151 And certain having come down from Judea, were teaching the brethren—'If ye be not circumcised after the custom of Moses, ye are not able to be saved;' 2 there having been, therefore, not a little dissension and disputation to Paul and Barnabas with them, they arranged for Paul and Barnabas, and certain others of them, to go up unto the apostles and elders to Jerusalem about this question, 3 they indeed, then, having been sent forward by the assembly, were passing through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the nations, and they were causing great joy to all the brethren. 4 And having come to Jerusalem, they were received by the assembly, and the apostles, and the elders, they declared also as many things as God did with them; 5 and there rose up certain of those of the sect of the Pharisees who believed, saying—'It behoveth to circumcise them, to command them also to keep the law of Moses.'
6 And there were gathered together the apostles and the elders, to see about this matter,
Matthew Henry's Commentary on Acts 15:1-6
Commentary on Acts 15:1-6
(Read Acts 15:1-6)
Some from Judea taught the Gentile converts at Antioch, that they could not be saved, unless they observed the whole ceremonial law as given by Moses; and thus they sought to destroy Christian liberty. There is a strange proneness in us to think that all do wrong who do not just as we do. Their doctrine was very discouraging. Wise and good men desire to avoid contests and disputes as far as they can; yet when false teachers oppose the main truths of the gospel, or bring in hurtful doctrines, we must not decline to oppose them.