Pathway To Ministry Series

4. The church leaders were so in agreement with Paul, "they supported me and did not even demand that my companion Titus be circumcised, though he was a Gentile."

a. Although Titus is never mentioned in the the Book of Acts, from Paul letter's we know that he was one of Paul's converts, and became one of his close companions (Fung, 86).

b. Titus, a true Christian, was living and incontrovertible proof that circumcision and Mosaic regulations are not necessary for salvation.

c. It should be noted that some years after that occasion Paul circumcised Timothy "because of the Jews who were in those parts" (the region of Galatia), but he did so because Timothy was half Jewish.

d. He was not making a concession to the Judaizers, but rather was giving Timothy closer identity with Jews to whom they might witness.

e. Timothy was circumcised as a Jew not as a Christian. His circumcision had no relationship to his salvation but simply gave him entrance to Jewish synagogues, from which he would otherwise have been excluded (MacArthur, 38).

f. There was nothing wrong with being circumcised, but to insist upon it as a condition for salvation would be a slap in the face of God's grace (Luther, 51).

5. However, we need to be cautious whose counsel we seek. Paul shows us this by saying, "Even that question came up only because of some so-called Christians there—false ones, really—who were secretly brought in. They sneaked in to spy on us and take away the freedom we have in Christ Jesus. They wanted to enslave us and force us to follow their Jewish regulations."

a. The Judaizers were marked as false ones (pseudadelphos), a phrase that has also been translated "sham Christians" (neb) and "pseudo-Christians" (Phillips).

b. Those professing Jewish believers had developed a hybrid faith that was true neither to traditional Judaism (because it claimed allegiance to Christ) nor to apostolic Christianity (because it demanded circumcision and obedience to the Mosaic law for salvation).

c. Some scholars believe they were planted in the churches by Pharisees or priests in order to corrupt this threat to traditional Judaism.

d. In any case, Satan, as always, was the primary instigator of the subterfuge. The Judaizers were first of all the devil's agents, whatever their human associations and loyalties.

e. The verb "enslave" (katadouloō) is a compound and conveys the strong slavery of a works system.

f. The Judaizers could not tolerate a gospel that was not tied to Mosaic ritual and law because their view of salvation was centered in what they could self-righteously perform to earn favor from God rather than in what God could do for them (MacArthur, 38-39).

B. Wise Counsel

1. Illustration: Robert Cook, President of King’s College once related a true story from the early years of his ministry. Evidently at that time, he had been receiving some rather pointed criticism. In fact, it had become of such great concern to him that he sought the counsel of a friend, the beloved Bible expositor and pastor, Harry A. Ironside. Pouring out his heart, Bob Cook asked what he should do about the denunciations being made against him. He wanted to know how to handle them. Ironside gave the following wise counsel: "Bob, if the criticism about you is true, mend your ways! If it isn't, forget about it!"