This chapter records a pivotal event in the early church, confirming that what Jesus accomplished on the cross was the creation of one new body, in which both Jews and Gentiles were to have the same access to God through faith in Jesus Christ and not through obedience to the Law or any aspects of the Law of Moses. At the end of this chapter, Paul and Barnabas have a dispute about whether to take with them John Mark or not since he left them on their first trip. They were unable to resolve this dispute, so Paul took Silas with him and Barnabas took John Mark with him. God used the dispute for good, and now two missionary teams left Antioch instead of one.