The Jews Are Not Better Than The Gentiles

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Romans 2:17-24

17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God 18 and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; 19 and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. 24 For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

 
 

Paul has just spoken of the coming Judgment Day, at which everyone will be judged. Now, he responds to an imaginary Jewish interlocutor who says, “We’re fine, Paul, because we have the Law, and so we’re better than other people and don’t have to worry about judgment.”

(Remember, “the Law” is a shorthand way Paul has of referring to the entire Old Testament and specifically the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament that God gave Moses in the wilderness so that the Israelites would know how to live as God’s people.)

Paul’s has just told us:

• It’s not having or hearing the Law that matters, but actually being
obedient to God;
• Plus, the Gentiles have the law of their own conscience, so they actually are not ignorant of God's command.

Here, he goes on to talk about how the Jews have indeed had the Law, but that they didn’t abide by it!

17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God 18 and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; 19 and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. 24 For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” [2:17-24]

Paul’s point: God gave the Ten Commandments and the other laws to teach Israel how to live well, but Israel ended up just committing the very same sins that the Law forbade.

You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? [2:22]

Israel was meant to be a blessing to the nations and to point the Gentiles back to God, but the result of Jewish disobedience is that the Gentiles are farther away from God than ever:

23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. 24 For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” [2:23-24]

We modern Christians need to reflect long and hard on what Paul is saying here. One of the surest ways to discredit the Lord is through sin in the church. When we who profess the name of Christ live just as sinfully as our unbelieving neighbors, we become a stumbling block to them, because they don’t see the Gospel as making any everyday difference in our lives.

Today, where do you need to repent—turn around, change—so that you better represent Jesus to the world?

 

Judged By What You Do With What You Have Been Given

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Romans 2:12-16

12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

 
 

“The Law” is Paul’s shorthand way of referring to the entire Old Testament, specifically the Torah, the first five books of the Old Testament that God gave Moses in the wilderness so that the Israelites would know how to live as God’s people.

So, the Gentiles are those “without the Law” and the Jews are those “under the Law.” Paul’s point here is that, both Gentiles and Jews will be judged by what they actually do with what they know. The Gentiles have their conscience—“the Law…written on their hearts”—and the Jews have the Torah; what matters is what people do with what they’ve been given.

So, Paul tells the Romans that on Judgment Day, all people will be judged by Jesus, regardless of their ethnic status.

It is tempting for us to want to know about other people—“What will happen to this person, or that person?” What Paul reminds me here, however, is that the only thing that matters is what I am doing with what I have been given. I’ll trust other people to God’s justice and mercy— how am I responding to what I know about God?

What about you?

 

God Judges Everyone, Without Favoritism

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Romans 2:6-11

6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality.

 
 

Judgment Day is for everyone, and no one avoids it. Paul here lays out the basic way that God’s judgment will work:

People who do the right thing will receive eternal life;
People who do the wrong thing will face God’s wrath.
The Jews will be judged first, and then the Gentiles.

Both Jews and Gentiles will be judged, “For God shows no partiality,” i.e., God judges everyone, without favoritism.

Paul will go on to show that, in fact, everyone will need to be saved because no one is actually able to keep God’s law.

The Good News? Jesus came to save everyone who believes in His name.

 

I Judge Myself By My Intentions, and I Judge You By Your Actions

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Romans 2:1-5

2 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.

 
 

Paul closed chapter 1 with a long indictment of pagan sin. The Gentiles come off looking really badly!

But then Paul pivots and holds up a mirror to an as-yet-unspecified, imaginary Jewish interlocutor. Paul says, “Don’t think you are any better, Mr. Jewish guy.”

Yes, the Jews had God’s Law revealed to them at Mt. Sinai, but how were they actually abiding by it? After condemning Gentile sinfulness, Paul will now pivot and show how Jews aren’t actually any better.

Paul’s point here is one that I find convicting: we tend to judge ourselves by our intentions and other people by their actions—we give ourselves a pass for the very same sins that we point out in others.

He then says (v. 4) that if your sins haven’t yet caught up with you, that’s only because God is showing you forbearance because he wants to give you time to repent!

Sooner or later, every person will face judgment; no one gets to avoid it.