Romans 2:25-29 (Inductive Bible Study)

[00:00:02] Speaker A: Romans. Back to Romans. We're doing an inductive Bible study of Romans. Which means what? How are we studying the book of Romans, Jeremiah? Yeah, we're using the Bible from studying the Bible, studying each passage from the inside immediate context and outward to kind of see how this fits with God's grand narrative in Scripture. So what have we covered so far in Romans? Big themes that we've mentioned maybe multiple times. What is Romans about? What's he doing? What are some things we've talked about? Yeah, yeah, we've talked about Paul writing it. That's right. Paul the Apostle. What else? Lincoln, what can you. What'd you say? [00:00:59] Speaker B: Never mind. I thought it was something else. [00:01:01] Speaker A: Okay, what else? Yeah, [00:01:17] Speaker B: I guess we learned that like jewelry, like try putting themselves ahead of them, ahead of where they really are. [00:01:27] Speaker A: Yes. We've talked about the Jewish Christians at the time and what you said, them putting themselves ahead of where they really are. I think what you're maybe trying to say is that they're valuing the law as it is, something that makes them distinct and special, but they're valuing it to the point where it is an idol. It's making the sacrifice of Christ really not useful. They're living by the law, and they want that even Gentile Christians to live by the law. And yet Paul is exposing them because they don't obey the law. Right. And so they're being hypocrites. If you're going to live by the law, then what do you need to do? What standard do you have to live to? Yeah, the standard is perfection because the God who gave the law and whom the law reflects is perfect and holy, completely righteous. And so that is the standard. They're failing the standard, and yet they're claiming that this saves them, in a sense, the fact that they've been chosen by God. Now, Paul is not going to say that them being chosen by God was. Is pointless and doesn't matter anymore. But what he is saying is that far more important is that God has chosen Israel and now he is choosing Gentiles also to be saved. And they are all saved under Christ, not the law. That's a huge theme in Romans. And so something he's been doing is trying to show that everyone's a sinner. Gentiles are sinners. All people are sinners in that we see evidence of God and yet we reject him by nature. Jews are sinners in that they are living by the law, and yet they're breaking the law. And he even has talked about the Gentiles having a law written where. Their hearts. What did I call this? Something law? Yeah, this is like the natural law written on their hearts so that in some deep sense, people know the difference between right and wrong. If you listen to political discourse, you'll think regardless of where someone falls, everyone thinks, my goodness, how does such and such group, how does this party or how does this person. How can they think that's right? Or how can they think that's wrong? How is that moral? So there are lots of disagreements that are puzzling, and yet we all know that there is right and wrong. There is a standard outside of just our nation's law. There's a. There's a higher standard that we have to answer to. Now, you know, people on the left reject that idea. And yet at the same time, they say, no, your proposals are bad. My proposals are good. Why are they good? Because there is a standard. We all know this. And so even gentiles without the law, we, as Paul says, are a law to ourselves. And so all, no one has an excuse. Everyone has broken the law. Whether it's the divine law given through Moses or the natural law written on your heart, we've all broken God's law. Both of those laws are reflections of God's character. Now, Paul is still making this argument in Romans 2, 25, 29, which is where we're focusing today. And he's going to kind of round it out in chapter three, which we will begin next week. But he then kind of turns it to the positive partway through chapter three, but we're still talking about God's righteous judgment, the law. And so now in verse 25, he's kind of. He brings up a new argument. So he's making. It's the same argument, but he's using new terminology. Let's see if we can unpack it. So look at verse 25. Paul writes, for circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. Okay, so circumcision is definitely a topic today. And if you don't know what it is, you can ask your parents. That's not my job to teach you what that is, but I can teach you. What was the point of circumcision? What was the point? So it is a physical marker of something, the point of circumcision. Well, let me turn that to you. What is the point of it? Like the purpose? Yeah, it [00:06:36] Speaker C: was like a mark of the Old Covenant to show the how God's people were different from the nations. [00:06:44] Speaker A: Yeah. So it was a mark, part of the old covenant. How is God's people different from the nations if you didn't hear that? That's right. Where in the Bible does it come from? Or what covenant does anybody know? You know, that's right. Abraham. I think it's Genesis 17. It's not the initial. There are a few places where God kind of adds to this covenant with Abraham. And at one of the points, he institutes circumcision. So that's where it comes from. Again, it's a physical marker that indicates who God's nation is. Now, having some sort of marker for God's people in the midst of a world with all sorts of peoples is important. It's still important in the new covenant, but it's different. But circumcision as the law would have been incredibly important to the Jews. And when we're talking about Jews here, Paul is. He's not dealing with all Jews indiscriminately here. He's dealing with Jews that are Christians. Primarily. There wasn't this word of Christians, so he's just calling them Jews and Gentiles. But these are Jews that hopefully are trying to follow the Messiah. But it still would have been critical. I mean, if you know what it is, it's a very intimate marker that someone would bear. So how does this connect to his broader argument? So he's talking about this. How does it connect to what he's saying overall? Well, let me make it more specific. This might help. How is circumcision related to the Mosaic Law, the law that he's talking about? Let me help us with this. So a law is for a community of people, at least a human law, a written law. So the United States Constitution, for example, does not apply to India or Australia. It's just to the community of people over which it governs. So the Mosaic Law. Now, I think. I personally think that the Ten Commandments are moral law, in that they are. It's timeless. Those things bind people at all times and all places. But much of the Mosaic Law was written specifically for Israel. So there are civil codes and there are ceremonial laws for how they were to operate in the temple. And all of that together was for the nation of Israel. Those things that are moral and relate to the natural law carry on forever. So this whole law of Moses that the Jew would have been thinking, how was it that someone entered into the community under which the law governed? It was by circumcision. This is like your naturalization process into the nation. It's how you gain citizenship via circumcision. And so to be. They want believers to be bound by the law because God chose Israel, gave them the law. And so they're having a hard time saying, okay, Gentile believers, okay, sure, Gentiles can come in, but surely they need to, like, enter into the nation like we did, and be bound by the law like we are. That's kind of their thinking. It's disordered, but that's the thought process. So that's how they entered the covenant community. The law contained the rules for living within the community. So Paul's argument is that if you live by the law, which the Jewish Christians claimed, and if you break the law, then circumcision, which was your ticket into God's people, it is returned to you void. If you've broken the law, then the thing that got you into the group of people is void. It's useless to you now. That's why he's saying your circumcision becomes uncircumcision if you break the law. So if you've broken the rules, your membership is revoked because you chose to live by the law instead of living by faith. Paul wants them to live by faith. The righteous shall live by faith. If you choose to live by the law, your standard is perfection. And once you fail, your membership is revoked. That's what they're going for now. That's not reality for the Christian life because you cannot choose the law. And that's what he's trying to show them. He's trying to show them the futility of their logic. So what does this imply about circumcision? Is it physical or is it spiritual? He kind of brings this out a little bit. It's a physical sign of a spiritual reality. So it is primarily spiritual. This is how I'm saying, this is how we should think of it. It is primarily spiritual. Therefore, your physical circumcision as a Jew can become spiritual uncircumcision if you fail to uphold the law. So of course they still bear the physical mark, and yet it's good for nothing when they break the law if they've chosen to live by the law. Well, inasmuch as circumcision is spiritual, then it is still an aspect of life as a Christian, not physically. So what did Paul expect of Jewish Christians in light of the fact that they are unable to keep the whole law and yet must remain spiritually circumcised? What is Paul expecting of them? He's expecting that their Spiritual circumcision must come through something. What does it come through? The spiritual circumcision? Where does that come from? Any guesses? Yeah, faith. That's right. Faith. It must come through faith in Christ. The spiritual reality is of primary importance, and that comes through faith in Christ and being renewed by the Spirit. So their spiritual circumcision must come through faith in Christ, because otherwise they just have the outward because they've broken the law. They've lost. If you live by the law, they've lost that spiritual reality and just bear the physical mark. But if you're circumcised through faith in Christ, spiritually, it does not go away like that because the standard is met by Christ and not by you. Does that make sense? Do you guys have any questions? Just felt like kind of a lot. Let's look at verse 26 now. So if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? Okay, let's go through that. What group of people is represented by the man who is uncircumcised? That's right. That's right. Can a gentile perfectly keep the law? No. So what is Paul doing? What's he saying? Yeah, Yeah. He is arguing, you don't have to keep the law, you have to have faith. And something else he's doing is he's making a logical argument that if Gentile kept the law, then they would consider him holy. Right. So he's saying to the Jewish Christian, if this Gentile kept the whole law, you would have to regard him as holy. And they would say, yes, that's right, we would. And so Paul then says in verse 27, he completes this argument. He says, then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision, but break the law. Okay, what is the written code? The law. That's right. He's just introducing a different word for it. By the way. Look for other synonyms for the law in this passage. As we continue on, he kind of fluctuates his language. Now, how does a Gentile keeping the law condemn a Jew who breaks the law? Because they believe that [00:16:22] Speaker D: you have to to get in. [00:16:36] Speaker A: That's all right. Does anyone else have an answer? Yeah, [00:16:41] Speaker C: it's like them being able to be without circumcision is rebuking the Jews who are claiming that they have to be circumcised in Order to be saved. [00:16:54] Speaker A: Yes, yes, you're right. It's also further showing the futility of the Jews looking for life in the law instead of in Christ. So he's saying, first of all, he's saying again, because you break the law, you living by the law is dumb. You're not even keeping it. And so any benefit you think you're drawing from it is void. And any benefit you think you're drawing from circumcision physically is void. Because he's just demonstrated that if a Gentile who's not circumcised keeps the law, he's better off then the circumcised Jew who breaks the law. So he's saying, this is dumb. Really, this is not how you should use the law. Now, as I'm saying, it's dumb. I can sympathize with the Jews here. A week or two ago, I was trying to play with Margaret and I pretended I didn't have something and then I just said, oh, I'm lying. Here it is. You know, pulled it from behind her head and Annie snapped at me. She said, no lying, Dada. No lying. She said no lying. You know, she's. I know far more about right and wrong than she does. And you know, sure, I was actually just kidding. Maybe this isn't technically a lie. But she knows that lying is wrong and quickly rebukes me. And there are times where she more legitimately does rebuke me as well. I have the advantage in more comprehensively knowing right and wrong. And yet the toddler with God's natural law written on her heart condemned me. She knows that truth is. Is important. And so she knows that telling a non truth can be harmful. Even if it wasn't in this particular case, the application is not perfect, but this is kind of the argument. The Jews, you can just sympathize. They have this. They've been chosen. This is a special standing they have with God. And it's got to feel like it's all being ripped out from under them. So we, we should never read these things that are kind of rebukes of the Jews as causing us to be cynical or hateful towards Jews. Plus, just because the group of people is far different, he's speaking to people in a church. These are Christian believers. They have bad theology about the law and the gospel, but they're Christian believers. Okay, now verse 28. For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. Okay, this is interesting again to Jews, if You're a Jew. You could just be a Jew outwardly, but not truly be one, is what he's saying. I think that's pretty interesting. How do you think someone is a Jew inwardly? What's an inward Jew? Any guesses? Yeah, [00:20:25] Speaker E: maybe someone that tries to uphold the law. [00:20:31] Speaker A: You're close. I think it's probably the opposite of that. I know what you're thinking when you say someone that's trying to uphold the law. So I think the way he's using that is that so we know what a Jew is. They're taking great pride in being Jewish, being chosen by God through Abraham many ages before, which makes sense. And he says, yeah, so you're a Jew outwardly, but to be a true Jew is an internal reality. And he's trying to say you guys are really just outward. You look the part, you claim the law, you bear the physical sign, and yet inwardly you are uncircumcised. You're a lawbreaker, and therefore you're not a true Jew. You're not truly chosen if you're choosing to live by the law. So in what way is circumcision not outward and physical? Well, it's something for the heart. It's an inward, spiritual reality. Like we've been saying. If a Jew is a member of God's chosen nation, then we have to account for the shift in the nature of God's people. God's people. Let me just explain this. In the Old Covenant, these. The Old Covenant refers to the progressive covenants. To Abraham through Moses, to Israel and to David. So the Old Covenant, God's people, was an actual nation state. Being born as a citizen in the nation is the same as being born a member of the covenant that was God's chosen people. But the New Covenant is new, different in that to become a member of the covenant, you're not born into a physical nation. You must be born again by the Spirit. Right? You must have new birth, conversion. And then baptism, which most closely resembles circumcision, makes one a member, not physical birth. It is the spiritual birth that helps you to enter the New Covenant people. So a Jew in the New Covenant, the way Paul is using it here, is someone who has been born again inwardly and taken on the spiritual circumcision of the heart. That's an inward Jew. The way Paul is talking about it, we don't typically use that language. I wouldn't say you should go around if you're a believer and say, yeah, I'm a Jew. You'll just confuse people but that's how Paul is using it in this argument. It's kind of a rhetorical device to make a point of who the people of God are. It's not just the physical nation of Israel. It is now those who are born again by the Spirit, which can include all of those people from the Old Covenant. Abraham, his family, all of those people. But now it's also those who enter by faith, they're grafted into the same family adopted. So he says, continuing in verse 29. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart. In Galatians, Paul is even more explicit. He says in Galatians 5, 6. For in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. So we see inwardly, circumcision is a matter of the heart. And then he says, by the Spirit, not by the letter. What is by the Spirit referring to? It's this spiritual reality. And so the letter. What is the letter referring to? The law. The law. Specifically the letter of the law. They're missing the heart behind it. So this Spirit given circumcision of the heart, what it does is it gives you new birth, eternal life, conversion, and the love of Christ in order to actually do his will and obey his commands. So you're actually given what you need to obey the law. This is why in the Old Testament, we see the Jews be punished, judged, exiled, because they're breaking the law. They were unable to do it. They needed a new heart. And now through Christ, they can have one along with Gentiles, and they can actually please God. So through faith in Christ, you're given a new heart that loves and longs to obey Christ. Then the law becomes actually useful to you because of your circumcised heart. And so then we read at the end of verse 29, his praise is not from man, but from God. So who does the his refer to? [00:25:50] Speaker B: God. [00:25:52] Speaker A: No, [00:25:53] Speaker B: wait, [00:25:55] Speaker A: yeah, [00:25:57] Speaker E: the person we're referencing throughout the Gentile. [00:26:04] Speaker A: Yeah, I would say the Gentile or the true Jew, whoever is circumcised in heart, his praise is not from man, but from God. So what is Paul saying here? How does it connect with the argument? Does anyone know how does it connect with the argument? Yeah, [00:26:34] Speaker B: he's like saying that the true Jew or the Gentile or whatever you're saying is. Is like saying he doesn't praise the law. He. [00:26:49] Speaker A: Yeah, well, the praise is coming from God because God is doing the work. It's not according to our own work. Now I think I can understand why living by the law would be attractive. Just thinking socially, the law is external and observable. People can see it. So you can look at yourself and see if you are living righteously or not. For someone who's black and white, logical, ordered, objective, based. If you're like that at all. Not everyone is, but if you're like that at all, you can look and see. Yeah, I'm obeying or I'm disobeying. I'm doing good or I'm doing bad. I like to be able to observe things. Have you ever taken a test that you weren't so confident about and then it takes your teacher forever to grade it? Yeah. Has that ever happened? You just want to know what you got. I had some teachers. You probably do too. Maybe that wouldn't put any grade. This is mostly in college. They don't have as many rules. They wouldn't put any grades in until the end of the semester or the year. So you had no clue if you're doing well or not? No clue at all. It's just like, I'm going to turn. It's may. I'm going to look and see if I'm going to fail or not. If I see that I got a D, then I need to know that I now need to work. I know what in the world I know that I need to work extra hard, right? If I know that right away I know where I'm at. So the law of being external and observable can help us feel secure if we're able to obey it. But students, if that's how you're treating the law, then remember Paul's warning constantly throughout this. You cannot keep it, you can't do it. Another way that the observable nature of the law is attractive is that others can see your holiness. This is more what Paul is talking about in this last sentence. Again, we want to live lives that honor Christ. But if this is our motivation that others would see our holiness, then we're misusing the law because we're seeking the praise of our friends or our families or our teachers or whoever instead of seeking the praise of God. This is self righteousness. This is not the way of a Christian. So if you're in Christ, then whose praise do you seek? God's. That's right. It must be God's. So what is the most valuable thing you have? I hope the most valuable thing you have is the righteousness of Christ through faith. If you have that, that is the most valuable thing you have. If you don't have his righteousness, then trust him and love him, and it's yours. All right? Any questions about that? Okay, let's pray. God, thank you for the gift of justification by faith. Lord, we thank you also that you have made a way that all people from any nation can be declared righteous in your sight through faith in your son, Jesus christ. Lord, help us to remember this and to live according to this. To live for your praise alone. In Christ's name, amen.