Pastor’s Pen Pulpit Romans

March 12, 2006 #19 in series

THE HEBREW NEEDS THE GOSPEL

Romans 2:17-3:8

Part Two

verses 25-29

In last week’s pen pulpit we began to examine the fact that the Hebrew or the Jewish people need the gospel. We looked at the truth about their claims or creed in verses

2:17-20; and the truth about their conduct in verses 21-24. We saw that Paul destroyed any claim they might make about exemption from judgment. In this week’s pen pulpit we will look at the truth about their circumcision in 2:25-27 and finally, in next week’s pen pulpit, the truth about their condemnation in 3:1-8.

The Truth About Their Circumcision vs. 25-27 “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. So if the uncircumcised man keeps the law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the law and circumcision are a transgressor of the law?”

The interpretation of true circumcision – Circumcision was but a badge – an emblem of the Abrahamic Covenant (Romans 4:11). The rite itself was intended to represent a life that was set apart unto God. The rite of circumcision itself possessed no merit before God. It reflected what God had accomplished in their life. So circumcision was the mark of God’s covenant people, designed to identify the Jew as the people of God who loved and obeyed Him. However, if the Jew ignored that obedience, they were no more acceptable in God’s sight than the Gentile. On the other hand, if the Gentiles kept the requirements of the law, he would be regarded as circumcision as they would be doing what the Jew was supposed to be doing – obeying God. So what Paul is saying is that circumcision, in which the Jews trusted, had no value apart from obedience to God.

The identification of the true Jew verses 28,29. “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 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.” I would like to summarize the meaning of this controversial passage. This passage does not teach that a Gentile becomes a Jew at conversion – rather that every Israelite is not a Jew (v. 20) . Dr. William MacDonald has an enlightening word on this passage:

“In God’s reckoning, a true Jew is not simply a man who has Abraham’s blood flowing in his veins or who has the mark of circumcision in his body. A person may have both these things and be the scum of the earth morally. A real Jew is the one who is not only a descendant of Abraham but who also manifests a godly life. This passage does not teach that all believers are Jews, or that the Church is the Israel of God. Paul is talking about those who are born of Jewish parentage and is insisting that the mere fact of birth and the ordinance of circumcision are not enough. There must also be the inward reality.”

Likewise, Dr Alva J. McClain confirms this important fact. “What class of people is the Holy Spirit dealing with in this passage? Look at verse 17: ‘Behold thou art called a Jew.’ In the ASV, ‘But if thou bearest the name of a Jew’ or verse 28, ‘But he is not a Jew’ or verse 29 –‘But he is a Jew.’ ‘What advantage has the Jew 3:1’. Four times the word Jew appears. Certainly that should identify the group to whom he is addressing the argument.” So this writer believes it is fairly obvious that the Jew is in view in this brief passage.

Many people today claim to be Christians. Because they have gone forward at some meeting, been baptized and joined the church they somehow think that these things make them acceptable to God. However, these things are only the trappings of Christianity. True Christianity is in the heart. Jesus told Nicodemus, “truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

The new birth places a person into vital, living relationship to God. “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved,” Paul told the Philippian jailer. Baptism is only an outward ordinance that confirms what has happened in the heart. The outward ordinance without the inward reality is totally without merit. So Paul tells Israel that a true Jew is one who has had an inward spiritual experience in the heart, and not merely a physical operation. However, people today make the same mistake with reference to baptism, communion or church membership. These things can follow true conversion but they do not initiate it.

So until next week…God bless!