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Acts 15 & 16 Question....
Posted by Lahry Sibley on May 16, 2009 at 8:35am in Theology
Shalom,
My wife and I are overjoyed to discover this sight. God has been leading us this way from the very beginning, but it's been a very long journey. We are just delighted that we are here, and now.
We have been discussing all the things God is showing us about the Torah, and our relationship to it. But we do have a couple questions. So I thought prehaps someone here might pacify us and help us to understand a passage of scripture, as follows:
23With [them they sent] the following letter: The brethren, both the apostles and the elders, to the brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia, greetings:
24As we have heard that some persons from our number have disturbed you with their teaching, unsettling your minds and [e]throwing you into confusion, although we gave them no express orders or instructions [on the points in question],
25It has been resolved by us in assembly to select men and send them [as messengers] to you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul,
26Men who have hazarded their lives for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.
27So we have sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will bring you the same message by word of mouth.
28For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to lay upon you any greater burden than these indispensable requirements:
29That you abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols and from [tasting] blood and from [eating the meat of animals] that have been strangled and from sexual impurity. If you keep yourselves from these things, you will do well. Farewell [be strong]!
So the letter sent with Paul and Barnabus was the result of discussions held with Judaizers (believing Jews) who were attempting to insist that new Gentile converts be circumcised according to the law of Moses. The letter above was the result of discussions Paul and Barnabus had with the Apostles and Elders in Jerusalem about the matter, and they all agreed. Circumcision was not necessary for salvation. Later, Paul reiterates this when he proclaims neither circumcsion nor uncircumcision is anything. Amen.
The first question is, how do we reconcile this direction and teaching of the Apostles with that of obedience to the Torah? Now I remembering that the Judaizers are claiming that circumcision is necessary for salvation or justification.
In the very next chapter, Chapter 16 we find another astounding event take place as follows:
1AND [Paul] went down to Derbe and also to Lystra. A disciple named Timothy was there, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer [she had become [a]convinced that Jesus is the Messiah and the Author of eternal salvation, and yielded obedience to Him]; but [Timothy's] father was a Greek.
2He [Timothy] had a good reputation among the brethren at Lystra and Iconium.
3Paul desired Timothy to go with him [[b]as a missionary]; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews that were in those places, all of whom knew that his father was a Greek.
4As they went on their way from town to town, they delivered over [to the assemblies] for their observance the regulations decided upon by the apostles and elders who were at Jerusalem.
Not only does Paul violate the instruction of the Apostles and circumcise Timothy to appease the believeing Jews, but then in the most hypocritical way, they proceed on thru towns and villages sharing the very letter from the Apostles that required very little when compared to the Torah in general and certainly excluded circumcision from justification, setting themselves apart from the believeing Jews who said it was necessary.
So the second question is this. Does anyone know of a teaching on this site about this passage? If so, where? If not, does anyone want to take a shot at this?
Thanks,
Lahry
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Reply by Mats Rydin on May 17, 2009 at 12:42am
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Reply by Lev/Christopher on May 17, 2009 at 1:00am
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Reply by Lahry Sibley on May 17, 2009 at 7:29am
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Reply by Lev/Christopher on May 19, 2009 at 6:43am
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