Persuading men, pleasing God

Am I now persuading people or God? Or am I trying to please people? If I was still trying to please people I would not be a slave of Christ. (Galatians 1:10)

The task of the Christian is to persuade people and please God, not to persuade God and please people.

But this leads to some difficult moral predicaments. For Paul, it meant not insisting on circumcision and yet asking Timothy to be circumcised. He wouldn't insist on it because it wasn't needed to be right with God - he is the God of gace, not of religious works. And yet, because Timothy was working with Paul amongst Jews (Acts 16), it was better for him to be circumcised - not to please people, but to gain a hearing for the gospel and so persuade them about Christ.

But this meant Paul was open to the accusation of inconsistency. He was furious with the Galatians for forcing Christian men & boys to be circumcised. But at the same time, he himself asked Timothy to be circumcised. Isn't he being hypocritical?  No, because the Galatians were insisting on circumcision as a means to persuade God to be pleased with them., Paul was requesting it in order to persuade people.

We too face difficult decisions which may lay us open to accusations of hypocrisy. But the principle is clear - do what you need to do to gain a hearing for the gospel and persuad people about Jesus. But always and only do what pleases God. We're slaves of Christ and not of people.