God’s Word for You

Galatians 2:3-5 Adiaphora or Not

by Pastor Timothy Smith on Tuesday, June 11, 2024

3 But even Titus, who was with me, was not forced to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek. 4 This was because some false brothers slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, so that they might bring us into slavery. 5 But we did not give in to them even for a moment, so that the truth of the gospel would be preserved for you.

It became clear with the Titus Case that the leaders of the churches in Jerusalem (James, Peter and John) did not agree with the Judaizers. This was the first and most important result of Paul’s private meeting with them. We cannot give in to those who want to compel us to be subject to something that isn’t commanded by God. Certainly if someone asks, is circumcision wrong, the answer is of course not. Of itself, circumcision is a matter of personal choice, or the choice of parents for their sons, but it is no longer a commandment to be obeyed. Moses was threatened by God with death when he failed to circumcise his son: “At a lodging place on the way (back to Egypt), the LORD met Moses and was about to kill him” (Exodus 4:24). At that time, Moses’ wife circumcised their son and rebuked her husband. So in the Old Testament, to leave a son uncircumcised in Israel was a sin. But all of the law came to a conclusion with Christ. So when Titus was seen to be uncircumcised, neither Paul nor Banabas nor James nor the other Apostles were corrected in the least by God. The time of circumcision was in the past, just as Jesus had shown that the time of the Hebrew Sabbath and other laws were in the past.

But circumcision was in this case not a matter of adiaphora, either. An adiaphoron is an action (a ceremony or church rite) which is free for a Christian to do, neither commanded nor forbidden by God. For example, the Old Testament used tambourines and cymbals in worship (Psalm 68:25; Psalm 150:5), and we are free to use those things or not. Yet what if someone were to insist that worship is not worship without tambourines? We would say, “We are not commanded to use tambourines, and if you insist, then we must not use a tambourine at all, or it would seem like we were giving in to your unscriptural demand, and that would be a sin.” And so it was for Paul with circumcision when he was confronting the Judaizers. They insisted on circumcision and therefore Paul refused, even though it could have been allowed in other circumstances.

In Jerusalem, the Judaizers were there under false pretenses, sneaking into the churches as “false brothers” or pseudadelphoi (ψευδαδέλϕοι). Paul talks about them as a danger for him: “I have been in danger from rivers, from bandits, from Gentiles, in the city, in the country, in danger at sea, and in danger from false brothers” (2 Corinthians 11:26). Why were they a danger? They threatened his life wherever he went. “Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked” (2 Corinthians 11:25), and all this was before his shipwreck and mistreatment at Malta and in Rome. But Paul’s concern was as ours should be: He was passionate over the treatment of souls, not bodies. Souls must not be made to conform with mere human ceremonies when ceremonies are claimed to be a requirement for righteousness and forgiveness.

Our Confession, the Formula of Concord, summarizes these things:

I, Ceremonies which are basically contrary to the Word of God must be avoided (FC X:5).

II, We must “not be yoked with unbelievers;” we must separate ourselves from them, including in the appearances of activities or ceremonies (2 Corinthians 6:14,17).

III, Useless and foolish spectacles which do not serve or preserve good order, or Christian discipline, or evangelical decorum (proper worship), are not to be treated with indifference (they are not adiaphora) but should be avoided (FC X:7).

IV, Truly indifferent things, or adiaphora, are in and of themselves not the worship of God or even a part of it, and we should distinguish between such indifferent things and the necessities of worship. (FC X:8).

V, The community of God in every place and at every time has the right, authority and power to change, reduce, or even increase ceremonies of the church according to its circumstances, as long as it does so without frivolity and offense but in an orderly and appropriate way, so that such things are the best and most beneficial for good order, Chrsitian discipline, evangelical decorum, and the edification of the Church. (FC X:9).

VI, At a time of confession (persecution, etc.), when enemies of the Gospel want to suppress the pure doctrine of the holy Gospel, the entire community of God and especially the ministers of the Word are obligated to confess openly with words and actions the true doctrine and all that pertains to it, according to the Word of God. We should not yield even in matters of indifference, or tolerate such ceremonies to be imposed upon us that might undermine the genuine worship of God. (FC X:10-13).

VII, We must beware yielding or conforming in external things, where Christian agreement in doctrine has not previously been achieved, which would support idolaters in their idolatry or sadden or scandalize true believers and weaken them in their faith (for every Christian is obligated to avoid both, as it is written, “Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin!” Matthew 18:7). (FC X:16).

The Confession says many other things, but this next (and last) item should be remembered in particular, because it is always easy to judge someone, even a fellow Christian, when they do something that is simply different: Churches will not condemn each other because of a difference in ceremonies, when in Christian liberty one uses fewer or more of them, as long as they are otherwise agreed in doctrine and in all its articles and also agreed concerning the right use of the holy sacraments, according to the well-known axiom: ‘Disagreement in fasting should not destroy agreement in faith.’” (FC X:31).

This is part of what it means to guard one’s faith and doctrine closely (1 Timothy 4:16).

In Christ,
Pastor Timothy Smith

 

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