Acts 15:1, 2
Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved." This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.

Acts 16:3, 4
Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey.

I grew up thinking that Christianity was black and white, that there was always one right answer.  Now I’m not so sure.  I’m not saying we can’t find Truth, nor am I preaching situational ethics that promote a feel-good Gospel.  But I am saying that Christianity can be surprisingly messy.  For God, life probably is black and white.  He doesn’t have trouble defining grey areas, but for us, our culture, experiences, and spiritual hang-ups distort God’s perfect Truth and make us grapple with our incompleteness.

I was struck by today’s Life Journal reading in both Job and Acts.  Some of Job’s friends’ answers seem to make sense to me, yet in the end, God rebuked all but one of the friends!  In Acts 15, an incredible discussion ensued over circumcision of non-Jews that finally ended in delegates going to Jerusalem to discuss the question.  Ironically, in Acts 16, Paul promptly circumcised Timothy!  Paul had excellent motives for circumcising Timothy, but I’m sure there were believers that criticized Paul’s actions and deemed them hypocritical.

In a nut shell, I think we need to remember Micah 6:8 - He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.  We just can’t get things right all the time.  We need God’s grace and mercy as we navigate through life, daily choosing Him.

Joy Oaks