A Heart of Worship

Reasons for Righteousness, Pt. 3

Study of Romans: Message Four

Wednesday Nights MFBC

Romans 2:12-29.

ETS: Paul affirmed that God’s concern was the characteristic of the heart rather than outward appearance.

ESS: We should ensure that our hearts are right before God.

OSS: [Devotional] {I want the hearers to examine their heart to ensure they are inwardly right before almighty God.} Cognitive: I want the hearers to know that outward appearance does not matter to God. Affective: I want the hearers to feel the importance of a pure, upright heart before God. Psycho-Motor: I want the hearers to examine their hearts to ensure they are inwardly right before almighty God.

PQ:

What truths does Paul affirm?

UW: Truths

Intro.: [AGS]: [TS]: [RS]:

TS: Let us examine together a few truths, now:

Our actions matter. [vv. 12-16]

Particularly, our obedience matters.

In summary of these verses, “…Paul made it clear that it was not the possession of the law that counted, but the practice of the law.” [1]

“One must love God with the whole heart, which entails obedience. And yet no one will be justified by obeying the law, for no one obeys they law perfectly (Rm. 3:20, 23; Gal. 2:16; Jas. 2:8-11). The only righteous doer of the law was Jesus.” [2]

It is worth noting that in verse 12, Paul used two words- one seemingly for one group; another seemingly for the other group. Perhaps it was that he was suggesting the Gentiles would perish without the law; the Jews would be judged by the law. One person suggested this was a tact way of addressing the issue and driving the point home rather than giving a harsh, direct condemnation to the opponent. [3]

“If the Jews, therefore, expected to be saved by their law, it must be, not by hearing the law, nor by being called a Jew, but by perfect and unqualified obedience to all its requirements.” [Barnes]

Verse 16 seems loosely connected to verse 12 with the understanding that both Jew and Gentile will undergo judgement whereby God will judge each according the law he had. [Barnes]

APPLICATION: Our actions matter. It is not whether or not we have the law that condemns us. It is whether or not we are obedient in glorifying God inasmuch as we know Him. How do we reconcile this with the Gospel today in situations of the reached versus the unreached? That is a work in progress for me. Firstly, and at minimum, we must understand the difference between the law and the Gospel.

We are guilty, too. [vv. 17-24]

Paul cites multiple grounds as basis for which the Jews were guilty of sin and condemned to judgement. At the heart of the basis was the Jews’ hypocrisy. This is, of course, reiterative of the early part of chapter two where Paul has already clearly established the Jews judge, yet are guilty on the same basis of which they judge.

Additionally, the Jews thought that they were superior to the Gentiles because of the following reasons:

Their official title and affiliation to God as Jew

Possession of the law

Boast in God (having special knowledge, so-to-speak, the written revelation)

Knowing God’s will

Approve that superior (referring to ability to distinguish between that which was morally superior or not based on the law/will of God)

Having instruction from the law

Being convinced they were the ones to lead others without the law [guide to blind; light to dark; instructor to ignorant; teacher of immature]

Paul then begins to expose further their hypocrisy, even on the basis of their arrogance, by asking these questions [yet, it should be noted that Paul likely could not prove that they were guilty of these; still, hypocrisy was obvious regarding some; the point remains the same regardless]:

You teach others; do you not teach yourself?

You preach not to steal; yet you steal?

You say do not commit adultery; yet, you do so?

You who say you detest idolatry; are you taking of them?

The heart behind each of these questions is well stated by Barnes: “By your hypocrisy and crimes the pagan world is led to despise a religion which is observed to have no effect in purifying and restraining its professors; and of course the reproach will terminate on the Author of your religion- that is, the true God. A life of purity would tend to honor religion and its Author; a life of impurity does the reverse.” [Barnes]

APPLICATION: We must ask the question, then, “Are we guilty, also, of claiming a religion and yet denying the very power and presence of the God who is the author of the religion?” When others look at our lives- do they see support for a holy, powerful, present God, or do they see the denial thereof?

Our heart matters. [vv. 25-29]

The basic meaning behind verses 25-27 is that the mere ritualistic symbol or even ethnic identity alone made no difference as to whether one was or was not Jew is the truest sense, concerning context. What mattered was ones obedience and practice of faith. See Romans 4:12-13.

The heart of the passage and Paul’s key point is identified in verses 28-29. The key is one’s heart and the spiritual condition thereof.

Barnes, “Or in other words, the apostle teachers the doctrine that acceptance with God does not depend on a man’s external privileges, but on the state of the heart and life.” [Barnes]

APPLICATION: The reality and relevancy today is this: No matter your ethnic identity, political identity, societal identity, etc., one is only acceptable to God when one trusts with one’s heart in God through faith in Christ Jesus. It is not so much concerning of one’s outward identity as much as it is with one’s inward reality and condition.

Takeaways:

[1] Does your life reflect one of an obedient steward of what has been entrusted to you? We have the Gospel. What have we done with it?

[2] Do our lives support or deny the power of God? We claim to believe in God. Do our lives support that?

[3] What is the status of our hearts? Have they been transformed?

[1] Warren Wiersbe. “Romans” in Be Right: How to be Right with God, Yourself, and Others (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2008), 37.

[2] Edwin A. Blum, “Romans,” in CSB Study Bible: Notes, ed. Edwin A. Blum and Trevin Wax (Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers, 2017), 1783.

[3] Albert Barnes, Notes on the New Testament: Romans, ed. Robert Frew (London: Blackie & Son, 1884–1885), 61.