The assembled church, together with the apostles and elders, agree with one accord to the appeals of Peter and

James, and their decision is recorded in a letter sent by the hands of Barnabas, Paul, Silas and Judas. This letter is of

intense interest, not only on account of its teaching, but also because it is the earliest church letter in existence. Let

us take it out of its setting for the moment and look at it as a letter, complete in itself.

`The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and

Syria and Cilicia:

Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your

souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:

It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved

Barnabas and Paul, men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have sent

therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.

For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;

that ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication:

from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well' (Acts 15:23-29).

Such is the letter itself. Its inter-relation with the context is best seen by expanding the structure of this section

as follows:

n1   IT SEEMED GOOD.

Antioch, Syria

o1  To apostles, elders and whole church.

and Cilicia.

p1  Send chosen men.

q1  Chief men among the brethren.

`We gave no such

r1  Greeting. No such commandment.

n2   IT SEEMED GOOD.

o2  Assembled with one accord.

p2  Send chosen men.

q2  Men who hazarded their lives.

r2  Tell you the same things.

n3   IT SEEMED GOOD.

o3  To the Holy Spirit and to us.

p3  Lay no other burden.

q3  That ye abstain.

r3  Fare ye well.

Three times the words `It seemed good' occur. First, `Then pleased it (it seemed good to) the apostles and

elders, and the whole church'. Secondly, `it seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord'. And thirdly,

`it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us'. To break this threefold cord, the whole church, with the apostles and

elders, together with Barnabas and Paul, and Silas and Judas, as well as the Holy Spirit Himself, would have to be

regarded as in the wrong. Any system of interpretation necessitating such an assumption is self-condemned.

It is certainly true that Peter acted hypocritically at Antioch, and was publicly rebuked for it by Paul (see Gal. 2),

but we are definitely told in this case that Peter was to be `blamed', and it is in no way to be compared with the

solemn agreement manifested in Acts 15.