Read Romans 2.12-29
Today we're going to finish up Romans 2. The past 3 posts have been and introduction into Romans along with the power of the gospel, proof that all Gentiles are sinners, and proof that all Jews are also sinners. That pretty much covers everyone. Now today, Paul finishes his thoughts on how Jews are sinners as well.
Verse 12 is Paul telling us that if someone has sinned against the Law without knowing the Law then they will die without the Law as well. But those who sin against the Law while knowing the Law then they will be judged. What he's basically writing is that if we sin and don't know the Law then we can't be judged by it.
I've been in Pittsburgh for a while now, and some traffic laws in PA are different than those in Ohio. How? I don't know. But I wonder if I get pulled over for breaking a strictly PA law without knowing that law even exists would I still get a ticket? Of course the poor guy in me says, "No I shouldn't get a ticket" but wouldn't the officer say, "Well you knew you were moving here, you've been here for 4 months now, you should have taken the time to learn these laws. You had a responsibility to."
Let's tie these two together then. If people who don't know the Law and can die without being judged for breaking it, shouldn't we just keep it to ourselves? No, we have an obligation, a responsibility to spread the Gospel to all the world. We were commanded to by Jesus. In Revelation 10.9 we see the little scroll given to John and he is told to eat it. Keep it in his stomach, his body, it's bitter. Keep it in his mouth, on his tongue and lips and it's sweet. This is the Gospel. We keep it in us and it becomes bitter and nasty, but if we are always worshiping God and having his glorious works on our lips and in our mouth it's sweet, and great. So we have an obligation to share the Gospel, and it will actually benefit us if we do so.
Verse 13 Paul writes that just by hearing the Law will not make us righteous, but it is the doers that are justified. Later we will see how that works out, but what Paul is not saying is that we can justify ourselves. It doesn't work like that.
There is an idea floating around that God reveals himself to all, and that there is a moral code in all of us that cannot be explained by anything other than being made in the image of God. If you can explain the moral code that all people have strictly by science, I would love to hear it. But Paul writes about this very issue, that the Gentiles knew some of the Law, because it's just a part of being human, and they were a law to themselves. It was not complete, and they had no one to hold them accountable or to properly interpret the Law for them. But when Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount he gave the proper interpretation to the Law, and we were able to understand it. And through the message of the Gospel then the Gentiles will be able to understand the Law. And the Jews have a responsibility to share the Gospel with them to keep them from condemnation.
17 to 23 is a wake up call for both Jews and us today. They claim to know the law and boast in God. We do this as well. "I know Jesus! I'm saved! As a matter of fact I'm better than you sinners down there. You shouldn't be doing the things you're doing. Sinners." We preach against adultery, theft, lying, idolatry, and yet we do these very things ourselves. And in verse 24 we can hear Paul's hand slap the Romans Jews right in the face, and we feel the sting ourselves.
The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.
Slap.
One of the biggest complaints about Christians from non-Christians is that we are hypocrites which means we do what we tell others not to do. And because of it people see no appeal in the Kingdom or in God and his name is blasphemed because of us. We have no integrity anymore in this culture. I'm not saying all Christians are bad, but if you claim to follow Christ and all you do is complain about life, or all you do is party, or cuss, or sleep around, and your actions never match up with what you say and you act like anything but a Christian then you're only dirtying the name of Christ and at which point I beg you to lose the title of which we all are unworthy of but that you constantly and without any true thought slander with your actions.
IF YOU CLAIM TO BE A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST THEN ACTUALLY BE A FOLLOWER OF CHRIST.
Else the name of God is blasphemed among the unsaved because of you.
I've spoken a lot about actions just now, but Paul here speaks against actions. The Jews believed that their actions, their following the Law would save them. It doesn't. It never has and never will. It is only faith that God has done all the work that will save us. But in response to that we should live that we've been saved. Not revel in sin. Not be depressed because we're still sinners. Not live as the world lives with all its worries and woes.
Instead we are to live in the light of God, understand how blessed we are. And this should come out in our actions. If you are truly saved, and you really know what that means then you couldn't help but dance from joy and shout it from the roof tops.
Because we have been circumcised. the useless, the unhealthy has been but away from our hearts by the Spirit and we have life in Christ and are new creations.
This is Romans 2. The Jews are just as bad as the Gentiles. They boast in the Law but miss the point behind it, so much so that those outside of the Law blaspheme the name of God because of them. They boast in their actions, in their circumcision, but miss God's actions and the circumcision from him.
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