Romans 2:12-29

I was honored at a major convocation and I was able to be on stage with Tim Tebow. I remember them briefing us and saying that we would be on camera the entire convo so make sure your face shows that and be aware of it.

We received this medal, this stained glass and I got a football signed by Tim Tebow.

Listen the convocation was cool and I am thankful but let me tell you some of the fun parts. Getting a weekend at the Keeter center and students bringing you turn down cookies and fresh milk from the dairy. They also came into your room and cooked breakfast for you. It was amazing.

As we keep pressing forward in the book of Romans, Paul talks about some outward things that the Jews are bragging about for salvation and Paul shares with them that these things are not what matters.

Read

Romans 2:12–29 HCSB

12 All those who sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all those who sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For the hearers of the law are not righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be declared righteous. 14 So, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, instinctively do what the law demands, 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. Their consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts will either accuse or excuse them 16 on the day when God judges what people have kept secret, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus. 17 Now if you call yourself a Jew, and rest in the law, boast in God, 18 know His will, and approve the things that are superior, being instructed from the law, 19 and if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light to those in darkness, 20 an instructor of the ignorant, a teacher of the immature, having the full expression of knowledge and truth in the law— 21 you then, who teach another, don’t you teach yourself? You who preach, “You must not steal”—do you steal? 22 You who say, “You must not commit adultery”—do you commit adultery? You who detest idols, do you rob their temples? 23 You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24 For, as it is written: The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you. 25 For circumcision benefits you if you observe the law, but if you are a lawbreaker, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26 Therefore if an uncircumcised man keeps the law’s requirements, will his uncircumcision not be counted as circumcision? 27 A man who is physically uncircumcised, but who fulfills the law, will judge you who are a lawbreaker in spite of having the letter of the law and circumcision. 28 For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, and true circumcision is not something visible in the flesh. 29 On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter. That man’s praise is not from men but from God.

To understand the passage, we have to understand Paul’s past or background.

Paul gives us his background in Philippians

Philippians 3:3–5 HCSB

3 For we are the circumcision, the ones who serve by the Spirit of God, boast in Christ Jesus, and do not put confidence in the flesh— 4 although I once also had confidence in the flesh. If anyone else thinks he has grounds for confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised the eighth day; of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; regarding the law, a Pharisee;

Circumcised on the Eighth day

This specific time stresses that Paul was not a convert to Judaism but that he was a pure-blooded Jew. Converts were circumcised later in life.

of the Nation of Israel

This describes his heritage. His parents were both true Jews. He could trace his family line all the way back to Abraham.

of the Tribe of Benjamin

From this tribe came Israel’s first king. This tribe had a special place of honor and was held in high regard.

Hebrew born of Hebrews

Hebrew was Paul’s native tongue. He knew thoroughly the language and customs of the people of God. He was a Hebrew son of Hebrew parents.

regarding the law, a Pharisee

Pharisee was the strictest sect among his people. Not only did Pharisees keep the law of Moses they added their own regulations that became equal to the law

Philippians 3:6 HCSB

6 regarding zeal, persecuting the church; regarding the righteousness that is in the law, blameless.

Regarding zeal

Paul breathed threats and murder to the followers of the way. He persecuted the church!

Regarding righteousness that is in the law, blameless

He kept the law and in his own eyes was considered faultless.

As Paul writes in Romans 2, there is a sense that he writes to himself or has himself in mind.

Romans 2:12–13 HCSB

He levels the playing field and God does not show favoritism in the previous verse.

Romans 2:14–16 HCSB

14 So, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, instinctively do what the law demands, 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. Their consciences confirm this. Their competing thoughts will either accuse or excuse them 16 on the day when God judges what people have kept secret, according to my gospel through Christ Jesus.

Tim Keller describes this section as the invisible tape recorder hung around a persons neck.

This person does not have the written law

They have a general understanding of right and wrong.

They judge according to this

They expect others not to struggle with road rage. They expect others to not get upset

I was going to going on google last night and write a review of the cashier. I was going to put it as one star and list it out. He did not greet me, He used the bar code scanner instead of putting things on the counter, he struggled to get the bags separated, He was rude, He was slow.

Who was the cashier? It was self checkout.

The point is we like to hold others to a standard that we ourselves are unwilling to keep.

So the tape recorder records us and our judgement on others.

Tim Keller Says,

God is going to judge you by your own words, because this tape recorder only recorded throughout your life whenever you said to someone else, ‘You ought’ or ‘You should.’ This tape recorder has only recorded your standards for the people around you. Therefore, I’m not going to judge you by anything other than the standards by which you judged people your entire life.”

Nobody in the history of the world will be able to stand in the judgment day, because you’re not going to even be able to stand before your own words, before your own standards.

He is setting us up for Justification through faith alone and not by what we have done or our own works.

Romans 2:17–18 HCSB

17 Now if you call yourself a Jew, and rest in the law, boast in God, 18 know His will, and approve the things that are superior, being instructed from the law,

He gets specific to the Jews here. Boast in God and not the law.

Romans 2:19–20 HCSB

19 and if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light to those in darkness, 20 an instructor of the ignorant, a teacher of the immature, having the full expression of knowledge and truth in the law—

The Jews are seeing themselves as the solution to the problem of Sin. We are the ones who are sent to rescue the world. By us keeping the law we are the solution.

Shape our heart for missions

We are working to put together a trip to El Salvador and I want to share one of my pet peeves in missions is we as US citizens think that the way of living in the US is the solution. That believers in other parts of the world need to live like we do and that we have nothing to learn when we go to a different country to serve.

If we are not careful, then our hearts can reflect the Jews in this passage thinking that our way of living is the solution to the problem.

We will see very soon that it is not the way of living that is the solution, but Jesus and only Jesus is the solution to the problem of the World.

What is the Solution?

Jesus

Romans 2:21–24 HCSB

21 you then, who teach another, don’t you teach yourself? You who preach, “You must not steal”—do you steal? 22 You who say, “You must not commit adultery”—do you commit adultery? You who detest idols, do you rob their temples? 23 You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24 For, as it is written: The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.

Josephus records that some regard the idols as nothing and so they felt it was right because idols don’t exist to go rob their temples.

(Westboro baptist church)

verse 24

Paul for Everyone, Romans Part 1: Chapters 1–8 The Claim of the Jew—And Its Problems (Romans 2:17–24)

When he quotes Isaiah 52:5 (echoing, also, Ezekiel 36:20 and 23) in verse 24, he is drawing on the very centre of the prophets’ critique of Israel

Paul for Everyone, Romans Part 1: Chapters 1–8 The Claim of the Jew—And Its Problems (Romans 2:17–24)

Israel had not just made a few mistakes. Israel had failed completely in the task God set her. The only way, now, was for God to send a Messiah who would take upon himself the effect of that failure, and, through him, would establish a new covenant. Isaiah 52 goes on, just a few verses later, to introduce the figure of the Suffering Servant who would die for the sins of Israel and the world.

Romans 2:25–28 HCSB

25 For circumcision benefits you if you observe the law, but if you are a lawbreaker, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26 Therefore if an uncircumcised man keeps the law’s requirements, will his uncircumcision not be counted as circumcision? 27 A man who is physically uncircumcised, but who fulfills the law, will judge you who are a lawbreaker in spite of having the letter of the law and circumcision. 28 For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, and true circumcision is not something visible in the flesh.

The circumcision was a sign of the relationship the way baptism is a sign of being in the church. Why circumcision, though? I think most people understand baptism, kind of like death and rebirth and the Spirit and all, but what was the symbolism of circumcision? I don’t want you to think about it too long, but that’s the point.

Why did God choose circumcision as a sign of this intimate, covenant relationship he had with Abraham? He said, “I want you to walk blamelessly before me, and if you walk blamelessly before me, if you follow my covenant, I will bless you. But if you disobey the covenant, if you enter into a covenant with me and then you go your own way and you disobey me, then you’ll be cut off from your people. You’ll be cut off from the Lord. You’ll be cut off from me.” That’s the natural punishment. Do you know what circumcision was?

Genesis 17:14 HCSB

14 If any male is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that man will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

In those days you didn’t sign a contract to bind a contract; you acted out the curse. In other words, when a person would enter into a covenant with someone else, he might pick up some sand and he might drop it on his head and say, “If I don’t do everything I’m saying I will do today, if I disobey the covenant I just made you today, may I be as this dust,” or a person would cut an animal in half and walk between the pieces and say, “If I don’t do absolutely everything I have said today in this contract, may I be cut into pieces myself.”

What God was saying to Abraham was, “If you want to enter into a relationship with me, you need to be circumcised. That means you are admitting, if you disobey the covenant, you’ll be cut off.” Here’s my question. Did Abraham really obey the covenant? Did Isaac really obey the covenant? Did Jacob? Has anybody ever obeyed the covenant? Has anyone ever walked before God blamelessly? That’s the covenant.

Colossians 2:11–12 HCSB

11 You were also circumcised in Him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh, in the circumcision of the Messiah. 12 Having been buried with Him in baptism, you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

Jesus Cried out on the cross My God, My God why have you forsaken me?

Jesus was cut off so that you never would be.

He was being cut off. He was going under the knife. It was bloody. It was violent. He was getting the curse we deserve, because we can’t stand in the judgment. We can’t stand before the law.

He was not only cut off

Romans 2:29 HCSB

29 On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter. That man’s praise is not from men but from God.

Paul for Everyone, Romans Part 1: Chapters 1–8 The Badge, the Name and the Meaning (Romans 2:25–29)

The point is this. The Hebrew name ‘Judah’, from which the word ‘Jew’ derives, actually means ‘praise’ (see Genesis 29:35; 49:8). Despite the fact that Paul is writing in Greek, where the point doesn’t work, he is thinking in Hebrew. If it’s ‘praise’ you want, he says—if you want the name that says you can lift up your head and claim your special dignity—then don’t look for it from other human beings, by boasting of your ethnic status as ‘Jew’. Get it from God, when God writes his law on your heart by the spirit

So what can we do with all these accomplishments. We may take them to the trial and say Jesus I did my best to be obedient to you. I did my best to follow you. Some things in my life may back up that statement. Some things in life will not back up that statement. The trial will come to the end and The judge will stand to cast Judgement and the only thing my case can stand on is my Lord and Savior Jesus. The judge who took my judgement who was cut off for my sake. That’s it!