I have done my best to strip you of the church-applied shackles that bind your heart and soul, but if you persist in keeping your head immersed in the sand of Paul's baseless theological speculations, what more can I do?
I'm sorry my friend, but I think you misunderstand what Paul was telling us. There are a few points I'd like you address. As far as: did the men hear a voice or did they see a light, this seems a bit trivial to me, and in no ways undermines what Paul actually said. I'm sure there are plenty of Apologetic sites that can give a reasonable explanation of whether Luke recorded correctly, or if Paul lied, but this means nothing to me in the context of who Paul was.
I want to tell you first that I believe the Hebrew Scriptures above anything else that one might consider Scripture. Paul was a major problem for me as well, because he seemed to imply the Law was abolished. This would completely contradict what the Hebrew Scriptures tell us:
"If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder,
And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them;
Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the LORD your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
Ye shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye shall serve him, and cleave unto him.
And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; because he hath spoken to turn you away from the LORD your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the LORD thy God commanded thee to walk in. So shalt thou put the evil away from the midst of thee." Deuteronomy 13:1
This passage tells me two things. First, if Yeshua came to abolish the Law, and if He came to reveal to others a "different" god, then He was rightfully Crucified. We know this is not true, for He says:
"Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets:
I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.
For verily I say unto you,
Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.
Whosoever therefore shall break
one of these
least commandments, and
shall teach men so, he shall be called the
least in the kingdom of heaven: but
whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called
great in the kingdom of heaven." Matthew 5:17
So, we know that Yeshua had no intention of abolishing the Law, and we know that He revealed the same God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
But then we have Paul, who seems to speak very harshly against Law, saying that we can now do whatever we want.
This is simply not true. Paul was a Pharisee, and he followed and believed every bit of the Law. He tells us several times how important the Law is, but he had to make sure that we did not think we were saved because of our obedience to the Law.
I'm going to attempt to explain what happened at the Jerusalem Council, and various other parts of Acts, so we can come to a better foundation of what Paul was saying, especially concerning circumcision.
"And
certain men which came down from
Judaea taught the brethren, and said,
Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses,
ye cannot be saved." Acts 15:1
This verse basically explains everything that Paul was telling us. The Jews had it backwards. They taught that unless you get circumcised, you could not be saved. This was no small affair. However, the Jews were confusing two separate Laws that have nothing to do with each other:
"Speak unto the children of
Israel, saying, If a woman have conceived seed, and born a man child: then she shall be unclean seven days; according to the days of the separation for her infirmity shall she be unclean.
And in the
eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised." Levitcus 12:2
The Jews were required to be circumcised on the eighth day after they were born. This commandment is still in effect today for the Jews.
However, there is another commandment concerning circumcision, and it has to do with the Gentiles:
"And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the
ordinance of the PASSOVER: There shall
no stranger EAT thereof:
But every man's servant that is bought for money,
WHEN thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof.
A foreigner and an hired servant
shall not eat thereof." Exodus 12:43
This verse does not say that a Gentile cannot congregate, believe, or be saved unless by circumcision. It says if they wish to join the
Passover meal, then they must be circumcised. Yeshua fulfilled the Passover, as the Passover was a shadow of what was to come. Paul understood that it was not circumcision of the flesh that God desires, but circumcision of the heart:
"And the LORD thy God will
circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed,
to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live." Deuteronomy 30:6
"
Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the
foreskins of your heart, ye men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem: lest my fury come forth like fire, and burn that none can quench it, because of the evil of your doings." Jeremiah 4:4
"For the name of God is
blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.
For
circumcision verily profiteth,
if thou keep the law: but if thou be a
breaker of the law,
thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.
Therefore if the
uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his
uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?
And shall not
uncircumcision which is
by nature, i
f it fulfil the law, judge thee,
who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?
For he is
not a Jew, which is one
outwardly;
neither is that circumcision,
which is outward in the flesh:
But he
is a Jew, which is one
inwardly; and
circumcision is that of the heart, in
the spirit, and
not in the letter; whose praise is
not of men, but of God." Romans 3:24
Do you see how the Jews wanted the Gentiles to be circumcised for selfish reasons? Here is the order that the Jews taught:
Follow Law, have Faith, God will give you Grace
But the correct order is:
God gives us Grace, because of this we have Faith, because of this we follow the Law
"When therefore Paul and Barnabas had
no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about
this question." Acts 15:2
You see, they were discussing circumcision. This was the only topic. This was not about the entire Law.
"And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria,
declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren.
And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were
received of t
he church,
and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them." Acts 15:3-4
When Paul and Barnabas show up, they declare how the Gentiles were being converted at ridiculous numbers. It was surely the power of God that a massive amount of pagan worshippers (that were intellectually more advanced than any other culture before them) was rushing towards the Gospel.
"But there rose up certain of the sect of the
Pharisees which believed, saying, That it was
needful to circumcise them,
and to command them to keep the law of Moses." Acts 15:5
The underlined "and to command" is where a huge misunderstanding of this verse come from. The Greek literally says:
δε (it is proper)ῖ
περιτέμνειν (to circumcise)
αὐτοὺς (because)
παραγγέλλειν (to instuct)
τε (and both)
τηρεῖν (to keep)
τὸν (the)
νόμον (Law)
Μωϋσέως (of Moses)
The Greek
τε is a conjecture that brings two or more verbs together. The Jews believed that circumcision would serve the purpose of both instruction,
as well as to the
keep of the Law.
"And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of
this matter.
And when there had been much disputing,
Peter rose up, and said unto them, Men and brethren, ye know how that a good while ago God made choice among us, that
the Gentiles by my mouth should hear the word of the gospel, and believe." Acts 15:6
It is not Paul nor Barnabas that stands up to address the people. It is Peter. And Peter tells them that God is calling the Gentiles. Then he continues:
"And God, which knoweth the
hearts, bare them witness,
giving them the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us;
And put
no difference between us and them, purifying their
hearts by faith.
Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a
yoke upon the neck of the disciples,
which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?
But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they." Acts 15:8-11
The yoke that Peter is speaking about is not the Law, it is the circumcision of adult Gentile men. Remember, men were coming in from all over the Nations, and they had all received the holy Spirit
before they knew about circumcision. This was a major concern for the Galatians:
"O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
This only would I learn of you,
Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law,
or by the hearing of faith?
Are ye so foolish? having
begun in the Spirit, are ye
now made perfect by the flesh?
Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if
it be yet in vain.
He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you,
doeth he it by the works of the law,
or by the hearing of faith?" Galatians 3:1
"Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul,
declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them.
And after they had held their peace,
James answered, saying, Men and brethren, hearken unto me:" Acts 15:12-13
Think about this for a minute: this is over 2000 years ago, and the Jews (who were circumcised as infants), wanted grown men to be circumcised before they could fellowship. They received the Spirit and they Loved God, but now they are being told that this is not enough; they must have their penis sliced with a 1st century knife! (I'm sorry if that is inappropriate, but I need you to see why this is such a complicated matter).
So first,
Peter (whom I believe wrote 2 Peter) tells the men that we believe that we are saved by the Grace of our Lord Yeshua. He also tells them that it would be a yoke on the disciples if they had to preach circumcision to grown men, because very few would be willing to suffer through this physical pain of the flesh.
Now, we have
James that stands up to speak. Notice that not one word of Paul is recorded in this entire chapter.
"Simeon hath declared how God at the
first did visit the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name.
And to this
agree the words of the prophets; as it is written,
After this I will return, and will build again the tabernacle of David, which is fallen down; and I will build again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up:
That the residue of men might seek after the Lord, and all the Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the Lord, who doeth all these things.
Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world.
Wherefore my sentence is,
that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God:
But that we write unto them, that they
abstain from pollutions of idols, and from fornication, and from things strangled, and from blood.
For Moses of old time hath in every city them that preach him,
being read in the synagogues every sabbath day." Acts 15:14-21
James pleads with the Jews as well that the Gentiles should not be required to be circumcised. He confirms what Paul tells the Galatians: that they received the Spirit
first, so it is not by the Law that we are justified.
After James speaks, we are told:
"Then
pleased it the
apostles and
elders,
with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas;
namely, Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren"
If this issue was about the whole law, and not just circumcision, it is highly doubtful that the Jews would have been pleased just because two people gave two simple statements. The Jews had been raised their entire lives on the Law, and if anyone was to come and lead them away from it, this would not have been acceptable.
So the first sentence of the letter is:
"Forasmuch as we have heard, that certain which went out from us have troubled you with words, subverting your souls, saying, [
Ye must]
be circumcised, and (καί) keep the law: to whom we gave
no such commandment" Acts 15:24
That little word
καί is the most used word in the Greek Scriptures.
καί means several different things. Strong's Concordance says:
καί: and, even, also,
namely.
2532
kaí (the most common NT conjunction, used over 9,000 times) –
and (also), very often,
moreover,
even,
indeed (the
context determines the exact sense).
Plug any of those words in place of "and", and you have a very different message.
"
be circumcised, (namely, even, indeed) to keep the law:
to whom we gave no such commandment"
You see my friend, Paul never deviated away from what the other eleven had decided. He knew that they had more authority than him:
"And
last of all he was seen of me also,
as of one born out of due time.
For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which
was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all:
yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
Therefore whether
it were I or they, so we preach, and so ye believed." 1 Corinthians 15:9
Was Paul an Apostle? There are only Twelve Apostles, and after
Yeshua chose the Twelve, Judas betrays Him. Yeshua knew that Judas would betray Him, but it didn't matter because there was another Apostle that
He had in mind.
"Men and brethren,
this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning
Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.
For he was
numbered with us, and had obtained part of this ministry." Acts 1:16
Peter knew that there must be Twelve Apostles, but Judas had betrayed Yeshua and he was dead. So,
Peter decides:
"And
they appointed two, Joseph called Barsabas, who was surnamed Justus, and
Matthias.
And they prayed, and said, Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen,
That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place.
And they gave forth their lots; and the lot fell upon Matthias; and he was
numbered with the eleven apostles." Acts 1:23
So who chose the Twelfth Apostle, men or God? It was men, wishing to take matters into their own hands. Carnal men who knew not the will of God. Had they not been chosen, surely they would have suffered the same fate as Saul, but God showed them mercy.
The very next sentence tells us something very important.
"And when the
day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place." Acts 2:1
Peter and the other disciples had chosen for themselves another men to join the Twelve, and they did so
before they had been converted. Peter and the other eleven Apostles indeed learned many things from Yeshua, but they still hadn't been given the Spirit.
"And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold,
Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift
you as wheat:
But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and
WHEN thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.
And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.
And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the [bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse][bless and do not curse] shall not crow this day,
before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me." Luke 22:32
Peter had been with Yeshua this whole time, learning many great things, and yet he still didn't have a clue what was going on. Remember, it was in chapter 10 that Peter even finds out that the Gentiles have been called (this is also important but we won't discuss this now). Now, six chapters later, he has just now received the Spirit. Peter had no right to choose Matthias.
"But
the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a
chosen vessel unto me, to
bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:
For I will shew him how great things he must
suffer for my name's sake." Acts 9:15
"Paul, an apostle, (
not of men, neither by man,
but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead
" Galatian's 1:1
Paul is the Twelfth Apostle, chosen by Yeshua the Messiah and God our Father:
"Ye have
not chosen me,
but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and
thatyour fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you." John 15:16
I'd like to also address Timothy's circumcision. Again, this is in the very next chapter after the Jerusalem Council:
"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:
Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium.
Him
(τοῦτον: this one) would
(θέλησεν: wanted) 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."
It wasn't Paul that wanted to circumcise Timothy, it was Timothy that wanted to be circumcised. Paul had another disciple with him later on that did not want to be circumcised, and Paul defended this rightfully so:
"But neither Titus, who was with me, being a Greek,
was compelled to be circumcised:
And
that because of false brethren unawares brought in, who came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage:" Galatians 2:3
I've read several places that Paul forced Timothy to be circumcised, but forbade Titus. That is ridiculous. Neither of those men did anything for Paul, they decided themselves what they wanted.
Well, this is very long so I'm going to stop now. If you'd like to discuss Galatians or anything else Paul said, I'd be more than happy to talk to you about these things. Thank you my friend and God bless you.
Really??
