The Sinfulness and Judgment of Every Man

Transcript

GRM 517
The Sinfulness and Judgment of Every Man
Romans 2
March 9, 1997

We are on a break from our study of Ezra and we are continuing on that break this evening because we are going to be in the book of Romans chapter 2. Romans and the second chapter. This chapter is really in a section in Romans where Paul is dealing with the sinfulness of all humanity. And in chapter 1 particularly the last portion of that chapter he has clearly demonstrated the sinful character of all of us as human beings. The problem there is that the picture there is so wretched and ugly that it's easy for us to become selfrighteous and say yes, there are certain people who are that vile but that doesn't pertain to me. It's an ugly picture at the end of Romans 1. And the sad thing is it reads somewhat like a description of our society. And our society is becoming more and more openly characterized by the vileness that is so graphically portrayed in the last part of chapter 1.

What he does as he rolls in to chapter 2 is deal with the issue of those who think that they are better than those who have just been described. Those who would sit in judgment and join in a hearty amen about the sinfulness of the kind of people that have been just described. The people in view will ultimately be the Jews, but what he has to say here is often reflected in the character and attitude of religious people generally. We know he's talking about Jews in chapter 2 because he says in verse 17, "If you bear the name 'Jew,' and rely upon the Law, and boast in God," and so on. He focuses in particularly on the Jews who would have prided themselves in their more righteous character. They're not stooping to the depths of depravity as has been described in chapter 1. And what Paul does in chapter 2 is show that those people who see themselves as moral and good and righteous are really just as sinful and depraved as the people that they join in condemning. The problem with the Jews is they thought being Jewish protected them. They thought circumcision was a guarantee of acceptance before God. And much the same way people today who are religious think their religious activity will give them an inside tract so to speak with God when it comes to judgment. And they do not see themselves as sinful as some others are.

Note how chapter 2 begins, "therefore you are without excuse, every one of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things." And you note the chapter begins with therefore. It was used back up in chapter 1 verse 24 therefore." He is basing what he is saying on what he has just said. So there is a building issue going on as he considers the depravity of the human race. The depravity of those who would not be very religious, the depravity of those who are very religious.


"You have no excuse, every one of you who sit in judgment." Now passages like this are often pulled out of their context and anytime you point out sin in someone's life, anytime you address the issue of God's judgment, the lostness of man, someone will address the issue of judgment and you have no right to judge. But the context has to determine the meaning. And in the context of Romans chapter 2 as we see as we'll move through it, just surveying the entire chapter really, we see that those in view are those who themselves who are guilty in heart of the same sins that they are condemning. We are dealing with people who have not experienced the cleansing that only God can provide from sin. So they are just as guilty in their sin as those that they would condemn.

So "you are without excuse everyone who passes judgment," why? "For in that which you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things." Now it doesn't mean they do the exact same sin in the exact same way, but all sinners indulge in sin. For example, a person who is guilty of indulging in immorality might be going to work in the morning in one of our larger city and see a drunk laying on he sidewalk and be filled with disgust and that person deserves to be dragged off to jail and no wonder he has nothing with the way he lives. And yet he does realize that he's condemning sin. We would do that in a variety of contexts. That's the context in which he is talking. When you judge another you condemn yourself. You in effect say sin needs to be judged. I don't think my sin is as serious as your sin. Your sin is serious enough to deserve judgment, deserve condemnation, but my sin no. We see this with crimes that are committed that are especially vilecrimes committed children. And we think they deserve punishment, they deserve to go to hell for something like that, without failing to consider that in character I am the same kind person. Oh no, no. I never would do something like that. No, but I am sinful in character just like they are. In my pride, "I thank you, Lord, that I am not like other men," is the way I would view myself. I am not a sinner like they are.

This doesn't mean we shouldn't judge sin in other people's lives. Point it out. Address it biblically. In the fellowship of believers, it has to be dealt with. But we are dealing here in a context of those who are seeing themselves as morally superior but are unregenerate people, unsaved people.

"We know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things." And the Jews would agree since they're the ones in view that the sins that the last half of chapter 1 deserve punishmenthomosexuality, sexual depravity is emphasized here. They would have joined in agreeing that that should be punished by God and many of the other sins that would be mentioned. We say yes, the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. "But do you suppose, this, O man, when you pass judgment upon those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God." You're doing sinful deeds one kind of sin, another kind of sin. "Do you think you escape punishment for your sin when you practice sin yourself?" is the idea. I'm a special case. God is only going to deal with their particular sin or their kind of sin. I'm guilty of sin as God would look at me as a fallen being.


Verse 4, "Do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?" The tragedy is that people misunderstand the lovingkindness of God. You think lightly of the riches of His kindness. To “think lightly,” the word means to look down upon something so to despise it, to treat it with contempt. Now you have the riches of His kindness. He emphasizes that by multiplying words that have a similar meaningskindness, tolerance, patience, kindness again. It's the riches of kindness. There is an abundance of God's kindness that is emphasized here. He's tolerant. He's patient. He hasn't intervened in judgment. But they fail to appreciate that the purpose of God's kindness in patience is to lead you to repentance. They fail to understand. But yes, God is a God of love. He is a God of kindness. His patience toward us today is to what? Cause us to recognize His gracious character, our vile sinfulness and repent. But people fail to understand that. They'll go to church, but they don't want to hear about sin. They don't want to hear about judgment. They don't want to hear about hell. I want to hear how good God is, how kind God is. Yes, but you must understand the purpose of that. You need to repent. We are sinful beings. God is tolerant. Yes. The fact that you and I are here breathing tonight is an evidence of the tolerance of God. If He wasn't a tolerant and patient God we would have been struck by Him long ago. Don't understand the character of God in His kindness.

"But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God." Paul has stalked about a present dimension of wrath in chapter 1. In chapter 1 verse 18 he said the wrath of God is revealed from heaven. And then it was repeated in verse 24 where God gave them over in the lust of their hearts to impurity. Verse 26 God gave them over to degrading passions. And in verse 28 God gave them over to a depraved mind. That's a present aspect of the wrath of God. We say why does God allow to happen what happens. Well, there's a sense in which the very open display of sin today and the very sins that are addressed in chapter 1 are an evidence of the wrath of God. Men and women are consumed and controlled by their passions and desires. And God's judgment is He has given them over to those passions to be consumed by them. We see it in the context of a person who would be addicted to drugs. And you say, "Fine. Give yourself over to it." That's a form of judgment because they are selfdestructing so to speak. So the very open display of sin in our society is a display of the judgment of God.

But there is a future dimension to the judgment of God in verse 5 of chapter 2. When men and women are given time by God to repent, and they do not repent the opposite is occurring. They are storing up a treasure of wrath for a coming day of judgment. It's easy to think because nothing happens we have escaped judgment. You know people sin and they think something terrible is going to happen and when it doesn't, "Oh, mustn't be so bad." So they feel freer to sin more and nothing happens. So I become more comfortable with the sin. But you understand God has a time appointed to settle accounts. What is happening in this context is wrath is being stored up for the day of wrath, the coming day of judgment and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God. A concept that is not very popular today because we don't want to talk about judgment. Because if you talk about sin, you talk about judgment, you talk about God's wrath. I have to talk about my condition. And I don't want anybody to tell me that I can't do what I want the way I want. Who are you to tell me is the attitude that is so pervasive?


We are reminded in verse 6 that God will render to each person according to His deeds. That's a quote from Psalm 62. So this is not new truth. It's truth that's a thousand years old and even older than that because in the psalm it's quoted. That would go back a thousand years before Paul writes this and we are 2000 years after it. This principle of God's judgment holds He will render to each personthere is an individuality about judgmentaccording to his deeds. According to what they have done. It's all being stored up. Remember the book of Hebrews? Adulterers and fornicators God will judge.

I was watching an interview on one of the interview program a week or two ago and they were interviewing a person who had been living with a partner for years and years. Do you have any intention to get married. The person says I don't know why we'd get married. We're comfortable the way we are. I couldn't help but think of Hebrewsadulterers and fornicators God will judge. Years have gone by. Nothing's happened. We're comfortable. Why would we do differently. No concept that there will come a day when God will render to each person according to his deeds.

Judgment is always on the basis of works. It's the constant emphasis of Scripture. We are not going to run through the passages, but that's the concept of Scripture. Judgment is on the basis of works. Not because you can be saved by doing enough good. But because your works always reveal your character. True saving faith transforms a person on the inside so their conduct is accordingly altered. So judgment on the basis of works is consistent with character. That's why Jesus said we'd be judged by our words. Because it's out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. We are revealing what's inside. So our works reveal our character. This verse, verse 6, is going to be elaborated in the following verses, down in verses 7 to 11. Verse 11 will be a capstone if you will or a summary of it that there is no partiality with God. He will render to every man according to his deeds.

In verses 7 to 10 he deals with mankind in two categoriessaved and unsaved, believer and unbeliever. Verse 7, "To those," now we're at the judgment when God will render to every man according to his deeds. "To those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life." These are those who by their works manifest their character. They are the children of God. First John chapter 3 verses 7 to 10, "By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious." Those who do righteousness are righteous. Those who do evil are evil. People like to say, "Oh, you can't judge me. You can't see my heart." Well, we can see one another's heart at least to a degree, not perfectly. We can fool one another. But over time character is revealed.

So those who are truly saved reveal it, verse 7. Verse 8, "But to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation." So two kinds of people, two kinds of destiny. Glory, honor, immortality, eternal life at the end of verse 7. Wrath and indignation at the end of verse 8. Because those in verse 8 are selfishly ambitious. The basic egotism of fallen man. Back in chapter 1 verse 30. Spoke of slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents. These selfishly ambitious, selfcentered people.


There was an article in the paper about a couple who had been kidnapped. Some of you saw it. Last week it ran in the paper. And the statement of those who kidnapped the couple, who . . . they intended to murder this older couple. Didn't work out that way. But it said they had decided that they were the only ones that mattered and what gave them satisfaction was all that counted. So they ought to just kill these people. Now it seems extreme but that basically is where the human heart is in its fallen state. It's selfish, it's selfcentered. And that's behind the rejection of God's righteousness. They do not obey the truth because they want to be a standard unto themselves and there's great antagonism when you confront them with the truth of the Gospel. They don't want to hear it. That's one of the intimating things about sharing the Gospel, is it not? People don't want to be told the truth.

They do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness for them wrath and indignation. Now in Romans chapter 1 verse 18, the last part of verse 18 spoke of those who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Verse 25 spoke of those who exchange the truth of God for a lie. Now that's God's truth. Here it even probably narrows down further to the actual truth of the Word of God since we're going to go on to talk about that later in the chapter. The Jews . . . their possession of the law, the written Word of God . . . they do not obey the truth. They are not obedient to what God has said so in many ways they suppress it just like those of chapter 1. The Jews thought they were unique. They had the law. They had the Word of God. They didn't indulge in adultery and homosexuality and murder and some of the "major vices." But at heart they rejected the truth, did they not? Did Jesus not have to confront them with the fact that they wanted to kill Him, the One who told them the . . . truth? So God comes in the flesh, confronts the most religious people who prided themselves in knowing the Word of God and when they're confronted with the truth of God they want to kill the One who is the Creator and author of life. Are they in character any different than the people described in Romans chapter 1? When we begin to analyze it in character they're no different. The person who sees himself today as so religious and moral and basically good but when they are confronted with the Gospel they are greatly antagonized, embittered towards the person who presents the Gospel. At heart don't they reveal what they are in real character?

Verse 9, "There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek." And that order goes back to chapter 1 verse 16 where God's work of salvation was brought to the Jew first and then to the non-Jew. So in judgment we deal with the Jew first and then the non-Jew. Tribulation, distress for every soul of man. Again, there is an inclusiveness here. Every, single sinner is destined for suffering that comes out of the judgmenttribulation and distress because of sin.

But it will be different for the believer. Verse 10, "Glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." So, God's blessing is for the believer and he manifests that he believes by the change in his life.


So verse 11 summarizes it, "For there is no partiality with God." And this truth is repeated a number of times through the New Testament. I've written down a number of passages. We won't take time to look at. A salvation that changes a life is what is at hand. Has my heart been changed? If not, then I am under condemnation. I am destined for judgment.

So he goes on to elaborate this with verse 12. "For all who have sinned without the law will perish without the law. All who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law." Now you see he is narrowing in now more specifically on those things unique to the Jews. They possessed the Word of God. You understand possessing the Word of God does not spare you from judgment. He's going to deal with that issue. Judgment and condemnation come to those who have the law and those who do not have the law. And this also has bearing on those don't hear the Gospel in our time. Be in a similar situation. They have not been exposed to the revelation of God, but that does not mean they are exempt from the judgment of God. All who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law. That's the Gentiles. Those who did not have the law as it was revealed by God. Well, they therefore are excused for their sin and will not be judged. No. They will perish without the law. Perish, that word for "perish" is the word used to refer to the sufferings of the wicked in hell. It's referring to their eternal condemnation. Important verse. What about those who never hear the Gospel in our day, the additional revelation, but the same point? Never being exposed to God's truth so they will perish apart from God's truth.

"All who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law." This is the Jew. The Law was given to them. You get to chapter 3. Just jump over there. Paul asks the question what is the benefit of circumcision? What's the advantage of being a Jew? chapter 3 of Romans. "Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God." So the first privilege of the Jew was God entrusted His revelation to them. So that is a great blessing and honor but that in and of itself does not assure them of salvation. It does not excuse them from coming judgment. All who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law.

Look at verse 13, "for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified." Same idea picked up by James. "Don't be hearers of the Word only but be doers of the Word." Because when you were a doer of the Word you manifest that the Word of God has impacted your heart, you have turned from your sin and believed the truth of that Word and experienced God's salvation. So, it's not the hearers of the Law who are just before God but the doers of the Law. Now again, it's important to keep in mind here. Paul is not saying or implying that you could be saved by keeping the Law. But he is saying for those Jews who have truly believed they will be obedient to the Word of God. And it's impossible to keep the Law apart from the work of God in the life because the Law has a standard of perfection that we do not have in and of ourselves.


"For when the Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves." The Gentiles don't have the Word of God but they do instinctively, literally by nature, the things of the Law. We're created in God's image which he's going to go on to say in verse 15. "In that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts." We're created in the image of God and with that man is created with a sense of right and wrong, an awareness of that. And many people who have not been exposed to God's truth lead relatively good lives on the human level. They are faithful to their marriage parent. They provide for their families. And they don't still at work and some of those things. They do by nature they do instinctively the things of the Law. They show the work of the Law written in their hearts. Because we're created in the image of God and sin has marred that image, but it is still there. And there is awareness of right and wrong. And our society basically functions on that basis, does it not? Certain things are right. Certain things are wrong. Now the more we flaunt our open rejection of God, the more we encourage conduct that breaks down the order. But there is a recognition of right and wrong, good and evil, that enables our society to function as an ordered society. There is the Law of God written in the heart. That's why there is such a reaction to God's truth when it's presented. It strikes a nerve. I spend my life trying to tell myself it is all right to sin and this is really not sin. Then I'm confronted by truth that exposes that which is sensitive to me. I don't want to hear it. It's written in the heart of fallen man.

They show the work of the Law written in their hearts. "Their conscience bearing witness, their thoughts alternately accusing or defending them." Now the conscience is not the Law of God. the conscience acts on the standard that it is given. Again, we will use the example like a man cheats on his wife. He feels guilty. He has a guilty conscience over what he has done or is doing. He shows the law of God written in His heart. That wasn't right for me to do. It has that concept. You know, even there we are different from much of the animal world that we like to say we're part of. By we I'm talking about in our society today where you know they just indiscriminately mate. Even people who don't want to have a marriage ceremony want a partner who will be faithful to them in a relationship. We have a standard even as we have perverted and twisted what God has created us to be. There still is some assemblance of that standard left that we don't want to just be like the rabbits or the rats running around. That there ought to be commitment and loyalty and trust in a relationship. Because why? I don't know. It's inscribed on our being. I really can't live like those animals like I claim are my ancestors.

Now he doesn't say the conscience is a reliable guide. Sin has marred us in every area and our conscience has been defiled and the conscience is further corrupted. For example when we sin our conscience really bothers us the first time. It bothers us a little less the second time. By the time you've sinned over an extended period of time your conscience isn't saying anything. So my conscience isn't a reliable guide. And the travesty of that is seeing all to often and all to many situations where you talk to a person who is clearly involved in sin and they say I have a clear conscience. So. It just shows how sinful you are. You have succeeded in totally smothering your conscience in this area. That doesn't mean you're not guilty before God. I mean a person goes out and kills 30 people and they say, "You know my conscience didn't bother me. In fact, I feel good about it." You say Oh well. He must be all right. No. What do you say? He must be more vile than the average person who conscience would bother them if they did such a thing. So that the conscience here.


You can just jot down Hebrews chapter 9 verse 14. We're told there it is by faith in Christ that the conscience is cleansed. So in Christ the conscience is cleansed. And we as believers ought to maintain a sensitive conscience. That's why in Romans 14 in areas not directly addressed by the Word of God then we don't violate our conscience. So somebody says let's go out and have coffee tonight. I say I'm sorry my conscience would bother me if I did that. I don't think God wants me to go out and have coffee tonight. Well, the Bible doesn't say you can't go out and have coffee. No, but my conscience would bother me if I did it. Well, then don't go. Because going out and having coffee would be wrong? No. Violating your conscience would be wrong because it's always a bad thing for us to work to break down that conscience. And over time the Word of God as I mature in the context of a passage like Romans chapter 14, I come to appreciate that certain things . . . It's not food you eat or don't eat or days you observe or don't observe. That has to come with maturing not just attempting to shut down my conscience. Always a wrong practice for a believer.

All right. So Jew and Gentile in one sense or another have been exposed to the Law of God. The Jew has it in written form which will magnify his guilt but the Gentile has it inscribed on his heart. So both are guilty in their own context.

So verse 16, "On the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus." And really verses 14 and 15 are something of a parenthesis. The connection goes from verse 13 to verse 16. "For it's not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified," verse 13. Verse 16, "On the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus." Verses 14 and 15 elaborate on the Law and the relationship to the Law that he mentions in verse 13. You'll note, "according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Jesus Christ." The message of judgment is an essential part of the Gospel. So churches that pride themselves in "Oh, no. No, you won't hear about judgment here. You won't hear about sin here. You won't hear about condemnation," are saying you won't hear the Gospel here because Paul says according to my Gospel God will judge the secrets of men. Secrets of men. Ultimately we get to the reality of it now. The things I do are observed by everyone. But God's judgment will not be limited to the things that I observe. Paul has focused on that. That's something we can get a handle on. But you understand the judgment of God will be absolutely righteous. It will go to the very inner core of my beings. It will judge the secrets of my heart and life. There I will be exposed for what I really am.


Turn over to 1 Corinthians just after Romans. First Corinthians chapter 4. First Corinthians chapter 4. Paul says his ministry is that of a steward of the ministries of God. He's been entrusted with the truth of God that was revealed to him. And the standard that he must keep before him is it's required of a steward that a man be found faithful. He says in verse 3, "It's a very small thing that I may be examined by you or any human court. In fact, I do not even examine myself." Now there's a place for self-examination. In fact, at the end of 2 Corinthians he'll say “examine yourself to see if you're in the faith.” But there's also a sense even selfexamination does not exonerate you. Well, Paul says your evaluation of me doesn't mean a whole lot and quite frankly my evaluation of me doesn't not mean a whole lot. Verse 4, "For I am conscious of nothing against myself yet I am not to be this acquitted." And for all of us it's very easy to become very selfrighteous and you know, defend ourselves. But in the final analysis even if I'm conscious of nothing against myself that doesn't mean I'm clean before God and guiltless. He knows the secret motives of my heart that I am even unwilling to accept and acknowledge.

"The one who examines me is the Lord. Therefore, do not go on passing judgment before the time but wait until the Lord comes who will bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts. Then each man's praise will come to him from God." And you cannot read a verse like that without a certain amount of fear and trepidation. If you have any sense at all. That God will judge us as we really are. And there is not one of us who can say we are everything that we ought to be, that God's grace would enable us to be, because I am still not perfect. Sometimes I am disgusted with myself of how short of that perfection I am. And here I am reminded that God will bring to light the things of darkness, the hidden motives of the heart.

Jeremiah chapter 17 verse 9 and 10. Don't turn there. That's where Jeremiah says the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked who can know it. Verse 10 goes on to say, "I the Lord search the heart. I test the mind even to give to each man according to his ways, according to the results of his deeds." And there you see the connection. What? God tests the very heart,” their mind “to reward according to their deeds.” Cause there the connection, and all will be revealed. The sermons that were preached to make myself look good, to build me up, all of a sudden that sermon will be revealed in my context. That doesn't mean God may not have used it in lives by His grace because it was His Word, but my motives will be revealed. I didn't really preach it because I wanted to exalt God and honor His Word. I preached it because I wanted the praise of men. I wanted to look good before men or whatever. That day will reveal it and our deeds.

Ecclesiastics chapter 12 verse 14, "God will bring every act to judgment, everything which hidden, whether it is good or evil." The judgment of God will be fair and just because it will be according to reality. Nothing hidden. Nothing that He does not know about. It will be a perfect judgment by a perfect God with perfect knowledge of all that I have done and the reason I have done what I have done. If we really believe that, we as believers should be living lives that really are conformed to the Word of God. Is there anything in my life if I was going to stand before Him as my judge tomorrow that I would not want disclosed? Anything that I would find embarrassing if it was going to be unfolded. I say, "Well, boy, I hope not that. Oh, is that really going to be there." I say why do you have it in your life, Gil. Why do we tolerate those things in our lives that would be embarrassing before the throne of God?


Back to Romans chapter 2. God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus. Acts 17 God has appointed a day in which He will judge the world through a man that He has appointed. And that man is Christ Jesus. He's the judge of all. So that's the Gospel that Paul proclaimed. It's a Gospel of sin. It's a Gospel of judgment.

All right so you pick up then with verse 17. And what he's really going to do now is zero in on the prerogatives of the Jew. Now up till now it has been general and so some take the first part of this chapter, the first 16 verses as dealing with moral people generally. In fact, the study Bible I have titles the first 16 verses as "the condemnation of the moralist" and then "the condemnation of the Jew" picking up with verse 17. I don't have any problem with that but it seems to me in the context that he really has the Jew in mind throughout and he's just focusing on that. What he has to say here has application beyond the Jew, but the Jew is the one in mind.

He sets forth in verses 17 to 20 the privileges and prerogatives which the Jew prided himself in. This is what the Jew boasted about and then in verses 21 to 24 he'll show the failure of the Jews in light of their great privilege. Then verses 25 to 29. The problem is they have focused on the physical, not the spiritual. They've trusted physical circumcision, not the circumcision of the heart.

"But if you bear the name Jew and rely upon the Law and boast in God and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself." God's Word was presented in a form that was intended to be understood and obeyed. The Jew prided himself in having the Law. The Jew prided himself in being the teacher of the Law and the instructor of others. The problem is the Jews had not experienced the salvation that was taught in the Word that they possessed and claimed to teach others. Like Nicodemus who came to Jesus in John chapter 3 and Jesus said to him, "You must be born again, or you'll never see the kingdom." And Nicodemus said, "What to do you mean be born again?" And Jesus said, "What, are you the teacher of Israel and you don't understand these things? You're teaching Israel the Word of God and you don't understand the basics of salvation in that Word?" That's what's saying to Nicodemus. That's the point here.


The Jews are confident, and they know the Law. They know the Word. Verse 21 they fail to live in light of it. "You teacher another, do you not teach yourself?" Great danger that we become professional in our handling of the Word, in telling others the truth of the Word that as we share it we know it's not true of us. I'm telling them to do what I know in my heart I don't do. That's hypocrisy. That hypocrisy undermines the credibility of God's Word. It undermines the credibility of our testimony in our own home, in our own family before our children who see us more as we are and hear us say what ought to be said and live differently. Then it becomes ugly and the truth becomes repulsive to them because of what we are doing with our lives. If you teach others that you shouldn't steel, do you steel? You preach that you shouldn't commit adultery. Do you commit adultery? Let's face it you see a man who has preached in the pulpit who is exposed to be immoral. There's something shattering about that, isn't there? For all of us as believers you feel the impact of that. You feel the impact on your testimony and on the ministry of the Word.

"You abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? For 'the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,' just as it is written." Isaiah chapter 52 verse 5 and that's just what we are talking about. For those who claim to possess the Word and believe the Word and honor the Word but don't, the impact of their unfaithfulness to the Word is greater in a negative way than those who make no such claims. Obviously many people in our city are guilty of a variety of sins, but if someone in this congregation becomes guilty of it, it has a much greater impact because we are a people who claim to be believe the truth. This is God's Word. It's truth. It must be believed and obeyed and then it is revealed that I don't really live it. It becomes ugly. Is that not why the rumors that we talked about in Peter become so rampant. What? People are looking to undermine the credibility of consistency in our life and testimony. They try slander. Oh yes, he says this but he doesn't do this. Oh, he's guilty of this. What are they trying to do? Same thing we talk about here that was happening with the Jews. They claimed to believe the Word, but they didn't honor it with their lives. That can happen to us if we're not careful.

Second Peter chapter 2 verse 2. Don't turn there, but regarding false teachers who claim to teach the Word, who infiltrate the church, claim to be believers, claim teach to the Word, says there that the Word of God will be maligned because of them. The Word of God . . . the testimony of the Word of God suffers because they are revealed not to be living the Word and that undermines the testimony for the Word.

He moves on to the subject of circumcision. Conclude this. "So if the circumcised . . ." "For indeed," verse 25, "circumcision is of value, if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision." Circumcision became the focal point for the Jews like baptism has for us as Protestants and Catholics today speaking broadly. The Jew place his confidence in the circumcision. That identified him as a covenant person. Circumcision having been established in Genesis chapter 17 between God and Abram as the physical sign of the covenant God established with the descendants of Abraham. So the Jews over time took physical circumcision as the indication they really were saved. In fact, it came to be if you were circumcised, you were saved. Just like has happened with baptized, which was to be an identifying sign for the Church that a person is a committed follower of Jesus Christ. That person has believed in Christ and experienced his salvation is publicly declaring that through baptism. But now it's been taken to mean what? If your baptized, your saved. Tragedy for Roman Catholics if a baby dies unbaptized. Many in Protestant churches are trusting the fact they were baptized they'll be saved. It comes out you come from a religious family, and you get saved and you're going to get rebaptized now as a believer, your family begins to unravel. My goodness! What are you doing? You've been baptized. What? We place the same kind of confidence. We read this about the Jews and we realize we do the same thing. We've just changed the identifying sign in our thinking.


So indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law. And if you're a true believer, committed to obeying God and submitting to His Word, I mean circumcision has a place for a Jew. It was a physical sign that you are a member of the covenant nation, Israel. "But if you're a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become circumcision." You understand if you don't obey the Word of God, for the Jew if you don't obey the Law, then you are just like an uncircumcised person. That physical act doesn't change your relationship to God at all. "So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law will not his uncircumcision be required as circumcision? And he who is physically uncircumcised if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who through the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law." This is the point that was back in verse 13. It's not the hearers of the Law who are just before God but the doers of the Law, but the true doers of the Law are those who have experienced His power in their lives and now live in obedience to His truth.

You know, the Jews latched on to this. Let me read you some statements from rabbinic material, the rabbis, the teachers of the Jews, what they said about circumcision. One rabbi said, "Circumcised men do not descend into Gehenna. At the last Abraham will sit at the entrance to Gehenna and will not let any circumcised man of Israel go down there. Circumcision will deliver Israel from Gehenna. You see, for them circumcision had become salvation. Just like for many people today. Baptism has become salvation.

In Romans chapter 4 Paul will put the close to that lie because he will talk about Abraham. And Abraham believed God and God credited it to him as righteous in Genesis 15. And Paul says was Abraham circumcised when God did that. No. That was Genesis 15. Abraham didn't get circumcised until Genesis 17. Oh. But he was righteous. Therefore, circumcision can't be necessary for salvation. Because salvation is always on the same basis because it's always by the same God. Abraham was saved by faith. Now why don't we get the point? Was Abraham declared righteous in Genesis 15 before or after he was baptized. As far as we know Abraham was never baptized. Is baptism necessary for salvation? Only if there's two Gods. One who saves by faith and One who saves by baptism according to the argument in Romans 4. We are blinder than the Jews because we have the completion of revelation and we still stumble over the same dumb mistakes. So here circumcision, that's not the issue. A Gentile who is not circumcised but believes God and submits to His Law, he experiences God's salvation.


Verse 28 and verse 29. These are verses that are misused and misapplied and misunderstood and I don't know why. "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh." Now he's not saying that your physical descent from Abraham is not part of being a physical Jew any more than he is saying that physical circumcision is nothing. He's already said in verse 25 physical circumcision is of value if you believe the Law. "But he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; nor circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that which is of the heart by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God." He is a Jew who is one inwardly. Some have taken these verses to mean therefore the Church has become Israel and there's no longer a physical Israel, only a spiritual Israel. Well, you know, I mean that's so contrary to the rest of the Word of God. What he is saying is not everyone who is a physical Jew and has experienced physical circumcision is truly in the line of Abraham and the promises given to Abraham and his descendants. Being a physical descendant of Abraham is not enough. To be truly a Jew in line of the covenant promises, you must be a physical descendant and a spiritual descendant of Abraham. I'm not saying now God's done away with physical Israel. He's telling not every physical Jew is a Jew in the context of being in covenant relationship with God. You see, all that circumcision did was identify you as in covenant relationship in the nation. A baby that was circumcised, that doesn't mean he had a living relationship with God. It meant he had a relationship with the covenant nation. Remember the nation Israel was elect by God. But that didn't mean every person in the nation was elect. The nation was elect and there was individual election within the nation. Physical circumcision identified you as a physical member of that nation, but you had to have a spiritual relationship, you had to experience circumcision of the heart . . . And we won't take the time and we don't have the time to go back but Leviticus 26:41, Deuteronomy 10:16, Deuteronomy 30:6, Jeremiah 4:4, Jeremiah 9:26the circumcision of the heart that required death through the Old Testament. It's not like this is new material. It required the circumcision to take place in the heart and then to be reflected in the physical body. That's the point.

The Jews what happened? They became more and more focused on the physical and more and more confident in that physical connection and in the good they did and in the evil they did not do. They no longer saw themselves in light of the Word of God that they possessed. We struggle with that as a church today. Where we have been in existence for a number of years, we have another generation coming up. It's hard for the parents who have raised this generation in the church to accept the fact that some of this generation we have raised here are lost and on their way to hell. Being raised in this church, being baptized in this church if that happened to them, does not assure their salvation. It places them in a context to hear the truth of God requiring salvation, hopefully to see that truth lived out in the lives of the people around them. It becomes very difficult. We have people threaten to leave the church when we say we weren't going to baptize their children. I scratch my head and say why? If the child's saved, the child is saved. You think baptism is going to add something to it? But in our heart we begin to what? Tie things together to the physical. And that is always an evidence we are on the drift. The physical becomes the focus. Am I saying that baptism doesn't have a place? Of course it does. Just as circumcision had a place for the Jew. In mean I believe that circumcision has a place for the Jew today. But these external things . . .


I must see myself in light of the Word of God. That's the starting point. We in this church we must see ourselves in light of the Word of God. And God's truth must be reflected in our lives. We must submit to it. We must believe it. We must be transformed by it. Then we must raise the children . . . We have the children sing here tonight. Wonderful! They sing these songs and I sit and look and . . . you pray that God may by your grace they truly come to know the truth that they're singing. What do we want to do? We want to be like Timothy. It's from a child they've known the Holy Scriptures. In reality true conversion, I believe, will take place as they grow older. We need to be very careful that we don't imply to these kids. We must want it so bad as parents for our kids. We end up where the Jews were. That over time the physical became the identifying thing. Ah, it takes the pressure off. They made a decision when they were four. They were baptized when they were 6. The pressure's off. They may wonder now when they're teenagers but I know their saved. And we end up diluting ourselves like the Jews did. Pretending. But it's too serious. The reality and truth of God stands. And may that be the foundation for our lives and the ministry of this church. Let's pray together.

Thank you, Lord, for the truth of Your Word. Lord, we study about the Jews, we see the error of their ways, and Lord, we're concerned it not be repeated in our situation. We've been entrusted with the truth of Your Word. But Lord, that's not enough we must live this truth. We must believe it. It must become the part and parcel of our lives. Lord, we must convey it to the coming generation in that context. It's not being physically a part of this fellowship. It's not going certain physical activities associated with this church. But's hearing and believing the Gospel of Jesus Christ that brings salvation and that saving Gospel will transform the life. Lord, may this truth take hold of our lives. Lord, may we be honest before You to consider whether in reality we have truly experienced the truth that we have been considering this evening. We ask it in Christ's name, amen.


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