Chapter 2
V1-4 Must have been the narrative of Acts 15:1-29. The brethren of v4 (fellow Jews practising Judaism of the traditions of their fathers) intended Titus to be circumcised to become a proselyte i.e. follow their pharisaic Judaism. However, new-born Christians have the liberty to grow into maturity in Yeshua to Torah truth and are not compelled to be circumcised at the very outset of their belief, as a means of identification of a true believer. We are justified by faith as the entry level into Christianity. We at the very least must follow the commands agreed upon at the council of Jerusalem in Acts 15:19-20.
With knowledge gained through following the advice of Acts 15:21 we will then with time grow in spirit and in truth, learning and understanding the commandments of not only circumcision but the full 613 laws in general. The Abrahamic covenant of circumcision was only made between Abraham and Elohim a good 24 years after he had been justified by faith cf Gen 15:6 and 17:1-11. Note that these 4 verses do not claim circumcision has been abolished, but rather are stressing that a new believer is not compelled to be circumcised until he has been brought to understanding its significance through Torah teaching every Sabbath.
V2 all revelation to Paul was from Yeshua directly cf Rom 14:14; 1 Cor 7:10; Acts 9:15-16. Paul privately preached to the Jewish believers in Jerusalem, unlike openly, as he was aware that the Jewish populace at large who practised pharisaic Judaism wanted to kill him, as they did not understand the true gospel of Messiah which preached Torah-keeping in Spirit and not in the letter cf Rom 8:1, 2 Cor 3:6. He heeded Yeshua’s advice to be as wise as serpents yet harmless as doves Matt 10:16. As a Christian, especially in this day and age of apostasy, we to a large degree need to be a couple of steps ahead in discerning and sussing out the congregation preached to in order to not cause overt offence as to turn away the listener from truth altogether.
Preaching to sticklers of false doctrine that is centuries old, would for instance need slow breaking into the truth which requires greater patience on the preacher’s behalf, as opposed to a young child whose mind is like a receptive sponge which does not resist new truth. Compare Romans chapter 14 of which a very thorough commentary has been done available on my YouTube channel, which elucidates this concept at greater length.
V3-4 Titus clearly at this stage of his enlightenment of Torah was still as yet to fully appreciate the need for circumcision, yet the ineffable love and grace afforded us by Elohim through justification by faith in Yeshua, allows us to have the liberty to grow in spirit and truth. Truth cannot be given as one ampoule or one shot in the arm. It is something revealed over a course of time only to a heart that is willing to accept it. To force circumcision upon a new Gentile convert who does not understand its significance, and to falsely claim that salvation is only achieved through proselytization to Judaism is to force them into bondage and risk making them twice the child of hell cf Matt 23:15.
V5 Paul refused to give in to these Judaizers not even for an hour. We must never compromise truth to tickle the ears of those who are clearly in power in the churches yet peddle a false gospel. We must be wise as serpents and harmless as doves to the ignorant congregation which should be the flock of Messiah, but not for a second be soft and let our guard down for the blatantly perverted false teachers who keep that congregation in perpetual darkness. Matt ch 23 is a perfect example of Yeshua’s dislike for such evil men.
V6 Paul further expresses that he was not perturbed by rank nor self-importance of leaders in the congregation. He refused to withhold truth nor be intimidated by rank or title. We have many self-professed doctors, prophets, apostles, bishops and popes in the world today who have been elevated by man as gatekeepers of truth. It is a shame that veneration of men seems to have superseded that of our Saviour, which has exponentially accelerated the apostasy in the churches of today.
V7-8 Paul was the chief apostle appointed to evangelize to the Gentile world, as was Peter to the Jews, the Spirit being the same. Now if the Spirit is the same, then why is it that this epistle as have many others of Paul, has been twisted and claimed to be conclusive, incontestable proof of the abolition of Torah? Surely if Paul was preaching the same gospel that Peter was preaching to the Jews in Jerusalem, then he could not possibly have been at variance with the very laws that Peter and the Jews were obeying and understanding through the lens and Spirit of Yeshua their Messiah? Cf Eph 4:4-5; 1 Cor 6:17.
Note that the uncircumcision in Paul’s era was synonymous with the Gentile world still as yet to know Torah (hence Paul’s commission), whereas the circumcision pertained to the Torah knowing (but not necessarily fully observing) Jews. Both camps needed to be introduced to the gospel of Torah truth in Messiah observed in Spirit and not in the letter. They both needed the grace of Elohim which was dispensed upon whomsoever believed in His only begotten Son Jn 3:16, being justified by faith for the circumcised, or through faith for the uncircumcised cf Rom 3:29-31.
V9-10 The apostles in Jerusalem gave honour (right hand) to Paul’s mission. They could not possibly have done so had he been teaching an anti-Torah gospel. It defies logic that despite the many incidents of Paul’s encounters with all things Torah, and even vehemently denying the allegations that he was teaching against it, Christians to this day still stubbornly latch onto this false doctrine and interpretation brought in unawares by the very people he was deriding!
V11-13 cf Pro 29:25 Paul differed from Peter and some of the other Jewish apostles in that he did not compromise the gospel for fear of man. Even the very elect can be deceived by evil spirits if they do not fully seek and turn to the Holy Spirit always, no matter what situation they find themselves in. Peter in Acts Ch 10 knew full well that the Gentiles had been welcomed by Yeshua Himself into gospel truth, yet he left them hanging dry in the presence of his Jewish brethren in times of testing. This was great hypocrisy on their part. It was not the first time Peter had behaved this way cf Matt 26:69-75. Paul followed Yeshua’s example of eating with publicans and sinners, never bucking down to the deluded societal norms of those in authority.
V14 Paul chose the approach given in1 Tim 5:20 as opposed to that of Matt 18:15-17, because Peter was in a position of leadership, yet was deliberately being hypocritical and deserved such chastisement, as this rot had also been adopted and emulated by the rest of the Jewish ecclesia.
V15-21 In Paul’s day Jews were keeping the law/Torah unlike the Gentiles who were ignorant of Torah i.e. had never heard or been taught of it. However, Gentiles through faith in Yeshua, were also justified meaning that works were not at the entry level of the covenant relationship with Elohim required for one to be deemed righteous. Rather belief in Yeshua is key. The Jews on the other hand keeping Torah yet ignorant of, or outrightly refusing to accept Yeshua of Nazareth as the Messiah could not be justified by their works, as no matter how much we endeavour to uphold Torah by the letter, our carnal fleshly desires will always fail.
Only Holy Spirit power dwelling within a believer may allow him to be guided or led into following the Torah written upon their hearts and minds. This can only be achieved by believing that Yeshua is indeed the Son of Elohim, the Messiah, our Saviour. This leads to justification through this faith. Consequently, this act of humility allows the Holy Spirit to pour into our souls. Satan’s demonic forces cannot survive in a Holy environment and immediately flee from our soul, leaving the Holy Spirit as the only resident in our hearts and souls, culminating in the Torah being obeyed in spirit and in truth cf Rom 7:7-25 and Rom 8:1-2.
V17-18 make it very clear that once one is justified through/by faith, they should then not turn back to their lawless ways deliberately. Gentiles recently justified through faith, may have still continued living uncircumcised or not eating Kosher for example, but this did not disqualify them from the covenant relationship, as they unlike the Jews (who were raised knowing Torah) were totally oblivious of Torah, and thus needed to be patiently taught every Sabbath of the Torah to understand its place and importance in one’s life.
Just as it is barely possible to expect a first-grade child to understand quadratic equations without even being taught the basic fundamentals of mathematics such as counting, adding and subtracting, it typically baffled the Gentile why the Jews expected them to be circumcised to enter a covenant relationship with an Elohim that had not even been preached to them before. Paul was not abolishing Torah through his writings in this passage but was rather expressing the need to place the horse before the cart and not the cart before the horse as the Jews were unfortunately doing.