Romans 2:17-24

17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God 18 and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; 19 and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. 24 For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

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Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:31

Hello, this is Dr. Bill Branks, author of Love the Word. Today's text is Romans 2, 17 through 24. But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God, and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law, and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth, you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law? For as it is written, the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you. When I was thirteen, I participated in the boys' brigade program at our church, where we often perform silly skits like this one. A sergeant gives a new recruit a stick and points towards the training area. You'll need this, soldier. If you have to shoot, aim your stick at the target and shout bang bang. Another recruit tries to run past, so he points the stick and shouts bang bang, and the soldier pretends to die. Then the soldier runs through the mocked battlefield shouting bang and stab until he realizes he's the last one standing. He feels proud until another large soldier approaches slowly and menacingly. The new recruit takes aim with his stick and shouts bang bang, but the soldier doesn't fall. The big guy keeps coming closer with stiff arms, loud stomping and growling. The recruit clears his throat, grips his stick, and shouts bang bang bang, bang, bang, bang, but nothing happens. The other soldier keeps coming at him. Panicking, he pretends to reload and yells, bang, bang, bang. But it doesn't work. The other soldier finally reaches him, kicks him, and knocks him down, and stands over him saying, Tank, tank, tank. Trying to defend oneself with sticks instead of guns and with words instead of bullets is pointless. It's even worse if you believe your weapons are real and provide genuine defense. This is the stance of the religious-minded Jew that Paul is addressing in today's verses. With a hint of sarcasm, Paul highlights the weak ammunition they use to defend themselves. The Jews made many claims they believed justified righteousness and salvation for them, claiming to have earned righteousness. Their defense was rooted in pride, arrogance, and self-worth. They diminished the gospel by undervaluing the blood of Christ that was shed for them. True salvation and righteousness come only through faith, not from these empty claims that many still make today. We shake our heads at the stubborn, blind Jews and wonder how they could be so deceived. How is it possible for them to reject the teachings of Christ, the disciples, and the Apostle Paul? Paul could have easily responded, You call yourself a Jew, but Scripture says ethnicity doesn't determine righteousness. You claim to rely on the law, but you only use it when it benefits you. You boast in God, yet you have no real relationship with Him. You say you know His will, but most of what you do goes against it. You approve of what is excellent because you are instructed by the law. You say you guide the blind in a you're a light to those in darkness, but you are blind yourself. You are instructors of the foolish, yet you foolishly instruct. You are teachers of children, but there is no righteousness or nobility in misleading children. You believe you have knowledge and truth in the law, but you actually derive your own truth from it. Paul's rebuttal to all the puffed up, self-important teachers must have certainly stunned them. He begins in verse 21 by accusing them. He asks rhetorical questions about despicable sinful behavior. Clearly, Paul knew or strongly suspected theft, adultery, idolatry, and lawbreaking among those he addressed. It must have been infuriating for Paul to realize that the hypocritical behavior of so-called religious leaders was leading others to blaspheme God. Why did they think they were immune? Did they believe that because they kept the law they were above it? This is absurd. Did they hope in their self-serving good works, education, or Jewish heritage? For whatever reason, they believed they were exempt from guilt. Paul's indictment should grab our attention. It's hard for any of us to get through a day without secretly congratulating ourselves on some act for which God surely gave us a few extra points. This is also absurd. If there are any points to be awarded, Jesus has all of them. When it comes to defending our own righteousness, we are holding sticks and yelling bang bang. The fullness of our righteousness comes through Christ's righteousness poured out upon us from an endless arsenal of purity and holiness. We are righteous because of Christ's battle on the cross for everyone who believes in him, not because of ourselves.