Wednesday, May 31, 2023 – Romans 2:17-29
If you have been reading the Old Testament with us this year, you have read through the Law. You have read the command to be circumcised, along with the festivals to celebrate, and their meanings. You read all the details about what kinds of foods are clean and unclean, and maybe at some point you wondered, “What is the point of all this?”
That is understandable, it is easy to get so bogged down in the details that the purpose gets lost—a real forest for the trees situation. Well, Paul is addressing just that question from a very Jewish perspective in Romans 2 and 3, but he is addressing it specifically with Jewish people who have followed the letter of the law their whole lives. They too had lost sight of the point, but we will break it down into three parts.
First, the people of God are chosen to be set apart. “Set apart,” is a literal definition of “holy.” The law is like a marker that tells everyone, “I belong to God.” This is how Paul identifies himself in Romans 1:1, he is, “chosen [set apart] by God to be an apostle.”
Secondly, the law is a concession that makes it possible for sinful people to coexist and connect with God. By its nature, sin breaks relationship. To understand this fully, we can look at a specific law to see how it works. Exodus 21 gives us the famous “eye for an eye” passage, and while it seems barbaric to us, it is about letting the punishment fit the crime. Before that law, if you took someone’s eye, or if you stole from someone, they would take your life. These laws make it possible for people to coexist and connect with other people and have hearts right with God. Thirdly, the law taught the chosen people how to be a light to the nations (see Isaiah 42:6, and Romans 2:19-20). If God’s people do what is right, they will show the world what God is like.
Being the chosen people, marked by the law was a deep responsibility, but they were treating it like a privilege instead. This is nothing new; how often do we see people use their authority to elevate themselves instead of serving others? The Jewish Christians had a unique authority, but they traded the responsibility of that authority for privilege. This is a danger for all of us—think of an oldest child in charge of siblings for the first time. The hypocrisy goes all the way down to our bones, and none of us escape it… that is what Paul will address in chapter 3.
God of truth, I must admit that my boasting often outstretches my good deeds. I try to teach others the things that I haven’t taken the time to fully learn. Jesus, you are teaching me again through Romans to look at the log in my own eye before the speck in my brothers. Forgive me. Amen.
Questions for reflection:
- Read through Romans 2, and look for specific things the chosen people are set apart for. An example would be in verse 19, where they are described as a guide to the blind.
- In what ways do you see the law working as a concession in Romans 2? Remember, this is the way the law rights the things that are wrong.
- Like the Jews were chosen to be a light to the Gentiles, we are called the light of the world by Jesus. What are ways you could live further into that calling this week? Are there ways you have treated your authority like a privilege instead of a responsibility to serve?