THE study in Romans last week dealt with those scriptures that show that our heavenly Father can and does reach those who are in the darkest night of heathenism. The next verses to be considered are the following:
“But if thou bearest the name of a Jew, and restest upon the law, and gloriest in God, and knowest His will, and approvest the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, and art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them that are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having in the law the form of knowledge and of the truth; thou therefore that 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 rob temples? thou who gloriest in the law, thru thy transgression of the law dishonorest thou God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you, even as it is written. For circumcision indeed profiteth, if thou be a doer of the law; but if thou be a transgressor of the law, thy circumcision is become uncircumcision. If therefore the uncircumcision keep the ordinances of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be reckoned for circumcision? and shall not the uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who with the letter and circumcision art a transgressor of the law? For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” Rom. 2: 17–29.
In the apostle Paul’s time, the Jews were the professed church of God in the earth. They made great pretensions to piety. They would not deign to mingle with the nations about them because of the superiority that they claimed.
But the apostle shows in the first part of the foregoing quotation that bearing “the name of a Jew,” and resting upon “the law,” and glorying in God, and approving excellent things, are not sufficient. Professing all these high forms of morality and righteousness, while at the same time every principle of them is being violated and trampled upon, is nothing but hypocrisy.
The Jews placed great stress upon circumcision. They had the idea that if they were only circumcised it was equivalent to a passport into heaven. Circumcision, according to their notions, made them the children of Abraham, and if they were his children they were safe. But the apostle makes it plain that they were altogether wrong. “Circumcision indeed profiteth, if thou be a doer of the law.” The doing of the law, then, is the objective point toward which we are directed. The doing of the law is righteousness. Any amount of professions, any amount of outward ceremonies, even though these ceremonies may be instituted by the Lord Himself, will not take the place of right-doing, which right-doing is the keeping of God’s law.
“If thou be a transgressor of the law, thy circumcision is become uncircumcision.” The Jew to whom these words were addressed was trusting in his circumcision to save him. And the Jew who is trusting in any such a form or ceremony represents any individual in any time of the world’s history who trusts to the formalities of service and who does not give attention to the plan that God has given whereby men may attain to righteousness and keep the law of Jehovah.
Many persons seem to think that if they only have their membership with some church they will be all right; or if they cling to some of the forms of religion that God will save them. But any one who stops to consider the matter closely will readily understand that God can not save any one who is not right. To bring that which is wrong into heaven would mean to ruin the eternal happiness of every righteous person who would enter there. Only the right can stand with God. Only the righteous can enter His eternal abode. The mere formalities of circumcision, or of any other like ceremony, must be swept aside as of no consequence apart from God’s great object of leading men to keep His law.
The apostle Paul expresses this truth in another place in this language:
“Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing; but the keeping of the commandments of God.” 1 Cor. 7: 19.
It is so easy for men to get their minds fixed upon some kind of formality, some kind of a ritual, some particular outward performance, and depend upon these things to the neglect of real deeds of righteousness, hence the apostles and teachers and prophets of the Bible have made it very plain that keeping God’s commandments is the object to be sought above everything else.
And in view of the importance of commandment-keeping the Lord has made abundant provision for man’s salvation from sin so that he can keep the righteous requirements of the divine Father. This point is particularly dwelt upon in the next chapter of Romans, so we will pass it for the present.
“He is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh.” The outward life does not make the real revelation of what the man actually is. To be a Jew in reality would mean to possess the faith and the righteousness of Abraham. And it takes this faith and righteousness that was so conspicuous in Abraham to truly represent the keeping of the law of God.9“He is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.” Inward righteousness is the only true righteousness. Men may make a fair exterior. They many appear, on a superficial acquaintance, to be all right. This outward appearance is all that men have to judge by in estimating the work and the characters of their fellows, but God looks at the man as he really is. God looks at the heart; He looks at the motives; He considers the meditations and thoughts; He goes into the citadel of the soul where none but He can enter, and measures the real man.
Thus being able to measure the man as he really is, and not looking upon him merely as he outwardly appears, when God pronounces him good he is good indeed. And thus may the lesson be impressed on our minds that even the outward observance of some of the precepts of the law of God may be as hollow a formality as the circumcision that was practised by the Jews long after they had ceased to possess the righteousness for which that ceremonial stood. The true keeping of the law of God must be a matter in which the individual meets the careful scrutiny of Him who knows every motive, every thought, and every impulse of the heart. The true keeping of the law of God begins with the innermost part of the man’s private life and shows a perfectly clean record clear to the surface.
With the knowledge of God’s actual requirements before us should we not at all times breathe the prayer, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, O Jehovah, my Rock, and my Redeemer.” Ps. 19: 14.