Acts 15: debate, letter, and delivery worksheet
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Original Bibleward resource. Read Acts 15:1–35 in an open Bible. Descriptions are paraphrases checked against BSB v5.9. This worksheet follows the narrative; it does not prescribe present-day food rules or church governance.
A. Filled background and letter card
| Field | Worked answer | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Disputed claim | Gentile converts should be circumcised and required to keep Moses' law. | 15:1, 5 |
| Delegation | Paul, Barnabas, and other believers travel to Jerusalem. | 15:2–4 |
| Peter's testimony | God gave the Spirit to Gentiles; Peter speaks of grace through Jesus. | 15:7–11 |
| Barnabas and Paul's testimony | Signs and wonders among Gentiles. | 15:12 |
| James's proposal | Do not trouble Gentiles turning to God; write specified abstentions. | 15:13–21 |
| Selection of messengers | Apostles, elders, and the whole church choose Judas Barsabbas and Silas to accompany Paul and Barnabas. | 15:22 |
| Senders named in letter | Apostles and elders. | 15:23 |
| Recipients named in letter | Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia. | 15:23 |
| Written requirements | Avoid idol-sacrificed food, blood, strangled-animal meat, and sexual immorality, using BSB categories. | 15:28–29 |
| Oral confirmation | Judas and Silas carry the same message in person. | 15:27 |
| Delivery and reception described | At Antioch the assembled congregation receives the letter and rejoices. | 15:30–31 |
| Subsequent activity | Judas and Silas encourage the believers; Paul and Barnabas remain teaching at Antioch. | 15:32–35 |
Example of an evidence limit: Syria and Cilicia are recipients in 15:23. Verses 30–35 do not narrate separate delivery scenes there. The list of destinations and the story of one delivery answer different questions.
B. Five tasks: try before reading the key
Sort five cards. A: letter delivered at Antioch; B: James proposes a letter; C: circumcision dispute and journey; D: Peter, Barnabas, and Paul give testimony; E: messengers selected and letter written. Write the order and one verse range per card: ______.
Keep voices distinct. Who (a) recounts Gentiles receiving the Spirit, (b) reports signs and wonders among Gentiles, and (c) appeals to the prophets before giving a judgment? Add a verse for each: ______.
Separate document roles. Name the letter's senders, the two specifically chosen messengers, and its named recipients. Do not put all names into one “author” field: ______.
Check the outcome. What demand appears in 15:1 and 15:5? Does 15:28–29 repeat it? List the requirements actually named there: ______.
Track the destination. Where is the reception narrated? What response is stated? What cannot be inferred about the other named regions from these verses alone? ______.
C. Answer key
C → D → B → E → A. C: 15:1–5; D: 15:6–12; B: 15:13–21; E: 15:22–29; A: 15:30–35. Verses 6–12 include the gathering and discussion before the testimony.
(a) Peter, 15:7–11; (b) Barnabas and Paul, 15:12; (c) James, 15:13–21. Each answer needs the name and its passage, not an invented composite speech.
Senders: apostles and elders, 15:23. Chosen messengers: Judas Barsabbas and Silas, accompanying Paul and Barnabas, 15:22, 27. Recipients: Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia, 15:23. The whole church joins the messenger-selection decision in 15:22; the letter's sender line is more specific.
Opening demand: circumcision as necessary in 15:1, with obedience to Moses' law in 15:5. The letter does not repeat that demand. Its requirements concern idol-sacrificed food, blood, strangled-animal meat, and sexual immorality (15:28–29). This describes the narrative outcome, not a ruling on every later dispute over its application.
Antioch; the readers rejoice at the letter's encouragement (15:30–31). Judas and Silas strengthen them (15:32). We cannot claim that these verses also narrate delivery in Syria and Cilicia, or reconstruct what every individual thought.
D. Reusable blank letter card
Passage and translation: ______
| Field | My observation | Verse | What the passage does not tell me |
|---|---|---|---|
| Opening dispute | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Speaker and testimony | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Proposal | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Shared decision | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Sender / carrier / recipient | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Written message | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| Delivery and response | ______ | ______ | ______ |
One possible interpretation, kept separate from the observations: ______
One question I would discuss rather than turn into a universal rule: ______
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