Acts 16:1-5: Timothy was Circumcised

Watch on YouTube

1) We have been talking a lot about circumcision a lot lately.

A)   Just a couple quick words about why this was such a big deal:

1) Gen. 17:10-14 – God’s covenant with Abraham

2) Ex. 12:44, 48 – If you are not circumcised, then you don’t get to eat the Passover (no fellowship)

B) In the Maccabean period between the Old and New Testaments, Antiochus IV wanted to create one unified Greek culture, so he forbade Jews from circumcising their babies.

1) 1 Macc. 1:60-61 – “According to the decree, they put to death the women who had their children circumcised, and their families and those who circumcised them; and they hung the infants from their mothers’ necks.”

2) The Jews fought about this and won their independence.

C) In our text, the Gospel started to go to the Gentiles, which was a completely new things.

1) 11:3 – Cornelius and following problems

2) 11:20 – Gentiles in Antioch

3) 13:12 – The proconsul of Cyprus

4) 13:38-39 – Paul’s major teaching in Antioch

(a)   v. 46b – “behold, we are turning to the Gentiles”

5) 14:11-12 – Lystra wanted to worship Barnabas and Paul as if they were Zeus and Hermes

D)   Acts 15

1) vv. 1-2 – The problem

2) vv. 10-11 – No. We are saved by grace, not by being circumcised.

E) (stay in Gal) Gal. 2:1-3 – “But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, though he was a Greek.”

F) Summary: Let’s be very clear about the Gospel of Jesus Christ as we move through Acts.

1) Gentiles DO NOT need to be circumcised, or follow the Law of Moses, in order to be saved and right with God.

2) Opposition: Titus needs to be circumcised. Paul: No!

3) Gal. 2:15-16

4) Gal. 5:2-6

2) Acts 16:1-5

A)   What in the cat hair!

1) v. 3 – After everything up to this point, Paul had Timothy circumcised.

2) v. 4 – AND, he had him circumcised so that he could travel with Paul and Silas to deliver the letter to the church that you don’t need to be circumcised to be saved.

B) Answer

1) v. 3 – “because of the Jews who were in those places”

2) God sent the Gospel “to the Jew first”

(a)   Acts 3:25-26

(b)   Rom. 1:16 – “I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

3) As a matter of practice, when Paul went to a new town, he always went to the synagogue first to tell them about Jesus.

(a)   17:1-2 – Thessalonica

(b)   17:10 – Berea

(c)   17:16-17 – Athens

(d)   18:4 – Corinth

(e)   18:19 – Ephesus (1)

(f) 19:8 – Ephesus (2)

4) 1 Cor. 9:19-23

C) Summary

1) We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus (period!), and Paul will fight anyone who tries to add anything to that, such as living according to the Law of Moses.

2) BUT…In order to at least have a chance to tell Jews about Jesus, Paul had Timothy remove any barrier that would automatically close doors.

3) Lessons and principles for us today.

A)   It’s critical to know the difference between truth and tradition.

1) Jesus is very clear that he is NOT ok with people adding things to God’s word:

(a)   Mk. 7:1-13

(b)   Matt. 23:13ff.

2) Bottom line: What does the Bible say? This is non-negotiable.

3) POINT: Nobody, absolutely nobody, has any right to add to or take away from God’s word.

4) Don’t budge on truth.

B) But Paul and Timothy teach us to bend when we can.

1) Mature Christians realize that different people with different backgrounds at different stages of their faith are going to have different ideas about Christianity.

2) If I can carry the burden and make it easier for lost souls to hear the Gospel, then I should be willing to do that.

3) Examples (1 Cor.)

(a)   1 Cor. 8:9, 13 – Food

(b)   1 Cor. 9:11-12 – Money

(c)   Paul had Timothy circumcised.

(d)   Core – 1 Cor. 10:23-24

4) My camp rule: If I can say yes, then I do.

5) Christian rule: If I can bend, then I will.

C)   Disclaimer: The goal is to make it easier for people to hear the Gospel, not harder.

1) Example: Sunday meeting times.

(a)   Truth: We must meet on the first day of the week.

(b)   Tradition: 10 am worship.

(c)   We could meet at 5 am. But would that make it easier for people to hear the Gospel?

2) Example: One cup in the Lord’s Supper.

(a)   There are some brothers out there who believe that we can only drink from one cup in the LS.

(b)   I could bend my will and drink from one cup for the sake of unity.

(c)   But would that make it easier for people to hear the Gospel? No. It would unnecessarily repel people from Jesus.

(d)   I won’t give you that one. Not because I’m not willing to bend, but because I’m not willing to harm the Gospel.

3) Example: There is no scriptural dress code for worship (beyond modesty).

(a)   I strongly dislike uncomfortable dress clothes.

(b)   But if I thought that my choice to not wear dress clothes gets in the way of people hearing the gospel, then I’ll wear my coat and tie every Sunday.

(c)   But if someone said that I had to wear a tie to church in order to be saved from my sin, then I’d problem show up in sweat pants.

(d)   There is a difference between me making it easier for you to hear the Gospel,

(e)   And you adding to the Scripture and building barriers to salvation that God did not put there.

4) Wisdom and maturity and concern for other people’s souls is knowing these differences and knowing when and where to draw these lines.

(a)   If I decide to be an activist and be cute and make a point about how you don’t HAVE to wear a tie to church, and I show up to preach next Sunday morning in shorts and a tshirt and flip flops, then I have just as much of a spiritual problem as those who DEMAND that that you have to wear a tie.

5) Prayer: God, give us the wisdom and maturity and concern for others to bind what you have bound, and to loose what you have loosed, and to bend whenever we can to make it easier for others to come to you.