Monday, 18 February 2013
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? Romans 2:27
Another question which demands a “Yes” answer is handed to the Jews of Paul’s day. Those gentiles (the physically uncircumcised) who fulfill the law will judge those who have the written code and circumcision (the Jews who have the law and the sign of the law) because of their failure to meet the law, of which circumcision is a sign.
It is obvious in and of itself that having the law and having the sign of the law is pointless unless one obeys the law they have. And so Paul has laid out the precepts to show us this. They involve the following thoughts –
1) Having the sign of circumcision without fulfilling the law which mandates the sign is lawlessness.
2) Those who fulfill the law, regardless of whether they have the sign of the law or not, will receive God’s praise. On the other hand, those who have the sign but who fail to fulfill the law may receive praise from man but not from God.
3)Those who do not have the sign but who keep the law are more pleasing to God than those who have the sign but don’t keep it.
4) Those who keep the law, regardless of having the sign, will judge those who do not keep the law even if they have the sign.
As before, we can simply insert the word “judge” into “those who have the sign of the law” to help us make mental images of what these points make:
1) Being a judge without fulfilling the law which mandates what he judges is lawlessness.
2) Those who obey the law, regardless of whether they are judges or not, will be secure in what the laws of the nation requires. On the other hand, those who are judges but fail to fulfill the law may receive praise from men (because they are judges) but not from the nation who has given the law.
3) Those who aren’t judges but keep the law are more pleasing to the nation who has given the law than those who are judges but don’t keep it.
4) Those who keep the law, regardless of whether they are appointed judges, will judge those who don’t keep the law even if they are appointed judges.
All this is telling us that being circumcised means nothing without obedience. What God asks for is that our heart is turned toward Him and that we are obedient to what He requires.
Life application: God has sent His Son into the world to fulfill the law which none of us can fulfill. Now, He asks us to accept what Jesus has done on our behalf thus allowing us to meet the impossible demands of the law through Him – vicariously. Let us apply this to our life by being grateful, from moment to moment, for the grace He has lavished upon us.
Lord God, I want to give You my praise today for the wonderful blessings You have bestowed upon me – food, family, friendships, and joy in my heart. But above all, I want to give You praise for the giving of Your Son to restore me to You. Thank You Lord for this wonderful, glorious blessing. Amen.