Acts: Go & Be Chapters 10-18نموونە

What is this passage saying?

We are introduced to Timothy in these verses. The young man who would become a spiritual son to Paul. Timothy would be one of Paul’s closest companions in his ministry. Timothy was raised by a Jewish Mother and Greek father. In 2 Timothy 1:5 Paul will write of the great faith of mother Lois and Grandmother Eunice. Timothy was well-respected by believers in Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him on his missionary journeys. Before the left, Timothy was circumcised to prevent the Jews from not accepting Timothy because his father was a Greek. Tony Evans answers the question “Why was Timothy circumcised?” The Jerusalem council had just decided that they were not going to make Gentile believers get circumcised. So why did Timothy have to do it. Dr. Evans writes, “Paul didn’t do this so that Timothy could be saved but so that he could effectively minister among the Jews. He didn’t want Timothy to be a stumbling block to them. Having an uncircumcised man, a part of his team would have distracted Jews from the Gospel; therefore, Paul was willing to be flexible on non-essential issues for the sake of his gospel ministry.” John Macarthur adds that Timothy circumcision would have granted him full access to the synagogues. We have seen that starting in the Jewish synagogue was Paul’s custom when entering a new town. The Gospel was the most important thing. Now the Jews needed to give their issues of circumcision to the Lord. Paul knew it would take time. Wasting time on non-essential issues when they could be spending time on proclaiming the Gospel was a no brainer for Paul.

What is this passage teaching?

There are beliefs and practices among certain groups of believers that are secondary, not salvific. Meaning they are not going to determine someone’s salvation. For example, there are some Baptist churches that will not allow women to wear pants, and men must have their hair cut a certain way. Nowhere in the Bibles does it say a man cannot enter heaven if he has long hair. If this long-haired man has not confessed that Jesus is his Lord, then he will not go to heaven. This is the qualifier, not hairstyles. Most of these Churches do not determine salvation based on the way people dress. However, they believe so deeply in the way a Christian man or woman dresses that it hinders them from doing ministry with believers who don’t adhere to their standards. A reason why there are different protestant denominations, is because of religious practices. The issues of believing that Jesus is the only way to the Father is settled and mutually agreed upon. The fact of the matter is that there are secondary issues that keep some Christians from doing ministry with other Christians. We can allow this to frustrate us, or we can learn from Paul and not obsess over the secondary. If I, as a woman, were to ever attend a Baptist Church that wanted women to only wear dresses, but they were preaching the Gospel unashamedly, to not distract, I would wear a dress. If we agree that wearing a dress is not the grounds for salvation, then to make the other women feel comfortable, I will put my favorite dress on so we can talk about the Lord with no distractions.

How do I respond?

In 1 Corinthians 9,10:23-32 Paul writes about forsaking his rights for others. “31 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 32 Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, 33 just as I try to please everyone in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved.” 1 Corinthians 10:31-33. The call is to die to self. Unholy finite preferences disrupt unity. The goal is not for you to be justified in your definition of rightness. All Christians submit to God’s definition of righteous. Don’t allow or create secondary issues that would hinder the furtherance of the Gospel.