{"id":225345,"date":"2024-04-21T20:01:29","date_gmt":"2024-04-22T03:01:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vayhub.us\/rdpt22\/?p=225345"},"modified":"2024-04-22T04:55:27","modified_gmt":"2024-04-22T11:55:27","slug":"ra4a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vayhub.us\/rdpt22\/ra4a","title":{"rendered":"RA4a"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Is Your Faith Grounded in Christ or in Your Own Morality?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\n

17<\/sup>If you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God 18<\/sup>and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; 19<\/sup>and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20<\/sup>an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth\u2014<\/p>\nRomans 2:17\u201320 (ESV)<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

For the rest of chapter 2, Paul engages with the Jews on the basis of their moral decency and religious fervor. They prided themselves on having the law of God (Rom.2:17-24) and on observing religious rituals like circumcision (Rom.2:25-29). Yet, Paul\u2019s message is jarring: such attributes do not equate to righteousness. Imagine a good Jew hearing these verses. “If I am a Jew?” How can you possibly say that, Paul? I am a Jew!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paul is not saying there is anything wrong with being a Jew; with having and knowing and internalizing God\u2019s law; with using his commands to make ethical decisions; or with seeking to share his ways with others. The problem is that \u201cyou rely \u2026 you brag\u201d (v 17). It is not the Jewishness, or the having of the law (far less the keeping of it) that is wrong; it is their attitude to their nationality and morality. They are relying on it; making what is moral (good things) into a system of salvation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moralism is pervasive and seductive. It\u2019s the default religion of humanity, tempting us to compare and believe in the adequacy of our goodness. It whispers, “If there\u2019s a God, I’m surely acceptable to Him. Look at my good deeds.” If we substitute ‘Christian’ for ‘Jew’ in this passage, the message becomes equally applicable. The same self-assurance of ‘Christian’ moralism surfaces when we boast in our actions or our Christian identity, rather than Christ’s work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To detect if we’ve drifted into this, we need only to replace \u201cChristian\u201d with \u201cJew\u201d and paraphrase verses 17\u201320: “You call yourself a born-again Christian and you are sure you are right with God because you signed a commitment card, or walked down an aisle, or prayed a prayer, and you really cried that night. You remember you had strong feelings for God, so you must have been converted that night. And, hey, since then you have memorized dozens of Scripture verses, and you know the right answer to a large array of questions. And you\u2019ve led other people to make a commitment to Christ in the Bible study you lead. And you want to get deep into the Bible\u2014that\u2019s why you\u2019re reading this Romans devotion!”<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, the question lingers: Are these mere indicators, or are they the substance of your faith?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our salvation is not based on our religious identity, knowledge, or actions, but solely on the finished work of Christ on the cross (Ephesians 2:8-9). While our works should flow from a heart transformed by the gospel (James 2:17), they are not a means to earn God’s favor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Examine your life and ask yourselves before God: Are you a Christian because of what you do or who you are? Talk to God about it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

[The ideas for this week’s materials on Romans 2:17-29 were drawn from Tim Keller’s book “Romans 1-7 for You<\/a>“]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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