Romans 2:12-29 Keeping The Law
Hi and welcome back to our study of Romans.
The last verse we looked at was Romans 2:11 which said, For God shows no partiality.
Like we said last week God doesn’t play favorites. We are all going to be judged. Paul spells this out in our next verse.
Romans 2:12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.
For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, refers to the gentiles.
Notice it doesn’t say they will be judged without the law, rather they will perish without the law. They will be judged according to whatever revelation God has given them. If they don’t live up to that revelation then they will perish.
All who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law refers to the Jews.
If they are unable to obey that law they too will perish.
Romans 2:13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.
When I was in prison there were quite a few jailhouse lawyers.
They knew the law inside and out. Yet, their knowledge did not keep them from breaking that law and paying the consequences. It is the same with our heavenly Father. Even if we can quote scripture inside and out, if we don’t apply that scripture to our lives, there will be eternal consequences.
Matthew 7:21 Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Continuing on with verses 14 and 15. Romans 2:14-15 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them
Even though the gentiles did not have the law, it was ingrained in their conscience.
In no way is this implying that they are declared to be righteous.
We all have a sense of right and wrong. We instinctively know that it is not right to murder someone or to steal. Our conscience becomes our moral barometer.
But over time that moral barometer can become silenced by our own fleshly desires.
Having a God-given conscience is of no value if it is not focused on the one who gave it to us.
Continuing on with, Romans 2:16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
When Paul says my gospel he is referring to the gospel that not only he preached but that the other apostles preached as well.
God is going to judge those sins that we thought we were getting away with.
Those sins that nobody else saw. Those dirty little secrets. At the time of judgment it will be Jesus Christ who judges, since the Father has committed all judgment to Him. John 5:22
Paul now turns his attention to the Jews.
Romans 2:17-22 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God 18 and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; 19 and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?
The Jews boasted in God, and rightly so.
After all, they were God’s chosen people. The Jews relied on the law and new God’s will concerning the law. They openly preached and taught the law to others. Paul takes this opportunity to force those Jews that teach the law to look at their own behavior and see if it is in keeping with the law.
Romans 2:23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law.
These same Jews that boasted that they were God’s people brought dishonor upon themselves by not keeping the law that had been handed down to them.
Romans 2:24 For, as it is written, The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.
When the gentiles see the way the Jews carry themselves. Not practicing what they preach it causes those gentiles to despise the God of the Jews.
It’s the same today. When we call ourselves Christians and openly behave in a manner that is far from Christ like, it causes others to want nothing to do with our God. They see those that carry themselves in such a manner as hypocrites.
Romans 2:25 For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision.
For the Jews their circumcision was an outward sign of their salvation.
It was like an elite club. If you were circumcised, you were in. But Paul says that because they break the law their circumcision means nothing. In effect it’s as if they were never circumcised to begin with.
We use outward signs today in order to express our commitment to each other.
When we get married, we exchange rings as a symbol or token of our love and devotion to each other. But that ring means nothing if we go out and cheat on our spouse. In so doing we have desecrated the sacred institution of marriage.
Romans 2:26 So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?
Now Paul takes this a step further and says that if a gentile or uncircumcised man keeps the law God will regard him as if he was circumcised. A statement which I’m sure infuriated the Jews.
The bottom line is that we are all subject to the law and we all fall short of keeping that law.
Romans 2:27 Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law.
So the gentiles who are uncircumcised will condemn the Jews who have been circumcised yet break the law.
Romans 2:28-29 For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. 29 But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.
Paul is saying to the Jews your lineage back to Abraham and the ordinance of circumcision are not enough. True circumcision is a matter of the heart. Outward appearances should not be in seeking praise from men but from God.
So it is with us. That we should seek the praise of almighty God for our good works and not look to others for our validation.
Galatians 1:10 For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.
We have reached the end of chapter 2. I’d like to thank you for listening and I’m looking forward to seeing what God has in store for us next week. May God bless you and your family always.