Acts 16: 1 Then he came to Derbe and Lystra. And behold, a certain disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman who believed, but his father was Greek. 2 He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek.
It is interesting that one chapter earlier we learned of the decision by Peter and the Apostles that circumcision should not be required for Gentile believers to confirm or complete their salvation. Paul had made the long trip from Antioch to Jerusalem to get a ruling on this and clarify the issue...and then took a letter back to Antioch to let the church their hear of this ruling in the words of the Apostles (300 miles each way). Now we see Paul having the young disciple, Timothy, circumcised! What goes on here? I think it turns on one word: "necessary". It was not necessary for Timothy's personal salvation that he undergo circumcision, however it apparently was "necessary" for Timothy to underscore his "Jewishness" via circumcision. Paul would not have held any credibility or audience among the Jews he was evangelizing and discipling if his number one student was considered a Gentile. So, in a sense, it was " necessary", not for Timothy, for others who had not yet believed or whose faith was fragile. This makes me think about our primary responsibility on the far side of our personal encournter with Christ. It is not enough that we are assured of going to Heaven...while we live in these temples of flesh and bone we need to have a passion to see others join us!
blessings,
Rob Smith
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