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Romans 2.17-24
December 13th 2020
Milk
Before we read our text for today let me quickly rehearse (or re-rehearse) the setting for which Paul wrote this letter to the church at Rome.
Jews and Jewish Christians were forbidden by law at one point to reside in Rome. During this time gentile Christians made up the church and it grew.
When Jews and Christian Jews were allowed to return to Rome, there were some natural divisions between them and the gentile Christians.
The gentile Christians had an attitude toward the Jewish converts and the Jewish converts thought the gentile Christians needed to embrace elements of the Law.
This was part of the setting.
Of course, the Holy Spirit brought out far more in Paul’s letter to the church (house churches) in Rome and Paul has been building a case to show how all are convicted of sin in their lives. Last week he focused particularly on the Gentiles as sinful (or the non-Jews) of the world.
And after reviewing the verses in chapter 2 which pretty much flayed the gentiles by showing they were wholly condemned even though they did not have the written law of God provided to them.
Up until this point Paul has not used the term Jew when referencing those under the Law – but he has, in chapter one (and in the first half of chapter two) referred to Jews with the title, “Oh, man.”
We believe he did this so as not to offend the somewhat sensitive Jewish reader. But having warmed the bath water with the descriptions of the Gentiles condemned state first, he is about to refocus his attention on his own brethren, and says at verse 17
Romans 2:17 Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,
18 And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;
19 And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,
20 An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.
21 Thou therefore that teaches others, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, do you steal?
22 Thou that says a man should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, do you commit sacrilege?
23 Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law, dishonourest thou God?
24 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.
Alright, back to verse 17 as Paul now addresses the Jews and says:
Romans 2:17 Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,
Paul stated the general principles on which God would judge the world and he now proceeds to show how He viewed the Jews who under the Law.
This is the big comparison Paul is making:
(one hand up)
How the gentiles are condemned without the law (last week), and (this week)
(other hand up)
How the Jews are condemned under the Law, by the Law, or with the Law.
He starts of using the word “behold” but the Greek really implies that he wrote, “If now you art called a Jew.”
What is a Jew?
Paul seems to imply here, and with great reason, that the title is one of honor. But where did the term come from?
Prior to the Old Testament time of Rehoboam, all the descendants of Jacob and his sons were called the Children of Israel. All of them – the Children of Israel – once Jacob’s name was changed by God to Israel.
But then when ten of the tribes were carried into captivity, and two remained, (the tribes of Judah and Benjamin), the name “Jews” was evidently given to those who belonged to the tribe of Judah, and spilled over and was also applied to the tribe of Benjamin too.
The reasons why the name of Benjamin, was lost and Judah (Jew for short possibly) was used (in all probably) was because:
the tribe of Benjamin was small, and comparatively without influence or importance, and
the Messiah was to be of the tribe of Judah, (Genesis 49:10); and that tribe would therefore carry an important meaning.
Because the tribe of Judah was kept from captivity might have suggested or been seen as them having received special protection of God because, again, the Messiah was to be sent through that line of people.
Before long, the name Jew was assigned to all children of Israel. To us, the word Jew has become something of a reproach, or has been used that way, with Jewish being softer, but words have different meanings at different times and Paul’s use of the word shows that he saw the term as perfectly fitting and not an insult in the least.
So, Paul says, “Now if you are called a Jew, and restest in the Law.”
The word restest here is evidently used in the sense of “trusting in or leaning upon,” the Law.
The Greek word is ep-an-ah-pow’-om-ahee and means “to settle on,” meaning the Jews “leaned or settled on, or relied on,” the law of Moses for acceptance or favor before God.
The possession of the Law meant everything to a faithful Jew and obedience to it was vital to their way of life.
Here Paul is not implying that the Jews he is addressing relied on their own works, though that was true, but that they leaned on the fact that he and his people had the law, and were therefore distinguished from and above others.
The law here means the entire Mosaic economy; or all the rules and regulations which Moses had given. And as we pointed out last week, the Gentiles were not given anything like that from God. So, Paul says
Romans 2:17 Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,
In other words, he is describing them as having the attitude of, “We have the knowledge of the true God, while other nations are in darkness.” And this was true.
As we discussed last week, while the Gentile were essentially sheol bound by virtue of their almost universal failure to recognize God and to turn from their ways (even according to their own consciences), the Jews felt themselves far elevated above all other people (beat) and typically despised them.
Did the Jews have the only true knowledge of God?
Did the living God declared himself to be their God,?
Yes, and frankly yes.
But this was not supposed to be grounds for boasting, but for gratitude and in the Body of Christ we face a frankly amazing parallel today.
There are those who call themselves Christians, who, in the midst of this Gentile world, know the true and living God AND have had Him declare Himself to them BUT often respond with this blessed knowledge and personal relationship with spiritual arrogance, condemning an already lost world and distaining them along the way.
Whether originating from a Jew or from a believer, such a response was never the intention of God as He loves his creations, and yearns to save all from their lost condition – all.
Fact of the matter is it is a human, fleshly nature to see oneself as superior to others even when the blessings we have been given are not the result of ANY genuine merit on our behalf. The hubris can be mind-blowing.
Jews were born Jews – and God chose to give them the Law and to reveal Himself to them for a multitude of reasons.
Christians are born-again of God, with Him choosing and using us, to bring about something better in this world, not worse.
No room on either side for airs or attitude, right?
Several decades ago Mary and I were selling our first home – a condominium in California. Our realtor was a transplant from the East Coast – Freddy Picciani.
I really liked Freddy because he was personable, down to earth, and as a somewhat new realtor was really hungry to make a sale. Mary and I got to know He and his wife over the course of him marketing the condo for sale and they were truly a regular old couple from Jersey.
One morning while at work I opened up the newspaper and there was a huge picture of Freddy and his wife with their arms around their in-laws. They had won the California lottery. And Freddie, our realtor, disappeared from being our realtor. He was nowhere to be found.
When I finally got a hold of him three weeks later his hunger to sell our house was pretty much gone. I asked him if he was gonna see the contract through and it actually caused him observable pain to agree that he would.
But the real tell-tale sign of a change came when Freddy came to the condo a few days later. I kid you not, they drove up in a brand new deluxe black top of the line Mercedes SUV and his wife stepped out wearing a fur coat! A fur coat, for goodness sakes! In Southern California.
She existed the car and walked differently, and then when she talked, she lost a great deal of that Jersey accent!
“Freddie! Freddie, how long will you be? Seriously, Freddie.”
It was simultaneously hilarious and sad. And they didn’t even pick the winning numbers! Her parents did!
They did NOTHING to merit their new material state but every bit of their person said, “We are now better . . . than you.”
This is what Paul was saying to the Jews. And in my estimation, this is what every Christian might remember when we, having been saved from our sin and to his glorious Kingdom of light, might be tempted to look down on the rest of the riff raff that makes up this world and see them as lesser or unloved by God.
The fact of being His ought to amount to more humility, more contrition, more unconditional and non-judgmental attitudes toward the sinful and lost, never less.
Paul continues to describe the Jews (verse 18) and says, speaking of them toward God,
18 And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;
The Jew valued himself on his knowledge of what was conformable to the will of God. They prided themselves that they knew His ways and knew what He approved of in terms of holy living because they were instructed out of His Law.
And what did all this knowledge do in the part of the creation of the Jews attitude?
Paul tells us, in apart, saying (verses 19-20)
19 And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, 20 An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.
From the mouth of Paul the Jews saw themselves as
Confident guides to the spiritually blind (specifically, gentiles and gentile converts, and those among their ranks who lacked knowledge)
As “lights in the dark”
“Instructors of the foolish” (the Rabbis were accustomed at this point in time of calling non-Jews “fools.”)
Teachers of babes,
And then referring to the Jews, Paul writes that they have “the form of knowledge and of the truth in the Law.”
What this last line means is they had a rough draft of the truth; an outline – like a sketch. Their picture was not filled in with living color – this would occur with the arrival of the Messiah – but they possessed the outline or form of the knowledge of God because, Paul says, “of the truth in the Law.”
This is difficult for some to comprehend, but the Law of Moses was Perfect.
This is plainly stated in the Old Testament:
Psalm 19:7 The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul:
And Paul alludes to this in other places. How and why was it perfect – because the Law functioned as God on earth. How? The Law possessed the very traits and characteristics of God!
Look at the chart:
Characteristic
God Is
The Law Is
Good
Luke 18:18-19
“And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.”
1 Timothy 1:8
“But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully;”
Holy
Isaiah 5:16
“But the LORD of hosts shall be exalted in judgment, and God that is holy shall be sanctified in righteousness.”
Romans 7:12
“Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.”
Perfect
Matthew 5:48
“Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
Psalm 19:7
“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.”
Pure
1 John 3:2-3
“Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure.”
Psalm 19:8
“The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.”
Just
Deuteronomy 32:4
“He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he.”
Romans 7:12
“Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.”
True
John 3:33
“He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true.”
Psalm 19:9
“The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.”
Spiritual
1 Corinthians 10:4
“And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”
Romans 7:14
“For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.”
Righteousness
Jeremiah 23:6
“In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
Psalm 119:172
“My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness.”
Faithful
1 Corinthians 1:9
“God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Psalm 119:86
“All thy commandments are faithful: they persecute me wrongfully; help thou me.”
Love
1 John 4:8
“He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”
Romans 13:10
Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.
Unchangeable
James 1:17
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”
Matthew 5:18
“For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.”
Eternal
Genesis 21:33
“And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God.”
Psalm 111:7-8
“The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.”
So while the Law was perfect, the Law was incapable of making anyone else perfect, which is why the writer of Hebrews says:
Hebrew 7:19 For the law made nothing perfect.
Anyway, while the Law of Moses perfectly represented the characteristics of the living God, the Jews only possessed a scant understanding of it and him – and that made their application and adherence to the Law impossible.
To me, the Law was sort of like how Pinocchio was relative to an actual little boy. He was wooden and carved out and presented a picture, but he wasn’t alive and therefore wasn’t warm and vulnerable and accessible in any real sense.
So was the Law to the Jews. And this can also be a picture for us as believers.
Remember, just as the Jews only had a form of knowledge the was produced by the Law of Moses, they still deemed themselves superior to the rest of the world by it. The Law (written in stone) in effect made their hearts as cold and hard as that stone upon which it was written.
We too, as believers, though the fullness of truth and light came to the world in Jesus, we too, do NOT possess a fullness of knowledge – though some present themselves, and relate to others, as if they do.
Remember, we still live and walk by faith. We do not have all the answers. In fact, I would suggest we have a very limited supply of them.
Certainly, God has given us His Word which is filled with direction, filled with insights, but more importantly the Holy Spirit which can teach us all things, but to take our limited experience with God and Christ and present attitudes that suggest we can speak for Him, judge for him, condemn for him, are attitudes very much like the Jews of antiquity.
We still only see through a glass darkly, which ought to produce love and humility rather than arrogance and condemnation.
Now at verse 21 through 23, after having sort-of described the general Jewish attitude of superiority, Paul begins to sort of boil them, pointing out some of the problems with his brothers and sisters under law, and saying
21 Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? 22 Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? 23 Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonors thou God?
His point seems to be having superior insight into the Law and ways of God (especially compared to the Gentiles) they ought to be found of superior behavior. But they weren’t!
What good is the Law doing them, as
Confident guides to the blind, as
Lights in the dark, as
Instructors of the foolish, as
Teachers of babes
IF they themselves are guilty of the sin the Law condemns! This is why Jesus said of the Jews, “They say, and do not!” and told his disciples to “listen to their teachings but do not follow their examples.”
The charges Paul lays against them are that they “preaching and teaching against,” but committ
Theft.
Adultery.
Idolatry.
Sacriledge,
and hypocrisy!
We are talking big problems here, folks. Where the Gentiles were condemned for having an internal idea, based on their hearts, consciences, and community laws of God, Paul is saying the Jews, who are the ones to whom God revealed Himself and gave His Law, are guilty of far worse!
That is, they knew and know better, and yet knowing better they still committed the very things they thought they were teaching the blind to avoid!
This is described by a human trait that God appears in scripture to really, really despise – hypocrisy, especially religious hypocrisy.
And once again, this teaching flows right back over to us believers in Christ today! Think about it!
The Gentiles had notions of God and were condemned. The Jews had a “outline of God and His truth by the Law and were condemned by failing to follow it, so what do you suppose Paul would say to BELIEVERS who have received the light and truth through Christ but CHOOSE to hypocritically live-in opposition to it?
And I am NOT talking about failures which result from our being subject to our flesh – moments of unjust anger, moments of lust, temporary lapses in judgement.
I am talking about religious hypocrisy.
Generally speaking, I am talking about roiling in the benefits of being forgiven but not forgiving; of being loved unconditionally by God, but not loving others unconditionally; of receiving God’s patience but not being patient, of escaping God’s condemnation but condemning others!
But specifically, and this is a little odd, but specifically (due to context) what Paul is teaching here relative to modern application, is an argument against the man-made teaching of once saved always saved. Let me explain.
Paul points out here in Romans that the Gentiles are without excuse as the Law was in them and they refused it.
He then points out that the Jews are without excuse because they received the Law and broke it hypocritically.
Using this as a basis or premise, Paul is about to introduce us to the solution for both impossible situations – grace through faith.
This solution will wipe away the situation for both Gentile and Jew, and give all a hope that cannot be erased or removed as he will prove that it is not dependent upon our ability to obey Law, but is wholly dependent upon our willingness to . . . believe.
To embrace faith. Listen carefully. Because this is edgy and scary for some to understand.
The Gospel, the GOOD NEWS is that Jesus came and saved us from a situation for which there was NO OTHER SOLUTION AVAILABLE – IN WHOLE OR IN PART.
He is the solution.
He is the way.
He is the truth.
And we receive Him as the only solution by and through faith. Belief. Nothing more. It is by faith that we follow Him.
It is by faith that we live our Christian lives and it is ONLY by faith that we can please the Father.
Faith, then, becomes the first of two Laws by which the Christian lives.
It is the primary law and from and through it comes the second law – to love, which comes and exists as a by-product of our faith. No faith, no ability to love as God wants us to love.
So, Christians can NEVER replace, altar, manipulate, exchange, modify, add to or take away from living and abiding faith.
And if or when a Christian chooses to willfully turn FOR GOOD from their first love (Jesus) by replacing, altering, manipulating, exchanging, modifying, adding to or taking away from living and abiding faith, “there will no more sacrifice for sins.”
What is the first and primary sin that a Christian can commit? Unbelief. Hebrews 3:12 says it this way:
“Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.”
Remembering that the sin for a Christian is to walk from faith (permanently) Hebrews 10 says:
Hebrew 10:26 For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,
27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.
Hebrew chapter six adds further light to the topic, saying:
6:4 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, 5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come,
6 If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
And hear the Apostle Peter’s words on the topic:
2nd Peter 2:20 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
21 For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them.
This was the case Paul made for the Gentiles before Christ (but in a different way). It is the case he makes for the Jews under the Law before Christ. And it is the case scripture thoroughly makes for Christians.
The Gentiles had their laws and walked from them. The Jews had their laws and walked from them. Christian have their laws – faith and love, and walk from them.
The principle is universal and ubiquitous.
So in context, this teaching is a direct affront to the man-made teaching of once saved always saved.
Alright. Back to Paul’s preaching to his Jewish brothers and sisters. He calls them out on a number of accusations, theft, idolatry, sacrilege, etc. He also mentions adultery. Dost thou commit adultery? He asks.
There is no doubt that this was a crime very common among the Jews. The Jewish Talmud accuses some of the most celebrated of their Rabbi’s, by name, of this vice. Josephus also says that adultery was the crime of the Nation of Israel.
The ugliness of adultery is attached to the idea that a man or woman is not able to remain true to a person they can see and touch then what would be their heart toward God who remains invisible and not on hand to assist their immediate needs. And as mentioned, where there is adultery there is always idolatry – and sometimes the reverse is true.
Adultery is a picture used in scripture that depicts the fallen relationship between the COI (and God) and with Christ and His Church (with the Church being the bride and Christ the groom).
But even though the sin was punishable by death, and was forbidden in the big ten written on stone, it was not enough to keep them out of each-others beds.
Verse 23 finishes up with Paul writing:
Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonors thou God?
In other words, you Jews boast of having the Law, as if having it makes you right before God, but then you break what he gave you, therefore dishonoring him.
The point is, what reveals the heart of a person more – what he or she says (boasts of) or what he or she does (takes action upon).
Actions are a truest proofs of our hearts and minds and their breaking the Law that they boasted in did more to dishonor God than their boasting did to honor Him.
This is always the case.
Ours is an age, much of it culturally enforced, crammed full of claims and verbosity. Online, social media but more specifically, the “worship songs” in many modern churches are nothing but fuel that stokes the fires of hypocrisy burning in the heart of those who sing them.
This is one reason we have chosen to only sing God’s words back to Him here. See, it really matters very little what a person says or sings or teaches if she or he does not at least strive to live by the words that fall from his or her mouth.
Remember, it is by and through our faith in Him that a human can actually bring the words of his mouth into harmony with the actions of their hands, so it is not perfection of the flesh we seek – it’s the death of the flesh and the increasing strength of the Spirit.
But I don’t think we can ever believe that mouth professions matter to God when or if the heart does not really care how we actually live. Final verse (24)
24 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.
What he is saying is that their conduct is such that onlookers from the heathen world blaspheme and mock both your religion and the author of it, God.
Listen to what God says to Samuel in 1st Samuel 16:7:
“Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”
We tend to only hear what it says about God looking on the heart, but we cannot ignore the fact that man does, in fact, look on the outward appearance. This is a reality in human experience – a fact.
(as a side note, and knowing this, this is WHY I chose to appear on the televised programs years back as I did because I knew that there was a segment of society that would reject me on appearance alone but there were others (who I sought to reach) who would stop and listen.
In any case, the way the Jews were approaching their religion was resulting in non-Jews both mocking the religion and even the living God.
Let the application to our Christian walk remain apparent but remain real – we are ultimately judged by the onlooking world by the contents of our hearts that manifest in the contents of our mouth, and lives, and love.
By this we will be known as His disciples. The witness we give the world of loving God and Christ is the love we evidence not the words we speak or the praises we sing.
We’re going to end here and pick up Paul’s writings to the Jews when we return next week.
Question/Comments/Prayer
