There are many who believe that in Acts 21 the Apostle Paul and the Elders in Jerusalem compromised God and the Gospel by suggesting that the elders pressured Paul to pretend to be bound to the Law when they asked him to participate in the ceremony for four Jewish believers in Yeshua [Jesus] who were ending their vow (probably a Nazirite vow), in order to appease the Jewish believers in Jerusalem who were also zealous for the Law, and also for the purpose of expanding or growing their Messianic Jewish community there in Jerusalem. Those who believe and communicate this idea have also suggested that because the Jewish believers were zealous for the Law, they weren't truly focused on Jesus and that when Paul decided to participate in this ceremony, that this was the cause that would ultimately lead to his arrest and imprisonment.
However, is this what the Holy Bible reveals in Acts 21? Clearly, the answer is 'NO'.
What is clearly seen in Acts 21 is when the Apostle Paul arrives in Jerusalem he would meet with James and the elders. The elders counseled with Paul to let him know that there are Jewish people among them that believe that Yeshua [Jesus] is the Messiah and that these Jewish believers are also zealous for the Law, but they all had heard rumors that Paul was teaching all Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to their customs which is derived from the Law (the Torah - the word Torah does not mean "law", but "teaching", "doctrine", "instruction").
In order to prove that the rumors about Paul were false and that Paul did in fact "walk orderly, keeping the Law", the elders advised Paul to participate in a ceremony with the four Jewish believers who were under the vow. There is no evidence from the text to suggest that Paul was pressured into following the advice of the elders. In following their advice, Paul honored God and the elders of the Jerusalem church, and in no way compromised God nor the Gospel itself in the process because the Holy Bible clearly reveals that Jewish believers in Jesus didn't have to abandon their customs (i.e. circumcision, refraining from unclean meats, Sabbath and Feasts observances, worshipping at the temple, etc.) in order to be in the Body of Messiah [the Body of Christ] (see Acts 15 and 1 Corinthians 7:19-20).
There's something else that I would like to point out. Being zealous for the Law doesn’t mean that those Jewish Christians/Messianic Jews (as seen in Acts 21:20) believed that they were still bound to the law of Moses under the New Covenant, nor does the text in Acts 21 suggest this either. Additionally, all throughout the New Testament, we see that Paul and the other Apostles did not believe that anyone was "bound to the Law" in accordance with the New Covenant, so to proclaim that Paul and the elders compromised God and the Gospel actually contradicts what the Scriptures (especially Acts 21) reveal.
The reason why Paul did as the elders requested was to show that he was not anti-Law (against God's teachings, doctrine, instruction) or opposed to Jewish customs (Acts 20:17–26). The elders, Paul and all the congregation in Jerusalem were Jewish, and even when they and other Jews came to accept Yeshua [Jesus] as being the Messiah, they didn't stop being Jewish, nor did they stop practicing some Jewish customs which were derived from the Torah. What is clearly revealed, is that Paul and the elders proved that Paul walked orderly, keeping the Law (the Torah - "teaching", "doctrine", "instruction") and that the rumors about Paul teaching all Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to their customs were, in fact, false accusations.
But then why was Paul arrested and imprisoned?
Acts 21:1 – 14 reveals that the Holy Spirit warned Paul through the disciples in Tyre not to go on to Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit then informs Paul through the prophet Agabus that he would be bound and delivered to the Gentiles. Now what actually got Paul put in jail was not because he compromised God and the Gospel to appease those who were zealous for the Law, but there were Jews from Asia at the temple at the same time when Paul was with the four Jewish believers who were ending their vow, and these Jews from Asia found Paul at the temple and falsely accused him of bringing a Gentile into the temple.
Now, what is the whole purpose of this blog entry? Simply to correctly inform those who are misinformed about Paul and his views about the Law. I pray that the LORD will use this as a testimony for that purpose as well.
I encourage you all to also please check out the following:
Paul's Arrest and Imprisonment - Part 1 by Mike Mazzalongo of Bible Talk TV
Should Followers of Christ Observe the Torah? by Amy Hall of Stand to Reason
Did Paul Teach Against the Law of Moses? by Dr. Michael Brown
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