law revealing sin but lacking power to address it. • Therefore adding the Law as a salvation requirement denies the sufficiency of Christ’s finished work (John 19:30; Hebrews 10:14). summary Acts 15:10 is Peter’s Spirit-led plea: Since God has clearly saved Gentiles by grace through faith and given them the Holy Spirit, imposing the Mosaic Law—symbolized as an unbearable yoke—would challenge God’s decision and repeat Israel’s historic failure. The verse affirms that salvation rests solely on the grace of the Lord Jesus, not on human ability to keep the Law. |
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