When God made the covenant of circumcision with Abraham and his physical seed,
God made provision for Gentiles to get in it also .... but they had to be circumcised, too:
Gen 17:9-14 And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.
10 This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised.
11 And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you.
12 And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is born in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed.
13 He that is born in thy house, and he that is bought with thy money, must needs be circumcised: and my covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.
14 And the uncircumcised man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circumcised, that soul shall be cut off from his people; he hath broken my covenant.
Some Judaeans went down to Galatia and taught the saints
that they could not be saved unless they submitted to Jewish circumcision ....
Paul and Barnabas went up to the council at Jerusalem about the problem:
Acts 15:1-11 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.
2 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.
3 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.
4 And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.
5 But there rose up certain of the sect of the Pharisees which believed, saying,
That it was needful to circumcise them (Gentiles),
and to command them (Gentiles) to keep the law of Moses.
6 And the apostles and elders came together for to consider of this matter.
7 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.
8 And God, which knoweth the hearts, bare them (Gentiles) witness,
giving them (Gentiles) the Holy Ghost, even as he did unto us (Israel);
9 And put no difference between us (Israel) and them (Gentiles),
purifying their hearts by faith.
10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke (the bondage of the law, as Gal 5:1) upon the neck of the disciples (also see Acts 11:26), which neither our fathers nor we (Israel) were able to bear?
11 But we (Israel) believe that
through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ
we (Israel) shall be saved, even as they (Gentiles).
Notice that Peter did not say ....
that the Gentiles would be saved like Israel ....
but that Israel would be saved like the Gentiles.
After Peter had his say, and Barnabas and Paul had theirs, the apostles and elders ruled NOT to put the Gentiles under Israel’s rules of circumcision and keeping the law (Acts 15:13-20).
Because of the grace of Christ .... not only were the Gentiles not to be put under the law .... but neither was Israel under the law anymore:
Rom 6:14 For sin shall not have dominion over you:
for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
Religious Gentiles that converted to Judaism were called proselytes (Matt 23:15; Acts 2:5-11, 6:5, 13:43). Now the Judaizers needed to learn the passing away of the Old Testament law (Heb 8:13), making way for the New Testament grace (2 Cor 3:6-18):
John 1:17 For the law was given by Moses,
but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
Paul taught the difference between the end of the law of Moses
and the beginning of grace of Christ:
Rom 10:4-5 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
5 For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.
The Jews who were zealous of the law had difficulty accepting the change:
Acts 21:18-22 And the day following Paul went in with us unto James; and all the elders were present.
19 And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry.
20 And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law:
21 And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs.
22 What is it therefore? the multitude must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come.
After Christ came and instituted the New Testament in His blood,
God declared His righteousness by faith in Christ .... without the law,
yet witnessed by the law and the prophets:
Rom 3:21-22 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
Paul continually defended his ministry of the new testament (2 Cor 3:6):
Acts 26:20-23 But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.
21 For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me.
22 Having therefore obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come:
23 That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.
This is David Dowell, saying, "Think about it!"
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