Romans 2: 17-29

(Romans 2: 17-29)

 

Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,  And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;  And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,  An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.  Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?  Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?  Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?  For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.  For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.  Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?  And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?  For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.


『Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,』. The Jews thought that God gave them special treatment because they had received the law from God as a descendant of Abraham and had traces of circumcision on their bodies. The Jews believed themselves as those entrusted with the law of God, knowing the will of God, discerning what is good, and being a light to guide those in darkness, and to be teachers of fools and children. But the apostle Paul turned to the Jews who so believed in himself, "Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?

 

Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? 』. Paul is saying, "The Jews who are entrusted with the law given by God teach the law, but they have not lived according to the law." So 『For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written. 』. Just as the child's wrongdoing hurts the name of the parents, the Jews who claim to have entrusted the law of God did not live up to that law, so they dishonor God's name. The apostle Paul said that a believer living an unbelieving life does not end only with reproaching himself, but ultimately blasphemes the name of God, the object of faith.

 

『For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? 』Said.
The Jews thought that it was enough that they had traces of circumcision, but without a life of the law, the circumcision was null and void. God told Abraham, the ancestor of the Jews, to be circumcised, and that circumcision was a sign of God's own people.


In Genesis 17:10-11, “This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. 』
Since circumcision is to cut the foreskin of the male genital organs, its traces cannot be erased. Therefore, once they become God's people, they live with the mark until the day they die. However, if God had to engrave the sign of this covenant elsewhere, people might have been showing off it. But God puts the sign of the covenant in a secret place so that we cannot boast.

 

The apostle Paul wrote, “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. 』Said. Paul says "circumcision is that of the heart" So what is circumcision of the heart? It is the desire, blood, and evil nature within me that first makes me deeply disappointed, stabbing my heart in front of God, and cutting off the old man. That is, the old man dies.

 

The apostle Paul wrote, “For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; He said neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 』. This means that the outward Christian is not a Christian, but the inward Christian is a Christian. Inner Christian means a person who denies himself and dies in order to serve God with a self-centered and inner person.

 

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