Daily Bread 2011 - Romans 2
The Jews and the Law
17 Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; 18 if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; 19 if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24 As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”25 Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised. 26 So then, if those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? 27 The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker. 28 A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29 No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.
What Does This Mean?
One of the first key things Paul must teach on in order for the Romans to understand the nature of Grace, is the nature of the Law. The Law was given by God supernaturally to the Israelites by Moses, in order for them to be a people who were set apart to reveal God’s purposes to the world. And yet over the years the Jews became boastful that they were given the Law and were superior because of it. Yet, at the same time with the temple being destroyed twice in the 700 years preceding the coming of Christ, the Israelites had strayed far from the Law.
The biggest problem in the Jewish faith was hypocrisy. The leaders were teaching one thing and laying heavy burdens on the members of the synagogue and then not living up to the standards of the Law themselves. Because circumcision of the Jewish boys was one of the first requirements for Jewish families to set these boys apart for God, they often also boasted of circumcision as an outward sign of spiritual superiority. But Paul confronts this strongly when he states if someone who is not circumcised yet obeys the Law, is more inwardly reflective of what the purpose of circumcision really means.
What Does This Mean For Us?
A modern day equivalent in the Christian church today might be baptism. Baptism is a sign of God’s grace being poured out in the water and someone coming from darkness to light and becoming part of God’s family (born again). At its best it is a sign/sacrament of God’s grace being poured out and a person’s baptism is a public declaration of their faith in the assembly of the believers.
The danger of baptism, especially in the case of “infant baptism” that it could become a ritual if not followed up with teaching and the nurture of the Christian faith to develop true faith in Jesus Christ. The bottom line is no written code or ritual can change a human heart only God’s Spirit as it is poured out and baptizes and circumcises the human heart through faith. Since we all fall short of the Law and cannot live up to it, the primary purpose of it is to show us our need for a Savior to be received by grace through faith in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus help us not to become prideful but help us to realize that we all need your grace. None of us are above the Law and none of us could ever measure up to the Law, so may we never judge others but only ourselves by Your standards, not the standards of the world. Amen.
17 Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; 18 if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; 19 if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24 As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”25 Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised. 26 So then, if those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? 27 The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker. 28 A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29 No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.
What Does This Mean?
One of the first key things Paul must teach on in order for the Romans to understand the nature of Grace, is the nature of the Law. The Law was given by God supernaturally to the Israelites by Moses, in order for them to be a people who were set apart to reveal God’s purposes to the world. And yet over the years the Jews became boastful that they were given the Law and were superior because of it. Yet, at the same time with the temple being destroyed twice in the 700 years preceding the coming of Christ, the Israelites had strayed far from the Law.
The biggest problem in the Jewish faith was hypocrisy. The leaders were teaching one thing and laying heavy burdens on the members of the synagogue and then not living up to the standards of the Law themselves. Because circumcision of the Jewish boys was one of the first requirements for Jewish families to set these boys apart for God, they often also boasted of circumcision as an outward sign of spiritual superiority. But Paul confronts this strongly when he states if someone who is not circumcised yet obeys the Law, is more inwardly reflective of what the purpose of circumcision really means.
What Does This Mean For Us?
A modern day equivalent in the Christian church today might be baptism. Baptism is a sign of God’s grace being poured out in the water and someone coming from darkness to light and becoming part of God’s family (born again). At its best it is a sign/sacrament of God’s grace being poured out and a person’s baptism is a public declaration of their faith in the assembly of the believers.
The danger of baptism, especially in the case of “infant baptism” that it could become a ritual if not followed up with teaching and the nurture of the Christian faith to develop true faith in Jesus Christ. The bottom line is no written code or ritual can change a human heart only God’s Spirit as it is poured out and baptizes and circumcises the human heart through faith. Since we all fall short of the Law and cannot live up to it, the primary purpose of it is to show us our need for a Savior to be received by grace through faith in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus help us not to become prideful but help us to realize that we all need your grace. None of us are above the Law and none of us could ever measure up to the Law, so may we never judge others but only ourselves by Your standards, not the standards of the world. Amen.
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