Romans 2:17-24

Rachel Workman: 17 Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; 18 if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; 19 if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24 As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”[b]

Every day, this happens. I hate it. Verse 24 really hits home. How many times have I heard " I don't go to Church because of all the hypocrites"?

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John Burnett:  ¹² For all who have sinned ^[a]without the Law will also perish ^[b]without the Law, and all who have sinned ^[c]under the Law will be judged ^[d]by the Law; ¹³ for it is not the hearers ^[e]of the Law who are ^[f]just before God, but the doers ^[g]of the Law will be justified.  There is only one doer of the law and that was Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ For when Gentiles who do not have ^[h]the Law do ^[i]instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having ^[j]the Law, are a law to themselves, ¹⁵ in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, ¹⁶ on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.  We know the law because it is written in our hearts but we choose not to follow the law.  Jesus Christ followed the law perfectly and we are imputed His record/righteousness when we put our trust in Him as our Savior.

¹⁷ But if you bear the name “Jew” and rely ^[k]upon the Law and boast in God, ¹⁸ and know His will and ^[l]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^[m]corrector of the foolish, a teacher of ^[n]the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, ²¹ you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who ^[o]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 ^[p]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.  This is true for all Christians.  There have been to many TV preachers, preach on the adultery then turn around and get caught having an affair.  Unfortunately, it is not limited to just them, Pastors, Deacons, Elders, Fathers, Mothers, everyone for that matter is free game when it comes to Satan trying to devour them.  He knows our weaknesses and tempts us.  When we say, “Don’t do that!” and then we turn around and do the same thing. Even Paul struggled with this.  We are wretched sinners, condemned, unclean, and Paul paints this ugly picture of what we truly are to show us our need for Jesus Christ to was it all away.

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Krista Cook:  ¹⁷ Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; ¹⁸ if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; ¹⁹ if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, ²⁰ an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— ²¹ you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? ²² You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? ²³ You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? ²⁴ As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”^[b

- Those of us who teach must be ever so careful as to what we are saying and doing.  Do the 2 match up? And more importantly, do they match up to the Word?

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Allen Michaels:  ¹⁷ Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; ¹⁸ if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; ¹⁹ if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, ²⁰ an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— ²¹ you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? ²² You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? Paul explained to the Jews that they needed to teach themselves, not others, by their law. But the law is more than legalistic minimum requirements—it is a guideline for living according to God’s will.  It is also a reminder that we cannot please God without a proper relationship to him. As Jesus pointed out, even withholding what rightfully belongs to someone else is stealing (Mark 7:9-13), and looking on another person with lustful, adulterous intent is adultery (Matthew 5:27, 28). Before we accuse others, we must look at ourselves and see if that sin, in any form, exists within us. ²³ You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? ²⁴ As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” If we claim to be one of God’s people, our life should reflect what God is like. When we disobey God, we dishonor his name. Other people may even blaspheme or profane God’s name because of our words or actions. We must be concerned about what other people think about God after witnessing our actions or lives.

These verses are a scathing criticism of hypocrisy. It is much easier to tell others how to behave than to behave properly ourselves. It is easier to say the right words than to allow them to take root in our lives. Has anybody ever advised others to do something that you were unwilling to do yourself? I have. We must constantly make sure that our actions match our words. We may be the only Bible that other people may see.

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Monday’s reading for Romans 2:25-29

²⁵ Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised. ²⁶ So then, if those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? ²⁷ The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the^[c] written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker.

²⁸ A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. ²⁹ No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.