Bible Commentaries
Romans 2

Verses 1-5

So, when we come to the first 16 verses of the second chapter, we have Paul addressing this group who think they are more moral than the man on the street and certainly not as bad as the people in Romans 1:1-32. We have him proving that the moral person and the religious person are just as guilty as the amoral and the irreligious.

Now he is not going to be dealing in this second chapter with salvation, but with how God will judge men. I would like to emphasize that fact. Some verses in this portion of Scripture look as if salvation is by works. That’s not true. The very fact that men have sinned means that they have to be judged. God is righteous. Never forget that.

“But, Mr. Mitchell, God is love,” people tell me.

Yes, but He cannot manifest His love at the ex­pense of His righteousness. We are dealing with a righteous God. Hence, if you and I have sinned, then sin pays wages and death is the wages.

So Paul gives to us four grounds on which men are going to be judged by God. The first one occurs in the first five verses. You will notice that God is going to judge men according to truth. He is going to be dealing not with empty profession, but with reality. Remember that. In 2 Thessalonians 2:1-17, we read two of the reasons why God is going to judge them: because they believed not the truth and be­cause they loved not the truth.

Let us read the first three verses of this chapter:

Romans 2:1. Therefore you are without excuse, every man of you who passes judgment, for in that you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.

Romans 2:2. And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things.

Romans 2:3. And do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judg­ment upon those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?

Why is the one who judges not excused? Be­cause he does the same things and thinks that God is going to let him get by. You see, I think that although Paul primarily has the Gentiles, the mor­alists and religionists in mind, he also has the Jew in mind. Like the moralist, the Jew judges others; and yet, right down in his heart, he wants to commit the same sin the other fellow is doing.

Let me give you one or two illustrations of what I mean. The Pharisees in John 8:1-59 came to the Lord, dragging a woman with them.

They threw her down before Him and said, “Rabbi, according to Moses’s law, this woman ought to be stoned. We caught her in the act of adultery; and, according to Moses’s law, she should die. What do you think?”

And Jesus did a wonderful thing. He ignored them. But when they persisted, He said, “All right, I appoint you men as the executioners of this woman if you are without sin.”

Now I think the implication he meant is if they are without the same sin that they accused the woman of. And I read in the Bible that, from the oldest to the youngest, they sneaked out of the crowd one by one until the woman stood alone. The Lord lifted up his head and said, “Where are your accusers?”

And she said, “There are none, Lord.”

And He said, “Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more. If there is no one to accuse you, then no one can judge you.”

Now the Lord was not condoning her sin just be­cause He said to her, “You go and sin no more.”

She had said, “There are none, LORD.” She was a transformed woman, standing in the presence of God.

Why did her persecutors run out? Because of what this verse says. “Thou art inexcusable, O man, for, when you judge somebody else, you judge yourself because you do the same things.” And if you don’t do them, then I’m sure you would like to do them.

You see, God is going to rule by the heart.

Or you take that passage over in 2 Samuel 12:1-31 when Nathan told David about the rich man who took his neighbor’s little ewe lamb.

And Nathan said, “You are the man, David. You are the man. God has given you everything, and you took Bathsheba from her husband.” How quick we are to judge and accuse people when we ourselves are doing the very same thing. God is go­ing to judge men according to truth. No man can escape the judgment of God unless he comes God’s way.

And when you come to Romans 2:4-5, not only is God bound to judge according to truth, but the tragedy is that man despises the forbearance of God.

Romans 2:4. Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?

Romans 2:5. But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.

Let me stop here a minute. Acts 17:30 says God commands all men everywhere to repent. You see, from Abraham to Christ, God allowed the Gentile world to go on. How patient He was, and how pa­tient He is yet with those who despise Him even though there is nothing left but judgment.

You know, it just seems that sinners get away with their sin. They sin with impunity, with arro­gance. They despise the righteous God. And, be­cause God is good and loving and merciful, “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to re­pentance” (2 Peter 3:9), they think they can do anything they want to.

But still, my friend, they have to meet God. Those who despise His goodness are storing for themselves judgment and wrath against the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God. Remember, God is bound to judge right­eously. And the very goodness of God should lead them to repentance. You see, man has exchanged the goodness of God for His wrath.

“Oh, Mr. Mitchell,” you say, “no, I haven’t.”

My friend, you have if you have spurned His goodness. Just because God doesn’t judge you right away doesn’t mean you aren’t going to face judgment.

There is only one way to get free from judg­ment and that is to receive the Saviour; for I read in John 5:24, “He who hears My word, and believes Him who sent me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment.” In Romans 8:1, Paul says, “There is therefore now no condemna­tion for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

But even then there can be judgment. Some of you are saved but have never turned from your sin. How much longer do you think God is going to be good, longsuffering and tender? It’s true that God loves you, but He certainly hates the sin and the vileness and the corruption in your life. Your very selfishness, your very jealousy and envy and self-will are going to come under the judgment of God if you don’t confess and forsake them. God is longsuffering. He has allowed you to live all these years on the earth without judgment.

What for? Because He is longsuffering. Don’t you know that the very goodness of God should lead you to repentance, to turn around from your sins and repent? This is what you have in these first five verses of Romans 2:1-29. Only here he is deal­ing with unbelievers. God must judge all men ac­cording to truth, and He must be righteous in His judgments.

“But, Mr. Mitchell,” you may say, “my God is love.”

How do you know He is love? His righteousness must be vindicated.

This is why Jesus died on the cross. He vindi­cated the righteous character of God. He opened the way whereby sinners like you and me can be transformed into the children of God.

Verses 1-16

But in Paul’s day, there were those who could say, “We don’t belong to Chapter One. We haven’t sinned like that.” And there are a great many peo­ple in our age who are quite ready to condemn others and justify themselves.

Verses 1-29

A wee summary.

As we went through Chapter One, we saw the universality of sin. Paul had wanted to talk

about the righteousness of God, but he realized the folly of spending time talking about that when men think they have a righteousness of their own.

So when you read Chapter One, you find the universality of sin, especially in the Gentile world. But God gave the Gentiles up. They had spurned the God of creation. They had changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image. He had given them over unto uncleanness; and, because they changed the truth of God into a lie, He gave them up to vile affections. Then, because they refused to have God in their knowledge, He gave them over to a reprobate mind to do the inconvenient things. This is Chapter One.

Verses 6-10

God will judge according to men’s deeds

Now we come to the second ground whereby God is going to judge men. He will do it according to their deeds. This is in Romans 2:6-10, and it is a very, very solemn thing.

Romans 2:6. Who WILL RENDER TO EVERY MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS:

Romans 2:7. To those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life.

Now after these two verses, we have 8, 9 and 10 where you have the other side of the coin.

Romans 2:8. But to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indigna­tion.

Romans 2:9. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek

Romans 2:10. But glory, honor and peace to every man who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Now, this involves the character and aim of the doer. God is not going to judge men according to their profession. He is going to deal in right­eousness and in reality. And, believe me, it is a solemn reality because God knows their thoughts and motives.

Now, notice that in verses Romans 2:7 and Romans 2:10 Paul speaks of every man “who by perseverance in doing good” seeks for “glory and honor and immortality, eter­nal life” and “glory, honor, and peace, to every man who does good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” God in His righteousness is judging men according to reality. A heart that is trusting God reveals itself by persevering in well doing. But those who trust the law seek glory for themselves and incorruptibility. But how can they have that unless they are in touch with God?

In other words, what they are in themselves is revealed by their actions. God doesn’t culti­vate people with an empty profession. If their ac­tions do not measure up to what they say, God is going to judge them according to their deeds. He is going to judge in truth. He is going to judge in re­ality.

Now in verses Romans 2:8-9, you have those who are opposed to God, who are contentious and do not obey truth but obey unrighteousness. I read “wrath and indignation . . . tribulation and dis­tress for every soul of man who does evil,” whether Jew or Gentile. Now this is the heart of the man who has no trust in God. As a result, his life is a life of evil; he yields himself to sin. And the result is going to be anguish and tribulation and wrath.

Listen, this is not salvation, but divine judg­ment in view of works. And the attitude of men’s hearts to God is revealed by their works. He is not dealing with being saved by works, but rather with divine judgment in view of works. In other words, God is going to judge righteously. Those who are arrogant, self-righteous and self-willed are going to do what they want to do, whatever it may be. They are going to stand before God who is righteous. He is going to judge them righteously.

And the man and the woman who are doing the best they can to live a life pleasing to God will be judged according to their works. He is going to judge on the reality of their life before Him. He is going to shut the mouths of men from glorying in their own self-righteousness and goodness. He is going to judge the very thoughts and idle words they have spoken. They may fool you and me, my friend, and that wouldn’t be very hard to do; but they are not going to fool God.

“But, Mr. Mitchell,” these people say, “we haven’t sinned much.”

I tell them it’s not a question as to the amount of sin but the fact that they have sinned. It means that there is unrighteousness in them. Would they be willing for God to blaze abroad the thoughts of their heart—the thoughts that never find expression in words or in actions?

They say, “You mean to tell me, Mr. Mitchell, that God knows my thoughts?”

Psalms 139:1-2 says that He knows my thoughts from afar.

I tell them, “Friend, God knows the very inner­most secrets of your life, things that you think you are the only one who knows. Not another living soul knows what goes on in your heart, what you think—not even your wife or your children. But God knows. Would you be willing to stand before a righteous God and let Him tear the veil off and let everybody see?”

Oh, no, you keep it covered. Although you may not have said bad things or done bad things, you know right down in your heart the things you would have liked to have done. The reason you didn’t do them is because of what the effect might have been on yourself or upon somebody else or upon your reputation.

You are not fooling God, my friend. You’re not fooling God. You can fool preachers and people, but you can’t fool God. God must judge according to truth, according to your character, according to the very depth of your being. Everything that is unrighteous is going to be judged. The wages of sin is death. The soul of sinners shall die. God will judge by what man’s heart is. We are dealing with divine judgment in view of works.

Now the third ground of judgment follows.

Verses 11-15

Romans 2:11. For there is no partiality with God.

Romans 2:12. For all who have sinned without the Law will also per­ish without the Law; and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law;

Romans 2:13. For not the hearers of the Law are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.

Now we come to a tremendous passage of Scripture, and I’m sorry to say it’s a passage that has been greatly misunderstood. God is go­ing to judge men in absolute impartiality. There are going to be no favorites.

By the way, do you know that whenever this lit­tle statement is used—“without respect of per­sons”—it is always used in the Bible with regard to judgment. It is a question of divine approval whether one is a Jew or a Gentile. You remember in Acts 10:1-48, when he went down to the house of Cornelius, Peter said, “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality.”

Paul is really going after the Jew now in this connection. Watch what he says. The doers of the law, not the hearers of the law, are justified before God. Romans 2:13 merely states the conditions of legal righteousness, whether they are fulfilled or not. The law is to be obeyed, not just heard.

In fact, here you have God repudiating lip-service. You remember the Jews were God’s peo­ple. They said, “We have the law; the Gentiles have no law. They are way out in their sins; but to us Jews God says just ‘the doers of the Law will be justified.’”

You say, “Well, there you are, Mr. Mitchell. Sal­vation is by works.” No, let me tell you this very briefly. No man has ever lived, except the Lord Je­sus, who ever kept the law. For 1500 years be­tween Moses and Christ, the Jews had the law. I know that they added to the law with their traditions, but be that as it may. No Jew ever fully kept the law.

You take the best men in the Old Testament and, somewhere along the line, they failed God. The law was not given to save man. It was given to prove man is sinful. In fact, I would say to you, my friend, and I don’t care who you are, I say it dog­matically, it is impossible for you or for me to keep the law of God from the moment we are born until the moment when we die. It is impossible. Why? We are born in sin.

You say, “But, Mr. Mitchell, God has forgiven me my past; and from now on I’m going to keep the law.”

No, you can’t. I’ll guarantee that even Christians do not keep the law. And, if you want to know what the spirit of the law is (not just the exact Ten Commandments), you go to Matthew 5:1-48 (let me paraphrase) where our Lord tells us that Moses said, “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Then He added, “But I say unto you, if you look upon a woman to lust, you have already committed adul­tery in your heart.”

He said, “The Book says, ‘Thou shalt not kill;’ but I say unto you, He that hates his brother with­out a cause is in the same category.”

The Jews were great sticklers for keeping the law, washing their hands a certain way and all that. But their hearts were far from God. As the Lord Himself said through the prophet, “With their mouth they praise me, but their hearts are far from me.”

No, friend, to say the doers of the law shall be justified is true if you can find a man who keeps the law. But the Book also says that if you break the law in one point, you are guilty of all.

“CURSED IS EVERY ONE WHO DOES NOT ABIDE BY ALL THINGS WRITTEN IN THE BOOK OF THE LAW, TO PERFORM THEM” (Galatians 3:10). You see, we are all sinners. “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). That which the law demanded, we could never do. And, again, I repeat it. The reason for the law was to show that men are exceedingly sinful. When we get to Romans 7:1-25, we will go more fully into that part.

Now, what about the Gentiles?

Romans 2:14. For when the Gentiles who do not have the Law do in­stinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves,

Romans 2:15. In that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them.

The question is raised then, “If the Jew could not be saved by keeping the law because he was just a hearer and not a doer, what about the Gen­tiles?”

Well, my friend, the Gentiles have no excuse ei­ther. We had that in chapter one. “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

The moral law has been revealed to the Gentiles, and the Gentiles are responsible to do the right and not the wrong. Notice, what it says. “He that sins without law shall perish without law.”

Even though they had no revealed law, yet all Gentiles are accountable for their sins because everyone knows right from wrong. And if the Jew claims that the law will save him, then the Gentile can claim that his law of conscience will save him.

But both Jew and Gentile are absolutely guilty, the Jew for disobeying the revealed law and the Gentile the law of conscience; and both must stand before God who is righteous. He is going to judge men according to truth with respect to works and without respect to persons.

Which brings me, of course, to the last ground.

Verse 16

The conscience God put in man centuries ago has become so distorted today that what used to be called sin in our society is no longer called sin. Our young people have no conscience concerning sin.

“As long as you want it, do it.” they say. “And as long as it’s love . . .” It’s not love. It’s lust. And do you think they’re going to dodge the judgment of God? Not a bit of it. This is a question of divine disapproval.

If you want to follow that through, I would suggest you take Luke 10:1-42 and Mark 10:1-52 where you have the lawyer and the rich young ruler. These two men asked Jesus the same question, “What shall I do to inherit eternal life?” He never ques­tioned the lawyer about his stand before God, but he did ask him about his neighbor. And he re­sponded, “Who is my neighbor?”

With the rich young ruler, the issue was not his responsibility before his neighbor, but to God. In fact, I would say that only those who are enjoying divine life in Christ can live the life that will please God.

The Jew had the law of Moses. The Gentile had the law written on his conscience and his heart. Both must stand before God who “will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my Gospel.”

Elijah said the heavens are going to be closed at “my word” (1 Kings 17:1). What happened? Elijah took God’s Word and believed it, and it became his word. And now Paul says very boldly that the se­crets of men are going to be judged according to “my gospel.”

Allow me to read a couple of verses from 1 Co­rinthians 4:3-5: “But to me it is a very small thing that I should be examined by you, or by any hu­man court; in fact, I do not even examine myself. I am conscious of nothing against myself; yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hid­den in the darkness and disclose the motives of men’s hearts; and then each man’s praise will come to him from God.”

May I quote something else? “The gospel is stan­dard. The Judge is just. The day is certain, and the judgment is sure.” We have it in Genesis 18:25. “Shall not the Judge of all the earth deal justly?” Of course, He will always do the right thing. “The Judge is just. The day is certain.” We had it in Acts 17:31: God has “fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed.”

And the judgment is sure. As Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed for men to die once, and after this comes judgment.” The very secrets of men, the very motives of the human heart are going to be judged by Jesus Christ. I’m certainly happy that I have a Saviour who has put away every one of my sins.

And if I am to stand before a righteous God with my heart laid bare, then not only my actions, not only my words, but my very motives, the very se­crets of my life are going to be an open book to Him. How do you think I’ll stand? How do you think you will stand?

“Why, Mr. Mitchell, nobody will be able to stand,” you say.

That’s right. No man will be able to stand before God because He is going to judge according to truth, without respect of persons, according to our works. He will judge the very secrets, the very mo­tives of our heart.

Verses 17-20

Now Paul comes right out and goes after the Jew. He is going to prove that the Jew is equally guilty with the Gentile sinner of chapter 1. And the first thing he takes up is the fact of what the Jew knows—that is, his knowledge—in verses 17 to 20. Notice how the apostle writes:

Romans 2:17. But if you bear the name ‘Jew,’ and rely upon the Law, and boast in God,

Romans 2:18. And know His will, and approve the things that are es­sential, being instructed out of the Law,

Romans 2:19. And are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,

Romans 2:20. A corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth.

Now this is what the Jew knew; and, if Paul can prove the Jew to be as guilty as the Gentile, then the Jew is in a worse condition than the Gen­tile because of his added knowledge and responsi­bility.

Notice, he rests in the law and makes his boast of God. Here you see the blindness of the Jew. He never did see the reason for the law.

The law is an executioner. The soul that sinneth shall die. It’s like a man with his neck on the block; and, as the executioner has his ax out ready to chop his head off, he glories in his execu­tioner.

You say that’s a foolish thing.

Of course it is, but that was what the Jew was doing. He made his boast in the law, and he rested in the law. Because he had the law from God, he thought that that covered a multitude of sins. In­stead of that, the law was the revealer of sin; and he was blind, blinded by his own self-righteousness, blinded by his own egotism, blinded by his condition in the fact that he thought he was a favorite of God.

He made his boast that Jehovah was his God. He claimed to know the will of God, and he ap­proved of things that were different. That is, he knew right from wrong according to the law.

He claimed to be a leader of the blind, of those who were in darkness. He claimed to have the knowledge of God’s law. He made all these very vast claims: His God was the only God. He had the law of God. He had the Word of God. The Jews were God’s people. They were Abraham’s children. They were the people of the covenant.

Oh, how they boasted about their God and about their relationship to Him.

But notice their condemnation now in Romans 2:21-29. The very doctrine they believed or professed to testify to was denied in their very deeds. The Jew failed in that exact thing he knew best. I want you to mark it. He refused to walk in the light of what he taught.

Verses 17-29

THE JEW: AS GUILTY AS THE GENTILE

Verses 21-29

Romans 2:21. You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one should not steal, do you steal?

Romans 2:22. You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob tem­ples?

The Jew refused to walk in that which he himself taught. “Thou that teachest a man that he should not steal, do you steal?” The Jew thought nothing, for example, of going down to the heathen temple and stealing the gold and the sil­ver and the precious stones, whatever was of any value in the heathen temple.

“This is for the glory of God,” he would say. “We are putting down idolatry.”

“You that preach a man should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery?” The answer, of course, is very obvious.

“You that abhorrest idols, do you commit sacri­lege?” If a Gentile came into the temple courtyard in Jerusalem, the Jews would cry out, “Sacrilege,” and get ready to kill that Gentile. But they thought nothing of going to the Gentile temple and defam­ing it and smashing things up. As I mentioned, they would plunder the heathen temples and steal everything they could lay their hands on.

Romans 2:23. You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?

Romans 2:24. For “THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,” just as it is written.

Now let me just stop here. The Jews tar­nished the very name of God. Their lives made the Gentiles curse God. For example, in Ezekiel 36:17-20, where the prophet says in effect, “When you were in Israel, you were in idolatry and moral corruption. Now you are in captivity among the nations of the earth; and, even now, the very name of Jehovah is blasphemed because of you Jews.”

You know, I couldn’t help thinking that the name of our Saviour is often blasphemed because Christians are not walking correctly before God.

I’ve had people say, “Mr. Mitchell, if that is Christianity, I don’t want it.”

My friend, that which you are looking at is not Christianity.

Dwight L. Moody had an answer when someone would point to a man who was drunk, lying in the gutter, and say, “Mr. Moody, there goes one of your converts.”

“Yes,” said Mr. Moody, “he might have been my convert. But, if he had been converted to Jesus Christ, he wouldn’t be in the gutter.”

Oh, I say sadly, how often the very actions and lives of the saints have been used by Satan to hin­der people from coming to Christ.

The other day, a friend of mine said to a young man who was a professing Christian in the army, “Did you tell anybody about the fact that you love the Saviour?”

And he said, “No.”

He said, “Well, I’m glad you didn’t because your actions are a dishonor to the Saviour. And don’t talk about your Saviour until your actions are a little more like your Saviour.”

Oh, may you and I so walk before God that our Saviour will not be dethroned or dishonored be­cause of what we say and because of what we do. I know we are all frail, and we all have certain char­acteristics and weaknesses; but let’s look to the Lord for them. If you know you have a weakness, look to the Lord that He may give you victory over it and that you may enjoy deliverance from that frailty and become a testimony for God.

Oh, I just pray that you and I may so walk be­fore God that we will shed abroad something of the sweetness of the aroma of Christ. Our lives will be a benediction to people. Perhaps, instead of people saying things against the Saviour, they might say, “You’ve got something we haven’t got. I’d like to have what you have. I’d like to have that peace, that loveliness of character, that sweetness of dis­position that you have instead of what I have.”

God grant that those of us who profess the name of “Christian” might in a very, very unusual way give forth the Word of Life.

Now, in Romans 2:25-29, you have the inconsis­tency of empty profession. He is talking especially about the Jew. Look at what he says:

Romans 2:25. For indeed circumcision is of value, if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumci­sion has become uncircumcision.

Romans 2:26. If therefore the uncircumcised man keeps the require­ments of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?

Romans 2:27. And will not he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law?

Romans 2:28. For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.

Romans 2:29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.

What in the world is Paul talking about?

The Jews boasted about being the circumcised. The Gentiles, of course, were the uncircumcised. Circumcision was a sign of a covenant. God made a covenant with Abraham and his seed, and it be­came a national sign.

For example, in Exodus 31:1-18, the Sabbath Day was a national sign. The Sabbath Day is not an individual sign; it is a national sign—the sign of a covenant between God and the people of Israel. It was a sign of the Mosaic covenant.

Circumcision was a sign of the faith covenant made to Abraham and to his seed. The sign of cir­cumcision didn’t make a real Jew. Circumcision was of the heart.

For example, Ishmael was circumcised just as Isaac was; they were both sons of Abraham.

But God said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called” (Genesis 17:19 and Hebrews 11:18). His descendants were called the “children of faith,” the “children of Abraham.” Our Lord said, in effect, in John 8:39, “I know you are Abraham’s seed (na­tional); but, if you were Abraham’s children (chil­dren of faith), you would believe Me as Abraham did.”

Notice, please, outward ordinances only bene­fit if your heart is right with God. There are cer­tain privileges connected with being circumcised. For Jews, it was an outward manifestation that they belonged to God. But that would do no good if they didn’t live for Him.

Now let me bring it down to the present time. Outward ordinances are empty if your heart is not right with God. And no rite of any kind, no ordi­nance is going to shield any sinner from God. It’s got to be reality.

There are some people today who say, “Well, Mr. Mitchell, I have joined the church. I’ve been bap­tized.”

That may be true. I’m not opposed to that.

But baptism is an outward sign to the world that you belong to God. So your life should be godly. Paul here is saying, “You Jews who have the rite of circumcision, if you are not walking before God, you are in a worse plight than the Gentile who seeks to please God but who has never been circumcised. It’s no use glorying in the label if you don’t have the content.”

For example, if I can use a very crude illustra­tion, suppose I have a little ticket in my pocket and on the ticket is a label that says, “1 quart of milk.” Now which would you rather have? A little ticket with a label that says, “1 quart of milk” or a bottle of milk without the label?

“Why,” you say, “that’s a ridiculous question. Of course, I would rather have the bottle of milk without the label.”

That’s what you have here.

The Gentiles had no label, but they have reality; whereas the Jews who had the label have no real­ity.

Paul is saying, “It’s no use your boasting about a label if you don’t have the real thing. Don’t you boast about your being a Christian if you haven’t had any relationship with the Saviour.”

Now, I’m well aware that there are Christians, genuine Christians, who love the Saviour and have been baptized and have joined the church but who have certain frailties and weaknesses. I recognize that. But when a man boasts of his knowledge of God and that he is a Christian and when he lives like a man that is unsaved with no desire to change, then I question whether he really is trust­ing the Saviour.

You say, “Well, Mr. Mitchell, you can’t judge a man’s heart.”

That’s right. I can’t see your heart. God sees your heart. Men see your works. That’s why, when we get to chapter 4, we find the truth—God sees my faith, but men see my works. You can’t see my faith except as it is transmitted in works. And Paul is saying it’s no use your boasting about being a Jew, being circumcised, being superior to the Gen­tiles if your life is not real before God. God would rather accept the Gentile without the rite of cir­cumcision, without any ordinances at all if his heart is right with God.

The question I ask you is, “Is your heart right with God?”

I say, I’m not opposed to ordinances or ceremo­nies. What I’m after is the reality of your own heart life before God. You and I can discuss and argue concerning ceremonies, but that is neither here nor there if your heart is not right with God. The important thing is does your life show something of the transformation that comes to one in whom Christ dwells?

Which leads me, of course, to the third chapter. Paul continues to probe the Jew who had his knowledge in verses Romans 2:17 and Romans 2:20, his condemnation in verses Romans 2:21 to Romans 2:29, and now his advantages in Romans 3:1-8. And we are going to see that privi­lege increases responsibility. It does not free one of responsibility.

The more I know of Christ, the more responsible I am to walk before God, honoring Christ in what I say and do. This ought to be true of you. It ought to be true of all of us who love the Saviour.