Thursday
Evening Bible Study
April
24, 2008
Introduction
Illustration
A guy goes into the doctor’s office. There’s a banana stuck in one of his
ears, a carrot stuck in one nostril, and a cucumber in the other ear. The man
says, “Doc, this is terrible. What’s wrong with me?” The doctor says, “Well,
first of all, you’re not eating right.”
Hopefully tonight we’ll be eating right…
In chapter 1, Paul talks about how obvious it is that there is a God – all
you have to do is open your eyes and look at the creation around you. But when
people reject the knowledge of God, something happens and they begin to go
downhill morally.
This is what is happening in our society today – we have rejected the
knowledge of God, and the bottom has dropped out of our morality.
Chapter 2 starts with Paul catching his readers about judging people who do
bad things like those listed in the previous chapter. When he was criticizing
those who judged others, he was a bit vague as to who he was talking about.
Most likely he was talking about both Jews and Gentiles. Now Paul narrows his
focus on the Jewish readers.
:17-20 The boast of the Jew
:17 Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast
in God,
called – eponomazo – to
put a name upon, name; to be named
Jew – Ioudaios – Jewish,
belonging to the Jewish nation; religion; comes from the name of the tribe of
Judah.
rest – epanapauomai – to
cause to rest upon anything; to settle upon, fix its abode upon
boast – kauchaomai – to
glory (whether with reason or without); to glory on account of a thing; to
glory in a thing
Paul is going to start a list of the kinds of things that a typical Jewish
person was proud of about their religion.
The Jewish person “rested” on the law – they counted on the keeping of the
Law to get them into heaven.
They boasted in their nation’s connection with God.
:18 and know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being
instructed out of the law,
His will – thelema – what
one wishes or has determined shall be done; will, choice, inclination, desire,
pleasure
approve – dokimazo – to
test, examine, prove, scrutinize (to see whether a thing is genuine or not), as
metals; to recognize as genuine after examination, to approve, deem worthy
things that are excellent – diaphero
– to bear or carry through any place; to differ, to test, prove, the good
things that differ,; to distinguish between good and evil, lawful and unlawful,
to approve of things that excel, to differ from one; to excel, surpass one;
impersonally, it makes a difference, it matters, is of importance
Originally, "test the things that differ." The verb was used for
assaying metals. You run all the metals through the test, but only the things
that survive the test are the ones that you accept, the “excellent” ones.
In other words, the Jews knew how to discern right from wrong. They knew
how to say, “This is a good thing”. That’s something we all need help with, as
Paul prayed:
(Phil 1:9-10 NKJV) And this I pray, that your love may abound still
more and more in knowledge and all discernment, {10} that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be
sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,
instructed – katecheo (“catechism”)
– to sound towards, sound down upon, resound; to teach orally, to instruct; to
inform by word of mouth
Again, part of the pride of the Jews was that they knew God’s will based on
the Law, they knew how to discern right from wrong, they had found instruction
from the Law.
:19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light
to those who are in darkness,
confident – peitho – be
persuaded; to trust, have confidence, be confident
guide – hodegos (“the way”
+ “to lead”) – a leader of the way, a guide; a teacher of the ignorant and
inexperienced
It had been God’s desire that the nation of Israel to be a “light to the
Gentiles” (Is.42:6; 49:6; 60:3), but rather than being a light that leads
people in the right way, they were just proud that they were “better” than
“those pagan Gentiles”.
:20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of
knowledge and truth in the law.
instructor – paideutes –
an instructor, preceptor, teacher; a chastiser; based on the word for “child” (pais), seems to imply the teaching or
raising of children
foolish – aphron – without
reason; senseless, foolish, stupid; without reflection or intelligence, acting
rashly – this is how a Jew regarded a Gentile.
babes – nepios – an
infant, little child; a minor, not of age; metaph. childish, untaught,
unskilled
This was the belittling way that some of the Jews looked down on those who
converted to Judaism. In a way, a new believer is indeed a “babe” in Christ,
but we shouldn’t be looking down at them in any way.
form – morphosis – a
forming, shaping; the mere form, semblance
The Jew has only a shadow, a form of the knowledge and truth of God in the
law.
They were settling for part of the truth and not the whole truth.
Real knowledge and truth of God are found in Jesus Christ.
Lesson
The danger of spiritual pride
vs. 17 & 23, two times the word “boast” is used – a hint that pride is
at the root of the matter.
The contrast of being a “guide” to the “blind”, a “light” to those in
“darkness”, being a teacher of children for the foolish, a teacher of babes…
all speak of looking down the nose at the poor stupid Gentiles.
May we be careful of that same pride.
Against unbelievers – we are not better than they are, we too are sinners.
We have found grace and we long for them to find it too.
Against other believers – it’s very easy for one church or denomination to
think they are better than another.
Real maturity as a Christian is not becoming better than others, but
learning to serve others more.
(Mark 10:42-45 NKJV) But
Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, "You know that those who
are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones
exercise authority over them. {43} "Yet it shall not be so among you; but
whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. {44} "And
whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. {45} "For even
the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a
ransom for many."
This is the example that Jesus gave. It’s the example we ought to be following.
:21-24 The result of hypocrisy
:21 You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who
preach that a man should not steal, do you steal?
:22 You who say, "Do not commit adultery," do you commit
adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?
abhor – bdelusso – to
render foul, to cause to be abhorred; abominable; to turn one’s self away from
on account of the stench
rob temples – hierosuleo (“temple”
+ “rob or despoil”) – to commit sacrilege, to rob a temple
The Jews that Paul was addressing were caught in hypocrisy.
They said one thing, but did another.
It may be that Paul is talking about them actually, physically stealing and
committing adultery. He could also be talking about the truth of these
commandments as Jesus taught them:
(Mat 5:21-22 NKJV) "You have heard that it was said to those
of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the
judgment.' {22} "But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother
without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his
brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You
fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.
(Mat 5:27-28 NKJV) "You have heard that it was said to those
of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' {28} "But I say to you that
whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with
her in his heart.
We’ll be seeing this on Sunday mornings as we continue to study the Ten
Commandments. If you are hoping to get to heaven merely by doing the Ten
Commandments, you haven’t realized yet how hard it is to do that.
:23 You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through
breaking the law?
boast – kauchaomai – to
glory (whether with reason or without); to glory on account of a thing; to
glory in a thing
This is the second time that “boast” is used by Paul. Perhaps PRIDE is one
of the underlying themes here.
breaking – parabasis – a
going over; metaph. a disregarding, violating; of the Mosaic law; from parabaino – to go by the side of; to go
past or pass over without touching a thing; to overstep, neglect, violate,
transgress
It’s not taking the stone tablets and breaking them, it’s walking around
them, going alongside them, passing over without touching them.
dishonor – atimazo – to
dishonor, insult, treat with contempt; whether in word, deed or thought; from time – a valuing by which the price is
fixed; honor which belongs or is shown to one
Lesson
It’s not what church you belong to,
but what has happened in your heart that counts
The Jewish people Paul was addressing were proud and haughty over the fact
that they were Jews, blessed with the heritage of Judaism, yet they didn’t buy
into the heart of Judaism, only the outer trappings.
It’s like the person who has grown up in a church, was baptized as an
infant, and feels like they don’t have to worry about going to heaven because
they were born and raised in the church. Don’t base your hope for eternity upon
anything other than what God says.
God doesn’t say that infant baptism saves you. He says that trusting in
Jesus saves you:
(John 1:12 NKJV) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the
right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:
(John 3:16-18 NKJV) "For God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have
everlasting life. {17} "For God did not send His Son into the world to
condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. {18} "He
who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned
already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of
God.
Your hope of spending eternity in heaven should be based only on the fact
that you are trusting Jesus to take you to heaven.
Paul is making the point that it’s not the POSSESSION of the Law that
counts, but the PRACTICE of the Law that counts.
For us – it’s not just going to a church that tells you the truth about how
to go to heaven, but it’s actually putting your trust in Jesus that gets you to
heaven.
:24 For "the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of
you," as it is written.
blasphemed – blasphemeo (“injure”
+ “report or fame”) – to speak reproachfully, rail at, revile, calumniate,
blaspheme; to be evil spoken of, reviled, railed at
Lesson
What do unbelievers think of your
God after watching your life?
It is thought that Paul is probably quoting:
(Isa 52:5 NKJV) Now therefore, what have I here," says the
LORD, "That My people are taken away for nothing? Those who rule over them
Make them wail," says the LORD, "And My name is blasphemed
continually every day.
But there’s another parallel in Scripture, where the concept started. It
was when David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. He tried to cover it up
by having her husband come home from the war and trying to get him to make love
to his wife. When that didn’t work, he had the husband killed. When the baby
was born, David was confronted about his sin by the prophet Nathan:
(2 Sam 12:13-14 NKJV) So David said to Nathan, "I have sinned
against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has put away
your sin; you shall not die. {14} "However, because by this deed you have
given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also
who is born to you shall surely die."
When Paul writes Timothy and gives him a list of what kinds of qualities to
look in a man before making him an elder in the church, he writes,
(1 Tim 3:7 NKJV) Moreover he must have a good testimony among those
who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.
Eldership, maturity, is linked with having your acts match your words, with
having your walk match your talk, with being a person who not only talks about
doing the right thing, but actually lives it as well.
:25-29 The True Jew
:25 For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you
are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.
circumcision – peritome (“around”
+ “sharp”) – circumcised
profitable – opheleo – to
assist, to be useful or advantageous, to profit
keep – prasso – to
exercise, practice, to be busy with, carry on
breaker – parabates – a
transgressor; a lawbreaker; from parabaino
– to go by the side of; to go past or pass over without touching a thing;
to overstep, neglect, violate, transgress (related word to “breaking” in verse
23).
Uncircumcision – akrobustia –
having the foreskin, uncircumcised; it comes from a word used to describe the
foreskin
Circumcision was one of
the great marks of the Law of Moses.
The world to the Jew was divided among those who were circumcised and those
who were uncircumcised.
It actually began with Abraham (Gen. 17).
Circumcision is removing a man’s foreskin, a “cutting of the flesh”.
It was originally intended to be the symbol of a man who was choosing to
live for God instead of after his own flesh.
Even in Moses’ day, it was clear that circumcision was to affect a man’s
heart, not just his sex organ.
(Deu 10:16 NKJV) "Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your
heart, and be stiff-necked no longer.
Circumcision is a valuable thing to a Jew if he lives a life of real
obedience. Then the thing that identifies him as a Jew (circumcision) becomes a
testimony of what God’s ways are like.
Christians also have rituals that identify us as Christians. Communion and
baptism are like this. They are valuable as a testimony to the world if you are
following Christ and showing people what He is like in your life.
But a Jew who is boasting that he is a circumcised son of Abraham, yet
lives like the devil, is really no better than an uncircumcised heathen
Gentile.
I’ve heard some people say that if you’re going to break the law while
you’re driving, then you shouldn’t have a Christian sticker on the back of your
car. I would like to adjust that a little and say that if you have a Christian
sticker on your car, then drive like a Christian should. Don’t take off the
sticker, change your driving.
:26 Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of
the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision?
righteous requirements – dikaioma
– that which has been deemed right so as to have force of law; a righteous
act or deed; literally “a work of righteousness”
keeps – phulasso – to
guard; to watch, keep watch; to guard i.e. care for, take care not to violate;
to observe
be counted – logizomai –
to reckon, count, compute, calculate, count over
Paul is saying that an uncircumcised Gentile who actually lives a life that
reflects God’s ways will be counted before God as circumcision.
A circumcised Jew would have a hard time listening to Paul say this.
:27 And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law,
judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor
of the law?
judge – krino – to
separate; to approve, esteem; to be of opinion, think; to judge
physically – phusis –
nature
fulfills – teleo – to
bring to a close, to finish, to end; to perform, execute, complete, fulfil, (so
that the thing done corresponds to what has been said, the order, command etc.)
written – gramma – a
letter; any writing, a document or record; the sacred writings (of the OT)
transgressor – parabates –
a transgressor; a lawbreaker (related to words used in vs. 23, 25, “breaking”);
the idea of stepping around the law
Paul is saying that a person who wasn’t a Jew, but obeyed the Law, would
stand in judgment over a Jew who trusted in their circumcision, but didn’t obey
the law.
I think that in practicality, he would have to be talking about us Gentile
Christians.
It’s only through trusting in Jesus that anyone can fulfill the requirement
of the Law.
(2 Cor 5:21 NKJV) For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us,
that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
As we are putting our faith in Jesus, God puts His
righteousness on us by exchanging our sins for Jesus’ righteousness.
:28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that
which is outward in the flesh;
outwardly – phaneros –
apparent, manifest, evident, known; manifest i.e to be plainly recognized or
known
:29 but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the
heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter;
inwardly – kruptos –
hidden, concealed, secret
Earlier Paul had taught that God will judge the secrets of a man’s heart
(Rom. 2:16). Here he clarifies that the issue of what God will be judging will
be what lies at the most secret, inner part of man, the heart.
Lesson
A real Christian
Some people know just enough about Christianity to be dangerous.
They go to church like real Christians. They sing songs in church like real
Christians. They learn Bible verses like real Christians.
These things don’t make you a Christian any more than
driving through MacDonalds makes you a hamburger.
God says,
(Isa 29:13 NKJV) Therefore the LORD said:
"Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with
their lips, But have removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me
is taught by the commandment of men,
God isn’t looking for a person to just talk the talk, He’s looking for
someone who is going to be open and honest with Him.
The real step of becoming a Christian, of knowing God, comes when you put
your life into God’s hand, ask Jesus to pay for your sins, pledge to follow
Jesus for the rest of your life, and to allow God to make the changes that God
wants to make in your life.
Please don’t misunderstand me here – it’s easy for preachers to make
anybody feel guilty about anything.
It’s not uncommon for us preachers to make Christians doubt whether or not
they are saved, and then get “saved” all over again.
Paul wrote,
(2 Cor 13:5 NKJV) Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the
faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in
you?; unless indeed you are disqualified.
Have you truly once and for all put your trust in Christ? Let tonight be
the night that you trust in Christ.
(1 John 5:11-13 NKJV) And this is the testimony: that God has given
us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. {12} He who has the Son has life;
he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. {13} These things I
have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may
know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the
name of the Son of God.
Pray – write the date in your Bible.
:29 whose praise is not from men but from God.
Jew – Ioudaios – Jewish,
belonging to the Jewish nation; from – Y@huwdah
– “praised”
Remember how Judah got his name in the first place:
(Gen 29:35 NKJV) And she conceived again and bore a son, and said,
"Now I will praise the LORD." Therefore she called his name Judah.
Then she stopped bearing.
This meaning of the name is repeated again at the end of Jacob’s life:
(Gen 49:8 NKJV) "Judah, you are he whom your brothers shall
praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your father's children
shall bow down before you.
praise – epainos –
approbation, commendation, praise
Lesson
Whose praise are you looking for?
In our society, all we care about is what others think. Just like the
Jewish rulers in Jesus’ day:
(John 12:42-43 KJV)
Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on him; but because of
the Pharisees they did not confess him, lest they should be put out of the
synagogue: {43} For they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
Illustration
Our age finds it difficult to come to grips with figures like Winston
Churchill. The political leaders with whom we are familiar generally aspire to be
superstars rather than heroes. The distinction is crucial. Superstars strive
for approbation; heroes walk alone. Superstars crave consensus; heroes define
themselves by the judgment of a future they see it as their task to bring
about. Superstars seek success in a technique for eliciting support; heroes
pursue success as the outgrowth of inner values.
The modern political leader rarely ventures to comment in public without
having tested his views on focus groups, if indeed he does not derive them from
a focus group. To a man like Churchill, the very concept of focus groups would
have been unimaginable. Thus in the space of a generation, Churchill, the
quintessential hero, has been transformed from the mythic to the nearly
incomprehensible.
-- Henry Kissinger in the New York Times Book Review, from his review of Churchill, by Norman Rose (July 16, 1995).
Be careful to not live your life for the applause of others.
Martin Luther wrote,
If you perhaps look for praise and would sulk or quit what
you are doing if you did not get it--if you are of that stripe, dear
friend--then take yourself by the ears, and if you do this in the right way,
you will find a beautiful pair of big, long, shaggy donkey hears. Affliction is
the best book in my library.
There’s one set of clapping hands we ought to be yearning to hear:
(Mat 25:21 NKJV) "His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and
faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler
over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord.'
For the person who chooses to trust in Christ, who chooses
to look for God’s approval instead of man’s – these are the words they will
indeed hear.