August 8, 2010

 Romans 2 17-24

I. “The Privilege and Profession of the Jews” 17- 20

1. The Privilege toward God  -17-18
2. The Privilege toward man - 19-20

II. The Practice of the Jews   21-24  

Let’s  see first  . “The Privilege and Profession of the Jews” 17- 20
V 17 Rom 2:17  Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,
 / As a Jew you have a proud heritage, descended from a specially chosen family of wealth. Father Abraham was a man of great faith. The patriarch Isaac was another who lived a life of obedience to God. Jacob, Joseph, Judah, Moses. Saul, David, Solomon and the list goes on. It was indeed a proud heritage of specially chosen and blessed people. And then he goes on to say “and restest in the law.”

That fit’s the idea of 2:1. They held up the fact of the law to show how bad others were.  They were resting, or confident or had faith in the law.

Note also that he says “you boast of God”  You KNOW the true God or about him at any rate.

Keep in mind that these were the same sort of folk that James was addressing in James 2:19 inn his epistle contrasting true faith with the faith of simple knowledge only, or faith in the law only. You say you are a monotheist, tat you believe in God, you do well, the devils believe in one God and tremble.

But here Paul is pointing out the actual benefits that the Jews had in regard to God. Note in verse 18: And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;
 You KNOW his will.

Unlike the Gentile who were to be inexcusable on the basis of a creation knowledge of a God type being who held power, these people were given “Special revelation”. They not only had a Jewish heritage, knew about God, knew God, they actually knew his will.  And if that’s not enough privilege God-ward, look at the next phrase  “and approve the things that are most excellent.”

This wasn’t a passing knowledge of God’s will,, they had this knowledge at a DISCERNMENT level. Why? Look on:

Being instructed out of the law:

These people had been nursed and weaned on the law of God,  , Priests had taught them. Leviticus 10 God spoke to Aaron the first high priest and to his descendants throughout all your generations “That ye may teach the Children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord hath spoken unto them by the hand of Moses.”

Levites taught them: In Nehemiah 8:7-8 Ezra opened the law and the Levites caused the people to understand the law so they read in the book in the law of God distinctly and gave the sense and caused them to understand the reading.

Also in Deut. 6: 6-9 Parents taught them: <  And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart:  And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up.  And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes.   And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates.

Recall Paul’s letter to young Timothy “and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation.”  And he was taught by whom? Mom and Grandma.

These Jews had much in the way of privilege God-ward.

And they should have been wise unto salvation, but they were not, as a whole, and God uses Paul’s words here to show them just how serious a matter their condemnation is. He elaborates here on what he said in 2:1-3 that they are doing the same thing they judge others for.

You and I live in a country with MUCH privilege toward God. What are we doing with it?

 In the further set up of this clause’s first part (protasis if you please) Paul also points out the Jews privilege Man-ward.

19a  And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind /

If they as Jews were self confident and prided themselves on the knowledge they had they would say : “we are the ones who lead the way for those who are spiritually blind.”
Notice also :a light for those in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes. All of these terms show that salvation came by way of the Jews. They were to be a light to the gentiles. They were to guide others to the true God. They were to be the teachers of the way to the cross.  They were blessed mightily by God.

Now in the second part of the phrase (apodosis) we will see the practice of these Jews Exposed. In verses 21-23 Paul uses several rhetorical questions for emphasis.
 
Recall that they had prided themselves on being teachers of the “unenlightened ones?” The Blind here are the unenlightened.

Paul asks “Thou therefore which teaches another, do you NOT teach yourself?” (emphasis mine)

Having built on all they prided themselves on, Paul turns a bit aggressive and confronts them over the difference between their proclamation and their practice. He accuses these wanna be  teachers of breaking the law they claim to adore so much.

You who SAY you are teaching these blind ones “do not steal” I ask you, do you steal? Are you a thief?

The Pharisees, strict orthodox Jews were totally furious with Jesus  because he told them they were thieves, guilty of extorting money from helpless widows (Matt. 23:25. )So Paul’s question demands a yes answer, “Yes, we ARE guilty of being thieves.”

Note, next he asks the same question in regards to adultery. Now some of these people  may have felt uneasy because they had committed this act, but others who had not fallen into the practice could not claim innocence because of Jesus words in Matt. 5:27-28   Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:  But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart /

Next he says “You who hate idols, do you commit sacrilege? Their concept of idols only seemed to consist of man made images, but though many never bow before an image, they are idolaters.  In Ephesians 5: 5 and Colossians 3:5 Paul states that a covetous man in an idolater, placing his loyalty in something except God.
 
Idolatry is going to some other source for things  for which you should be going to God.  These people forgot God and worshipped his law and the rhetorical question needs a “yes” answer. Yes, we are guilty.

Where do you go instead of God? A “horror” scope? Do you and I look to some other source to satisfy our spiritual hunger?

Next: You who boast in the law, do you break it and dishonor God?  Even the most meticulous law keepers, the Pharisees, were dishonest, cruel and hypocritical.  The conclusion of his thoughts is this: You Jews are looking down your noses at the Gentiles because they do not have God. But you who have been highly favored and highly privileged, have been characterized by reliance on God’s law, have known God, been taught of God, and know his will, you have many benefits BUT you are under condemnation from God because having all this knowledge you still disobey. In this you are just like those pagans, a sinner, unclean in God’s sight .

Hypocrisy? Are you? Am I guilty of that?
God sees the heart, folks. No one no matter how moral and upright or squeaky clean can escape the penetrating gaze of the  holy God. If you are relying on your self to get to heaven then please take a lesson form these Jews. DO NOT depend on your religion. Don’t depend on your good deeds. Don’t depend on anything except for the only dependable one, Jesus Christ.

We see from our studies that all have sinned. We will be seeing that the wages of sin is death, that the holiness of God has been violated in humanity and separation from God eternally is all that awaits those who reject Christ. But in the coming days we will see that while the pay is steep, the gift is even steeper… it is eternal life bought and paid for by Christ for those who will receive. Rom. 5:8  Rom. 10:9-10
 
Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me." (John 14:6)

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Trust Jesus Christ today! Here's what you must do:

   1. Admit you are a sinner.

      "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" (Romans 3:23)   "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:" (Romans 5:12)
    "If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." (1 John 1:10)

   2. Be willing to turn from sin (repent).

      Jesus said: "I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish." (Luke 13:5)       "And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:" (Acts 17:30)

   3. Believe that Jesus Christ died for you, was buried, and rose from the dead.

      "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
 
   4. Through prayer, invite Jesus into your life to become your personal Saviour.
      "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." (Romans 10:10)      

 "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Romans 10:13)
 
Perhaps your prayer might go a bit like this if God is convincing you that you need him.
Dear God, I am a sinner by birth and by practice and need forgiveness. I believe that Jesus Christ shed His precious blood and died for my sin. I am willing to turn from sin. I now invite Christ to come into my heart and life as my personal Savior.

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:" (John 1:12)

"Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (2 Corinthians

AMEN