Take Two: Romans 2, Proverbs 8

Chapter 2 (at a very high level) moves the judgment for sin from the evil people God had "given over," to the people who live in our houses. In essence, Paul is saying that if we judge others, we certainly are worthy of judgment ourselves. We are not above the law. We have not arrived. We are not judged because we judge others; rather, we are judged because we do the same things they do (v.1-3).

The big picture in ch 2 is that we are all unworthy before God. Those of us with specific knowledge of "the Law" are (if we really look at ourselves closely) revealed to be more condemned by it than they are. The scrutiny is somewhat higher.

Paul speaks of both Jew and Greek. It may be that the Jews (like some baptists I know) had convinced themselves that they were somehow better than all of the other people who acted wickedly. Since they kept the ceremony of the Law and were, of course, ethnic Jews...perhaps they felt they had risen above the "heathen" around them. Paul is driving home the point that they had not risen above; rather, they should be all the more convicted (if they saw themselves honestly). Let me draw a "weak" analogy:

Suppose you are in a "prayer meeting" talking about your neighbor admitting to you about having an affair. They sinned by violating their marriage covenant. However, you are then sinning by gossiping about the sin. You are also breaking a promise (covenant) by repeating what was shared with you. You think you are better, so you now are somewaht relying on your own self-righteousness as your justification before God. All the while, you actually have committed the same sin as they...and then some.

Many people can look at the mistakes and shortcomings of others and see their sin clearly. We all have a blindspot when it comes to our own sin. At the end of the day, it is not what we do that makes us right before God. The BEST that we do makes us unworthy before God. Only what God DID at Calvary makes us worthy to stand before Him. That is the thrust of vv.28-29 when Paul says that what one does-- doesn't make him a Jew (a person of God), but what the Holy Spirit in him does that makes him a Jew (a person of God).

If I were applying this today, I would say that we are no different at the core level from the child abuser, the drug addict, the prostitute, or the adulterer/adultress that we turn our nose up at. Yes we may have avoided those sins...but we have still sinned. We would do well to recognize that "but for the Grace of God" we too could be in their spot. If we saw ourselves as God's agents...we would probably work that much harder to help them to-- not stop sinning--- but experience God's grace in forgiveness for their sin and allow our influence and the power of the Holy Spirit to work in them making them see their sin as God does, and forsake it.

Proverbs 8:35-36 is the takeaway today: "For he who finds me (wisdom) finds life and obtains favor from the Lord. But he who sins against me (wisdom) injures himself; all those who hate me (wisdom) love death."

Gaining knowledge, applying it, and living by it...are the true keys to experiencing the abundant life Christ came to give (Jn 10:10). Living abundantly is not some picture of things to come, but is a promise for the here and now...to those who would choose God's way over their own in everything.

Grace,