Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article

To: LearsFool

“Act 16:1 Then came he to Derbe and Lystra: and, behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timotheus, the son of a certain woman, which was a Jewess, and believed; but his father was a Greek:
Act 16:2 Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium.
Act 16:3 Him would Paul have to go forth with him; and took and circumcised him because of the Jews which were in those quarters: for they knew all that his father was a Greek.
Act 16:4 And as they went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained of the apostles and elders which were at Jerusalem.”

Is Paul a hypocrite or did he have Timothy Circumcised to fulfill Genesis 17:10?


21 posted on 05/19/2014 6:56:02 PM PDT by the_daug
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 18 | View Replies ]


To: the_daug
No, Paul was not a hypocrite for circumcising Timothy. As Luke explains in the passage you quoted, he did it "because of the Jews which were in those quarters."

I Corinthians 9 helps us understand what that means:

"For though I was free from all men, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more. And to the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, not being myself under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; to them that are without law, as without law, not being without law to God, but under law to Christ, that I might gain them that are without law. To the weak I became weak, that I might gain the weak: I am become all things to all men, that I may by all means save some. And I do all things for the gospel's sake, that I may be a joint partaker thereof."

Acts 21 has another example of Paul (and other disciples) making overtures to the Jews to ease their transition from the old Law to the gospel of Christ. Paul declares his love for Israel in Romans 9 and 10, and he went to great lengths - suffering imprisonment, beatings, etc. - to make peace between those who clung to the Law and those who understood the "new covenant" more fully.
25 posted on 05/20/2014 6:07:29 AM PDT by LearsFool ("Thou shouldst not have been old, till thou hadst been wise.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Religion
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson