I've ran into a few teachings on this sunject recently, and it has left me wondering how this is justified by someone who believes the New Testament. They say that Christians actually should get circumcised as an act of obedience, yet I am not convinced that this is what the New Testament teaches.
In Acts 15 the council in Jerusalem concludes that circumcision is unnecessary for the Gentiles, and then maybe 10 years later, ( according to one timeline) when Paul goes on his last known trip to Jerusalem, they seem to be telling the Gentiles the same thing. Also in all the many places Paul tells his readers the whoever is circumcised, he is fallen from grace! In order to fall from grace you had to be in it in the first place I would think. So I may be wrong, but these are Gentiles who are already saved, being told not to be circumcised.
We do have the example of Timothy being circumcised, but I've never heard of a better explanation for this other than it was so that Timothy could participate in things that an uncircumcised man could not, and that he might be more respectable to the other Jews.
I may totally be wrong and if someone disagrees with me please share your understanding of the scriptures.
Well, your first premise regarding Acts 15 is completely wrong.
This stems from the mistaken belief that people make because they try and make Acts 15 about something that it is not.
Instead of trying to "figure out" what Acts 15 is about, why don't we see if scripture itself TELLS us what Acts 15 is all about shall we?
Acts 15:1 Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses,
you cannot be saved.”
So, what we see here is that Acts 15 is about "WHO CAN BE SAVED."
So if you were to become a proselytized what as a goy did you have to do? Well, as a male you had to #1 be circumcised and #2 keep the mitzvot (commandments.) Which explains why those pharisee's who are BELIEVERS state in verse 5 5 But some of the sect of the Pharisees who had believed stood up, saying, “It is necessary to
circumcise them and to direct them to
observe the Law of Moses.”
In order to understand act 15, you have to try and put yourself in the place of the first century Jew. That is to say, that ONLY the Jew had a national identification with G-d. No other nation had a covenant with G-d other than Israel. If a Gentile wanted to have a relationship with G-d he HAD to do exactly what the Pharisee's explained. As such it was only natural for them to assume that ONLY the Jew could be saved.
This is further supported by the TESTIMONY that is given by Peter, Paul and Barnabas. What you see in Acts 15 is the Mosaic dispute resolution in action. It was on the mouth of 2 or more witnesses that a matter is established.
Peter, Paul and Barnabas ALL testify that G-d is working among the Gentiles and they are being SAVED.
When you see it from its proper context it all makes sense and there is no conflict. James renders his judgment and when you take ALL of what he says you discover that the setting aside of the Torah is GROSS ERROR.
The things to abstain from; 20 but that we write to them that they abstain from [j]things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood.
That is a bit of an odd list is it not? Idols, fornication, strangled and blood? What you see are the 4 things that are directly associated with Pagan Idolatry. Animals that were sacrificed to these idols were usually strangled and after the animal is dead they would often drain the blood and drink it. Additionally, temple prostitution was a social norm.
Why this particular sin? Well, Idolatry was the only sin for which Israel was cast out of the land. When an unchurched person comes to Messiah as he or she is being discipled we don't unload everything at once but we start with the more serious sin and they will learn the rest over time by coming to church/synagogue and bible study.
21 For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since [k]he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.”