Sermon Tone Analysis

Introduction

Introduction

Right Behaviour with Wrong Belief (1-10)

The important part to remember about this section is what is happening.

vs 1. - “taking Titus along with me” = daring move.

Because he was a Greek rather than a Jew, Titus was uncircumcised.

And if anything was bound to enrage the Judaizers, it was bringing an uncircumcised man into their holy city!

Circumcision meant everything to the Jews.

It was the sacred mark of Jewish identity, the symbol of salvation.

Since the days of Abraham,it had been the visible sign of belonging to God’s people.

According to the command of God (), circumcision determined whether someone was inside or outside the covenant.

Taking Titus to Jerusalem was a daring move.

Because he was a Greek rather than a Jew, Titus was uncircumcised.

And if anything was bound to enrage the Judaizers, it was bringing an uncircumcised man into their holy city!

Circumcision meant everything to the Jews.

It was the sacred mark of Jewish identity, the symbol of salvation.

Since the days of Abraham, the removal of the male foreskin had been the visible sign of belonging to God’s people.

According to the command of God (), circumcision determined whether someone was inside or outside the covenant.

In the past, if a Gentile decided to become a Jew, he had to be circumcised.

This was what the law required.

Then Paul came along with his law-free gospel, preaching the good news of the cross and the empty tomb.

He said that Jesus Christ had already met the requirements of the law, so that circumcision didn’t even matter.

All it took to belong to God was faith in Jesus Christ.

Titus served as the perfect test case for the freedom of Paul’s gospel.

Here was a man who had received Jesus Christ as his Lord and Savior.

Did he or did he not also have to meet the requirements of the law, epitomized by circumcision?

The issue whether Gentile believers should be circumcised could not be discussed simply in the abstract because Titus was in their midst: Was he to be welcomed as a brother in Christ or told that he needed to be circumcised?

Ryken, P. G. (2005).

Galatians.

(R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.) (p.

43).

Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing.

Moo, D. J. (2015).

The Letters and Revelation.

In D. A. Carson (Ed.), NIV Zondervan Study Bible: Built on the Truth of Scripture and Centered on the Gospel Message (p.

2385).

Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

4 - “False brothers” These false teachers were saying that Titus had to be circumcised.

An action that was done in order to be made right before God.

Big blow to the gospel if he had been since it would be adding human requirements as necessary for salvation.

Titus wasn’t compelled.

More than that, the leaders in the church in Jerusalem not only agreed that Paul was an apostle, but that his gospel that he had been proclaiming 14 years before was right.

Flash back to a few sermons ago.

We looked at how legalism was defined as working in our own power according to our own rules to get God’s favour.

The false teachers were advocating for “good” things, which is why we’ve in this point we’ve called their actions as right behaviour with wrong belief.

circumcision was an important part of Jewish life.

Not only that, but there were additional other rules that were given to Israel to follow.

As part of God’s word, none of the Old Testament laws were bad in and of themselves.

But laws become legalistic when we do them to try and win brownie points with God.

Circumcision is no longer a hot topic for the church, but the deeper issue here is still relevant.

Paul regarded circumcision as a synecdoche for the entire law (see ); it represented law-keeping in general.

Thus the apostle was fighting for something fundamental to Christianity at all times and in all places: What does it take to become a first-class member of God’s family?

Is it simply a matter of faith in Christ, or is there something else, too?

Our problem may not be circumcision or jewish law, but there’s a host of things we might do that fall into this right behaviour with wrong briefs category: having a quiet time, studying the Bible, avoiding certain sins, coming to worship, helping other people.

All these are good things, but when we do them thinking we are earning God’s favour, we are becoming legalistic.

We are all born with a sinful nature, thinking we can earn our was to God; this legalistic mind-set carries over even after God saves us.

We need to fight it by daily reminding ourselves of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Circumcision is no longer a hot topic for the church, but the deeper issue here is still relevant.

Paul regarded circumcision as a synecdoche for the entire law (see Phil. 3:2–9); it represented law-keeping in general.

Thus the apostle was fighting for something fundamental to Christianity at all times and in all places: What does it take to become a first-class member of God’s family?

Is it simply a matter of faith in Christ, or is there something else, too?

The answer is that there are no second-class Christians.

How could there be?

Every Christian is saved exactly the same way: by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

Therefore, there can be no discrimination in the church.

The church cannot exclude people from salvation on the basis of race, gender, class, age, or anything else.

The church cannot even discriminate on the basis of relative righteousness.

Christians have a way of ranking sins.

If someone is struggling with pride and lust, that’s okay.

Who isn’t?

But someone who is battling with depression, or whose marriage is falling apart, or who is tempted to commit homosexual sin, or who is addicted to drugs had better keep it quiet.

Otherwise, people will know that he or she does not really belong in the church.

This seems to be the way that some Christians think, but it is not the way God thinks.

Christians have different gifts, of course.

We have different backgrounds.

We have different cultures, in some cases.

We have different ministries and callings, so there is order in the church.

We have different trials and temptations.

But there is no difference in our standing before God.

And if there is no difference in our standing before God, there should be no differences in our standing with one another.

When we loose sight of the gospel, we treat others as second-class citizens in the kingdom of God.

But the answer is that there are no second-class Christians.

How could there be?

Every Christian is saved exactly the same way: by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.

Therefore, there can be no discrimination in the church.

The church cannot exclude people from salvation on the basis of race, gender, class, age, or anything else.

The church cannot even discriminate on the basis of relative righteousness.

Christians have a way of ranking sins.

If someone is struggling with pride and lust, that’s okay.

Who isn’t?

But someone who is battling with depression, or whose marriage is falling apart, or who is tempted to commit homosexual sin, or who is addicted to drugs had better keep it quiet.

Otherwise, people will know that he or she does not really belong in the church.

This seems to be the way that some Christians think, but it is not the way God thinks.

Christians have different gifts, of course.

We have different backgrounds.

We have different cultures, in some cases.

We have different ministries and callings, so there is order in the church.

We have different trials and temptations.

But there is no difference in our standing before God.

And if there is no difference in our standing before God, there should be no differences in our standing with one another.

This is an example of right behaviour with wrong beliefs.

Faith in Jesus Christ alone will bring about the right behaviour.