Acts 15:1 and 2:
15:1And some-people having come-down from Judea taught the brothers that, "If-ever you may not be circumcised with the custom, the (custom) of Moses, you are not able to be saved." .2But (after) not a little standing (of insurrection) and seeking having come-to-pass by Paul and Barnabas towards them, they arranged (for) Paul and Barnabas and some other-people out-from them to ascend towards the apostles and elders into Jerusalem concerning this seeking.
While Paul and Barnabas were still in Antioch in Syria, some people went down there from Judea. Judea was where the Jerusalem 'headquarters' was.
When they arrived they gave instruction to the brothers (referring to the holy-people, the Christians in Antioch) that if they (people of the Gentile background) would not be circumcised in accordance with the custom (the ethical thinking consisting of manners, customs, habits, etc) of Moses, then they could not be saved (it would not be possible for them to be made safe to God; refer to verse 24 below)! This kind of teaching was of course totally contrary to what Paul and Barnabas were teaching.
Even though physical circumcision was originally a token of the covenant that God made with Abraham as recorded in the Book of Genesis chapter 17, it was later included in the Law which God gave to Moses for the children of Israel to follow in order to protect them. The 'custom of Moses' refers to this old covenant's physical circumcision of all males who wanted to be a member of God's people, and is recorded in the Books of Exodus 12:43-48 and Leviticus 12:3, plus many other old covenant scriptures. [For detailed information regarding these subjects, you may read my study on Galatians.]
After Paul and Barnabas had a lot of…
…towards these people, all of them arranged (put in order) for Paul and Barnabas and some other people from among the believers there in Antioch to go-up towards the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem about this topic of inquiry. Elders are elder-men, referring to those having more knowledge, wisdom, dignity, etc, elders in service, not the literal meaning of being older in age than other people.
The Apostle Paul wrote regarding this (his third) trip to Jerusalem in his letter of "Galatians" in chapter 2. Let us read two verses to learn why Paul agreed to go to Jerusalem with Barnabas and some others at that time.
Galatians 2:1-3:
2:1Next through fourteen years, again I ascended into Jerusalem with Barnabas, having taken Titus also together with (me), .2but I ascended according to revelation, and I put-up-from-myself to them the good-message which I herald-forth among the Gentiles, but privately to the (people) considering, lest-somehow I may run or I ran into emptiness, .3but not-even Titus, the (person) together with me being a Greek, was constrained to be circumcised;
Paul went up to Jerusalem "according to revelation" - not because the others decided it was a good idea, but because God and/or the Lord Jesus Christ revealed to Paul that this is what he should do in this situation! Also here we find out that a man named Titus went with them.
[Reference: Acts 6:14, chapter 10, and 11:1-18.]
Returning to Acts chapter 15, let us continue:
Acts 15:3-5:
.3Therefore indeed the (people) having been sent-forward by the church went-through both Phoenicia and Samaria telling-out the turning-back-upon (God) of the Gentiles, and they made great joy to all the brothers. .4And having arrived into Jerusalem they were accepted by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they announced as-many-things-as God did with them. .5But some-people stood-up-out-from the (people) from the sect of the Pharisees, having believed2, saying that, "It is necessary to circumcise them and to charge (them) to keep the law of Moses."
As those who were sent on their way towards Jerusalem by the church in Antioch in Syria went southwards passing through Phoenicia and Samaria, they related in full (they recounted completely, as leading all the details out, going through the whole thing) regarding the Gentiles' turning-about from their idol-worship and services onto the only true God. This caused all the brothers to have great rejoicing. They were all joyful about this.
When Paul and those with him came to be in Jerusalem, they were accepted by that church (they were welcomed beside or alongside the assembly of holy-people approvingly, they were received with approval by the church), which included the apostles and elders there. Then Paul and those with him announced (messaged-up, reported-back) how many things God had done in company and association with them.
However, some of the holy-people (Christians) from the sect (faction, heresy, choice, opinion, chosen-way) called Pharisees – who had already believed (had faith in, trusted) what God has given mankind to believe regarding Himself and the Lord Jesus Christ (refer to Romans 10:9 and 10) and had become holy-people – stood-up out from the others present in this assembly saying that it is necessary (binding, it ought to be done, it must be) that the Gentiles (the people having a background other-than Israel/Judah, the other ethnic groups) be circumcised and to charge them (pass the message along to them) that they must keep (keep-an-eye-on, have in safekeeping, and therefore not neglecting or violating but able to watch-over, take-care-of, maintain, and be observant of) the law of Moses.
[Note: verbs with a superscript 2 (2) immediately following them indicate the "perfect" tense - details are provided in the "Relevant Notes" link of this study.]
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