Acts 15:1-8

¹Then some men arrived from Judea who started teaching the believers, “Unless you're circumcised according to the rules set down by Moses, you can't be saved.”

²Paul and Barnabas had many arguments and debates with them. So Paul and Barnabas and some others were appointed to go to Jerusalem and talk to the apostles and leaders there about this issue.

³The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they explained how foreigners were being converted, which made all the believers very happy.

⁴When they arrived in Jerusalem they were welcomed by the church members, the apostles, and the elders. They explained everything God had done through them.

⁵But they were opposed by some of the believers who belonged to the Pharisee faction. They said, “These converts have to be circumcised, and instructed to observe the law of Moses.”

⁶The apostles and elders met together to discuss the issue.

⁷After much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that some time ago God chose me from among you so that the foreigners could hear the message of good news and trust in Jesus.

⁸God, who knows thewhat we're thinking, has shown that he accepts them, giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us.