The meeting was attended by the Apostles, elders, the Church at Jerusalem, Paul, Barnabas, and certain others who had traveled with them from Antioch. There was a certain section of the believing Pharisees present also in the meeting who believed that the Gentiles should be circumcised and asked to follow the law of Moses.
The assembly (with their respective views) consisted of Jewish believers and certain Pharisees believers at Jerusalem (who both believed in Christ and followed the law), believers from Antioch (who posed the question of whether to circumcise Gentile believers), Apostles stationed in Jerusalem (who had only been briefed by Paul and Barnabas about God’s work among the Gentiles), and Paul and Barnabas who worked among the Gentiles (who preached salvation through Christ, and saw no need of circumcision or to following the law of Moses by the gentiles).
The whole meeting was consisting of different groups with varying views. “It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us” is a beautiful expression of the work of the Holy Spirit, making it appear that the Holy Spirit was present during the whole session. “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and us” is also the expression to say that the Holy Spirit had presided over the meeting.
The Church waited and heard patiently, with an open heart, to receive the word which was brought to them by Peter, Paul, Barnabas, and James. The Jewish Apostles neither exercised any prejudice against the Gentile believers while sharing the mind of God, nor imposing thoughts as a natural man or guided by old nature.
The Holy Spirit worked in their hearts and gave them all wisdom to understand and accept how God is bringing one new man into existence neither Jews nor Gentiles, but Christians. The section of Pharisees, who insisted at the beginning that the Gentiles should follow the law of Moses, came into one accord with others who were in the meeting. The power of the Spirit to bring conviction in our hearts to agree with Him is a great blessing.
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