Page 21 - 7-1-16 Friday's Edition

Obedience, Not Pretense
Is What Matters (Romans 2:17–29)
By Mark Scott
With privilege comes re- sponsibility. This is the think- ing at this point in Romans. To help people appreciate the power of the gospel (Ro- mans 1:16, 17), Paul first had to convince everyone how much they needed the gospel (vv. 18–3:20). The Gentiles needed the gospel because they had suppressed the truth (1:18-32). The Jews thought they could es- cape, but Paul was quick to point out that God’s judg- ment would come home to roost on them (2:1-11). Even though the Jews had privi- leges (their calling and the law), they had forgotten their
responsibilities. In fact, some Gentiles who did not have the Jewish privileges actually did God’s will, and some Jews who had the law did not live by it (vv. 12-16). The Jews in the church in Rome needed more than law. They needed genuine faith and obedient hearts.
Pretense v. Obedience|
Romans 2:17-23
To be grateful for privi- leges is one thing. To boast about those privileges is something else. For the Jew, the law was the embodiment of knowledge and truth. But Paul cautioned the Jews not to rely on the law and boast
in God. In other words, be careful of pretense. Paul used six phrases to drive that point home (vv. 17-20): The preten- tious self-perception included relying on the law, being in- structed by the law, guiding the spiritually blind, being a light for those who are in the dark, being an instructor of the foolish, and being a teacher of little children. Paul said, “Knowledge puffs up” (1 Corinthians 8:1).
It is not pretense but obe- dience that matters. A few secular proverbs unpack the content of Paul’s next five phrases (vv. 21-23): “Look in the mirror.” “Walk your talk.” “Practice what you preach.” Three of Paul’s five phrases are part of the Ten Commandments (stealing, adultery, and idol worship). The first and last are about teaching and obeying God’s law. Good intentions are never enough. Performance matters.
Outward v. Inward |
Romans 2:24-29
But it is not just perform- ance that matters. Both the
Old and New Testament stress the importance of hav- ing the right heart to match right actions (Joel 2:13; Mark 7:14-23). God looks at the inward—not just the out- ward (1 Samuel 16:7). Cir- cumcision (“cut around”) is the sign of the Old Testament Mosaic covenant (though it goes back farther than Moses). Obviously it was an outward sign. When the sign of the covenant matches a heart committed to keeping the covenant, God is pleased and his people have integrity.
When only circumcision is in place, but the heart for obeying God’s law is not, then circumcision is of little value. The inverse is also true. If people who are not circum- cised (Gentiles) keep God’s law, then they will be viewed as God’s people even though they do not have the sign of the covenant.
The backdrop behind Paul’s remarks is the tension in the church in Rome be- tween Jew and Gentile. If the Gentiles were feeling poorly after Romans 1:18-32, their self-esteem should have re- covered in 2:25-27. Though
the Jews might have felt like they had all the privileges, the Gentiles might have had a leg up on the Jews if they obeyed God (see also Acts 15:1-35). Next Paul took circumcision to another level. He actually matched what the Old Testa- ment already taught. Circum- cision also dealt with the heart (Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6; Jeremiah 4:4; 9:25). Christians are to be circumcised in Christ (Colossians 2:11; 3:11; Galatians 5:6). Otherwise circumcision amounts to nothing (1 Corinthians 7:19). When we understand how the outward goes with the inward, we are the true circumcision (Philippians 3:3).
Maybe the middle verse of the text is the climax: God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you. It would be terrible indeed to have all the privileges of God and compromise them to the point of hindering people from coming to God. Perhaps the best way to receive the “nod of God” is to unite obe- dience with heart—that takes us beyond the law.
FRIDAY, JULY 1, 2016 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY PAGE 9-B