Jerusalem Council

The Jerusalem Council, described in Acts 15, was convened by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem around 50 AD to resolve a major dispute in the early church over whether Gentile converts must obey the full Mosaic law, especially circumcision, to be saved. After testimonies from Peter, Paul, and Barnabas about God's acceptance of Gentiles by faith, James delivered the council's judgment that such requirements were unnecessary, though believers should avoid idolatry, sexual immorality, blood, and strangled meat. This decision affirmed salvation by grace through faith alone rather than works of the law, prevented division between Jewish and Gentile Christians, and enabled the gospel's rapid expansion to non-Jewish populations throughout the Roman world.