<html><head></head><body><div><div><div><div><br></div>Romans 2;17-24<div><br></div><div><b>17. &nbsp;But if you call yourself a Jew and rely upon the law and boast&nbsp;of your relation to God</b></div><div><b>18. &nbsp;and know His will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed in the law,</b></div><div><b>19. &nbsp;and if you are sure that you are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,<br>20. &nbsp;a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth—&nbsp;</b></div><div><b>21. &nbsp;you then who teach others, will you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal?</b></div><div><b>22. &nbsp;You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols do you not rob temples?</b></div><div><b>23. &nbsp;You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?</b></div><div><b>24. &nbsp;For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”</b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div><b><br></b></div><div>In this passage, Paul is writing specifically to the Jewish Christians in Rome, but these words apply to everyone who knows, (or at least ‘thinks’ they know the Law). &nbsp;These words apply to all Christians who attempt to teach God’s truth, but who do not submit from the heart and will&nbsp;to keep&nbsp;it in their own lives.</div><div><br></div><div>&nbsp;Hypocrisy is part of our sinful nature. &nbsp;“Do as I say, not as I do.” &nbsp;&nbsp;It&nbsp;is an old proverb coined by sinners like us. &nbsp;</div><div><br></div><div>The Jews thought that circumcision was a sure&nbsp;sign of right relationship/oneness with God, just as modern Believers consider their baptism, or their church membership.</div><div><br></div><div>But circumcision, baptism, and&nbsp;church membership all are to be outward expressions of&nbsp;inner brokenness, true repentance. &nbsp;As God through the prophet complains, <i>“This&nbsp;people draw near with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips,&nbsp;while&nbsp;their hearts&nbsp;are&nbsp;far from Me, and the fear of Me is a commandment of men learned by rote;” &nbsp;</i>(Isaiah 29;13)</div><div><b><br></b></div><div>True right relationship with God is real,&nbsp;willing&nbsp;surrender to His will above our own. &nbsp;This can only be&nbsp;through the gifts of repentance and faith, which denies&nbsp;self and hates the sinful&nbsp;flesh, the old nature.</div><div><br></div><div>To be a ‘true Jew’ in the sight of God is for&nbsp;the New-man in his clean heart,&nbsp;to willingly&nbsp;embrace the gifts of repentance and faith which God gives us. &nbsp;He lives for the praise of God’s glory. &nbsp;This is what it means to be a child of Abraham.</div><div><i>“The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit;&nbsp;a broken and contrite heart O God, thou will not despise.”</i> &nbsp;</div><div>(Psalm 51;17)</div><div><br></div><div>Prayer: &nbsp;Merciful Father, we praise You that by Your living Word and Spirit, you have raised us up with Jesus to walk in Newness of Life, with clean hearts and right spirits. &nbsp;Let our confession of faith be made in holy, clean fear of you O Lord,&nbsp;with our lives as well as our lips. &nbsp;We pray in Jesus, Amen.</div><div><br></div><div>Love,</div><div>Dad/Baba/Eric</div><div>Grandpa Pickle Pastor</div><div>“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed,’soak’ in the living Word. &nbsp;God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”</div><div><b><br></b><br><div><a href="https://mail.onelink.me/107872968?pid=nativeplacement&amp;c=Global_Acquisition_YMktg_315_Internal_EmailSignature&amp;af_sub1=Acquisition&amp;af_sub2=Global_YMktg&amp;af_sub3=&amp;af_sub4=100000604&amp;af_sub5=EmailSignature__Static_" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"></a><br></div></div></div></div></div></body></html>


Romans 2;17-24
17.  But if you call yourself a Jew and rely upon the law and boast of your relation to God18.  and know His will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed in the law,19.  and if you are sure that you are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,
20.  a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21.  you then who teach others, will 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 not rob temples?23.  You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?24.  For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

In this passage, Paul is writing specifically to the Jewish Christians in Rome, but these words apply to everyone who knows, (or at least ‘thinks’ they know the Law).  These words apply to all Christians who attempt to teach God’s truth, but who do not submit from the heart and will to keep it in their own lives.
 Hypocrisy is part of our sinful nature.  “Do as I say, not as I do.”   It is an old proverb coined by sinners like us.  
The Jews thought that circumcision was a sure sign of right relationship/oneness with God, just as modern Believers consider their baptism, or their church membership.
But circumcision, baptism, and church membership all are to be outward expressions of inner brokenness, true repentance.  As God through the prophet complains, “This people draw near with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, while their hearts are far from Me, and the fear of Me is a commandment of men learned by rote;”  (Isaiah 29;13)
True right relationship with God is real, willing surrender to His will above our own.  This can only be through the gifts of repentance and faith, which denies self and hates the sinful flesh, the old nature.
To be a ‘true Jew’ in the sight of God is for the New-man in his clean heart, to willingly embrace the gifts of repentance and faith which God gives us.  He lives for the praise of God’s glory.  This is what it means to be a child of Abraham.“The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart O God, thou will not despise.”  (Psalm 51;17)
Prayer:  Merciful Father, we praise You that by Your living Word and Spirit, you have raised us up with Jesus to walk in Newness of Life, with clean hearts and right spirits.  Let our confession of faith be made in holy, clean fear of you O Lord, with our lives as well as our lips.  We pray in Jesus, Amen.
Love,Dad/Baba/EricGrandpa Pickle Pastor“A chapter a day, every day, progressively, be transformed,’soak’ in the living Word.  God’s Word is our habitation, and we are His.”

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