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17 Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; 18 if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; 19 if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24 As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” ~ Romans 2:17-24
Today, we return to our study of the book of Romans where the Apostle Paul is in the middle of addressing the arrogance of the privileged Jews. In today's passage, the Apostle lists four things that the Jews of his day were privileged to have: First, they were given the Law of God. Second, they were instructed by God. Third, they knew the will of God. Fourth, they understood God's morality.
We all struggle with measuring our value by the wrong things. In fact, we all measure our value by our performance plus what others think of our performance. The one who relies on his performance is the one who sees his problem and sets out to fix it himself. The problem is, he can't solve his problem. Although he has accomplished a lot of good things in his life, he still has a problem: he has a million more good things to do and he does not have enough time during his lifetime to do them. And then, add to this the fact that these folks to whom Paul wrote were so arrogant that they were holding others to a standard that they themselves could not attain. This is the backdrop to today's passage.
In v.17-20 of today's passage we read, "17 Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; 18 if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; 19 if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth."
The word "Jew" comes from the name "Judah" which means praise or "thank you." The benefits to living a life of thanks are nearly endless. Those who regularly practice gratitude by taking time to notice and reflect upon the things they're thankful for, experience more positive emotions, feel more alive, sleep better, express more compassion and kindness, and even have stronger immune systems.
When we lose sight of God's definition of us, we are in great danger of being defined by sin and self. The Jews to whom Paul wrote this book had a problem with pride. These type of people are those who are always ready to correct others without as much as taking inventory of their own lives and the changes needed therein.
Throughout v.17-20 the Apostle uses the word "if" which denotes that good behavior on the behalf of those who believe the truth of God's word is not automatic. In order for us to realize the truth and the blessedness of the Scriptures, there must be fertile soil within our hearts.
In Romans 1:1 the Apostle wrote, "Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God."
In order for us to be defined by God, we must be separated to the gospel of God, especially since the gospel is the greatest news of all time. To be separated to the gospel means we must be separated from other things, like the arrogance and pride and self. It also means we must live in and out of God's favor which we do not deserve. It means we must be defined by God as His beloved. Humility grows in this soil.
In v.21-23 of today's passage we read, "21 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?"
Those who are defined by their pride are just as guilty as those described in Romans 1 whom they look down upon. These to whom Paul wrote this book were guilty of not living up to God's law themselves. Of course, this is the case for all of us. Since the hypocrite has lost sight of examining himself, he looks down upon and criticizes others. And, one glaring omission is that they never correct or instruct themselves. Paul's obvious point here is that it is not enough to hear God’s word; one must also apply the truth and be humbled by it. When we are self-examining, an inward change is possible and it can render the goal God had in mind when He gave us His word.
In these verses the Apostle highlights the sins of stealing, adultery, idolatry and dishonoring God. The Law is divided into three sections: the moral law, the ceremonial law, and the civil law. The moral law is how the Jews were to live, the ceremonial law is how the Jews were to worship and approach God, and the civil law contains how the Jews were to function as a nation and as a society. In these verses the Apostle Paul referred these to whom he wrote to the moral law.
In v.24 of today's passage we read, "God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."
In this verse the Apostle quoted Isaiah 52:5. There is a note of intended sarcasm in this verse, as in the previous verses. The Jews who were supposed to lead the blind to God, were actually blaspheming God in front of the blind. They were supposed to be light to those in darkness, but they were blaspheming God to those in darkness. They were supposed to correct the foolish and teach the immature, but they were blaspheming the name of God by their superficial religion.
The problem the Jews had was they had adopted a religion of selective rule-keeping. They did not have a religion of the heart, but only that of an external facade. Their hearts had experienced very little change if any. They had stiff-armed God and kept Him at a distance. They lacked conviction of sin, repentance, and they saw no need for humility. They had a religion of convenience, where they were not disturbed by God. They had been entrusted with the blessings of God, but they kept those blessings to themselves. They did not allow the truth to penetrate into the depths of their souls. And, it was out of that posture that they indirectly blasphemed the name of God.
To only know about God without coming to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ leaves one condemned in his sin. We must be born again to know the life the Lord Jesus died to give us. Once we have entered into a personal relationship with God, we must be intent upon being defined by His word. Our lives should reflect the truth that we share with others. May we have the wisdom to resist being like the arrogant, who know God’s word with their minds only. May we be those with hearts that have encountered the living God.
