Kisah Para Rasul 15:10-11

15:10 So now why are you putting God to the test ¹  by placing on the neck of the disciples a yoke ²  that neither our ancestors ³  nor we have been able to bear? 15:11 On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through ⁴  the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they are.” ⁵ 

[15:10]  ¹ tn According to BDAG 793 s.v. πειράζω 2.c, “In Ac 15:10 the πειράζειν τὸν θεόν consists in the fact that after God’s will has been clearly made known through granting of the Spirit to the Gentiles (v. 8), some doubt and make trial to see whether God’s will really becomes operative.” All testing of God in Luke is negative: Luke 4:2; 11:16.

[15:10]  ² sn A yoke is a wooden bar or frame that joins two animals like oxen or horses so that they can pull a wagon, plow, etc. together. Here it is used figuratively of the restriction that some in the early church wanted to place on Gentile converts to Christianity of observing the law of Moses and having males circumcised. The yoke is a decidedly negative image: Matt 23:4, but cf. Matt 11:29-30.

[15:10]  ³ tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”

[15:11]  ⁴ tn Or “by.”

[15:11]  ⁵ tn Or “Jesus, just as they are.” BDAG 1016-17 s.v. τρόπος 1 translates καθ᾿ ὃν τρόπον (kaq’ Jon tropon) here as “in the same way as.”

[15:11]  sn In the same way as they are. Here is an interesting reversal of the argument. Jews are saved by grace (without law), as Gentiles are.