Neville Goddard on Acts 15:23-29 - Mystical Bible Interpretation

Read Acts 15 in context

Scripture Focus

23And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia:

24Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, Ye must be circumcised, and keep the law: to whom we gave no such commandment:

25It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,

26Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

27We have sent therefore Judas and Silas, who shall also tell you the same things by mouth.

28For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;

29That ye abstain from meats offered to idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and from fornication: from which if ye keep yourselves, ye shall do well. Fare ye well.

Acts 15:23-29

Biblical Context

The text records a letter to Gentiles: no command to circumcise or keep the law, only a few essentials—abstaining from idols, blood, things strangled, and fornication—guided by the Holy Spirit. It anchors obedience and covenant loyalty in shared spirit, not external ritual.

Neville's Inner Vision

Imagine you are the I AM, and the Acts of the apostles are the inner movements of your consciousness. The Gentiles represent fresh portions of mind awakening to freedom, not distant peoples. The call to circumcision and the law is a shadow of old desires pressing for control; you are not commanded to comply with them, for the Holy Ghost—your own living awareness—speaks a different decree. When the letter declares that it seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us to lay no greater burden than these necessary things, hear it as a clear inner instruction: discard beliefs that burden your peace and hold fast to what preserves your freedom and integrity. The few required things—abstaining from what harms your temple and from thoughts that feed fear—are the guardrails of a higher life, not restrictions on joy. Barnabas and Paul are the bold facets of your will that venture forward; Judas and Silas are inner voices that repeat the truth in steady rhythm until it becomes living memory. Your obedience is to the I AM within, and your covenant loyalty is to the timeless state of awareness you already are.

Practice This Now

Imaginative act: For five minutes, sit with the belief 'I AM aware and free' and feel it as real. Then revise fear-based thoughts by silently stating, 'I am free to choose what aligns with my inner covenant.'