Actually, the problem of this heretical teaching should have been solved by Peter and James in Jerusalem. That heresy should never have reached Antioch. Before those heretical teachers went to Antioch, they must have spread their teaching in Jerusalem. But there is no indication that Peter and James did anything to deal with that heresy.
The source of the trouble described in Acts 15 was Jerusalem. The first group of apostles and elders in Jerusalem should have taken care of this heretical teaching before it had the opportunity to spread to the Gentile churches. The fact that it was not dealt with in Jerusalem indicates that there were certain shortcomings with Peter and James. They must be held responsible for the situation. By the time this heresy spread to Antioch, it was too late for Paul and Barnabas to deal with it. This made it necessary for them to go up to Jerusalem in order to touch the source of the problem.
As we read the book of Acts, we may not have an accurate concept concerning Peter and James. We may regard Peter and James too highly. We may uplift Peter too much, and consider James very godly and pious. If we have such a concept of Peter and James, we shall not have the proper view of the situation recorded in chapter fifteen. In other words, because of our inaccurate concept and understanding, we shall not have the proper insight into the heart of the problem in Acts 15. Actually, the heart of the problem is not with the heretical Judaizers that went down to Antioch; it is with Peter and James. To say this is fair.
Peter was present in Acts 1 when the Lord Jesus gave the apostles further preparation for their ministry. As part of that preparation, He said to them, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and unto the remotest part of the earth” (1:8). Here the Lord appointed them to be His witnesses not only to those in Jerusalem and Judea and to the people of mixed blood in Samaria, but also to the remotest part of the earth, indicating all the lands of the Gentiles. The Lord’s word is very clear. If James, a flesh brother of the Lord Jesus, was not present when this word was spoken, he certainly must have been familiar with it. Luke, the writer of the book of Acts, came to know this word. Surely James knew about it before Luke did. Peter and James should have taken the Lord’s word concerning being witnesses to the remotest part of the earth as the basis to deal with the heretical teaching that the Gentiles must be circumcised in order to be saved. Since the Lord had spoken this word, there was no need for discussion or argument. Peter and James should have done a thorough job to eliminate the heretical teaching, killing it at the source in Jerusalem.
If we are fair-minded and have the proper insight as we read chapter fifteen, we shall realize that the trouble was due to the negligence of Peter and James. They did not do their duty; they did not carry out their responsibility. As a result, this heretical teaching existed in Jerusalem and was even prevailing there. If it had not been prevailing in Jerusalem, how could it have spread to Antioch? In ancient times communication to a faraway city was very slow. Hence, it was a great matter for something to spread from Jerusalem to Antioch.
The Judaizers were so zealous that, in spite of the difficulty in traveling, they went down to Antioch for the purpose of spreading their heretical teaching. They boldly taught the people, saying, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved” (15:1). As we have pointed out, this kind of teaching nullifies the entire New Testament. It nullifies Christ’s redeeming death, His resurrection, His ascension, and everything He taught.
It is very difficult to understand how Peter and James could have tolerated such a heresy in Jerusalem. If we read Galatians 2 along with Acts 15, we shall be helped to understand what the situation was at that time. Peter and James deserve to be blamed for the problem, for they did not guard the truth and contend for it adequately. Because of this shortage, the problem of heresy existed in Jerusalem and then spread to the Gentile churches.