Romans 2:21-29
21 then tell me, why don’t you practice what you preach? If you are going to sermonize against stealing, then stop stealing.
22 If you are going to teach others not to commit adultery, then be completely faithful to your spouse. If you hate idolatry, then stop robbing the temples!
23 If you pride yourself in having God’s law, then stop dishonoring God by failing to keep its teaching.
Basically, Paul is pointing out hypocrisy in these verses. Now he’s talking to the Jews as is evident by verse 24, where he describes “those outside the covenant”.
This is the very thing religious people in the church today are doing. They are quick to tell you how to live your lives, and to chastise you for your failures in keeping “their” rules and laws about right living. Yet, they go and perform the very things they criticize you about. Worse than that, they pick out the rules and laws they are able to follow and then judge you based on your ability to follow those rules and laws.
Paul goes on to say, and I’m paraphrasing, “no wonder people don’t want to come to church, don’t want anything to do with Christianity, or the people purporting to be christians. Because of your false teaching and wrong believing, people outside the household of God only see God as a mean judge and executioner. It’s not surprising they slander God. The life you are showing them they must live is depressing, useless, and impossible to live.
When people who claim to be God’s people are hypocrites, then God is the one who gets the bad name. The problem occurs when we say one thing and do another? When we set a standard for others only to break it ourselves? There is a lot of religious talk out there, a lot of smugness and self-satisfaction. Religion is nothing more than arrogance disguised as righteousness.
People who are so dogmatic about making sure you keep some set of man-made rules, or follow some outdated unbiblical traditions set by men are people who cannot control their own lives. These are those who are perfectly willing to try and control yours.
Paul addresses these types of people beginning in verse 25.
25 You see, circumcision is of value only if you keep the law’s teachings. But if you keep breaking God’s rules, you are no different than those without the mark.
What is Paul pointing out here? He’s pointing out the fact that if you live under the law of circumcision (the physical act) then you must keep all the law. But if you are circumcised and keep breaking the laws of God, you’re no better than the Gentiles that you criticize.
It’s no different today. People who have not received the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness are under the law of works and performance. They are trying to earn righteousness, rather than simply receiving righteousness. It is God who MAKES us holy and righteous by the redemptive sacrifice of Jesus at the cross.
26 So if an uncircumcised man abides by God’s just precepts, doesn’t that make his standing before God the same as one who is circumcised?
27 The man who is physically uncircumcised but still keeps the law, he will stand in judgment over the person who is circumcised and yet continually breaks God’s law.
28 A mark that is evident doesn’t necessarily make one a Jew, and circumcision that is evident only in the flesh is not true.
29 But the true Jew is Jewish on the inside—in secret places no one but God can see—and true circumcision involves the heart; it comes from the Spirit, not from some written code. The praise and reputation of that kind of Jew come from God, not from man.
What we see here is a parallel truth. Take verse 28 for instance. Just because someone proclaims to be a Christian, doesn’t necessarily make it so. I’ve asked people if they were Christians and they’ve given all kinds of answers. They say “Well I’m Catholic”, or “I’m Baptist”, or I was born in the USA and I drink coke.
So what? That’s not what I asked you. I asked you if you were a Christian. Just like a mark of circumcision that is evident doesn’t make one a Jew. I’ve been to McDonald’s but that doesn’t make me a Big Mac. I’ve put in water lines using PVC, but that doesn’t make me a plumber. I’ve cooked many a meal, but that doesn’t make me a Chef. Get my point?
If you are a true follower of Christ, the next time people ask you if you are a Christian, avoid that label by telling them this. “I am an Evangelical, Theistic, Trinitarian, Essentialist.” “I am not an Evangelical, Theistic, Trinitarian, Volunteerist.”
What’s the difference? An Essentialist believes that God’s nature takes precedence over God’s will. A volunteerist believes God’s will takes precedence over God’s nature. If God's will took precedence over God's nature, then God’s grace and favor would fail and His extreme judgement would result. Why? Because God’s nature is Love, not judgement. Again, God’s perfect will is almost never done, but God’s perfect plan will always be done. Grace and Peace.
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