Outward or Inward

Rom 2:

Romans 2:25–29 KJV 1900

25 For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. 26 Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? 27 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? 28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29 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.

We’ve had quite a break from our study through Romans so it’s probable good for us to have a recap.

In this section Paul is driving home foundational point for the presentation of his Gospel. That point is essential this, that all people that have ever lived or ever will live whether Jews or everyone else (Gentiles) all have sinned and thus failed at being righteous. This seems to be an easy observation as it relates to the Gentiles who did not have the Law, of course they were unrighteous but what about the Jews who had God’s Law and the covenant? Surely if there were any chance of righteousness in mankind it would be found among the Jews.

Throughout chapter 2 Paul has made it abundantly clear that even the Jews are not righteous. In the preceding verses he has show that they are guilty of the same things that the Gentiles are guilty of. He has then systematically broken down every pillar of their faith. The Jews trusted that because the had the Law they were God’s people and would avoid the Judgement but Paul has pointed out that not the hearers of the Law are Just but the doers of the Law. They were all guilty of braking the Law. He also made the comment that they only had a form of knowledge of the Law.

John 5:37–40 NRSV

37 And the Father who sent me has himself testified on my behalf. You have never heard his voice or seen his form, 38 and you do not have his word abiding in you, because you do not believe him whom he has sent. 39 “You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf. 40 Yet you refuse to come to me to have life.

John 5:37:

They got so caught up in the letter that they couldn’t see the spirit of the Law. They got so caught up in the sacrifices and the feast and the commandments that they missed Jesus.

But now Paul takes on the next pillar. The thing that perhaps the Jews trusted in the most as evidence that they were God’s people and would avoid the judgement. Circumcision.

Circumcision predates the Moses and the Law, this goes back to the covenant made with Abraham. Circumcision was the mark of the covenant

Genesis 17:9–14 ESV

9 And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. 10 This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you. 12 He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised. Every male throughout your generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring, 13 both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money, shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh an everlasting covenant. 14 Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.”

The Jews believed strongly that this mark of the covenant is what made them separate from the Gentiles. Paul shatters this idea in our passage by making the point...

1. Circumcision is Unprofitable Without Obedience

If you have the mark of the covenant but you don’t obey the God of the covenant then the mark is unprofitable.

Romans 2:25 NKJV

25 For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.

Rom 2:25

n

So essentially what Paul is saying here is that if you are a breaker of the Law then the mark of the covenant is of no value and you are the same a an uncircumcised Gentile. The mark will not save you.

There are these phases “keep the Law” and “breaker of the Law. I think that for us to receive the spirit of what Paul is saying in these verses we need to consider very carefully how we understand these phases. In verse 26 he says “keeps the righteousness of the Law” and “Fulfils the Law”. The Pharisees would have argued that they did keep the Law and yet as we read just before Jesus said that they thought they had eternal life through the Law but they missed that they Law and prophets spoke of Christ. Paul refers to the Spirit of the Law as opposed to the letter. No doubt they did their best to keep the letter of the Law but they broke the spirit of the Law because they didn’t see Jesus they didn’t find grace.

Paul goes on to further emphasise his point by saying that...

2. Obedient Gentiles Will Judge Disobedient Jews

Romans 2:26–27 NKJV

26 Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? 27 And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law?

Rom 2:26

The Jews believed that they would stand in judgement of the Gentile nations so Paul’s comment that the uncircumcised who keep the Law would judge them would have been extremely confrontational to a Jewish audience.

So there is a complete roll reversal here the circumcised being judged by the uncircumcised.

Then Paul brings this point home and sheds light on the whole discussion in Vs 28-29

Romans 2:28–29 KJV 1900

28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29 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.

3. Being a True Jew is a Matter of the Heart

Being a Jew is not a matter of outward things such as keeping of the Sabbath paying tithe being circumcised. Being a true Jew is a matter of the heart. you must be circumcised in your heart.

Col 2:

When Jesus was asked by the Pharisee what is the greatest commandment?

Matt

Matthew 22:36–40 KJV 1900

36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

When asked which is the greatest commandment Jesus sums up all the Law and prophets in these two commandments. This was the spirit of the Law. The man who asked this question was a Pharisee and a Jewish lawyer. He had dedicated his life to studying the Law and teaching it to others and yet here he stood before God in the flesh and he was trying to tempt Him to trip Him up in his words. He did not even recognise the one who he should love with all of his heart, soul and mind. He did not even treat Jesus as his neighbour and love Him as himself.

We could take Paul words in these last two verses and apply them to us. He is not a Christian who is one outwardly and baptism is not the physical baptism rather he is a Christian who is one inwardly who has been baptised in the heart by the spirit. It doesn’t matter if you have been baptised, and go to church every Sunday and tithe and live to a high moral standard. Our salvation in not based on what we do rather what we have received. Have you received the Grace of God? If you have received nothing of God then you have nothing. We must receive the grace of God through Jesus Christ unto salvation. God gives grace to the humble but he resist the proud. Until you know that you have nothing to offer to God

then God will not give you grace. And without God’s grace we have nothing. But when we realise that we have nothing to offer God and we can cry out Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me, then God will open the windows of Heaven and pour out his grace on us. That is the spirit of the Law. In closing let us read

Colossians 2:11–15 NKJV

11 In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, 12 buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

Col 2:11-