Paul took Timothy and circumcised him, even though Paul knew circumcision isn't necessary.
He didn't expect others (Gentiles) to be circumcised. It was something Paul did only in Timothy's unique case. Timothy was known to be half Jewish. And he was about to become part of Paul's ministry team. I guess Paul did it to remove unneccesary barriers in the Jews' minds about his Gospel. He didn't do it because he thought all believers must be circumcised. He knew they didn't have to be, and he taught so.
A lesson we can learn from this is that we ought to be willing rather to forego a freedom - to deny ourself, even to suffer momentary pain - than to do something (something which isn't essential to do), if it's going to needlessly offend someone else's conscience and place a barrier in their mind against us and our ministry.
"As much as possible be at peace with all men," doesn't mean to barge ahead and do everything you feel free in your conscience to do, then demand that everyone else be gracious towards you even if they disagree in their conscience with what you've done. That could tempt them to break their own conscience.
It means to choose to deny yourself a freedom, if you can (if it's a non-essential), so that the relationship stays in tact with others whose conscience is different to yours.
Sometimes doing something you don't have to do; sometimes refraining from doing something you would have felt free to do - for the sake of others. For the sake of how they're going to feel about it. For the sake of the ministry.
That's love.
He didn't expect others (Gentiles) to be circumcised. It was something Paul did only in Timothy's unique case. Timothy was known to be half Jewish. And he was about to become part of Paul's ministry team. I guess Paul did it to remove unneccesary barriers in the Jews' minds about his Gospel. He didn't do it because he thought all believers must be circumcised. He knew they didn't have to be, and he taught so.
A lesson we can learn from this is that we ought to be willing rather to forego a freedom - to deny ourself, even to suffer momentary pain - than to do something (something which isn't essential to do), if it's going to needlessly offend someone else's conscience and place a barrier in their mind against us and our ministry.
"As much as possible be at peace with all men," doesn't mean to barge ahead and do everything you feel free in your conscience to do, then demand that everyone else be gracious towards you even if they disagree in their conscience with what you've done. That could tempt them to break their own conscience.
It means to choose to deny yourself a freedom, if you can (if it's a non-essential), so that the relationship stays in tact with others whose conscience is different to yours.
Sometimes doing something you don't have to do; sometimes refraining from doing something you would have felt free to do - for the sake of others. For the sake of how they're going to feel about it. For the sake of the ministry.
That's love.
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