The Book of Romans (#6)

Romans 2:17 – 29

Sermon by Pastor Sylvia Chan

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Last time we studied Romans 2:1-16, and saw that judgment is based on works, which means that God will judge each person according to his deeds. Today we continue to study Romans 2.

Four Tasks for the Christians

^NASB Romans 2:17 – 20 But if you bear the name “Jew” and rely upon the Law and boast in God, ¹⁸ and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, ¹⁹ and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, ²⁰ a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth (Rom 2:17-20 NASB)

Verse 17 says “But if you bear the name “Jew”…”, which shows that Paul has in mind the Jewish Christians in the Roman church. Paul says that you know the will of God and are instructed out of the Law, since Yahweh God gave the Law to Israel through Moses, and the will of God is embodied in the Law. That’s why the Jews know the will of God and are instructed by the Law.

1. In verse 19 Paul says you are supposed to give guidance to the blind. The blind here doesn’t mean the physically blind, but refers to those who don’t see direction in their lives, who don’t know where they are going or what they should do. Christians are supposed to guide them to the right direction.
2. You are to be a light for those living in the dark. In the dark means living in sin. Christians should lead them out of sin.
3. You are to be a corrector of the foolish. A fool doesn’t mean someone who is stupid or insane. In the Bible, a fool is someone who doesn’t know God. It means that you should help these foolish people to come to know God.
4. You are to be a teacher of the immature, for the Law is the embodiment of knowledge and truth. Therefore you are to teach the Law to the immature.

Let’s look at these four tasks: to give guidance to the blind, to be a light for those in the dark, to correct those who don’t know God, and to be a teacher of the immature. All these are very important tasks. These are not just for the Christians in the church at Rome; indeed all the disciples of the Lord Jesus should aim to fulfill these four tasks.

Christians should practice what they preach

^NASB Romans 2:21 – 24 you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? ²² You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? ²³ You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? ²⁴ For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” just as it is written. (Rom 2:21-24 NASB)

Here Paul is saying that if Christians want to fulfill these four tasks, first of all they should practice what they preach. When they teach people not to steal, they themselves should not steal; when they teach people not to commit adultery, they themselves should not commit adultery; when they tell people to stay away from idols, they themselves should not rob idol temples.

Please take notice here that some people at that time did rob the idol temples because there were a lot of expensive things there. Usually the idol temples were very rich. Indeed in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam, there was a temple for the Queen of Heaven. I don’t know whether this temple still exists today, but when I was a kid, almost all the Chinese living in Saigon (at that time it was still called “Saigon”) would go to that temple to worship this Queen of Heaven, and people would give a lot of money and jewelry to that idol. That’s why the temple was very rich and that idol wore a lot expensive jewelries, several diamond rings, Rolex watches etc, and the temple had to hire security guards to guard that idol. Anyway if people rob the idol temples, they would certainly touch the idols. That’s why Paul said that if they teach people to stay away from the idols, then they themselves should not rob the idol temples. And if they boast in the Law, then they should not break the Law by committing sin. If they break the Law, they will dishonor Yahweh God.

If we want to fulfill the four important tasks listed above—to give guidance to the blind, to be a light to those in the dark, to correct those who don’t know God, and to be a teacher of the immature—we have to practice what we preach. If we don’t practice what we ourselves preach, we will become hypocrites and dishonor the Name of Yahweh God. The holy Name of Yahweh God is blasphemed among the Gentiles.

True circumcision of the heart

^NASB Romans 2:25 – 29 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. ²⁶ So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? ²⁷ 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? ²⁸ For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. ²⁹ 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. (Rom 2:25-29 NASB)

Here Paul is giving the Jewish Christians a ground-breaking teaching concerning circumcision. Since ancient times, Yahweh God had given to Abraham the circumcision as a sign of the covenant between Himself and Abraham and Abraham’s descendants.

^NASB Genesis 17:10 “This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. (Gen 17:10 NASB)

Circumcision is a sign of the covenant between Yahweh God and Abraham. Any man from Abraham’s descendants who is not circumcised shall be cut off from his people, which means that he is removed from the Jewish descendants.

But here in Romans 2:25 – 29 Paul links circumcision with the observance of the Law:

• If you observe the Law, your circumcision has value. If you break the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.
• If an uncircumcised man keeps the Law, his uncircumcision will be regarded as circumcision.

Paul is not talking about physical circumcision here, because a physically circumcised person cannot be turned back to being uncircumcised; similarly an uncircumcised man has to go through surgery to become circumcised, he cannot just become circumcised in one flash. But Paul is talking about spiritual circumcision here, that is, the circumcision of the heart, which is not done by human hands but is done by the Spirit of God. We will study deeper the circumcision of the heart in the next few chapters.

Conclusion

Now let’s sum up everything we have studied today. Here Paul is telling the Jewish Christians at the church in Rome that they are to give guidance to the spiritually blind, to lead people out of sin, to help people come to know God, and to teach the immature. These four tasks are very important. In order to fulfill these four tasks, we have to live according to what we preach. Paul also talks about the spiritual circumcision of the heart, which is done by the Spirit of God. We will study deeper about the spiritual circumcision in the next few chapters.