"A Matter of the Heart" Romans 2:17–29

The Titanic, the RMS Titanic, built in the shipyards of Belfast, at the time was completely state of the art.

! There had been no seafaring vessel like it before. It was the modern ocean liner built during the peak of maritime engineering during a time, remember this is before the wars, where European morale was at an all time high.

It was a good time to be alive, for most people. The Titanic was supposed to be unsinkable. With much fanfare, she departed Southampton but would never reach New York City, sinking a few hundred kilometers southeast of Newfoundland after hitting an iceberg. Hundreds of people would die.

History is littered with examples of catastrophes and failures that have come about because very wise, very learned, very strong people have found their sense of security in the wrong things.

There's a real temporal danger, danger in this mortal life and trusting in false securities. People die.

But even more perilous is the eternal danger with misplaced confidence in the wrong things.

Question, as we open up God's word, why do we consistently seek refuge in things that, even with a little study of history, even a little bit of historical knowledge, tell us that they will ultimately fail?

Does money buy happiness?

I mean, it's a bit of an age-old thing to ask.

The answer, of course, is no.

But here we are, generation after generation, person after person.

More money means better happiness, more fulfillment.

Does success provide this kind of fulfillment?

Well, being better than others or doing something first, being a pioneer, bring the glory we desire?

The answer, of course, it's a no.

No. We continue, and yet we continue to chase after such false securities, thinking that they will satisfy us.

Both in this life, which often they don't, but especially in an eternal sense.

The Apostle Paul, he'll continue to sell the problem of sin and idolatry, as we have seen from chapter 1, verse 18, all the way to chapter 3, verse 20.

He continues to sell this problem of sin and idolatry as he proclaims the gospel message by continuing to address the religiously and morally upright.

So last week we touched on this a bit as well.

This week we'll be focusing, actually honing in on the Jewish people.

In doing so, Paul is not singling out the Jewish people because they are in some kind of way defective.

Remember the Apostle Paul himself is a Jew.

Jesus, the Savior of the world, born to a Jewish family.

But rather, what the Apostle Paul will do is make a rhetorical point from the greater to the lesser.

If the religiously and morally upright Jewish people that God himself singled out, and we'll see, gave the law, gave all these privileges,

if even they need the gospel, even if they fail, then so do all people.

So in our text, very simply, Paul will articulate this by examining two dangers and then presenting a solution.

Two dangers and then presenting a solution.

Let's jump right into it.

Verse 17.

And we'll read verses 17 to 24.

But if you yourself, sorry, but if you call yourself a Jew, and before we even go on, we have to pause there.

Okay?

The Apostle Paul is using unbelievably inflammatory language into the ears of the first century Jewish population of Rome,

and really the entire world.

If?

What do you mean by if?

Jewish people had this understanding then, as many do now, that there's no if about whether somebody can be a Jew or not.

One cannot not be a Jew if they were born a Jew.

There is no if.

The Apostle Paul here is poking right at the very sensitive point in the Jewish psyche.

If you yourself claim to be a Jew.

If you yourself claim to be a Jew.

But it's important to remember, again, thinking that this is a rhetorical, a few sentences that provide a rhetorical basis from the greater to the lesser,

we can understand that Paul is not some anti-Jewish Christian crusader.

He's not trying to tear down the entirety of the Jewish heritage.

Again, he is one himself.

We'll see in the months that follow, when we get to chapters 9 to 11 of Romans, that Paul has this unquenchable love for his fellow Jews,

that they would live out the fullness of their heritage.

He is not trying to rip them apart.

So then, what is he doing?

Let's continue reading.

We'll read at the beginning of verse 17.

And we'll read to verse 20.

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.

Verse 21.

You then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself?

While you preach against stealing, do you steal?

We'll pause quickly right here.

Paul is laying out a number of key distinctives that defined Jewish identity,

and were rooted in the law.

There's a lot of overlap between moralistic and religious teaching.

It's hard to kind of parse them out.

But Paul here really is highlighting some key distinctives of Jewish identity

based on behavior that are rooted in the law.

The Apostle Paul, what's interesting here, never condemns these distinctives.

In fact, all of them, they are very good.

The law is very good.

In fact, it is perfect.

Having confidence in God is a good thing.

Knowing his will, understanding right from wrong, guiding, teaching, instruction,

instructing, all very, very good things.

The mission of God's people was to instruct as they had been instructed

and to teach as they had been taught.

So we see here that these distinctives are actually rooted in something

that the prophet Isaiah will call being a light to the nations.

They are doing it.

However, as God's chosen people,

the Jewish nation are not leaning into this in the right kind of way,

but it has become a source of pride for them.

What do I mean?

As God's chosen people, the Jewish nation was given two,

again, this is generally speaking, two identity markers that would define them.

The first was circumcision.

We'll get to that in the second point.

So just kind of put your finger there as a bookmark.

The first was circumcision, given to Abraham, the father of the faith.

The second identity marker came centuries later after Israel was rescued out of Egypt

and brought into the wilderness.

They were given the law at Mount Sinai.

This is a key, key, key aspect of the biblical narrative.

They were given the law at Sinai before entering the promised land.

The law served as a kind of constitution

that defined what it meant to be the covenant people and how they were to act.

They were already the covenant people.

Again, we're going to see this in the next section with Abraham and circumcision.

They're already the covenant people.

God had already rescued them out of Egypt.

And then he gave them the law as, again, a kind of constitution.

But it's a bit more than that.

It was marching orders, but it was God revealing his very character to these people.

Remarkable thing, the giving of the law.

But by the first century, so this is hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of years

after Israel was given the law,

by the first century, possession of the law had become a sort of self-righteous pride

among the religious leaders.

It was less about keeping the law as a response to God's salvation

and God making the covenant with his people,

but rather about just simply possessing the law.

And it gave them a prestige among the other nations.

So the law that was a gift from God,

that didn't define them,

but was, again, an expression of God's love towards them,

and in response they were to love God in return and keep the law,

the law became the very identity marker for them.

And they became prideful,

and they became hypocritical,

and they claimed to have the very highest level of morality,

and yet their integrity was bankrupt.

Not to say that every single Jew acted this way.

Again, Paul, what is he doing here?

He is using this as a rhetorical device,

but it's rooted in truth.

Verse 21 to 23.

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.

How could this possibly happen?

On one hand, it's easy to see.

No one is truly consistent with their behavior.

No teacher always adheres to what they teach.

As they say, to err is human.

This is expected.

But there's something much deeper at play here.

Paul, again, he is addressing this deep hypocrisy

whereby the law is used as almost an excuse to sin.

Who are you to tell me?

I'm the teacher.

I have found loopholes.

I have found ways around the law,

justifications for law breaking.

That's the implication here.

It ultimately proves that those who had the law,

the Jewish people,

they did not truly understand the purpose of the law

or they forgot it.

For they were trusting in, again,

this possession of the law

as a source of the true identity

and justification and worth.

But as good as these things are,

and they are incredibly good,

it just proves how unbelievably strong

and pervasive the pull towards idolatry truly is.

For what Paul is saying here

is that idolatry is so strong

that one could commit adultery

with the things of God themselves.

Again, the possession of the law,

the possession of the very gift of God

is being relied upon more than God himself.

We see, again, the depths of idolatry.

So, what we have here

is the danger of relying upon a type of morality

to give us an eternal hope

and an eternal joy

and an eternal identity.

But our identity can't be in those that possess the law,

but in the one who gives the law to us.

Treating the things of God

as if they were God,

it's actually even more horrific

than pagan idolatry.

How?

Because the things of God

being turned into idols,

we'll see in verse 24,

it causes others to be led astray

so much so that they will

blaspheme the name of God.

If you go back to verse 17,

we'll realize that this isn't just a Jewish problem,

but that this is an us problem.

The majority, if not all of us,

here are not Jews

or have Jewish background.

So, if you go back to verse 17,

and you read,

but if you call yourself a Jew,

you remove Jew

and you add Christian.

Or you put in

baptized.

Or if you put in

Anglican.

Or if you put in upright.

Or you put in

donor to the food bank.

Or you put in

excellent

attendance record at church

or big giver,

whatever it may be,

you'll soon realize

that we have a terrible propensity

to treat morality

and religious adherence

and affiliation

as the means

for eternal security.

Earlier this week,

I was talking with some people

about this text

and

very self-deprecatingly

talking about how

there's sometimes

I say,

I'm glad I'm an Anglican.

And then what follows after

is because I'm not like,

insert that tradition.

It's not that I'm happy

that Jesus Christ

saved me from my sins.

I'm glad I'm not like them.

There's nothing wrong

with being an Anglican.

It's nothing wrong

with our tradition.

In fact,

I'm one convictionally.

So are some of you.

But so easily,

we can take the things

of God

and treat them

as if they were God

himself.

Finding our identity,

ultimate identity

in these things.

And it's a false refuge.

If the Jewish people

chosen by God,

recipients of the law,

no God's will,

no true morality,

our teachers and guides,

if they can turn

the things of God

into idols,

it only proves

how dangerous

idolatry truly is

to humanity.

Remember,

this is an us problem.

And as I've already mentioned,

in doing so,

it's not that

we just thumb our nose

at God,

but we make God's name

very disgusting

to other people.

Verse 24,

for as it is written,

the name of God

is blasphemed

among the Gentiles

because of you.

Fact is,

if we call ourselves

Christians,

again,

if we call ourselves

Christians,

Paul could also say,

you are children of God.

If my children

consistently misbehave

or are undisciplined

or rude or violent,

and not just because

they're in some kind

of developmental stage,

but that's who they are,

it will reflect poorly

on me.

Questions will be raised

about my fitness

as a parent.

I think this is

what is happening here.

We are God's people

except that we are not

acting like God,

we are acting like devils.

Some of you enjoy

the rest of this

history podcast.

It's a great podcast

if you haven't listened to it.

They're on a six,

they're right in the middle

of a six week,

sorry,

a six episode series

on the fall

of the Incas.

And in one instance,

they relay this story

of an Inca chieftain

who was tortured

and threatened

with death

by fire

by the Spanish.

But,

he could

avoid it all

if he was only baptized

and confessed faith

in Jesus

and then he would have

a quick death

and a proper burial

and would go to heaven.

And he says

he'd rather

take the fire

because if heaven

were full of Spaniards,

he didn't want to be there.

Oof.

What we do

reflects upon God.

It's true.

In the same way

what your children do

if you have children

reflect upon you.

And sometimes it's fair,

sometimes it's not fair.

In the case of

how we reflect

upon God,

it's never fair

because he is perfect

and we bring dishonor

upon the only name

that should be truly honored.

Fact is,

we reflect our king.

So if we trust in idols,

even those that are godly

and good idols,

we will seldom resemble him

and this watching world

will take notice

and it will curse

our God.

So if moral superiority

is the cause

of a false sense

of security,

so false morality

being the first danger,

then so too

was circumcision

and we'll get into

this next section

starting in verse 25.

Circumcision,

which was the religious means

by which

a Jewish person

became associated

with God

in an irreversible way.

Turn with me now

to verse 25

and now we'll be

on page 14,

verse 25.

For circumcision

indeed is of value

if you obey the law,

but if you break the law,

your circumcision

becomes uncircumcision.

It's quickly a brief note

about circumcision.

Circumcision

was the sign

of the covenant

that God first made

with Abraham

way back

in the earlier chapters

of Genesis.

Genesis.

Covenants

and signs

were not unique

to ancient Israel

or the Bible.

They existed

in the ancient world

and they were

usually agreements

made by a powerful

king or ruler

or strong man

that usually conquered

or came into

a pretty lopsided agreement

with a lesser,

weaker partner.

The agreement

was made.

The agreement

was usually written out

for both

to have a copy of

and then the two parties

would act out

what would happen

if that agreement

was broken.

So,

if you remember

the scene

in Genesis

where

God commands Abraham

to take a bunch

of animals,

cut them in two

and put them

on either side

and then he makes

Abraham fall asleep.

It's a bizarre scene.

If you're reading it

for the first time,

I won't get into it now,

but this is

exactly that.

circumcision

also

is an example

of such a covenant,

such a sign

of the covenant.

Different in some respects

but very similar

in many.

How so?

Circumcision,

a sign of the covenant

God made with Abraham,

remembering that

Abraham first

had faith in God,

made a covenant

whereby Abraham's

descendants would be

innumerable.

That was the promise.

I will make

your offspring

innumerable.

See the stars?

Try to count them.

There'll be more.

See the sand

on the seashore?

Try to count

every grain.

You can't.

There'll be more of them.

But also,

he made a covenant

that through

his descendant,

singular,

all the nations

would be blessed.

Because this was

a sign of,

and then he gave

the sign of circumcision.

And because circumcision

was a sign

of this covenant,

it demanded

covenant faithfulness.

Otherwise,

that promise

would be rendered void.

And we see

that circumcision,

the removal

of the foreskin.

If Abraham himself

didn't keep the covenant,

that his seed

would not spread.

His offspring

would be cut off.

So you fast forward

to the Apostle Paul,

2,200 years later,

Paul here

is writing

the book of Romans

to both Jewish

and non-Jewish people

in a city

he has yet to visit.

And we are finding

that the Jewish people

were finding

their security

not in the covenant

that God made

with Abraham,

this everlasting covenant

that God made

with Abraham,

but in the sign

of the covenant.

So it's not just

that God made

this covenant

and promised to us

we need to fulfill it,

we need to fulfill it.

Instead,

he said,

we're circumcised.

That's good enough.

It would be like

you're on a trip

and you see a sign

that points

to your destination

and you just put

your arm around that sign

and said,

I'm here.

Right?

That's what a sign does.

It points

to an ultimate purpose,

an ultimate destination.

You don't get

to that destination,

you don't get

to that purpose

by boasting

about the sign.

That sign points you

to where you need to go.

Paul,

again,

with this in mind

and with this

as a background,

he takes it

even a step further.

Verse 26 to 28.

So if a man

who is uncircumcised

keeps the precepts

of the law,

will not his

uncircumcision

be regarded

as circumcision?

Then he who is

physically uncircumcised

but keeps the law

will condemn you

who have the written code

and circumcision

but break the law.

And this is,

again,

inflammatory language.

Okay?

For no one is a Jew

who is merely one outwardly,

nor is circumcision

outward and physical.

Wow.

Huge,

huge

inflammatory language.

But again,

remember,

Paul here,

he is using

rhetorical devices

to communicate

eternal truths.

So what he is saying here

is that

a heart

that is cold

towards the Lord,

trusting instead

in physical markers,

in group association

and the like,

is far inferior

to that

of an uncircumcised

pagan

who turns

to the Lord

in faith,

whose heart

is warmed

to the Lord.

The circumcised flesh,

again,

was a reminder

to trust

in the Lord

and to have

a circumcised heart.

A heart,

again,

that is

embracing

the things of God.

It's a call

to faith.

Just as Abraham

believed God

and God

counted it

as righteousness.

You cannot trust

the sign

of the covenant

more than

the one

who makes

the covenant

in the first place.

but remember,

this is an

us problem.

This is an

us problem.

Not a Jewish

problem,

it's an

us problem.

It's a genuine

struggle

both inside

and outside

of the church.

What do I mean?

So inside

the church.

We can struggle

with a Christianity

that is purely

external,

lacking the

interior life

the Lord

desires.

We may come

to church

every week

and you start

to see

there's some

overlaps

of the previous

section.

We come to

church every

week.

We are gathered

as the church

in the right

church

to have our

false

refuges,

our false

securities

affirmed

rather than

come to church

to have the

word convict

us of our

sin.

So,

put it another

way,

we come to

church and

we sit upon

the word.

We do not

sit under

the word.

We use the

things of God

to justify

our lives.

And to

find great

hope in

them.

Some of

you might

know this

if you

come from

an Anglican

background.

I do

not.

But

cultural

Anglicanism

has this

deep problem

where people

are associated

with a

church,

they never

attend,

or they

attend very

seldomly,

they have

a child

or a

grandchild,

and they

get their

kid done.

What does

that mean?

Bring the

kid to get

baptized,

baptized,

and then

they're

baptized,

and they're

great.

They're good.

They've

checked off

the boxes.

To never

go to

church,

to never

live a

Christian

life.

The

external

life,

excellent.

The

internal

life,

vacuous,

bankrupt.

But we

do this

as well.

And for

those that

are outside

of church

or outside

of the

Christian

faith,

which you

might actually

feel a

bit of

condemnation,

good

condemnation,

good

conviction

about this

as well.

And this

is especially

the case

in a

suburban

context like

the one

we're in.

There's

great

temptation

to be

in the

right

neighborhood,

to make

the right

investments,

to have

your

children,

if you

have them

on the

right sports

teams,

to not

have many

children,

to keep

it to

two,

to travel

to the

right

destinations,

on vacation,

to snap

the right

pictures,

to put

the right

hashtags,

if that's

even a

thing anymore,

I don't

know,

to have

the semblance

of being

healthy and

well-formed,

but inside

we lack

meaning,

we lack

joy,

we lack

purpose.

And then

when those

ill feelings

come up,

when those

ill feelings

of feeling

really rudderless

in life,

the things

that we

trust in

are eerily

quiet when

we need

them to

reassure

us.

A

false

sense

of

belonging.

Why

then do

we have

this terrible

habit of

fussing over

the externals

and neglecting

the internals?

Why?

There's

many more

reasons,

I'll suggest

two.

The first,

whether or

not we

claim to

believe in

God,

I think

last week

made the

case very

well that

eternity

is written

in the

hearts of

men,

which is

to say

that we

have this

idea that

there is

some kind

of eternal

force out

there,

whether we

call him

God or

the universe,

but there's

something out

there bigger

than this

life that

we don't

truly believe

in an

omniscient,

!

omnipresent

God who

sees and

knows all,

so we can

hide things.

We're good at

hiding things.

The second

thing,

it's just

far easier to

look good than

be good.

It's easier.

easier.

It's easier

not to do

the hard

work of

self-examination.

But I would

suggest a third

thing that's

even deeper

than both of

those things,

and it's

really the

true problem

of humanity,

is that it

is impossible

to have a

truly well-formed

interior life

that will give

us true

security in

the face of

life's

difficulties

and this

mortal life.

we cannot

circumcise our

own hearts.

We cannot

truly renovate

our interior

lives to the

extent that we

need.

We can get

better habits,

we can say

no to certain

vices, but

ultimately,

ultimately,

we cannot

live a truly

righteous

interior life.

We just

can't.

We cannot

circumcise our

own hearts.

How then can

we have a

circumcised

heart?

So we have

two dangers.

Here's the

solution.

Verse 29.

But a Jew

is one inwardly

and circumcision

is a matter

of the heart

by the

spirit,

not by the

letter.

His praise

is not from

man,

but from

God.

See, the

people of

God who

are called

by God,

given a

covenant by

God,

given a

sign of

that covenant

by God,

who know

God's will

and God's

ways and

boast in

knowing him,

who praise

the name

of the

Lord with

their words,

which is

interesting

because the

name

Jew

derives from

the tribe

of Judah,

which literally

means praise

God.

They need to

find their

eternal security

in the one

true God,

forsaking all

other false

securities,

all other

false refuges

that they

may find

elsewhere,

so that

they can

hear,

well done,

good and

faithful servant,

not from

friends,

not from a

boss,

not from

spouses,

not from

parents,

but from

God himself.

But our

propensity to

fail this

call,

it is so

very obvious

and the

consequence of

breaking the

covenant is

being cut

off from

God.

God,

okay,

we break

the covenant,

what happens?

We suffer

the consequences

of breaking

that covenant

and what is it?

At least for the

Jewish people,

it's being cut

off from God,

not knowing

him any

longer,

not being a

part of his

covenant

people.

But the

remarkable

thing is

that Jesus

was cut

off instead

of us.

This means

that the

one who

made the

covenant,

for Jesus

truly is

God,

God the

Son of

God,

Father,

Son,

and Holy

Spirit,

that the

one who

made the

covenant

with his

people,

knowing that

they would

fail from

the beginning,

took upon

himself the

consequence of

their failure.

It was

always God's

plan to do

this.

Hundreds of

years before

Christ comes

on the

scene,

the prophet

Isaiah in

Isaiah 53,

which is,

I mean,

dynamite

prophecies in

the Old

Testament,

says that

the Messiah

would be

cut off,

cut off,

out of the

land of the

living.

And we

see this.

Jesus is

upon the

cross.

He cries

out to

God,

my God,

my God,

why have you

forsaken me?

Why have you

cut me off

from your

covenant

people?

That's exactly

what happened.

Jesus,

upon the

cross,

he was cut

off from

his family,

from his

disciples,

from his

people,

and from

his father.

He died a

shameful,

a completely

utterly shameful

death that

should have

been ours.

We should

have been

cut off.

And in

doing so,

he conquers

death forever,

rising from

the dead to

new life,

and to

inaugurate a

new covenant

that would be

extended to both

Jew and Gentile

alike.

What would be

the hallmark of

this new

covenant?

That we would

say, we're

Christians, we go

to church.

No.

No.

Prophet Ezekiel

says in

chapter 36,

verse 26,

this is God

speaking,

and I will

give you a

new heart,

and a new

spirit I will

put within

you.

And I will

remove the

heart of stone,

which is to

say, the

uncircumcised

heart.

I will remove

the heart of

stone from

your flesh,

and give you

a heart of

flesh.

I will do

the work.

What only

what you

desperately

need is

what only

I can

do, and

I will

do it.

You see,

circumcision of

the heart,

something we

could never

do ourselves,

it's a gift

from God,

accomplished by

the work of

the Holy

Spirit.

That's why

it says in

verse 29,

that this is a

matter of the

heart, by the

spirit, not by

the letter, not

by the law, not

by circumcision,

not by the

things that we

can do in

our own strength

to muster up

enough courage to

stand before the

Lord and say,

look at me,

aren't I well

put together,

isn't my

interior life so

wonderful?

So the call of

God's covenant

people is to

have faith in

him, and then

to believe that he

will do what only

he can do to

give us supernatural

strength and a

supernatural cleansing

to circumcise our

hearts.

do not leave here

and be okay with

a heart that is

stony, okay?

A heart that is

uncircumcised, a

heart that says,

you know, I think

I actually can rest

on my laurels a bit

more.

Instead, cry out to

the Lord that he

will transform you by

his spirit and that

he will do this

incredibly important

and necessary

surgery, taking

out stone, putting

in flesh,

circumcising your

heart.

Let us put our

hope in true

security, a true

refuge, so that we

can have eternity

with our Father

forever.

forever.