Friday 4 December 2020

Romans Chapter 2


Welcome back to our study of Paul’s letter to the Roman Christians.

As before, I’m going to drop a series of discussion questions. Some of these will have very straightforward answers that you can find in the text. Some of them will be less clear-cut, but it’s important to talk about and explore these things together as we grow in our knowledge and understanding of Jesus Christ.

There are two mistakes (at least) that we can make as we read this chapter.
  • We can look at it with our ‘Christian’ understanding of God’s grace, and misunderstand what Paul is saying.
Paul is developing his teaching about grace, but he doesn’t really get to the point until Chapter 5—so, have patience! At this point he’s explaining why we need grace.

  • We can easily misunderstand what Paul means by ‘Law’. This is a bit confusing because he seems to mean two things.
On the one hand, he means the Law of Moses, the Torah – the Ten Commandments etc. This is a very specific body of teaching the Jews had but the Gentiles didn’t.

On the other hand, he is talking about the ‘natural law’ of God, that everyone has because it is evident in the Creation (Chapter 1: 18-20). This is our basic sense of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ that we mentioned last time.

Paul makes little distinction between these, for example in Chapter 2: 14, 15.

The Case for the Prosecution Continues …

Verses 1-4 

Paul carries on from the previous chapter. Remember, Paul has been talking about people who know the truth about God but reject it, so God has ‘abandoned them’ to do whatever badness they have in mind. Now, he’s talking mainly to people with a Jewish background.

You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. 2 And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things. 3 Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things? 4 Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

People from a Jewish background—much more than anyone else—with their knowledge of the Law of Moses and God’s promises, have no excuse when they do bad things.

Let’s just take two things in Paul’s list in chapter 1 verse 29 (Paul does like a good list!): quarrelling and deception.

In the Jewish law, people didn’t have to like one another, but if they had a dispute, they were supposed to take it to a judge for a decision. They weren’t supposed to get into personal disputes.

And deception is in the 10 commandment where it says (Exodus 20: 16) that they should give false testimony—and of course, that is about the intention to deceive.

  • Why does Paul say that the Roman Christians deserve God’s judgement?

Moving on… 

Verses 5-11 
But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed 6 He will judge everyone according to what they have done. 7 He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honour and immortality that God offers. 8 But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. 9 There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. 10 But there will be glory and honour and peace from God for all who do good—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favouritism.

You see, it’s not really anything to do with religion. God doesn’t really care what you call yourself, but He’s all about people who will reflect his glory and love in the world. So, it matters how you live; what decisions you make from day to day. It matters how you treat each other and how you regard Him.

(It’s easy to jump ahead here and say that it’s all ‘by faith’. Paul will make that point, but the basic thing is that he wants us to live in a way that pleases him.)
  • (5-11) According to Paul, how does God judge people?

Verses 12-16
When the Gentiles sin, they will be destroyed, even though they never had God’s written law. And the Jews, who do have God’s law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it. 13 For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight. 14 Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. 15 They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. 16 And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life.
Wow, verse 12 seems pretty hard!

But Paul has already established that ‘they are without excuse’ in the last chapter—and here he goes on to say (vv.14 and 15) that if they do what they know to be right, they won’t be condemned. Verse 16 is the point: the day is coming when God … will judge everyone’s secret life. And this is why Jesus’ teaching is different from the Jewish Law. That was all about what you do; Jesus is all about who you are.

Paul talks a lot in verses 12-16 about ‘keeping the law’. Again, this appears to go against what we know of the Gospel, and what Paul himself goes on to explain in the next couple of chapters. But remember what Jesus said about being angry and committing adultery in Matthew 5: 21-30. It’s what’s in your heart that matters. This is what he is saying in verses 14-16.

Verses 17-20
You who call yourselves Jews are relying on God’s law, and you boast about your special relationship with him. 18 You know what he wants; you know what is right because you have been taught his law. 19 You are convinced that you are a guide for the blind and a light for people who are lost in darkness. 20 You think you can instruct the ignorant and teach children the ways of God. For you are certain that God’s law gives you complete knowledge and truth.
  • What was the role God intended the Jews to have?

Verses 21-24
Well then, if you teach others, why don’t you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal? 22 You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you commit adultery? You condemn idolatry, but do you use items stolen from pagan temples? 23 You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonour God by breaking it. 24 No wonder the Scriptures say, “The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you.”
So, the Jews were supposed to be guides for the blind and lights for people who are lost in darkness (v.19), but Paul says—just as he did at the very beginning of the chapter—'you say it’s wrong to do these things, but you do them anyway.’

It’s great to have a high moral code, but it’s useless if you don’t keep it.

The Jews had a law about marriage and adultery (not so much the Gentiles, adultery is basically sleeping with someone else’s wife). It’s a gross betrayal of trust.

So, knowing this, if you marry someone, and promise to be faithful to them forever (or until one of you dies), and then you later go and marry someone else, you have betrayed her. Have you not? 
  • What is Paul’s particular message to the Jews (verses 19 and 20)?

Verses 25-27
The Jewish ceremony of circumcision has value only if you obey God’s law. But if you don’t obey God’s law, you are no better off than an uncircumcised Gentile. 26 And if the Gentiles obey God’s law, won’t God declare them to be his own people? 27 In fact, uncircumcised Gentiles who keep God’s law will condemn you Jews who are circumcised and possess God’s law but don’t obey it.
The Jews have a very strong sense that they are special—God’s chosen people—and the Christian Jews had this idea too. But Paul is making the point that having all this knowledge of God is only any good if it’s actually put to use in a person’s life.

  • What does this mean: (v.27) … Gentiles who keep God’s law will condemn you Jews who … possess God’s law but don’t obey it?

Verses 28 and 29
For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. 29 No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.
This is the point that Paul has been developing through this chapter. God isn’t interested in your religious label or affiliation, or whether you were born into a particular tribe. True, Jewishness was a great privilege because it brought the Law of Moses and all the promises that went along with it; it provided an opportunity to know God—but if the Jews haven’t used these advantages, then their Jewishness actually becomes a hindrance and brings a greater judgement.

  • (28, 29) Paul takes the Jewish Law very seriously, as he points out in Chapter 11. He is proud of his Jewish heritage, however, how does he define Jewishness in these verses? 
  • Looking back through chapters 1 and 2, which verses stand out particularly? Why?



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