None Is Without Sin

ALL ARE EQUALLY GUILTY BEFORE GOD

By Ezekiel Kimosop

INTRODUCTION

Today we continue with our series through some passages of the Book of Romans. We shall examine the passage of Romans 2:17-24 which says:

"Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God, 18 and know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, 19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law. 21 You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? 22 You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? 24 For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” as it is written" NKJV)

BIBLICAL ANALYSIS

This passage was part of Paul's address to Jewish Christians in Rome who were proud of their Jewish religious heritage. 

These radical Jews considered themselves spiritually superior to Gentile Christians because of their covenant relationship with God through Abraham.

In the succeeding passage of Romans 2:25-29, the Bible discloses that this group considered circumcision as an indispensable mark of the new covenant faith. They insisted that a believer was incomplete in Christ unless he was circumcised in accordance with the Jewish custom.

It is instructive that Greek and other ancient ethnic European societies did not observe the circumcision rite. They therefore found the demand by the Jews to be burdensome and confusing in the light of what Paul and his associates was had previously taught them.

Paul confronted this religious fallacy by appealing to the Jewish believers based in Rome to reconsider the false doctrine because there was no requirement under the new covenant that Gentile believers must be circumcised in order to be saved.

The Jerusalem Council of Acts 15 recognized that ritual circumcision was not a prerequisite to salvation in Christ and should therefore not be burdened upon the Gentile believers (see Acts15:23-29).

Back to our passage of Romans 2:17:24...

Paul went ahead to demonstrate that Jews were no different from Gentiles before the eyes of God. Both were sinful and therefore failed God's moral law.

The Jews were however privileged to know God through the revelation in the Old Covenant which is contained in the Old Testament Scripture. This, in Paul's view, should be a reason for their gratefulness and the basis for their Christian responsibility in leading Gentiles to know God (Romans 2:17-19).

Sadly, a section of the Jewish believers in Rome had inflamed ethnic pride and bigotry. They refused to recognize Gentile Christians simply because they were not ritually circumcised.

Let's move on to the next verse....

What does it mean to be a "a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness" (Acts 2:19)?

God counts on believers to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matthew 5:13-16). By this statement, Jesus taught that His followers are God's divine agents on earth; His special community of people that have been set apart for God's service (Titus 2:11-14; 1 Peter 2:9). 

2 Cor. 5:18 says "Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation." 

By these illustrations, we learn that we are to exemplify Christian faithfulness and lead others in the way of Christ even as we follow the example of Christ (1 Cor. 11:1).

Romans 2:21-23 contains a number of rhetorical questions by which Paul sought to illustrate that the Jews could not claim a higher moral ground than Gentiles when it came to obedience to God. The Jews had failed God's standards even as they demanded obedience to the law of Moses from the Gentiles.

Paul was satirical in His evaluation of their open contradictions. They demanded compliance with moral standards that they could not satisfy.

Scripture here is bare....If the Jews could not perfectly obey the moral code commanded by God, how could they demand obedience from Gentile believers?

Their demands were therefore hypocritical.

On this score, the Bible concludes our passage with the statement that the radical Jewish Christians had become a stumbling block to the gospel, saying, "For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,”...." (Romans 2:24).

APPLICATION

Racial or ethnic distinctions today separate millions of Christians the world over. American Christians are for instance divided along race and skin color with the result that we commonly hear about the Black Church and the White Church.

Religious racism is not restricted to America alone. It is a dark scar in several regions the world over. It is a slur on the global church which is the body of Christ.

These hyped racial distinctions are inconsistent with the principles and teachings of Scripture.

Ethnic or race distinctions are in themselves not ungodly. God created us as we are and placed us in specific ethnic communities and regions. We never chose where to be born or which ethnic language to speak!

However, ethnicity or racism should never be used to discriminate or prejudice or even profile Christians in a congregation or to isolate minorities from Christian leadership. 

What stands us out as God's children is not a physical mark or tattoo or racial/ethnic distinctions but our covenant relationship with God through the blood of Jesus Christ. 

This is what unifies us in Christ so that, as the Scripture says, 

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise."

There is nothing innate or attractive in us or in our ethnic cultures that makes us more acceptable to God than people from other communities or regions.

Secondly, we cannot add to what Christ has accomplished at the cross. When Jesus declared that it is finished, He had accomplished His mission on earth through His sacrificial atonement.

Those who place their hope in Christ have been redeemed by His sinless blood and have been fully restored to God.

There is no ritual that remains to be performed by men that augments God's divine works in us.

I once heard a charismatic teacher say that every believer must undergo a "deliverance" session after coming to Christ in order to deal with their past. This is a popular ritual in sections of the  charismatic movement. I find no biblical foundation for this doctrine. Such religious rituals are the work of men.

I am convinced without doubt that Christ dealt with my past when I came to Him in faith. There is nothing more required of me other than to walk in obedience!

CONCLUSION

No believer can claim to walk in perfect obedience to God. This is biblically impossible. We all fall short of God's divine standards. Our righteousnesses are as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Only the sinless blood of Jesus Christ can cleanse and restore us to God. 

We are free from the condemnation of sin but we are not free from the presence and influence of sin on earth.

Only until we appear before the glorious presence of Christ in heaven shall we truly be free from the presence and influence of sin.

The Bible declares in 1 John 1:8-10, 

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us."

This passage was not written to sinners but to believers! 

I am aware that some charismatic teachers claim that 1 John 1 was not addressed to the Church. Nothing could be further from the truth!

Let me conclude by saying that Biblical Christianity is not about compliance with the laws and regulations of religion but holding a clear conscience before God that is free from moral condemnation.

1 John 3:20-21 says: 

"For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. 21 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God."

Where our hearts condemn us, we should  turn to Christ, whose blood makes us white as snow. His sinless blood is always available to every child of God who comes to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:14-16).

Religious prescriptions of men only serve to draw us away from God but the convictions of the word of God through the Holy Spirit draw us into godly repentance and solidifies our relationship with our heavenly Father.

Shalom

© Ezekiel Kimosop 2019