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Dishonoring God Romans 2:17-24 |
March 7, 2004 Pastor Tom Marcum |
This past week a friend of mine asked me, "So, has preaching through Romans been as hard as you imagined."
I said, "Absolutely. Maybe even more so.
--It's challenging because every week we're dealing with doctrinal issues that are fundamentally important to our understanding of God and our relationship with Him. Which means that these are issues that we just have to get right.
--At the same time, these supremely important issues are oftentimes surrounded in the biblical text by some very complex theological discussions.
--And my challenge is to guide us through these complex theological discussions in such a way that they make sense to us and so that we can see how these faith issues are relevant in our daily lives…and I have to do all of that in about 30 minutes."
It was at this point that I noticed from the look on my friend's face that he was wishing he'd never asked me about the challenge of preaching through Romans.
But in fact, this is a very difficult book to either preach or read through. And, this morning, we're going to see yet another reason that makes it so, namely, that it is also unrelenting. I keep waiting for us to come to an easy passage of light reading but it never seems to happen. Week after week we sail out into deep waters and today is no exception.
But before moving on, let's take a moment to review some of the highlights of what Paul has written thus far.
--In the opening verses of the letter Paul introduces himself to the Roman Christians to whom he's writing. He tells them about the mission that God has given him. He tells them that he's looking forward to visiting them. And he tells them that everywhere he goes he shares the Good News of God's salvation for everyone who believes. And on that high and positive note, he concludes his introduction.
--Then, in the very next verse, the entire tone of the letter takes a sudden and dramatic shift as Paul uses the rest of chapter 1 to tell us that God is angry and that He is right now in the process of pouring out His wrath upon the wicked and the godless. And He offers a lengthy catalogue of their depraved behavior.
--Then, we come to chapter 2 and Paul tells us that the judgment of God which is being partially revealed now will one day be revealed in full when each of us stands before God on the Day of Judgment to find out our eternal destiny: either the joy of eternal life with God or the full measure of God's wrath and anger.
So, now as we come to the second half of chapter 2 you might think that Paul would be ready to ease up a little bit and give us a moment to catch our breath by talking about God's love and grace for a while. Because instead of easing up Paul launches a blistering rebuke, not of the wicked, but of God's own people.
Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to god; if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth-you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who brag about the law, do you dishonor god by breaking the law? As it is written: "God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you." Romans 2:17-24
It's hard to imagine a more devastating rebuke of a people who thought of themselves as upright, moral and seriously religious. A people deserving of praise. But instead of praising them Paul tells them that they are dishonoring God and giving Him a bad name.
Why the Emphasis on Mankind's Bent Toward Sin
Now before we look at the basis of Paul's staggering rebuke of these religious people, I want to take a brief step back to ask a broader question, namely: Why does Paul begin this letter with such a heavy and sustained emphasis on the sinful inclinations of mankind? Ultimately, this is a letter about the salvation that God makes available to all people through the Gospel, so why devote so much time at the beginning of the letter spotlighting the most wicked, most shameful, most depraved behaviors and attitudes of which we are capable? In other words, why didn't Paul just say, "Everyone's a sinner but here's the Good News," and then focus on the Good News. Why belabor the point about our sinful nature?
Well, folks, I think there are two basic reasons that explain why Paul spends so much time talking about the breadth and depth of our sinful capabilities:
REASON #1: None of us is inclined to acknowledge that our human nature is as corrupt as it really is. Now, we are quick to acknowledge the vile and wicked behaviors and attitudes that we see in others. But when those same behaviors and attitudes appear in us, well…they just don't look so bad because, after all, "I'm basically a good person."
In an article called, "Faith and Therapy," William Kirkpatrick writes about a conversation he had with a fellow professor at Boston College. The professor gave his students an assignment to write an essay about a personal struggle with right and wrong or good and evil. Interestingly, most of the students failed to complete the assignment. When he asked, "Why?" The students replied, "We haven't done anything wrong."
Well, folks, that attitude is pervasive in our society. I think one of the reasons Paul is hammering, here, on the sinful potential that lives in each of is that he knows that we will resist with all our might having to acknowledge that he's talking about us.
And REASON #2 for this emphasis on the depth and breadth of our sinful potential is that: there's no way to fully appreciate our absolute dependence upon Christ for our salvation until we have first seen how utterly hopeless our condition before God is without Him. In other words, we cannot fully appreciate the gift of God's grace until we have fully acknowledged the depth of our sinfulness.
Now, let's take a closer look at verses 17-24. And as we do so, it's important to know that while Paul addresses his remarks to the Jews, he is not suggesting that the Jews are in any way uniquely sinful. Rather, Paul is continuing to develop one of the major themes in his letter and that is that the salvation that is offered through the Gospel is not only available to Jews and Gentiles alike, but is also needed by Jews and Gentiles alike. Paul is trying to show the Jews that their love of God's law does not exempt them from their need for the gift of righteousness and salvation that is offered through the Gospel. In fact, his point here is that they have so mishandled God's law that they are now dishonoring God. And beginning in verse 17 he explains how that has happened.
Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to god; if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; Romans 2: 17-18
Paul is describing here the image that the Jews tended to have of themselves. They relied on God's law. They were proud of their unique relationship with God. They understood God's will and they knew the difference between those things that were essential and those that were unessential. And their confidence in all of this was based upon the fact that they were well grounded in God's word.
Now, let's move on to verses 19-20 where Paul writes:
…if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth-Romans 2:19-20
Now, in these verses Paul has moved from a description of the Jewish self-image to a description of the way that self-image shaped their relationships with those outside the Jewish faith. Because they were well grounded in God's word they conducted themselves as guides to the blind, light in the dark, instructors of the foolish and teachers of the immature.
And the truth is, there's nothing wrong with those who are well grounded in God's word offering instruction and guidance to those who are not so well grounded in God's word. In fact, God's word instructs us to do that very thing. The problem is identified in verse 21 where Paul writes: "you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself?"
Paul's assertion, here, is that those who knew God's word had become very skillful in teaching others about God's word but, they had done so without applying God's word to their own lives. In short, Paul is charging them with the sin of hypocrisy. And in the verses that follow he lays out the basis for his accusation.
You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? Romans 2:21b-22
Paul says, "Here's why you're hypocrites. You tell others not to steal, not to commit adultery and not to go near the pagan temples, yet you do those very things."
Now, remember that Paul is talking to folks who are serious about their religion and committed to keeping God's law. Consequently, you can imagine their response to Paul's accusation: "How dare you call us hypocrites when we don't do the things you've accused us of doing! We don't steal or commit adultery or get involved with idols. How dare you accuse us of such horrible behavior!"
Good response. So, how do you suppose Paul would answer them?
--One response might have been, "It's true. Most of you don't do all of the things I mentioned. But the fact that some of you do some of them shows that simply knowing God's word and teaching it to others is not enough to keep you blameless in God's sight so, clearly, you're missing something."
--Or, Paul might have said, "You're right. Most of you are pretty good at avoiding these kinds of sinful behaviors, but the heart attitudes they spring from are alive and well in all of you. In spite of all your fastidious attention to God's law your hearts remain pretty much unchanged so, once again, it looks like you're still missing something."
--But I think it's possible that Paul might have offered an entirely different response. But before I share my thought with you, let me read from another passage of this letter that gives us further insight into Paul's position.
What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; but Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it. Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. Romans 9:30-32a
The point? Though the Jews had the Law and taught it to others, they missed the very essence of the Law. God never intended for the Law to be a substitute for faith in Him. They were intended to work together. God's Law was a call to a life of faithful obedience to a merciful God who could be and desired to be trusted.
So, I think Paul's response to those Jews who bristled at his accusations of hypocrisy may very well have been something like this: "You know what? You say you don't steal or commit adultery or mess with idols, but, you're wrong. The truth is that you are guilty of breaking every single one of God's laws that I mentioned because you failed to keep the most basic requirement of God's law-faith.
Don't you understand that God's law was intended to lead you to trust Him for your forgiveness and trust Him for your righteousness? That way, all the honor and glory go to Him.
But you've turned God's law into a showcase for your own achievements and your own righteousness. You treat God's law as if its primary purpose was to help you look good in the eyes of your neighbors. You're not trusting God for anything. You've put all of your faith in yourself.
So, yes, you're guilty of stealing-you stole from God the faith that He deserved from you.
And, yes, you're guilty of adultery-God wanted you to give your heart to Him but you gave your heart to your own ego. That's your first love.
And, yes, you even chased after idols. In pursuing the praise of men you worshiped the same thing the world has always worshiped."
And then, as we read earlier in verses 23-24, Paul reveals the tragic consequence that results from people getting confused about the difference between true faith in God and mere religious ritual and outward activity. God is dishonored by His own people and belittled in the eyes of the unbelieving world.
The Lesson for Us
So, is there a lesson for us in all of this? And, if so, what's the lesson?
Well, in answer to the first question I would say, yes, there is definitely a lesson here for us. Because, the truth of the matter is, most of us are reasonably familiar with God's word, certainly much more familiar than most of the folks we live among. And that means that our position in our culture is actually very much like the position of the Jews that Paul was chastising in these verses. So, yes, there's a lesson here for us.
And what is the lesson? I think it's this:
--As we grow increasingly familiar with God's word, we must be increasingly vigilant to remind ourselves that the Bible is not merely a book to be studied…it's a guide intended to lead us into personal relationship with God.br>
--And that means that if we are growing in our knowledge of the Bible without growing in our faith, trust and hope in the Lord…we are off course in a major way.
--And it means that if our study of God's word is not showing itself in a spirit that is humble, a heart that is softened and a will that is yielded to God…we are in danger of becoming the well-informed self-righteous, who give God a bad name.
May God save us all from the puny religion of self-righteousness and lead us all to the grand adventure of absolute faith in God who is absolutely righteous and who can be trusted absolutely.
© Copyright 2004 Pastor Tom Marcum