Treasures New and Old

Romans: Man without Excuse: The Confidence That Fails

This is the fourth of five articles on Romans, Chapter 2. The previous articles explored the following topics and can be reviewed in our article archives:

The Certainty of Divine Judgement: vs 1-4
The Credits of Wrath We Accumulate: vs 5-11
The Conscience That Condemns: vs 12-16

This month we will examine Paul’s arguments that make us conclude that we may have confidence in ourselves, but it is a confidence that fails in the end (verses 17-24). The final article on Romans, Chapter 2, will be titled: “The Circumcision That Counts: vs 25-29.”

Also, in way of review, in Romans, Chapter 1, Paul dealt with the “pagan man”, but in Romans, Chapter 2 Paul deals with the “moral man.” In Chapter 2, verses 1-16, you will note that the mood moves from they in Chapter 1 to thou in Chapter 2 making his arguments more personal to the reader.

Let’s dig in . . .

Romans 2:17-24:

Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, And instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law. Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, doest thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, doest thou commit sacrilege? Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonorest thou God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.

God’s Judgement Principle Number 7: According to Profession verses Reality

In this section of Chapter 2, Paul is speaking directly to those Jews who believe themselves better than many other Jews as well as Gentiles.
This small section brings to mind two incidents in the gospels:

Mark 12:41-44: “And Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much. And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing. And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living.”

The Pharisees and Sadducees of the day were proud of their “religion” and their self-aggrandizement of their behaviors and actions. But here a widow gave all she had – not some small amount of her abundance. An abundance implies that the pain of loss didn’t exist for they knew that they could make it up soon enough and more in their various business practices.

Luke 18:9-14:

And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Here are some interesting quotes regarding this subject:

“While they are congratulating themselves all upon the good things that they find within themselves, I have to lie humbly at the foot of Christ’s cross, and marvel that I am saved at all, for I know that, I am saved” (Charles Spurgeon).
“If any man thinks ill of you, do not be angry with him; for you are worse than he thinks you to be” (Charles Spurgeon).
This section has Paul pointing out that the Jews who boast in the law and consider themselves better than others are also miserable sinners in need of a Savior. Let’s now look at each verse in this section.

Verse 17 Notes: “Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,”

Restest: (King James’ English for rests or resting) epanapauo: (Wordsearch’s Strong’s G1879): taken from two Greek words: epi (Strong’s G1909) – to be above, on top of, upon; and anapauo (Strong’s G373) which means to take rest or to take ease. Implied that they fully rest upon their salvation by virtue of the law and the excellent way that they believe they keep it.

Makest thy boast: Here Paul points out that these Jews go so far as to vaunt, glory, brag, claim that they are saved by their keeping of the law and, therefore, are safe and better than those around them.

Now Paul prepares to set a logical trap for his Jewish readers who trust only in the law.

Verse 18 Notes: “And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;”

Paul points out that a superior knowledge of the law does, indeed, belong in the Jew, and those who study the law have a greater knowledge than even other Jews who have only partial knowledge of the law (as in laborers, farmers, sheepherders, etc.).

Thus, Paul starts a trap for them by adding that this knowledge of the law also affords them a deeper understanding of God’s will – which it does. Those who know the Bible have a better understanding of what God expects of mankind.

Paul further asserts that such men who know the law are able to discern a more excellent way to behave than those without the law in that they have God’s own will in a matter to refer to as opposed to the poor thinking and wisdom of man alone.

Finally, in this verse, Paul concedes that those Jews (mentioned in verse 17) who are saturated in the law and instruct others in the law do, indeed, believe it to be the more excellent way to act before God. However, Paul will show that Christ is the more excellent way later in Romans.

Verse 19-20 Notes: “And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.”

Paul is being sarcastic here. But I suspect there would be those who were so arrogant and proud in their law “obedience” that they miss that.

And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind. The apostle, in these verses, states the effect which the peculiar advantages of the Jews produced upon them. They considered themselves to be greatly superior to all other nations, capable of instructing them, and of being the guides and light of the world. Those beneath them they naturally considered “blind” and in need of their enlightenment.

This belief that they had is presented in different ways, such as “a light of them which are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes.” They looked upon themselves as qualified to act as the instructors of others, both Jew and Gentile.

Having the form of knowledge and of truth in the law. Morphosis occurs in the New Testament only here and in 2 Timothy 3:5. In the latter passage, it is opposed to the reality and means “a mere appearance”. They supposed themselves to be able to guide others because they had the form of knowledge in the law. The form of knowledge here means the exhibition of knowledge and truth in the law is given in a form which expresses their true nature. In other words, their expression and interpretations are what they teach as truth however warped their actual beliefs might be.

2 Timothy 3:1-5: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

Verse 21-22 Notes: “Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?”

Thou therefore that teachest another. We have here the virtual apparent result of the main clause in verse 17. Now Paul starts to close the logical trap. One who teaches another is also reteaching himself and is, therefore, the more responsible for the truth that has been taught. Violations of such are an even greater sin.

Or let’s put it this way: If thou, although a Jew, and related to God as one of His peculiar people, and well instructed out of the law, violate the law, and do the things thou condemnest in others, how canst thou escape the judgment of that God who will render to every man according to his works.

Paul asserts that the Jews were guilty of the crimes here specified. To set themselves up as instructors, and yet not to apply their principles to themselves, is not only an inconsistency but offensive arrogance and hypocrisy and, frankly, places them (and if we do the same thing – us) in a worse state before God than those who do so out of ignorance.

To steal and to commit adultery are great sins. But for those who preach against them and condemn them in others, to, then, commit them themselves, is to greatly increase their guilt before a Holy God. The Jews, therefore, who committed the sins which they so loudly condemned in the heathen were guiltier in the sight of God than the heathen themselves.

While flattering themselves that they were secure from divine wrath in the portion of the law they referred to, they were, instead, the special objects of God’s displeasure, and that publicans and harlots were nearer to the kingdom of God than they.

Thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege [one way to do so was to rob temples dedicated to idols]? That the Jews, because of the Babylonian captivity, did abhor idols was a well-known fact. That they robbed the temple of idols is not well known. Besides, robbing the temples of idols was not sacrilege, for in the mind of the Jew there was no sacredness in those temples. It was to such a Jew but robbery and nothing more – but robbery nonetheless.

Yet Paul, by adding the sacrilege phrase, is pointing back to the stealing phrase that such Jews would have baulked at – believing themselves to be no thieves. That they robbed idol temples indicates that they coveted the idols for their value which is, itself, idol worship.

The Jew taught that men should not steal; yet he stole himself. He said, “Commit not adultery.” Yet he was guilty of that crime. He abhorred idols, yet was guilty of idolatry. The essence of idolatry is to profane God. Of this the Jews were in a high degree guilty.

The Jews had made God’s house a den of thieves. This expressed the sin of irreverence in its higher form by reducing His house from a House Prayer to that of a filthy lucre den, and, thus, withholding from God His due. The prophet denounces this as robbery: “Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings” Malachi 3:8.

At best, their behavior may be taken as the irreverent disregard of God and holy things. This is all the context requires: ‘You profess great reverence for God, in eschewing idolatry, and yet, in other forms, you are guilty of the greatest irreverences.’

Verse 23-24 Notes: “Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonorest thou God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.”

Another striking instance of the inconsistency between their principles and their conduct was that while they made a boast of the law, they so disregarded its precepts that they lead the heathen to think and speak evil of that God who gave the law and of whose character they judged by the conduct of His people.
This charge he expresses in the language of their own prophets. See Isaiah 52:5; and Ezekiel 36:20, 23.

Isaiah 52:4-6: “For thus saith the Lord GOD, My people went down formerly into Egypt to sojourn there; and the Assyrian oppressed them without cause. Now therefore, what have I here, saith the LORD, that my people is taken away for naught? they that rule over them make them to howl, saith the LORD; and my name continually every day is blasphemed. Therefore my people shall know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: behold, it is I.”

Ezekiel 36:19-23:

And I scattered them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the countries: according to their way and according to their doings I judged them. And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land. But I had pity for mine holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the heathen, whither they went. Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord GOD; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine holy name’s sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye went. And I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned among the heathen, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; and the heathen shall know that I am the LORD, saith the Lord GOD, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes.

Both Isaiah and Ezekiel refer to that blaspheming of God by the heathen which arose from the misery of His people whose God they were thus led to regard as unable to protect His worshippers. This, however, does not render the reference of the apostle less appropriate; for it is the mere fact that God’s names was blasphemed among the Gentiles on account of the Jews that the Apostle Paul means to confirm by this reference in the Scriptures. And, besides, as their sins were the cause of their captivity, their sins were the cause also of the evil speaking of God by the heathen, and of which their sufferings were the immediate occasion.

Some Takeaways for Us as Believers:

We dare not join the law-trusting Jews in our “superior” faith in thinking ourselves better than others. Consider again these quotes:
- “While they are congratulating themselves all upon the good things that they find within themselves, I have to lie humbly at the foot of Christ’s cross, and marvel that I am saved at all, for I know that, I am saved” (Charles Spurgeon).
- “If any man thinks ill of you, do not be angry with him; for you are worse than he thinks you to be” (Charles Spurgeon).

2. It is by the grace of God that we are saved and not anything within ourselves. Consider:

Romans 12:3: “For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.”

2 Corinthians 1:12: “For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.”

Hebrews 2:9: “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”

3. Be careful that what you profess is, in reality, what you actually do.

Romans 2:13: “(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.”

James 1:22: “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.”

Maranatha!

Bro. Joe

References

Spurgeon, Charles Haddon. “David Dancing before the Ark Because of His Election.” July 1, 1888. Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Volume 34. Retrieved from https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons

Spurgeon, Charles Haddon. “One Aspect of Christ’s Death.” May, 3, 1906. Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit Volume 52. Retrieved from https://www.spurgeon.org/resource-library/sermons

Strong, J. Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries. Meyers, R. (2005). e-Sword. [computer software] . Franklin, TN: Equipping Ministries Foundation. (Original work published 1539)

Strong, J. Strong’s Talking Greek_Hebrew Dictionary. Wordsearch. (2020). Wordsearch Bible. [computer software] . Nashville, TN: LifeWay Christian Resources. (Original work published 1890).

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