For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes- the Jew first and also the Gentile. This Good News tells us how God makes us right in his sight. This is accomplished from start to finish by faith. As the Scriptures say, “It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” Romans 1:16-17
What is something that you collect, or what paraphernalia for a hobby or interest do you get giddy to purchase?
Today we are going to dive into Paul’s teaching that gets at the heart of our faith. Paul helps us to see that we can overfocus on the stuff of our spirituality to the point that we miss the heart of it. The Jews got caught up in the laws and rituals and lost sight of God. This would be like us worshipping the Bible rather than God who inspired it.
Read Romans 2:17-24. When you read this passage, you will see that Paul was using an ancient debating technique known as a diatribe. This is where Paul talked about what he thought the criticism would have been about before the people could even bring it to him.
What did Paul accuse them of doing in verses 21-24? Paul called them out of them knowing the law but breaking it, They were seeing everyone else’s sin but their own. Are they honoring God by doing this? They were not reflecting themselves against the law. They weren’t changing their heart. This is what we need to be aware of in our own life. What we teach must match how we live. We need to take the Bible as a mirror of our lives. We must take a look so we can see clearly where we need to be realigned with God’s heart and plan. We do not want to get so caught up in the letter of His words that we miss the spirit of them. We do not want to push others away from God because of how we act and speak. WE want to be the light of the world around us.
Read Romans 2:25-29. The only way to God is to have a change of heart that is produced by the Spirit. What are some Christian practices or traditions that we elevate about the heart? Traditions and ordinances are beautiful things that are meant to lead us to spiritual truths. We need to be careful of communion, baptism, praise music, bible translation, and even the cross that we use to adorn the church to be twisted into pride issues. This doesn’t point to Jesus. Are you following God on your own strength? What is God asking you to give up?
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for teaching us how to put our words and our actions for your glory. I pray that both our words and actions will match up and not push others away from you. I pray that we will allow the bible to be a mirror and that it will reflect on what we need to give up in our lives to serve you better. I pray that we will have a true heart for you and not base things on legalism.
In Jesus Name
Amen
