Act 15:1-21  The Apostles and Elders Came Together to Consider this Matter

[Study Aired May 14, 2023]

Act 15:1  And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.
Act 15:2  When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.
Act 15:3  And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren.
Act 15:4  And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.
Act 15:5  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.
Act 15:6  And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.
Act 15:7  And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.
Act 15:8  And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
Act 15:9  And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
Act 15:10  Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
Act 15:11  But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.
Act 15:12  Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them.
Act 15:13  And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me:
Act 15:14  Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.
Act 15:15  And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,
Act 15:16  After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:
Act 15:17  That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.
Act 15:18  Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.
Act 15:19  Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:
Act 15:20  But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
Act 15:21  For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.

We will finish this chapter next week and stop here for today.

We have finally come to Acts 15. This is the chapter which reveals how the apostles set us an example of how we are to deal with doctrinal differences which do arise within the body of Christ. Remember what we have been told:

1Co 11:18  For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.
1Co 11:19  For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

Before we examine how these heretical differences are to be dealt with, let’s first examine why the Lord sends us “divisions among you” and doctrinal differences. It is not what we might think:

1Co 11:19  For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

The Lord says that there must be heresies among us… “that they which are approved may be made manifest.” We would just naturally think the Lord would send heresies among us for the purpose of revealing what is the truth of the matter. Indeed, the Lord does show us what is the truth is, but that is apparently secondary to ‘manifesting… they which are approved among [us].’ Notice what Paul, in the previous verse, tells us what heresies produce when they are brought into our fellowship:

1Co 11:18  For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.

Heresies divide us, and the fact that there are 40,000 plus Christian denominations, each one formed generally over doctrinal differences, belies and reveals the great whore and all her daughter churches.

This is the mind of Christ as it concerns the unity of His body:

1Co 1:10  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.
1Co 1:11  For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.
1Co 1:12  Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.
1Co 1:13  Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?
1Co 1:14  I thank God that I baptized none of you, but Crispus and Gaius;
1Co 1:15  Lest any should say that I had baptized in mine own name.
1Co 1:16  And I baptized also the household of Stephanas: besides, I know not whether I baptized any other.
1Co 1:17  For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.

Paul tells us:

2Ti 1:13  Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
2Ti 1:14  That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which dwelleth in us.
2Ti 1:15  This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.

“All they which are in Asia” includes “the seven churches of Asia” to whom the book of Revelation is addressed:

Rev 1:4  John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

The number ‘seven’ signifies that the whole church had already apostatized before the death of most of the apostles. The apostasy was so strong that Diotrephes was “casting…out of the church” the people whom the apostle John had sent to minister to them:

3Jn 1:9  I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.
3Jn 1:10  Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of the church.

Diotrephes was not interested in ‘being persuaded by his leaders and deferring to them’ as we are commanded of the holy spirit, not of any man:

Heb 13:17 Be persuaded by your leaders, and be deferring to them, for they are vigilant for the sake of your souls, as having to render an account, that they may be doing this with joy, and not with groaning, for this is disadvantageous for you.

Under the inspiration of the holy spirit, Paul told us “there must be heresies among you that those who are approved might be made manifest” (1Co 11:19). Let 1 Corinthians 11:19 sink into your spirit, as we examine this 15^th chapter, which demonstrates for us how the apostles dealt with the heresy which teaches that the Gentiles must be physically circumcised before they can receive salvation.

Heresies are listed as one of the works of the flesh which will rob us of our crown and of inheriting the kingdom of God:

Gal 5:19  Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
Gal 5:20  Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
Gal 5:21  Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

Rev 3:11  Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.

Christ Himself tells us that false prophets with their false doctrines and heresies will periodically be found among the Lord’s “very elect”:

Mat 24:24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

1Ti 4:1  Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
1Ti 4:2  Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

1Jn 4:1  Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

2Pe 2:1  But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.

The Lord’s people all “come out of [Babylon]” (Rev 18:4), and therefore we were all the victims of the “damnable heresies” of all these “false prophets” at the time appointed for each of us. These ‘damnable heresies” are also called “strong delusion”:

2Th 2:9  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,
2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12  That they all might be damned [G2919: ‘krino’, judged] who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

The Greek word translated as ‘damned’ here is ‘krino’. It appears 117 times in the Greek, and this is the only time this word is mistranslated as ‘damned’.  Those who reject the truth in this present time will be judged in “the resurrection of judgment” (Joh 5:29), which is the lake of fire, which is the second death (Rev 20:14).

Notice how similar these words here in 2 Thessalonians 2 are to the words of Christ Himself:

Mat 24:24  For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

We will now begin reading the story of how the apostles set us an example of how to avoid being divided against Christ and His doctrines. If we follow their example, we will ‘all speak the same thing, and have no divisions among us and we will remain perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment’ concerning what constitutes His doctrines.

1Co 1:10  Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Here in this 15^th chapter of Acts the apostles are confronted with the first recorded false doctrine which attempted to divide the Lord’s flock:

Act 15:1  And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.
Act 15:2  When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.

The apostle Peter, the apostle the holy spirit had chosen to be the first, who through miraculous circumstances, was privileged to take the gospel to the Gentiles in the house of the Roman centurion, Cornelius, just happened to be visiting the church at Antioch at the same time that Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch from their first missionary journey. This is just over two years after Peter had visited the house of Cornelius. We know this is so because Barnabas was sent to Antioch immediately after the Gentiles had received the holy spirit when Peter was still speaking in Cornelius’s house, and as soon as Barnabas had seen all the holy spirit was doing in Antioch, he went to Tarsus to get Saul to help minister to all the synagogues in Antioch:

Act 11:25  Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul:
Act 11:26  And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

After ministering “a whole year” in Syrian Antioch, Barnabas and Saul are sent to Jerusalem at the time of the Passover to present a gift from the churches in Antioch to the drought-stricken saints in Jerusalem. When Barnabas and Saul returned to Antioch from Jerusalem the holy spirit immediately sent Barnabas and Saul on an evangelical mission which occupied another year at the most. Therefore, Peter and Barnabas separating themselves from the Gentiles in Antioch occurred just a very few years after the holy spirit told Peter to call no man common or unclean.  Paul’s rebuking of Peter and Barnabas happened shortly after Paul and Barnabas had returned to Syrian Antioch after their first missionary journey:

Gal 2:11  But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed.
Gal 2:12  For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision.
Gal 2:13  And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation.
Gal 2:14  But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?

Peter then returned to Jerusalem and is there at Jerusalem when the church at Antioch sent Barnabas and Paul up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders about this question of whether the Gentiles must be physically circumcised to be saved:

Act 15:3  And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren.
Act 15:4  And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.
Act 15:5  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.
Act 15:6  And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.

Before we continue our narrative, let’s remember just how contentious this doctrine was which taught that the Gentiles must be physically circumcised to be converted or they could not be saved. The contention began in Antioch. I will repeat:

Act 15:1  And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved.
Act 15:2  When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem  unto the apostles and elders about this question.

This same contentious spirit was still alive and well among “they of the circumcision” when they got up to Jerusalem:

Act 15:4  And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.
Act 15:5  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.
Act 15:6  And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.
Act 15:7  And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.

What are we to do when there is a heresy among us? Heresies are essential to our walk “to have our senses exercised to know good and evil” as well as to reveal who among us is approved of God:

1Co 11:18  For first of all, when ye come together in the church, I hear that there be divisions among you; and I partly believe it.
1Co 11:19  For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.

Those words are expressing the mind of God in this matter, and so are these words:

Heb 5:12  For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Heb 5:13  For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
Heb 5:14  But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Any of us who think we do not need a teacher “are become such as have need of milk and not of strong meat” simply because you simply have not yet had your “senses exercised to know both good and evil”.

Christ’s apostles are mature enough to acknowledge that they do need teachers, and they are humble enough to seek the counsel of all the apostles and elders to settle this question and to root out the heresy which is attempting to divide the church. Notice that we are twice told that this question was brought before “the apostles and elders” to consider and to deliver a decision. As clearly as it can be stated “the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.” This was not something the whole church discussed and considered as we once thought.

We had misread the Lord’s words “tell it to the church” and made it say, “Take it to the church.” That was a grievous error for which all our leaders at that time have repented.

Here is what the scriptures actually teach:

Mat 18:15  Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
Mat 18:16  But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
Mat 18:17  And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

The church did not ‘come together for to consider of this matter.’ In fact this is what the church did:

Act 15:12  Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them.

The consensus of the apostles and elders was that the doctrine which held that the Gentiles must be physically circumcised to be saved was spurious heresy. However, it was also agreed that the Jews must continue to be circumcised and to live by the law of Moses.

Act 15:7  And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.
Act 15:8  And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
Act 15:9  And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
Act 15:10  Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
Act 15:11  But we [Peter, Paul and Barnabas] believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we [physical Jews] shall be saved, even as they [the believing Gentiles].
Act 15:12  Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them.

Why would the church at Antioch “determine that Paul and Barnabas and certain other of them should go… to the apostles and elders about this question?” (vs 2)

That determination was made because the leaders of the church in Antioch knew what both Christ and the Old Testament instruct us to do when legitimate doctrinal questions arise within the body of Christ. We have already quoted Matthew 18:15-17, where Christ instructs us how we are to deal with being offended by a brother. Nothing is more offensive to a brother than to “bring in damnable heresies.”  These words of Christ in Matthew 18:15-17 are simply the New Testament version of these words from the Old Testament:

Pro 11:14  Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.

Pro 15:22  Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established.

Pro 24:6  For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.

The only Biblical way to wage spiritual warfare is “in the multitude of counselors.” The only Biblical way to establish purposes and doctrine is with “a multitude of counselors.” The only Biblical way to stay safe in the Lord is to obey His commandment to seek “a multitude of counselors” when deciding whose doctrine is Christ’s doctrine.

Now let’s all pay very close attention to how this Jerusalem conference played out. Peter, speaking for himself and Paul and Barnabas, had made their case by declaring their position:

Act 15:7  And when there had been much disputing, Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe.
Act 15:8  And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them witness, giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
Act 15:9  And put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith.
Act 15:10  Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
Act 15:11  But we [Peter, Paul and Barnabas] believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we [Jewish believers] shall be saved, even as they [Gentile believers, saved by grace through faith, Eph 2:8].

While there was one hundred percent consensus that the Gentiles need not be circumcised or keep the laws of Moses to be saved, none of the original twelve apostles, other than Peter, thought the Jews did not need to keep the law of Moses:

Act 15:13  And after they had held their peace, James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me:
Act 15:14  Simeon [Peter] hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.
Act 15:15  And to this agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,
Act 15:16  After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:
Act 15:17  That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.
Act 15:18  Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.
Act 15:19  Wherefore my sentence [G2919, ‘krino’, judgment] is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:
Act 15:20  But that we write unto them, that they abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
Act 15:21  For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him, being read in the synagogues every sabbath day.

As we will see in our next study, even though the judgment of James and the other apostles and elders was that the Jews needed to remain under the law of Moses, Peter, Paul and Barnabas were “persuaded [by] and deferred to” the consensus of the elders that the Jews must continue living by the law of Moses even though they had just declared plainly that they (Peter, Paul, and Barnabas) believed that the Lord put “no difference” between Jews and Gentiles. In time it was revealed that the Lord was indeed ‘making of twain one new man’ and was taking down the middle wall of partition between the Jews and the Gentiles. That “middle wall of partition” was the very determination made at the Jerusalem conference expressed in a letter sent to the Gentiles which informed them that they need not keep the law, but the Jews must keep the law of Moses.

Eph 2:11  Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands;
Eph 2:12  That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world:
Eph 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.
Eph 2:14  For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
Eph 2:15  Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;
Eph 2:16  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

Lest we fail to understand that Paul was living under the law while teaching the Gentiles that they need do no such thing, the decision agreed upon at this conference is repeated for us in Acts 21, which takes place after Paul’s third missionary journey:

Act 21:18  And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present.
Act 21:19  And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.
Act 21:20  And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law: [of Moses]
Act 21:21  And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.
Act 21:22  What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come.

If Paul had forsaken Moses during his past two journeys, then this was the perfect opportunity for him to speak up and say so. However, Paul had not forsaken the law of Moses and was himself living under it even as he was telling the Gentiles they need not to do so. Paul would die before being a hypocrite, so he had no problem with what James was asking him to do so that “all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law” [of Moses].

Act 21:23  Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them;
Act 21:24  Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest the law.
Act 21:25  As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.
Act 21:26  Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them.

Paul wanted everyone to know, and the holy spirit wants us to know, that when Paul agreed with the conclusion of the Jerusalem conference, he lived his life by that decision of the apostles and elders.

Neither he nor Peter nor Barnabas took the attitude that “Me and Jesus got a good thing going, me and Jesus got it all worked out, me and Jesus got a good thing going, we don’t need anybody to tell us what it’s all about” – to quote a country song by Tom T. Hall, which expresses the divisive evil spirit which rules over many who claim that they know the Lord. The ‘Jesus’ they know is not the same Jesus Peter, Paul and Barnabas knew and loved and obeyed, and all those who subscribe to the ‘Lone Ranger’ doctrine of Tom T. Hall know “another Jesus”, and they are building their spiritual house upon the shifting sand of this earth and not upon the Rock that is Christ:

Luk 6:46  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
Luk 6:47  Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
Luk 6:48  He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
Luk 6:49  But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

2Co 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

Gal 1:6  I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
Gal 1:7  Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

When Paul says, “Which is not another” it is obvious by what follows that he is telling us that those who are attempting to remove us from Him that called us into the grace of Christ unto another gospel will always tell us it is not another gospel, yet we are plainly told that they “would pervert the gospel of Christ.”

We have all been through the experience of being forced to discern what is and what is not the voice of the True Shepherd and what is “the gospel of Christ” versus what is a perversion of that gospel. In our next study we will learn how to choose our counselors and to know which counselors are the Lord’s counselors.

Here is some very good admonition from a very reliable source:

1Th 5:12  And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
1Th 5:13  And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.
1Th 5:14  Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.