Romans 2:17-29

Subject: What am I talking about?

Why is Paul criticizing the Gentile Jews?

Complement: What exactly am I saying about what I’m talking about?

He is criticizing them because these Gentile Jews he speaks of place their identities in written codes and their social belonging as God’s chosen people rather than in obedience unto Him.

The Big Idea:

The identity of God’s chosen people is not shaped by written codes or social belonging, but by obedience from the heart by the Holy Spirit.

Exegetical Observation:

This passage is a continuation on the discussion of the spiritual disposition of Jews who depend on the Law and circumcision (self-righteousness) over the heart-changing movement of the Holy Spirit.

What is the homiletical idea of the sermon?

A praise-worthy identity to God comes from a heart-driven obedience through God.

What is the purpose of preaching this sermon?

My purpose is to have my listeners repent from their self-righteousness and turn towards an obedience that reflects their identity in Christ.

What is the need for this sermon?

To reveal a need for an identity in Christ over an identity rooted in our affiliations.

Get audience to say hoo-yah to rile them up. (call and response)

Before we begin, I have one request of you, that you would pray with me and for me as I preach.

Before we begin, I have one request of you, that you would pray with me and for me as I preach.

Pray

Intro/Illustration 1

Before we read today’s text, I suppose it would be helpful to set up the premise from which our passage is taken from.

Hell hath no pride like a student asked to wear their ID.

*Ask, Has anyone ever read through Romans or part of the letter?

Arguably, this letter from the Apostle Paul is one of, if not the most, important letter in our New Testaments. One could actually go so far to say that it is because of this letter that we have Protestantism today. Not that that’s relevant to today’s sermon, but still nonetheless interesting.

Then again, it really shouldn’t be of any surprise. Just as Public Safety arouses pride, indignation, rebellion, that’s ultimately what the Law does. It arouses sin (). It stimulates our rebellion and exposes our infection. It shows us our need for a Gospel that saves.

What’s more interesting, if you know your Bible trivia, is that when Paul wrote this letter to the Christians living in Rome, he was writing to a community of believers he had never personally met. These were not Christians whom he or Peter personally discipled.

There is much debate as to whom Paul was writing; was he writing with the intention of addressing Jews, Gentiles, both? This may come across irrelevant, but if you are a Christian, then you are a disciple of Christ and if you are His disciple, then you are His student and Christ Himself declares that while the pupil is not about their teacher, when they are fully trained, they will be like their teacher (). As Christians, we are blessed with the task to study God’s Word, consuming our spiritual food diligently.

If you’re ready to eat, let me hear a hoo-yah. *prayerfully rile them up*

Read passage

Knowing or at least speculating Paul’s audience is helpful to understanding why God wrote through Paul the things He wrote in this world-changing letter. By looking at the immediate context, I think a strong argument can be made that Paul’s intended audience are Gentiles, non-Jews, just be reading the first chapter. If this is so then we can have some clarity as to who Paul is addressing in chapter 2, Gentile Judaizers. Non-Jews who figured that in order to follow Christ, since He was a Jew, you must be a Jew.

As sailors and veterans, we can kind of get that. When we pledged our oath to this country, we took on with that pledge a cultural identity that will forever be apart of us to some degree. We are no longer civilians, the old has passed away, behold the new has come.

Transition to Biblical Context

And so as we look at our text today in , we find that these Christians, these Gentile Judaizers whom Paul appears to be addressing seem to be having identity criss. Having been saved by the very Gospel that delivers all believing sinners from the wages of sin, we find that for whatever reason, they seemed to have believed that because they are saved, they should be living as Jews. It makes sense; Jesus was a Jew, therefore we should be Jews. And if you live as a Jew, expect to be a religious Jew who lives in obedience to the Law commanded by God to the Jews.

Such a concept shouldn’t really be strange. Haven’t any of you Christians ever say, “Ok, I’m a Christian. I’m a follower of God. Now which of the commandments am I suppose to follow?”

That really has to make us ask, did God really call the Gentiles to submit themselves under the Law and not Christ?

It appears that these Christians have misunderstood their call and purpose, their identity established by God in Christ. But we shouldn’t be too hard on them because as Christians I think we often make the same mistake as well.

In our text, Paul makes three observations about these Christians. He identifies:

· What they think they are.

· What they really are.

· What they really need.

This is important for us to understand, because our:

· Big Idea

Christian identity is not defined by our religious culture or by what we do, but through the transformation of our hearts by the Holy Spirit.”

What does that mean? Well let’s break this down.

P1. What We Think We Are: Opening up to , Paul says, *Read passage* The first thing that Paul is getting ready to address is that,

· Our Christian identity is not defined by our religious culture (x2)

It might be helpful to clarify what exactly a religious culture is and what better way to understand it than by observing how Paul describes the kind of people who live in a religious culture.

Verse 19, he describes them as a people who saw themselves as guides, lights, correctors, and teachers.

Now what would give them that kind of nerve? Well Jews were the ones rooted in God’s Word, from where the embodiment of knowledge and truth come from (v. 20)!

What then is the problem? As far as we can tell, for Gentile Judaizers, these are some good Jews.

Well first and foremost, Paul mentions their reliance on the Law.

As we understand the Law, it was handed over to the nation of Israel, dictating how their lives were to be shaped. It covered everything from how they present sacrifices unto God to how they planted their crops. It was to set them apart from the other nations of the world, to consecrate them, to make them holy.

Sounds pretty good, right? Only one problem. The Law can’t save. You can’t rely upon the Law to establish any sort of identity in Christ, in fact you can’t rely on anything apart from Christ to establish an identity in Christ!

Now I suppose there might be one of you in here thinking, “Well that’s good and everything, but you’re not really telling me anything that I don’t know already.”

Let me ask you:

· Have you ever looked down at another believer after finding out they’re from a different denomination?

· Would you ever doubt the seriousness of another person’s faith if you discovered what their favorite Bible translation was?

· Do you look at people who take their faith too seriously with annoyance?

· Which team are you on? Chapel, cathedral, basement? Old Earth? Young Earth? Theistic Evolution? Protestant? Roman Catholic? Eastern Orthodox?

You get the point.

The reality is that we’re all a part of a religious culture.

Now don’t misunderstand what I am saying here. I do believe our participation in the different facets of the Faith are a beautiful reality of what unity in Christ is comprised of. In fact, Paul himself has nothing against Jewishness.

The problem is when our culture replaces the Substance from which our identity in Christ branches out from.x2

When that happens, when we misplace Christ in the midst of our religious cultures inside of the Church, we’ve truly misplaced ourselves in Christ.

· Application:

Therefore, it is essential as Christians to know that our cultural expressions of the Faith do not replace Christ.

This is the first step in seeing that Christian identity is not defined by our religious culture or by what we do, but through the transformation of our hearts by the Holy Spirit.”

Christian identity is not defined by our religious culture or by what we do, but through the transformation of our hearts by the Holy Spirit.”

· Illustration 2

When I was in the Navy, there was one time where I was sent to Fort Sam Houston for my C School. When I was there, I had come across a fantastic ministry that focused on the military members. As I look back at that time, what had made them distinct from other ministries that I have been around is their emphasis on self-discipline. You’ve probably seen this mentality in your own Christian backgrounds.

· Did you memorize your verses for this week?

· Did you read your Bible chapters this week?

· Have you shared the Gospel with anyone this week? How many people have you brought to Christ?

And the questions go on and on. Well the time eventually came when I needed to move on to my next duty station in Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois. And prior to leaving, I had asked my mentor if we had anyone over there in the ministry, so I could reach out to. He said, “We have you.” Long story short, after about three months from when I arrived at Great Lakes, spending my time between work and running a one-man-wolf-pack of discipling and leading Bible studies with no hint of growth, I burnt out. And when my mentor saw that I had “given up,” he gave me up. The hardest truth about this season of my life was trying to see that my Christianity was more than just a set of routines. You see,

P2. What We Really Are:

· Our Christian identity is not defined by what we do (x2)

P2. What We Really Are:

Continuing on, we see in verses 21-24, Paul says, *Read passage*

Paul brings the focus of his reality check into full force here through these rhetorical questions and note, he isn’t knocking down the importance of doing these things either. He is pointing out that for a people so reliant on the Law, they are so inconsistent living under the Law.

Verse 23, do you not dishonor God with your Law-breaking?

God’s name is blasphemed amongst the Gentiles because of you, verse 24

Such accusations could put a person in hot water.

But it’s not for nothing that many people walk away from the Church feeling burnt. Whether we were taught poorly, or we just poorly understood, an identity driven by what we do is not Christian.

It’s no different as sailors. You don’t stop being a sailor just because you stop doing what your identity in the Navy calls you to do. You just become a dirt-bag sailor, or as I like say, a soup-sandwich, hoo-yah? Don’t be a soup-sandwich sailor.

The truth is that there will never be “enough” that we can do as Christians. There are never enough:

· Verses to memorize.

· Bible chapters to read.

· People to share the Gospel to.

There are never enough Greek words to memorize, chapels to attend, tests to not cheat on, ID badges to wear.

We are inefficient to please God by our works alone.

Any attempt on our end to live in righteousness results not in holiness, but only in the name of our God being blasphemed among non-believers. When we misplace Christ in the midst of our roles and responsibilities within the Church, within the Navy, we’ve truly misplaced ourselves in Christ.

· Application:

Therefore, it is essential as Christians to understand that our personal practices within the Faith do not replace Christ.

This is the second step in seeing that Christian identity is not defined by our religious culture or by what we do, but through the transformation of our hearts by the Holy Spirit.”

· Illustration 3

When I was 18, circumstantial pressures pushed me into joining the US Navy and if you want to understand how culture defines an identity, you need not look any further than Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Illinois. 8 weeks of good ol’ solid identity shaping. There’s a story I have, but it needs some setting up.

· Navy Skivvies Story

o Laundry Pile of Unmarked Skivvies

§ “I tell that story, to get to this.”

o Morning of Rack Inspection, Decide Not to Shave

o Inspector Observes My Stubbled Face

§ “I didn’t have time to shave, Petty Officer.” (Not a wise response)

o Inspector Searches for Three Hits

§ “No! Petty Officer, wait! Those aren’t even mine!”

Now obviously I got in trouble for not doing what I was supposed to do. But did my identity as a recruit hinge on whether or not I shaved? Of course not! The Navy paid too much of a price for me to be there in the first place to suddenly get rid of me over a subtle act of rebellion. As far as the Navy is concerned, as long as the Navy owns me, my Navy recruit identity will continue to be defined by the United States Navy. Likewise, as Christians,

P3. What We Need:

· Our Christian identity is defined by the Holy Spirit (x2)

In looking at the last section of our text for today in , Paul says, *Read passage*

The illustration Paul presents here is an interesting one. He says that if an uncircumcised man, a Gentile, keeps the requirements of the Law, they are more circumcised, more Jewish, than the Gentile Judaizers. It’s a powerful point, if the non-Jews could keep up the Law, but if the REAL JEWS, these chosen people of God can’t do it, what hope is there for anyone else?

Paul’s whole point is that these Gentile Judaizers are in the same exact same boat as the Joe-Schmoe Gentiles they’re trying to disassociate from. Paul is saying that the spiritual disposition of these Christians is entirely misplaced if they really think that they can obtain an identity from a religious culture or from keeping the Law. An identity of life can’t come from the dead.

What then is the answer? Read v. 29

Who confirms our adoption from God ()? Who performs our spiritual circumcision? Who did Christ send to His disciples, to be a Helper, to be with them forever ()?

According to Paul, it’s Holy Spirit who ultimately defines us. Without the Holy Spirit, there is no participation in the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ. Without Him, we’re lost in despair.

And as Christians, my concern is that we miss out on the joy that comes from this truth. Think about it. You don’t bear the weight of maintaining your righteous identity before a holy God. Because this is true, it is

· Application:

Therefore essential as Christians to live this truth out through the faith we have in our union with Christ, as testified by the Holy Spirit.

This is the third step in seeing that Christian identity is not shaped by our religious culture or by what we do, but by the transformation of the heart by the Holy Spirit.

· Conclusion *Alter call?*

Now going forward from here, if you get anything from this, please remember and meditate on these truths.

· Our Christian identity is not defined by our religious culture and therefore we must know that our cultural expressions of the Faith do not replace Christ.

· Our Christian identity is not defined by what we do, and we must therefore understand that our personal practices within the Faith do not replace Christ.

· Our Christian identity is defined by the Holy Spirit and therefore we must live this truth out through the faith we have in our union with Christ, as testified by the Holy Spirit Himself.

It is only then, when we know, understand, and live in response to these truths together, that we can truly see:

· Our Christian identity is not defined by our religious culture or by what we do, but through the transformation of the heart by the Holy Spirit.

Never forget brothers and sisters, as Christians we are full partakers of the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Christ, and we are therefore empowered by the Holy Spirit to live in holiness. So put on the new self daily as Paul says in , love the Lord your God and do as you please, complete your training here at TSC well, knowing that your growth as a sailor is not ultimately to satisfy the call of the Navy, but to satisfy the call of your Father in heaven. Live joyfully in the identity that comes from the reality of Christ’s resurrection through the Holy Spirit.

Let us pray. *Alter call?*