Village Schools of the Bible

ROMANS: Heart & Soul of the Gospel
A Devotional Study of Romans
by Max Frazier, Jr.

ROMANS 2:17-3:8: Condemnation of the Religious Man

Four times the word "Jew" appears:

1.Romans 2:17 - "if you call yourself a Jew"
2.Romans 2:28 - "a man is not a Jew if"
3.Romans 2:29 - "a man is a Jew if"
4.Romans 3:1 - "what advantage is there then in
being a Jew"

The Jews claimed exemption from condemnation on three grounds: 1) because he was a son of Abraham (see further John 8:33); 2) because he had the law; and 3) because he was circumcised.

VERSE 17-24: The Law cannot save the Jew

There were 5 advantages upon which the Jew based his hope:

1.His name: "Jew", which comes from "Judah" and means "one who is praised." They believed anyone who bore that name was praised of God.
2.His trust: in the Law
3.His boast: that the God of the Jews was the true God
4.His knowledge: of the divine will
5.His confidence: involves 4 roles (see verses 18-20)

Everyone of these five areas revolved around the Law.

When Paul reaches verses 21, he begins to ask some searching questions:

1.Paul affirms the Jewish role: teaches, preaches, says, abhors, brags .
2.Paul doesn't accuse them of anything; he merely is inquiring about them. The mistake every Jew made was in not teaching himself.
3.Paul's direct charge in verse 24 - the Law condemns them (see further John 5:45 - Moses will condemn them; and Ezekiel 36:20 - the Gentiles saw how they lived and said, "if this is the people of God, what kind of God is He?")

VERSES 25-27: His circumcision cannot save the Jew

Circumcision could not save the Jew because he had not kept the Law. Lack of circumcision would not condemn a Gentile just as the possession of circumcision would not save the Jew. The morality of the uncircumcised Gentile will judge and condemn the Jew who is circumcised.

VERSES 28-29: His birth cannot save the Jew

There is no such thing as being a Jew merely in outward form. God demands an inward reality. No man is a Jew unless he is born outwardly as a son of Abraham, and born inwardly of the Spirit.

Contrasting word pairs: outwardly-inwardly; flesh-heart; spirit-letter; men-God

This circumcision of the heart is an Old Testament concept (see further Jeremiah 4:4)

VERSES 3:1-8: Argument cannot save the Jew

Four objections and four answers: the real objection is in verse 1, the other three are just variations.

1. What advantage is it then to being a Jew? (verse 1)

Answer: (verse 2) They had received the oracles of God - Scripture. Oracles are the prophetic element, the promise concerning Jesus Christ. The Jew did not use this advantage (see further John 1:11)

2. He argues that God must keep His promises to the Jewish nation, whether the Jew is a sinner or a righteous man (verse 3)

Answer: (verse 4) God's faithfulness cannot fail. If every man in the world becomes a liar, God will still remain true. It does not matter what happens.

3. If God's righteousness appears in a clearer light because of our sin, can God blame us for our sin? "If our unrighteousness makes clearer the righteousness of God, He would be unrighteous to take vengeance on us." (verse 5)

Answer: (verse 6) If God cannot judge a sinner because his sin makes the righteousness of God more conspicuous, then He cannot deal with any sinner. There would be no judgment at all.

4. If the sin of man would make conspicuous God's righteousness, if man's lie made God's truth appear the greater, how then can God justly judge the sinner? (verse 7)

Answer: (verse 8) Let us do evil that good may come.

DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:

Perhaps the most difficult group of people with whom we share the Gospel message is those who have an understanding of religion. They base their acceptance before God upon their keeping of some rules or requirements. The Jews were such a group of people. They prided themselves upon two facts: their possession of the law and their provision of circumcision. Now neither one of these was necessarily a negative. But it is how they were used that caused the concern.

Concerning the possession of the Law, Paul states that the problem arose because they did not practice the Law. They knew it and I believe they even understood what it meant, but they refused to model it in their lives. And the hypocrisy came when they demanded of others an obedience they themselves did not follow. They championed the phrase, "Do as I say, not as I do."

Concerning the provision of circumcision, Paul states that the problem arose because the Jews performed an incomplete circumcision. Yes, they faithfully practiced the outward physical circumcision as stated in Genesis 17. But Paul said that they lacked the necessary inward circumcision of the heart. They performed the act without the proper attitude.

The more I study the Word of God, the more I am becoming aware that God is principally interested in our attitude. Jesus began His Sermon on the Mount with a statement about attitudes. Samuel, when he confronted a disobedient Saul, spoke of attitudes preceding actions (see further First Samuel 15:22-23). Our acceptance before God is never based upon what we do. But it is always based upon who we are. Our actions must necessarily flow out of who we are. Our actions do not determine who we are...our attitude, who we are, does determine what we do.

So, to those who were basing their acceptance before God upon what they were doing, Paul instructs them to stop! Then they were to check their attitudes and make the necessary adjustments so that their hearts were right with God.

QUESTIONS TO PONDER AS YOU READ THIS SECTION:

1.In Romans 2:17-24, Paul shows that the Law cannot save the Jew. Read carefully the probing questions Paul asks in verses 21-23. Where did the Jews go wrong? Is there a lesson for us to learn from their mistake? If yes, how can we correct our errors so as not to stand condemned?

2.In verses 25-27, Paul shows that circumcision cannot save the Jew. In verses 28-29 Paul states that the Jew's birth cannot save him. What really needs to happen to a person before God can accept him or her?

Romans 2:1-16 Return to the Table of Contents Romans 3:9-20