Romans 2:17-24 The Gospel - Gods Mission

Romans 2:17-24 The Gospel - God's Mission

Theological Proposition/Focus:In Romans 2:17-29, Paul addresses the Jewish believers who prided themselves on their heritage and the Law, emphasizing that mere possession of knowledge about God does not equate to righteousness. Instead, true righteousness and relationship with God come from a transformed heart and living out that faith. True righteousness is not about knowledge or heritage but about a heart transformed by faith in Christ.

Christ Focus:In the context of all Scripture, this passage points to Christ as the fulfillment of the Law and the ultimate means of transformation for believers. Through Christ's sacrifice, those who have faith in Him are given a new heart, enabling them to fulfill the righteousness that the Law intended.

Homiletical Proposition/Application:This passage encourages Christians today to reflect on their own faith and relationship with God, reminding them that a true follower of Christ goes beyond just knowing the Scriptures. It urges believers to seek genuine heart transformation over mere outward demonstrations of faith, serving as a guide in spiritual growth and authenticity.

Introduction

Setting the Stage:

We have been working through Romans in January and have seen Paul make a strong argument that God is an impartial judge in that he does judges Jews and Gentiles alike for their unrighteousness. Two weeks ago we ended Romans 2:16 with a reminder that the only solution to our sin problem, the only way to deal with God's justice is by placing one's complete dependence on the righteousness of Christ to meet God's righteous standard.

Body

Paul challenges the Jewish believers who depend on their identity and knowledge of the Law for their righteousness. He highlights that knowing the Law is not enough if it is not lived out. This emphasis on internal transformation over external knowledge can encourage listeners to evaluate their own reliance on religious heritage or information instead of a genuine faith. By acknowledging the insufficiency of knowledge alone, we can begin necessity of a relationship with Christ who transforms us from the inside out, truly fulfilling the Law.

Image: A life of knowledge and not wisdom

Have you ever met someone who has spent their lifetime acquiring knowledge and completely missed out on wisdom.

Growing up I remember a man, since I believe he is still alive today we are just going to call him John. John knew a lot, I mean a lot, this was before google was popular, let alone AI, but you could count on it, if you had a question about something John almost certainly knew something about it.

The problem was, John never waited for people to have questions about it, he just made a point of injecting himself into every conversation and flexing his knowledge muscles by stating something about whatever was being talked about. It drove people nuts!

One day, after a long day at church, we got home and were expressing our frustration with John when my younger brother hit the nail on the head. My brother stated, "the problem, John has spent his lifetime acquiring knowledge and never stopped to learn wisdom.

Proverbs 17:27-28 "The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered. Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues."

The problem was that John knew a lot but nobody cared because John didn't know when to speak and when to wait. We couldn't trust John to teach a class because he would drive all the students away. We couldn't trust John in leadership because he would offend people for insignificant reasons.

While not identical, I think there is a parallel here in Romans 2. It is possible to go through the Bible and learn every detail but if those details do not change your heart you have completely wasted your time. I think this is what Paul is working toward here in Romans 2.

The hypothetical argument from the beginning of chapter 2 continues here.

When we talked through the first 16 verses of chapter 2, I mentioned that Paul has formed a hypothetical individual with whom he is arguing. Paul continues this hypothetical argument in verses 17-29. Here, in verse 17-21a, Paul gives us more information on his hypothetical opponent.

Paul's hypothetical opponent claims Jewish heritage and special knowledge about God that comes through knowing the Old Testament Law.

Here is the thing, the Old Testament Law does reveal some important things about God but if we are not careful, we will find ourself falling victim to 5 common myths.

Mighty Misnomers - There are 5 knowledge myths we must watch out for (17-18).

Titles's don't trump obedience.

Paul's hypothetical opponent has self-identified as a Jew. But Paul is going to argue that one's standing before God is not dependent on how one identifies. Since God is the impartial judge no title is going to solve anyone's sin problem.

The Law will not support your weight.

Paul's hypothetical opponent also believes that having the Old Testament Law will grant him some special favor. Several passages address the futility of relying on the law but I want to call attention to two passages in particular.

Boasting in God is not obedience to God.

This statement is tautologically true but still deserves an example. Having a church or God bumper sticker on your car does not make you a good driver! In fact, I have a seminary license plate holder that was given to me as a gift. I will admit, there are times when I think, oops, I kinda wish I didn't have that license plate holder because I should not have done that.

Paul tells his hypothetical opponent, you can boast all you want about God but if it doesn't reflect your behavior it is meaningless.

Knowing God's will is different from doing God's will.

I am reminded of

James 1:22 "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says."

We may know exactly what God wants from us but if we are not doing God's will then we are all wrong.

Being able to identify righteousness is not the same as being righteous.

Image: I can identify a good throw but that doesn't make me a quarterback.

I love to watch football and even more I love to play football. But here is the thing. I am not really that good. I can sit on the couch and watch a game and identify some really good throws. I can appreciate the skill and difficulty and say, wow! that was really well done.

However, that does not mean I am a good quarterback. In fact, I am pretty bad.

Paul's hypothetical opponent is able to approve of what is superior, to be able to identify righteousness but that does not mean the individual is righteous!

Tempting Traps - There are four traps that we must avoid (19-22).

The text begins with the phrase "if you are convinced." The word that we translate as convinced, πέποιθάς, is in the perfect tense and so carries the idea of something that is settled. In other words, Paul is not going to get into arguing whether these things are true responsibilities or not, rather the question on Paul's mind is how these responsibilities are handled. In other words, you have this responsibility but you first need to make sure you are applying it to yourself.

Don't lead the blind into destruction (Matthew 15:7-14).

Jesus had harsh word to say to those who pretended to have knowledge but were themselves leading others into destructions. Look at Matthew 15:7-14 "You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you: "‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules.'" Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen and understand. What goes into someone's mouth does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth, that is what defiles them." Then the disciples came to him and asked, "Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this?" He replied, "Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots. Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.""

The problem is not leading people. In fact, we are commanded to disciple others. The problem, is when we blindly lead the blind. Here is the reality, we need to know out limits and we should lead but we should not lead out of ignorance but instead lead out of a complete and total dependence on God.

What does this look like? I am convinced that we need to lead as empowered by the Holy Spirit. Lets look at a couple of verses here.

Galatians 5:25 "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit."

Ultimately, James 3:1 tells us

James 3:1 "Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly."

I am convinced this verse does not mean that we should avoid teaching but rather that we must be careful in our teaching. How do we do this, by relying on the Holy Spirit not some superiority complex or perception of secret knowledge that only we possess.

Don't put your light under a basket (Matthew 5:14-16).

As I look through the Old Testament on of the things that I am convinced of is that the Israelites were supposed to be God's priests to the world. Specifically, the people who represented God to and brought God's will to fallen humanity. Instead, time and time again the Israelites failed in this mission. They turned inward and away from God. They took the light of God's revelation and hid it under a basket woven of sin and idolatry.

However, not all was lost, Jesus came to earth and accomplished what Israel had failed to do providing a true light to the gentiles and fulfilling

Isaiah 42:6-7 ""I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness."

In Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus gave direct instruction on how we should operate with the knowledge we possess.

Matthew 5:14-16 ""You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

The proper response to the revelation, the knowledge, that we possess is to light up everything around us.

Don't lead fools away from God (Ephesians 5:17).

According to

Ephesians 5:17 "Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is."

the opposite of being foolish was to understand God's will.

Jeremiah 9:23-24 further elucidates this idea.

1 Timothy 2:3-4 "This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth."

expands on this by reminding us that God's will is for people to know him personally.

And then we have

2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance."

Here is the reality. There are people out there who do not know the will of God. We are called to lead these people not away from God but rather to God.

Don't over-judge your maturity

We all have areas in which we are immature but we all should also be growing in maturity. Let me put this another way. None of us has arrived but we all should be further along than we were a year ago.

We need to be a church that takes 2 Timothy 2:2 seriously.

2 Timothy 2:2 "And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others."

We should be teaching others to go on and teach others. But we also need to be a church that understands we are far from perfect and in a very real sense we are all children seeking to grow.

1 Corinthians 10:12 "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" is a sober reminder.

The problem that I think Paul was tackling here was the hypothetical opponent who viewed everyone else as a spiritual child and himself as the adult in the room.

The minute you start thinking too highly of yourself you have fallen into the trap!

Hypocrisy Hinders — There are five hypocrisies that lead others to blaspheme God (22-24).

This passage calls out hypocrisy among those who teach others, yet do not practice what they preach. Paul stresses the importance of aligning one's actions with one's words, exposing the inadequacy of superficial righteousness. By highlighting the consequences of hypocrisy on one's witness, this point propels us to live our own lives in light of Christ's example. It is through genuine transformation by Christ that believers can authentically live out their faith, reflecting His righteousness to others.

Teachers who do not practice what they teach.

Unfortunately, teachers who do not practice what they teach is a problem that is more common than it should be. Jesus called out such behavior in

Matthew 23:2-3 ""The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat. So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach."

What it really comes down to is that there seems to be no shortage of people who are willing to tell you what to do, but finding people who practice those behaviors is a more difficult task. The problem, people are observant and will take note of someone who does not practice what they teach. The result of such behavior is often that people use it as an excuse to reject God.

Preachers who steal.

The Bible teaches in 1 Timothy 5:17 "The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching." and 1 Timothy 5:18 "For Scripture says, "Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages."" that a pastor deserves pay and really that a pastor deserves to be well payed. However, there are cases where this is taken to excess.

One of the problems facing many churches today is the so-called prosperity Gospel. That is the preaching that occurs within some branches of Christianity that teaches that financial blessing and physical well-being are always the will of God for believers today. In particular, such preaching often emphasizes that through faith, positive declarations, and donations to the church, believers can attract wealth and prosperity.

In many of these cases the pastor gets incredibly wealthy building on the poverty of others.

Rule enforcers who break the rules they enforce.

Rules matter, and there are rules that we need to proclaim. Adultery is wrong no matter how you look at it. But the one who is proclaiming a rule or enforcing a rule must themselves be following that rule!

I have on two separate occasions, in two completely different environments, been in a situation where someone wrote a very strict rule and then when questioned on their ability to follow that rule proclaimed, well we can make exceptions.

No! This opens the door for hypocrisy and can easily lead people to reject God. Our efforts must be to lead people to God not to try and control people!

Idealists who compromise for their own benefit.

The phrase "You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?" in verse 22 is a hard phrase to make sense of. What are these people doing who hate idols but are robbing temples? It is possible that Paul is thinking of Deuteronomy 7:25 "The images of their gods you are to burn in the fire. Do not covet the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared by it, for it is detestable to the Lord your God."

The idea here is that God warned against opening the door for idolatry by taking the idols, even with good intentions, from other temples. Let me move into a more practical way of thinking through this. The end does not justify the means! We should have high standards but we cannot compromise in order to achieve those high standards.

Picture someone who sees a pagan temple and immediately feels distaste for the idolatry taking place there. In what they think is a righteous act they break into the temple and steal all the idols from the temple and hide them in their basement. Have they accomplished anything? No, they have broken the law themselves and turned the idolaters into a sort of martyr. Moreover, these idols are now tempting the one who stole them. It is kind of a silly and extreme example but maybe not.

People commit violent acts against abortion clinics, false religions, and the like. These acts are wrong and give others reason to speak against the God of the universe.

Legalist who break their own rules.

Again, having rules is not in and of itself wrong. However, there are lots of ways to use rules which can be wrong.

MTR: Ask yourself, am I living in a way that is consistent with who God has revealed himself to be?

We know the god of the universe but that knowledge brings about a great responsibility. We must realize that our manner of life can hurt other, significantly!

Exported from Logos Bible Study, 3:08 PM January 16, 2025.