Romans 2.21-Two Rhetorical Questions that Expose Jewish Hypocrisy
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday September 6, 2007
Romans: Romans 2:21-Two Rhetorical Questions that Expose Jewish Hypocrisy
Lesson # 61
Please turn in your Bibles to Romans 2:17.
This evening we will continue to study the twelfth and final principle of divine judgment, which is contained in Romans 2:17-29, namely, that God judges according to reality and without regard of racial background or religious profession.
The Jews erroneously, presumptuously and arrogantly thought that they would enter the kingdom of heaven because of their racial background as Jews and circumcision as well as the privileges that God had given to them such as possessing the Law given to Moses.
In Romans 2:17-29, Paul destroys their false security, which was based upon six privileges God had given to them.
These privileges did not produce obedience in the Jews but rather arrogance towards their relationship with the Gentiles.
This arrogance was manifested in four pretensions according to Paul in Romans 2:19-20.
A “pretension” is the laying of a claim to something, a claim to dignity, importance or merit.
In Romans 2:20c, Paul teaches that this arrogance is based upon “having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth.”
This evening we will study Romans 2:21, in which Paul poses two rhetorical questions to the self-righteous, unsaved Jews, which exposes their hypocrisy.
Let’s read Romans 2:17-29 and then concentrate on Romans 2:21.
Romans 2:17-29, “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? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who 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. For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law? For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is 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.”
Now, let’s look at in detail Romans 2:21.
Romans 2:21, “you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal?”
“Therefore” is the “inferential” use of the post-positive conjunction oun (ou@n), which introduces the apodasis of a first class condition, which indicates the assumption of truth for the sake of argument.
In Romans 2:17, the apostle Paul employed the conditional particle ei (ei)) (i), “if-and let us assume for the sake of argument” in order to introduce the protasis of this first class condition.
However, the apodasis appears in Romans 2:21-23 in the form of five rhetorical questions and is introduced by the inferential use of the post-positive conjunction oun (ou@n) (oon), “therefore.”
In Romans 2:17-23, the basic relation that the protasis has to the apodasis is “evidence-inference.”
The apostle Paul “infers” in the apodasis of Romans 2:21-23 that the self-righteous Jew does not live up to the privileges and responsibilities of being a Jew, which he presents as evidence in the protasis in Romans 2:17-20.
Therefore, the idea behind the first class condition in Romans 2:17 is not “since” but rather, “if-and let us assume for the sake of argument, then...”
This would encourage Paul’s unsaved Jewish audience to respond and come to the conclusion of the apodosis since they already agreed with him on the protasis.
Therefore, Paul is employing the first class condition as a tool of persuasion with his Jewish audience.
Therefore, in the protasis that appears in Romans 2:17-20, Paul presents his premise, listing six privileges of the Jews and four pretensions.
Paul’s Jewish audience would totally agree with his statements in Romans 2:17-18 in which he lists six privileges that the Jews received from God and would give him no argument on.
They would also agree with his statements in Romans 2:19-20 in which he lists four pretensions that were in response to the privileges that they received from the Lord and they would not give Paul an argument on these as well.
However, in Romans 2:21-23, Paul poses five rhetorical questions to his unsaved Jewish audience, which exposes their hypocritical conduct.
Thus, revealing to the Jews through persuasion that even though they were a privileged race and nation, they had not lived up to these privileges and responsibilities and were therefore, no better than the Gentiles.
In Romans 2:21, the post-positive conjunction oun is used in an inferential sense meaning it introduces five rhetorical questions, which derive a conclusion from the facts or premise presented in Romans 2:17-20.
It introduces five rhetorical questions, which expose Jewish hypocrisy that is considered as true based upon Paul’s premise in Romans 2:17-20.
“Hypocrisy” is “a pretense of having a virtuous character, moral or religious beliefs or principles, etc., that one does not possess; a pretense of having some desirable or publicly approved attitude.”
The unsaved, self-righteous Jews made a pretense of being spiritual, which they were not and they did this in order to receive public approval.
The Lord Jesus Christ described the teaching of the Pharisees as “hypocrisy.”
Matthew 23:27-28, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
Luke 12:1b, “He began saying to His disciples first of all, ‘Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.’”
The Scriptures prohibit the believer from getting involved with hypocrisy.
1 Peter 2:1, “Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander.”
Romans 2:21, “you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal?”
“You who teach” is the verb didasko (didavskw) (did-as-ko), which means, “to teach, to educate, to train, to impart information in a public assembly.”
The practice of teaching through example was not intended to elicit imitation of the teacher but rather the aim was to develop the skills and talents of the student without jeopardizing the student’s individuality.
In Romans 2:21, the verb didasko, which means, “to teach, to educate, to train, to impart information” and is used of the unsaved Jews.
The word is used of the relationship between the Jewish teacher and his Gentile pupil.
Therefore, the word refers to the unsaved Jewish teachers “teaching, educating, imparting information” to their unsaved Gentile pupils from the Old Testament Scriptures.
“Another” is the substantive use of the adjective heteros (e^tero$) (het-er-os), which refers to the Gentiles in contrast to the Jews.
“Do you teach?” is a rhetorical question to his unsaved Jewish readership, which implies that they don’t ever practice what they teach the Gentiles since their conduct corresponds to the Gentiles according to Romans 2:1.
“You yourself” is the reflexive pronoun seautou, which highlights Jewish hypocrisy.
The Lord Jesus Christ rebuked the Pharisees for their hypocrisy in not practicing what they taught the Jewish people and the Gentiles.
Matthew 23:1-3, “Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: ‘The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them.’”
Romans 2:21, “you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal?”
“You who preach” is the verb kerusso (khruvssw) (kay-roos-so), which means, “to publicly proclaim something as a herald in a dignified and authoritative manner which commands the respect and attention of those who hear it.”
Therefore, in Romans 2:21, the verb kerusso refers to these unsaved, self-righteous Jew “publicly proclaiming the Old Testament Scriptures as a herald in a dignified and authoritative manner which commands the respect and attention of the unsaved Gentiles who were exposed to it.”
“One shall not steal” refers to one of the prohibitions that the Jews proclaimed to the Gentiles.
Stealing was prohibited by the Mosaic Law (Exodus 20:15, Leviticus 19:11 and Deuteronomy 5:19).
Exodus 20:15, “You shall not steal.”
The Greek New Testament teaches that if you love your neighbor as yourself you won’t steal from him.
Romans 13:8-10, “Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. For this, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY, YOU SHALL NOT MURDER, YOU SHALL NOT STEAL, YOU SHALL NOT COVET,’ and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”
Believers are prohibited from stealing but rather are to work.
Ephesians 4:28, “He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.”
Romans 2:21, “you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal?”
“Do you steal?” is Paul’s second rhetorical question that he poses to his unsaved Jewish audience, which demands a positive response and exposes their hypocrisy indicating that they did steal and did not practice what they taught the unsaved Gentiles.
Even though the Jews were taught by the Law to not steal, stealing was still prevalent throughout their history and the prophets of Israel rebuked them for it (Isaiah 56:11; Ezekiel 22:12-13, 27; Amos 8:4-6; Micah 3:9-11).
Micah 3:9-11, “Now hear this, heads of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who abhor justice and twist everything that is straight, who build Zion with bloodshed and Jerusalem with violent injustice. Her leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe, her priests instruct for a price and her prophets divine for money. Yet they lean on the LORD saying, ‘Is not the LORD in our midst? Calamity will not come upon us.’”
The Lord Jesus Christ rebuked those who bought and sold in the Herodian Temple calling the Temple a “robbers’ den.”
Matthew 21:12-13, “And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. And He said to them, ‘It is written, ‘MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER’; but you are making it a ROBBERS' DEN.’”