Last time we saw how Paul goes against the geographical will of God and lets his emotional attachment to the Jews take over. Despite being warned three times by God the Holy Spirit, Paul heads off to Jerusalem.

He starts off telling them about what the grace of God has been doing among the Gentiles. But James and the other Jews are worried about Paul’s message of grace. They are BELIEVERS, but believe that to live the Christian way of life you have to follow all the Old Testament Law. Look what James has to say to Paul:

Acts 21:21-22

21 and they have been told about you, that you are teaching all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs.

22 "What, then, is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come.

Now that Paul is outside of where God wants him to be, and hanging around with people that he shouldn’t be hanging around with, he’s going to make another terrible decision.

Acts 21:23-34

23 "Therefore do this that we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow;

24 take them and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses so that they may shave their heads; and all will know that there is nothing to the things which they have been told about you, but that you yourself also walk orderly, keeping the Law.

The problem with vows is that they are generally an act of legalism committed by believers for the wrong reasons. It’s a system of penance, or works, and does not take into account the principle of grace. For Paul to take a vow is for him to renounce everything he has been teaching about grace.

This is how it worked when they took a vow. A person would go into the temple, and declare his intention to take a vow. Then they had to do certain things. They had to let their hair grow, and could not cut it until the vow was over. They had to go on a certain type of diet. They also had to come up with a large financial offering within thirty days. This is why they made the vow publicly, so hopefully some rich man with a guilty conscience would pay for their vow. Paul had brought all this money with him for the church in Jerusalem, and they figured he could stand to pay for all four of them!

If there was ever a believer who understood the grace of God, it was Paul. But now they want him to earn and deserve his blessings. He must let his hair grow, pay lots of money, abstain from good food and wine, and present himself in the Temple with his money to have his hair shaved off and burned on the altar.

What was Paul’s problem? First, he had an emotional attachment to Judaism. Paul’s background was a Pharisee. Second, he failed to apply the word of God that he knew to his own situation.

James 4:17

17 Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.

That’s what emotion can do to you! Third, Paul put his love for these people AHEAD of his love for the Word of God. He is compromising the word to placate and satisfy these legalistic believers. He should have followed his own advice:

Galatians 5:1

1 It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.

The pastors in the Jerusalem church were actually encouraging believers to come in to the Temple and become legalistic. They thought that becoming a believer was simply by the grace of God, but that living the Christian life was about following the rules. It’s a problem that is still with us today!

The best thing Paul could have done is to take these four believers, and teach them about the grace of God. But not only did he join them and identify himself with them, he paid their way! Be very careful about who you identify yourself with.

Proverbs 13:20

20 He who walks with wise men will be wise,

But the companion of fools will suffer harm.

Paul’s compromise with legalism is going to have some serious repercussions for him. We’ll look at that next time.