Paul in Jerusalem

[NewCreation435]

Paul arrives in Jerusalem in Acts 21 and he went to the elders and to James and told what the Lord had been doing. They said to him "and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to talk according to the customs." Acts 21:21 Then they advise Paul to take four men who are under a vow and go purify himself and go with them to the temple and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. And in verse 26 Paul follows this advise. This leads to a riot breaking out in the temple later in the chapter.

In the previous chapter, Paul was warned by the Spirit that when he went to Jerusalem that he would be bound and that trials were waiting for him there.

I am wondering why Paul felt compelled to go to the temple and to pay for these men's vows. He was telling people that circumsion was no longer necessary. Paul wrote in Colossians 2:16-17 'Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day- things which are a mere shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ." Col 2:16-17

 

[MoreCoffee]

Paul arrives in Jerusalem in Acts 21 and he went to the elders and to James and told what the Lord had been doing. They said to him "and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to talk according to the customs." Acts 21:21 Then they advise Paul to take four men who are under a vow and go purify himself and go with them to the temple and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. And in verse 26 Paul follows this advise. This leads to a riot breaking out in the temple later in the chapter.

In the previous chapter, Paul was warned by the Spirit that when he went to Jerusalem that he would be bound and that trials were waiting for him there.

I am wondering why Paul felt compelled to go to the temple and to pay for these men's vows. He was telling people that circumsion was no longer necessary. Paul wrote in Colossians 2:16-17 'Therefore let no one act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day- things which are a mere shadow of what is to come, but the substance belongs to Christ." Col 2:16-17

Paul did it for pastoral reasons. To allay the suspicions that rumor created. To put away the false claim that he advised Jews to abandon Moses' teaching and cease circumcision. Paul's teaching was that Gentiles need not become Jews to be Christians. Gentiles did not need to obey all of Moses' teaching. Gentiles did not need to circumcise. Jews could continue with those things if they wanted to - though it was not necessary - and Paul was not telling Jews to stop their Jewish practices. But Paul's pastoral concern backfired it seems. Or maybe it didn't backfire. Paul's arrest ended with Paul in Rome preaching to the Gentiles (and Jews) there. And his presence helped the Church in Rome to grow. So God's message was spread and his Church was strengthened by Paul's presence. Those were good things.

 

[psalms 91]

Paul did it for pastoral reasons. To allay the suspicions that rumor created. To put way the false claim that he advised Jews to abandon Moses' teaching and cease circumcision. Paul's teaching was that Gentiles need not become Jews to be Christians. Gentiles did not need to obey all of Moses' teaching. Gentiles did not need to circumcise. Jews could continue with those things if they wanted to - though it was not necessary - and Paul was not telling Jews to stop their Jewish practices. But Paul's pastoral concern backfired it seems. Or maybe it didn't backfire. Paul's arrest ended with Paul in Rome preaching to the Gentiles (and Jews) there. And his presence helped the Church in Rome to grow. So God's message was spread and his Church was strengthened by Paul's presence. Those were good things.

Let us not forget that this was also the governing body of the church with James as its head, set up like the Sanhedrin, see we cant getaway from our Jewish roots

 

[MoreCoffee]

Let us not forget that this was also the governing body of the church with James as its head, set up like the Sanhedrin, see we cant getaway from our Jewish roots

No, it was a church council but not a governing body. Just a meeting between bishops and apostles and elders and so forth to decide the issues raised by the gospel preached to gentiles.

 

[NewCreation435]

Paul did it for pastoral reasons. To allay the suspicions that rumor created. To put away the false claim that he advised Jews to abandon Moses' teaching and cease circumcision. Paul's teaching was that Gentiles need not become Jews to be Christians. Gentiles did not need to obey all of Moses' teaching. Gentiles did not need to circumcise. Jews could continue with those things if they wanted to - though it was not necessary - and Paul was not telling Jews to stop their Jewish practices. But Paul's pastoral concern backfired it seems. Or maybe it didn't backfire. Paul's arrest ended with Paul in Rome preaching to the Gentiles (and Jews) there. And his presence helped the Church in Rome to grow. So God's message was spread and his Church was strengthened by Paul's presence. Those were good things.

I guess the whole idea of him going there when there was still animal sacrifices and other regulations that they followed bothers me. This is the same Paul that exhorted the Galatians not to add to the gospel a list of requirements. Yes, they could circumcise if they wanted to, but it didn't matter at all in terms of spiritual benefit. Actually it might hurt because it might make it appear the gospel is a gospel of works and legal requirements.
His presence there did result in Paul going to Rome, which I believe is what Romans 8:28 is talking about when it says that God will bring about good to the believer even through life's trials. it resulted in many hearing the gospel who up to that point had not. Of course, God could have just told Paul "Go to Rome" without all the drama. I wonder why he didn't?

 

[MoreCoffee]

I guess the whole idea of him going there when there was still animal sacrifices and other regulations that they followed bothers me. This is the same Paul that exhorted the Galatians not to add to the gospel a list of requirements. Yes, they could circumcise if they wanted to, but it didn't matter at all in terms of spiritual benefit. Actually it might hurt because it might make it appear the gospel is a gospel of works and legal requirements.
His presence there did result in Paul going to Rome, which I believe is what Romans 8:28 is talking about when it says that God will bring about good to the believer even through life's trials. it resulted in many hearing the gospel who up to that point had not. Of course, God could have just told Paul "Go to Rome" without all the drama. I wonder why he didn't?

Paul might not have liked that message

He spoke Greek but I doubt he spoke Latin too and in Rome Latin was the language of the people. Anyway, Paul did go to Jerusalem so things worked out as they are recorded in Acts and elsewhere. Ideally nobody would have accused Paul and no one would have been fulfilling vows at the temple. I suspect that the Church has never been ideal, at least the people in the Church haven't. So pastoral considerations come to the fore. The question that Paul and the bishops/apostles were trying to answer is "how do we help our brothers (who have taken vows that they feel bound by God to fulfill) to keen a good conscience before God and grow in faith when they feel unsure of the message preached by Paul and worry that their way of life is threatened?" Pastoral questions address real situations rather than expect an ideal situation to exist.

 

[psalms 91]

No, it was a church council but not a governing body. Just a meeting between bishops and apostles and elders and so forth to decide the issues raised by the gospel preached to gentiles.

I knew you wouldnt agree even if it is so

 

[MoreCoffee]

I knew you wouldnt agree even if it is so

It is not so. The council disbanded and did not meet again. It played its role but was not a standing body to govern the church.

 

[NewCreation435]

No, it was a church council but not a governing body. Just a meeting between bishops and apostles and elders and so forth to decide the issues raised by the gospel preached to gentiles.

Didn't there decision though in fact govern the Gentile churches for years to come? So, they were governing.

 

[MoreCoffee]

Didn't there decision though in fact govern the Gentile churches for years to come? So, they were governing.

Yes, very likely the decisions of the council did influence what happened in each diocese for many years. That however is very far from the council being a "governing body". A governing body would need to be a regular or a standing body that legislated for the whole Church. The council was not that. It had a short duration and then ended. It was not reconvened when new questions arose. The next church council that has a similar impact was held in 325 AD.

 

[NewCreation435]

Two possible sections of scripture might shed some light on why Paul did what he did. The first is in 1 Corinthians 9:20 "And to the Jews I becBEame as a Jew, that I might win the Jews; to those who are under the Law, as under the Law, though not being myself under the Law, that I might win those who are under the law." Verse 23 "And I do all things for the sake of the gospel, that I may become a fellow partaker of it."

Paul was doing what he was doing to try and reach the Jews. Because as the next verse shows he had a great heart for them.

Romans 9:2-3 "that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh."

 

[MennoSota]

The simple answer is Paul went to the temple by ordination of God so that Paul would be thrown in jail and thus be inspired by God to write letters, which none of us would read had God not slowed Paul down.
It is interesting to me how God puts hardships and obstacles before our path for his glory and our good. We may not realize the value of the hardship in the midst of the agony, grief and sorrow, but God's dark threads weaved into our life is just as important as the bright threads.

 

[NewCreation435]

The simple answer is Paul went to the temple by ordination of God so that Paul would be thrown in jail and thus be inspired by God to write letters, which none of us would read had God not slowed Paul down.
It is interesting to me how God puts hardships and obstacles before our path for his glory and our good. We may not realize the value of the hardship in the midst of the agony, grief and sorrow, but God's dark threads weaved into our life is just as important as the bright threads.

Yes, that's been often when life's most important lessons have been learned for me. Fortunately, not all of the time