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NASB | Acts 21:23 "Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Acts 21:23 "Therefore do just what we tell you. We have four men who have taken a vow; |
Bible Question: I don't understand this passage, If these vows were nailed to the cross (had met their symbolic fulfillment in Jesus Christ), why did the elders of the Church command Paul to go through with them? Verse 25 says He did it so the Jews may know that he also walked "orderly" keeping the law. Orderly in whose eyes? God's eyes or the Jews'? |
Bible Answer: Dear Humility, Had these things been done in order to achieve atonement, then they would have had a problem. Our righteousness before God is complete in Christ. However, as you have pointed out, the purpose was to eliminate an impediment or criticism of the Jews. When you are functioning within the context of another culture, you sometimes have to accommodate them so as to not bring such offense that they will not listen to you at all. For example, if a missionary family goes to an Islamic country, the women in the family must adjust their attire to comply with local mores. Clothing that might be perfectly chaste and acceptable to Americans, would cause a furor in an Islamic community. The women would not be changing their dress because they thought it would make them more modest. Rather, they would change their dress in order to minimize immediate objections to the message of the Gospel. In Him, Doc |