Dd-58. What Does Acts 21:23,24 TRULY Mean? DOWNLOAD to SAVE as a PDF Doc to read OFFLINE. Dd-58. What Does Acts 21:23,24 TRULY mean? Let us begin this study in God's word by reading Acts 21:23,24 out of its CONTEXT. Acts 21:23,24. “Do therefore, this that we SAY to you: (The pronoun “WE” in this verse is referring to the Jewish Christians at Jerusalem. And the pronoun “YOU” in this verse is referring to the Apostle Paul. In the verses before these two verses the Apostle James, speaking on behalf of all the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem points out to the Apostle Paul of all the MANY Jewish Christians that there are in Jerusalem. And then James says some other things and then continues to say the following) We have four men which have a VOW on them; 24. Them take, and purify yourself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning you, are nothing; but that YOU YOURSELF also walk orderly, and KEEP the LAW.” Now, the seventh DAY of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians use Acts 21:23,24 out of its CONTEXT to dogmatically demand that the early church KEPT the Law of Moses. And by the early church, I, myself, am referring to the church AFTER God turned to the Gentiles. For you see, the earliest of the early church was still yet continuing to LEARN from Jesus THROUGH the teaching of the Holy Spirit even AFTER Acts 21:23,24. Anyway, all the seventh DAY of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians conclude that since the Apostle Paul himself KEPT the Law of Moses here in Acts 21:23,24, then this proves beyond any shadow of a doubt, according to Sabbath-keeping Christians, that ALL Christians MUST keep the Law of Moses. It has also come to my attention that there are two other groups of Sabbath-keeping Christians who believe that they ALONE are the TRUE Hebrew race of people. One group is white or Caucasian and the other group is black or black Africans. Now, SOME Sabbath-keeping Christians in these two groups are teaching that ONLY the TRUE Israelite Hebrew Christians MUST keep the Law of Moses and NONE of the Gentile Christians are required to keep ANY of the Law of Moses contained in ordinances. But ALL Christians MUST keep all the MORAL laws of God. And while watching some of their videos and reading some of what they teach they SEEM to separate themselves from the title of being a CHRISTIAN. They say that Jesus is their Messiah, but they ALSO say that the Holy Spirit is leading THEM to keep the Law of Moses. So then, is the overall general INTERPRETATION of all the Sabbath-keeping Christians a SOUND Biblical interpretation? All anyone needs to do is to read the next verse. Please read Acts 21:25. “As touching the Gentiles which BELIEVE, we (Speaking of the all Jewish Christian leaders of the church through the Holy Spirit) have written and CONCLUDED that THEY observe no such thing, (In other words, back in Acts chapter 15, THIS MATTER of whether or not the Gentile Christians should keep the Law of Moses was SETTLED once and for all time that no SUCH COMMANDMENT should be given to ANY Gentile Christians for them to keep the Law of Moses) save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication.” So then, does this mean that ONLY the Jewish Christians must keep the Law of Moses? In other words, is the seventh DAY Sabbath-keeping Christians’ interpretation of Acts 21:23,24 that every Christian must keep the Law of Moses a SOUND Biblical interpretation? Again, the short answer is an absolute no! Keep read for the sound Biblical proof of this truth. What I am showing you right now is what DIFFERENT seventh DAY of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians teach. And, as I said a moment ago there are SOME “Hebrew Israelite” Sabbath-keeping Christians who have drawn the conclusion that THEY MUST keep the Law of Moses because they believe that they are the TRUE Hebrew race of people, which by the way is ALSO NOT SOUND Biblical teaching. And these so-called true Hebrew Christians is what led me to do this study in God’s word. So far or up to this point in this study, we know with 100% absolute assurance that the Gentile Christians are NOT to keep the Law of Moses for ANY reason. But what about the Jewish Christians? Must the true Hebrew race of people who become “Christians” keep the Law of Moses? Now the argument made by those so-called TRUE Hebrew Christians that WRONGLY teach that the Jewish Christians MUST keep the Law of Moses CLAIM that there are TWO DIFFERENT gospels being taught in the New Testament. They say that there is one gospel for the Jews. And they say that there is a different gospel for the Gentiles. But is their “interpretation” of there being TWO different gospels a SOUND Biblical interpretation? The short answer is a blatant absolute no! There is but ONE TRUE Gospel of Jesus Christ and it is the SAME gospel for both Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians. And we are all called, both Jews and Gentiles, to speak the SAME things according to the TRUTH of the GOSPEL of Jesus Christ. Please read Philippians 1:27. “Only let your conversation be as it becomes the GOSPEL of Christ: (It does not say gospels, but rather it says GOSPEL in the singular) that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that you stand fast in ONE spirit, with ONE mind striving together for the FAITH of the GOSPEL;”
You see, there were some Jewish Christians in the Philippian church that CONTENDED with the Apostle Paul about the gospel. And they believed that all Christians must keep the Law of Moses.
Please read 1 Thessalonians 2:2.
“But even after that we had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated, as you know, at Philippi, WE were bold in our God to speak unto you the GOSPEL OF God with MUCH CONTENTION.”
The word contention means HEATED disagreement, heated dispute, heated disputation, heated argument, heated discord, conflict, friction, strife, dissension, and disharmony. And there were SOME Jewish Christians in the Philippian church that preached the gospel with contention against what Paul preached in order to bring even MORE persecution and hatred toward the Apostle Paul. And even in the church today there are SOME seventh DAY of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians who hate the Apostle Paul’s teaching so much that they CLAIM that Paul is a FALSE Apostle. They claim that Paul had a vision from Satan and that it was NOT Jesus who appeared to him on the road to Damascus. Please read the studies Dd-72. Is the APOSTLE PAUL a FALSE TEACHER? , Dd-69. Is PAUL a TRUE APOSTLE of JESUS? Part 1 and Dd-70. Is PAUL a TRUE APOSTLE of JESUS? Part 2 But for now, let us read Philippians 1:16 where we see that SOME Christians were preaching out of contention to ADD more persecution to Paul and the other NON-Torah keeping Christians.
Philippians 1:12-17.
“But I would you should UNDERSTAND, brethren, that the things which happened unto me have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the GOSPEL; (And I would say that due to some Torah keeping Christians becoming Paul haters has opened the eyes of MANY Sabbath-keeping Christians that they themselves have been deceived by a false gospel that is wrongly teaching Christians to keep the Law of Moses. Notice how SOME of the Judaizing Christians became haters of the Apostle Paul) 13. So that my bonds in Christ are manifest in all the palace, and in all other places; 14. And many of the brethren in the Lord, growing with confidence by my bonds, are much more bold to speak the word WITHOUT FEAR. (In other words, what the Judaizing Christians meant for HARM, God turned the CONTENTION into FURTHERANCE of the TRUE Gospel of Jesus Christ. The words being “WITHOUT FEAR” is a KEY to understanding the TRUE meaning of Acts 21:23,24 and as to WHY Paul agreed to do as he was ASKED to do. For you see, the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem FEARED that the coming of the Apostle Paul to Jerusalem would only add MORE “persecution” to them who were ALREADY being persecuted by the unsaved Jews) 15. Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife; and some also of good will: 16. The one preaches Christ of contention, not sincerely, SUPPOSING to ADD affliction to my bonds: 17. But the other of love, knowing that I am set for the DEFENSE of the GOSPEL.”
So we can clearly see that the unsaved Jews were persecuting the Christians because of the GOSPEL that the Christians were preaching and teaching. And the Apostle Paul was set to DEFEND the TRUTH of the GOSPEL of God no matter how much persecution that teaching of the TRUTH brought upon him. With this in mind, let us go back and read the CONTEXT of Acts 21:23,24 so that you can see the FEAR in the Jewish Christians at Jerusalem that the coming of Paul would ADD MORE persecution to them.
Please read Acts 21:17-32.
“And when we came to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly. (Or the common Christians received him gladly. Meaning that Paul and the others who came to Jerusalem with Paul had not yet gone to see the Jewish Christians Apostles and the ELDERS which were at Jerusalem that were over the church in the city of Jerusalem) 18. 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 (Speaking of Paul) 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, You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews there are which believe; and they are all zealous of the law: (In other words, James and the other Jewish Christians that were ELDERS in the church in Jerusalem agreed with Paul of all the things that God was doing among the GENTILE Christians. BUT you, Paul, also need to understand that God is doing good among the Jews here in Jerusalem as well. And many of them have heard how you are teaching the Jewish Christians in the churches that you have established among the Gentiles to NOT keep the Law of Moses) 21. And they are informed of you, that you teach 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? (Or Paul, why are you ALSO teaching the Jewish Christians to NOT keep the Law of Moses. I THOUGHT that the whole church agreed back in Acts 15 that we should give no such commandment to the GENTILE Christians. And here you are teaching that ALL the Jewish Christians are ALSO to NOT keep the Law of Moses. That is just ONE interpretation of this passage of Scripture. And in truth, I personally believe that James and the elders knew full well that they agreed that NOT even ONE Christian, neither Jew nor Gentile, should be commanded that they must keep the Law of Moses. I personally believe that the ELDERS of the church at Jerusalem were in FEAR of the unsaved JEWS that were persecuting the church at Jerusalem. I believe that they were afraid that the unsaved Jews were going to KILL the Jewish Christians for NOT keeping the Law of Moses. Anyway, no matter which interpretation you believe, the Apostle James is asking Paul to come into agreement with him and the ELDERS in the church at Jerusalem saying) the multitude must needs come together: FOR (Or BECAUSE) THEY will hear that you have come. (Now, the BRETHREN already KNEW that Paul was there and they received him GLADLY. So the pronoun “THEY” here is speaking of the UNSAVED JEWS) 23. Do THEREFORE this that we say to you: (Or please Paul do as we ask of you to do for the sake of these four men who have a VOW AGAINST them by some of the UNSAVED Jews who seek to KILL them.) We have four men which have a VOW ON them; (The Greek word translated as ON them also means UPON them, at them, TOWARD them and AGAINST them. So to me, I am seeing that some UNSAVED Jews had sworn an oath and made a pact or VOW to KILL these four Jewish Christian for NOT keeping the Law of Moses. So then, James is asking for THEIR SAKE not to be killed, Paul PLEASE I am begging you to) 24. Take them, and purify yourself WITH them, and be at charges (Or SUBJECT to INCUR the cost ALSO) with them, that they may shave their heads: (In other words, please, Paul, do as they do. For you see, we have asked them to subject themselves to do this before you arrived. We asked them to subject themselves to incur the cost and not we are asking you to subject yourself with them) and ALL may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning you, are nothing; but that you yourself also walk orderly, and keep the law. (Now, the old English meaning of the word translate as “be at charge” is not used so much today so we do not understand what it means for someone to subject themselves to incur the cost. The Greek word also means to SPEND. When you “spend” money you pay the “PRICE” for something you desire. The word spend also means to spend time in a specific manner such as an act of doing something for what you desire. And what James desire was for those four Jewish Christians to NOT be KILLED. This same Greek word is used in 2 Corinthians 12:15 where Paul gladly SPENT his time preaching the gospel for the sake of OTHERS. So Paul was doing this Jewish purification specifically FOR those FOUR Christians that the unsaved Jews VOWED to kill. I will explain more on this shortly) 25. As touching the Gentiles which BELIEVE, we have written and CONCLUDED that THEY observe no such thing, (In other words, back in Acts chapter 15 THIS MATTER of whether or not the Gentile Christians should keep the Law of Moses was SETTLED once and for all time that NO SUCH COMMANDMENT should be given to ANY Gentile Christians for them to keep the law of Moses) save only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication. 26. Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them. 27. And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him, 28. Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teaches all men everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place: (Here we see that there is no doubt that Paul did NOT teach ANY of the Christians to KEEP the Law of Moses. All the unsaved Jews knew full well that Paul taught BOTH the Jewish Christians and the Gentile Christians to NOT keep the Law of Moses. And that is why some of the unsaved Jews made a VOW or OATH to KILL the Apostle Paul. But it was not yet in God’s timing for Paul to be killed) and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and has polluted this holy place. 29. (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.) 30. And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut. 31. And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. 32. Who immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down unto them: and when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left beating of Paul.”
So then, all the effort to try and pull off this charade to pretend to keep the Law of Moses to avoid persecution from the unsaved Jews did not work. You see, Paul was WARNED two times by the Holy Spirit to NOT come up to Jerusalem but he did not take heed to those warnings. Rather, Paul told those, who by the Holy Spirit warned him to not go to Jerusalem that he was ready to be bound and even to be killed for the sake of the GOSPEL. Before we read those verses where Paul was being warned to not go to Jerusalem let us read Acts 23:19-23 where we see some unsaved Jews making a VOW or an OATH to kill the apostle Paul.
Please read Acts 23:19-21.
“Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with him aside privately, and asked him, What is that you have to tell me? 20. And he said, The Jews have agreed to desire you that you would bring down Paul to morrow into the council, as though they would enquire somewhat of him more perfectly. 21 But do not you yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they ready, looking for a promise from you.”
Now, one of the reasons of why I sincerely believe that Paul was “ACTING” as a Jew in Acts 21:20-27 is because Paul HIMSELF said that he BECAME AS a Jew to win the Jews. And Paul also said that he BECAME AS a Gentile to win the Gentiles. Paul understood his LIBERTY in Jesus Christ. So there is no way that Paul would have spent his time in the manner of the ceremonial Laws of Moses contained in ordinances with the INTENT of his HEART that he was “keeping” the Law of Moses so that he would not be displeasing to God. Paul became as a Jew to keep those four Jewish Christians from being KILLED by the unsaved Jews who had a VOW on them. And I personally believe that James FEARED the unsaved Jews and he asked the FOUR Jewish Christians to do what the unsaved Jews demanded only to SAVE the lives of those four Jewish Christians. I say this because Acts chapter 15 comes BEFORE Acts chapter 21. And in Act 15:10, Peter agreed with Paul and the Holy Spirit that the Jewing “Judaizing” Christians were TEMPTING God by compelling the Gentile Christians to keep the Law of Moses which NONE of their Jewish fathers nor THEY themselves were able to BEAR. And thus, Paul became of ACTED as a Jew to win the Jews in Acts 21:23,24.
Please read 1 Corinthians 9:19-23.
“For though I am FREE from all men, (Meaning that Paul does not allow any man to judge him and compel him to do that which Jesus has set him FREE) YET have I MADE myself servant unto all, that I might GAIN the more. 20. And unto the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; (In other words, James and the ELDERS in the church at Jerusalem knew full well that Paul became as a JEW or ACTED as a Jew for the sole purpose to WIN as many JEWS to Jesus as he could. So the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem knew that Paul would be alright with acting like a Jew in order to keep four of his Jewish brethren in the FAITH of Jesus Christ from being KILLED by the unsaved Jews. So in Acts 21:20-24 the elders at Jerusalem asked Paul to live as the Jews for the sake of all the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem. And obviously, Paul agreed to their pretense of him becoming like a Jew for the sake of all of the Jewish believers in Jerusalem which was the epicenter of persecution from the unsaved Jews) 21. To them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that I might gain them that are without law. 22. To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. 23. And this I do for the GOSPEL’S sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you.”
So then, Paul living as a Jew was NOT being done to deliberately DECEIVE the Jews. But rather, Paul became like a Jew in order to not be OFFENSIVE to the Jews. In other words, when Paul was with the Gentiles he ate whatever the Gentiles ate in order to not OFFEND the Gentiles. And when Paul was with the Jews, he ate as the Jews so that he would not OFFEND the Jews. For you see, IF Paul would have eaten as the Gentiles in the presence of the UNSAVED Jews, then they would have not listened to a word he had to preach to them about Jesus being the Messiah. So what Paul did in Acts 21:20-27 was FOR the SAKE of the GOSPEL. Paul understood the TRUTH of the Gospel that he was FREE from ALL mean both Jews and Gentiles. In other words, if Paul was peaching to the unsaved pagan Gentiles who offered meat to IDOLS, then Paul knew he was FREE to eat meat sacrificed to IDOLS, according to 1 Corinthians 8:1-13. So then, Paul was NOT becoming like a Jew because he FEARED displeasing God if he did not keep all the Law of Moses. Now let us read where Paul was WARNED to not go up to Jerusalem but he would not listen to them and he went anyway.
Please read Acts 21:4.
“And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem.”
Then a few verses later we read again where Paul is WARNED a SECOND time to NOT go up to Jerusalem by the Holy Spirit.
Acts 21:11-14.
“And when he came unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus says the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owns this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. (Speaking of Paul being arrested and bond by the Roman soldiers) 12. And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, implored him NOT to go up to Jerusalem. 13. Then Paul answered, What mean you to weep and to break my heart? For I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. 14. And when he would NOT be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done.” Paul understood that persecution was a part of preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. For you see, Paul suffered much persecution for preaching the TRUTH of the GOSPEL. And part of that truth is to NOT allow anyone to judge us for NOT KEEPING the Law of Moses contained in ORDINANCES. And Paul was worried that those Christians who desired to be teachers of the LAW OF MOSES would lose their salvation. And that is WHY Paul warned the Jewish Judaizing Christians in the Philippian church to work out their OWN salvation with FEAR and TREMBLING.
Please read Philippians 2:12.
“Wherefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, NOT as in my presence only, but now much more in my ABSENCE, work out your OWN SALVATION with FEAR and TREMBLING.”
For you see, Paul knew that he would not always be in their presence to rebuke them when they were not walking according to the TRUTH of the GOSPEL of God by becoming SUBVERTED to keep the Law of Moses contained in ORDINANCES. And in the next study in God’s word, we will cover the many verses that Paul was AFRAID that the Judaizing Jewish Christians received their faith in Jesus Christ in VAIN. Please read the study called Dd-66. WAS PAUL A JUDAIZING CHRISTIAN? In other words, did Paul teach Christians to KEEP the Law of Moses? And for further study on this subject as to whether or not Christians should keep the weekly Sabbath please read all the studies under the heading >>>Dd-0. What is the TRUE Sabbath?<<< Thanks for reading and may God bless you richly as you continue to read ALL the studies that I gave links to throughout this study concerning this subject on Sabbath TRUTH. My heartfelt prayer is that all Christians RETURN to the TRUE FOUNDATION of the church that is taught by the very Apostles of Jesus in the first century. So let us all come into the UNITY of the faith and return to what Jesus and his Apostles taught us in SIMPLICITY in the New Testament.
To learn more TRUTH, then please return to
If you have any questions, please feel free to write to me. My contact email is MarkatAMatterOfTruth@Gmail .com. Some Sabbath-keeping Christians CLAIM that the early church kept the Sabbath as the Jews, but I assure you that the early first-century church was accustomed to gathering together BEFORE the light of daybreak on the FIRST day of the week that THEY called the Lord's day. Please read all the studies linked within this study and all the studies linked below. This study was just the TIP of the iceberg of exposing the ERRORS of interpretation made by the Saturday seventh day of the week Sabbath-keeping churches, and the Sunday first day of the week Sabbath-keeping Christians. All of the studies listed under the subject heading >>>Dd-0. What is the TRUE Sabbath?<<< And also read Dd-20. Did The Early Church KEEP the Sabbath day to learn the truth of what the early church believed. Thanks again for reading and may God bless you richly as you continue to seek the truth of the whole word of Almighty God.
Your Brother in our Lord Jesus Christ, Brother Mark.
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