“Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?”
The full verse · Acts 15:10 · KJV
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Asked by
Peter: the apostle by whose mouth God first sent the gospel to the Gentiles at Cornelius' house (Acts 15:7)
Asked to
Jerusalem Council: the apostles and elders gathered to consider whether Gentile believers must be circumcised, including believers of "the sect of the Pharisees" who said it was needful (Acts 15:5-6)
The Scene
At Jerusalem, after much disputing over whether Gentile believers must be circumcised and keep the law of Moses, Peter rises to speak to the apostles and elders (Acts 15:5-7).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionPeter asked this to stop the church from undoing what God had plainly done. Some had taught, "Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved" (Acts 15:1), and believing Pharisees said it was "needful" (Acts 15:5). Peter reminded the council that God gave the Gentiles the Holy Ghost "even as he did unto us" and "put no difference between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith" (Acts 15:8-9). To add a burden now would be to put God to the test. Barnes paraphrases, "Why provoke him to displeasure?" Gill says they were seeking more proof of God's will "when it is so plain a case." Matthew Henry frames it this way: "since God has owned them for his," why lay the yoke on them?
The Response
What Scripture recordsPeter answers his own question: "But we believe that through the grace of the LORD Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they" (Acts 15:11). Then "all the multitude kept silence" and listened to Barnabas and Paul tell of the miracles God had done among the Gentiles (Acts 15:12). James gave his judgment: "that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God" (Acts 15:19). The council's letter said it "seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things" (Acts 15:28).
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsThe dispute began at Antioch, when men from Judaea taught that circumcision was required for salvation; Paul and Barnabas were sent to Jerusalem "about this question" (Acts 15:1-2). Circumcision was "a token of the covenant" with Abraham (Genesis 17:11), and those who demanded it also demanded keeping the law of Moses (Acts 15:5).
The Greek for "tempt" is peirazo, to test or try. "Yoke" is zugos. Gill notes, "It is common with the Jews to call the law a yoke." Barnes describes the yoke here as "That which would be burdensome and oppressive, or which would infringe on their just freedom, as the children of God."
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyGod had already settled the question, and Peter would not let the church argue with Him. God "knoweth the hearts," gave the Gentiles the Holy Ghost, and purified their hearts "by faith" (Acts 15:8-9). To demand more would test God's patience by doubting His own testimony.
The striking turn is in Acts 15:11. Peter does not say the Gentiles will be saved like the Jews. He says "we shall be saved, even as they." Jew and Gentile stand on the same ground: the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ. Matthew Henry puts it plainly: "we must depend upon the grace of Christ for salvation." This is the same argument Peter made after Cornelius' conversion (Acts 11:17).
Look Closer
What was the council debating when Peter spoke?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord Jesus, I am saved by Your grace just like everyone else; what burdens have I been carrying, or placing on others, that You never asked anyone to bear?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- Peter admitted that "neither our fathers nor we" could bear the yoke. Why is it sometimes easier to require of others what we ourselves have not managed to keep?
- Share a time when you understood more deeply that God accepted you by grace and not by your performance. What changed for you?
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
Salvation is through "the grace of the LORD Jesus Christ" (Acts 15:11), for you and for everyone else, on the same terms. When you are tempted to add requirements for others to be truly accepted, remember Peter's question. If God has already given His Spirit and purified hearts by faith, adding a yoke tests God.
This does not mean anything goes. The same council asked Gentile believers to abstain from certain "necessary things" (Acts 15:19-20, 28-29). Grace frees you from earning your salvation, not from living for God.
Scripture's own application: Galatians 5:1
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“What was I, that I could withstand God?”
“Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?”
“How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord?”
“Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye.”