September 6, 2024

Romans 2:17-29  (HCSB)
Jewish Violation of the Law
17 Now if you call yourself a Jew, and rest in the law, boast in God, 18 know His will, and approve the things that are superior, being instructed from the law, 19 and if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light to those in darkness, 20 an instructor of the ignorant, a teacher of the immature, having the full expression of knowledge and truth in the law— 21 you then, who teach another, don’t you teach yourself? You who preach, “You must not steal”—do you steal? 22 You who say, “You must not commit adultery”—do you commit adultery? You who detest idols, do you rob their temples? 23 You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24 For, as it is written: The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.
Circumcision of the Heart
25 For circumcision benefits you if you observe the law, but if you are a lawbreaker, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26 Therefore if an uncircumcised man keeps the law’s  requirements, will his uncircumcision not be counted as circumcision? 27 A man who is physically uncircumcised, but who fulfills the law, will judge you who are a lawbreaker in spite of having the letter of the law and circumcision. 28 For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, and true circumcision is not something visible in the flesh. 29 On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter. That man’s praise is not from men but from God.

Haley Dorris
I’m sure we’ve all heard the saying, “Do as I say and not as I do.” Verses 17-24 show how people, Christians included, can be hypocrites. Christians are often referred to as the biggest hypocrites of them all. It’s so much easier to tell people how to act than to actually act that way ourselves. However, that is not what we are called to do. As Christians, we should follow Jesus’s example on how to live and treat others. Are we good examples for unbelievers?  Do our actions match our words? Verse 24 hit me pretty hard. “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” Because of me? I don’t know about you, but that makes me think about how I am perceived by others. We are supposed to be a representation of Jesus, but, if we are saying one thing and doing another, are we representing Him well? Is God pleased with how I am representing Him?