If a position I hold is not sinful, I should be prepared to forego it if doing so will help win people to Jesus.
Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area.
Why Circumcise Timothy?
Paul knew that circumcision is not necessary for salvation. It is a culture practiced by Jews and some other communities. So why did he subject Timothy to the inconvenience of a painful and intrusive surgery that required days of recovery?
For Paul, Timothy was just fine uncircumcised. However, in that state it would have been difficult for him to be accepted by the Jews. And remember that during these initial missionary journeys, the first stop was mostly in Jewish synagogues.
The Agenda Of The Gospel
This tells us that Christians should be prepared to put up with any inconvenience so as to avoid hindrance to the propagation of the gospel.
If I hold one position and a target group holds another, and both positions are not sinful, I should be prepared to forego mine if by doing so people are won to Jesus. His agenda is to bring men to God. I am committed to that agenda, and I should be prepared to forego anything to propagate it.
