Stop Bragging!
Romans 2:17 – 29
Introduction:
One of the things I can't stand about certain people is their tendency to brag about anything and everything under the sun. Have you ever met such people before? I'm sure you have. They're the kind who talks about their personal achievements, about the important people that they know or are acquainted with, about how great they are when they engage in sports or when they're doing business. They emphasize where they've studied (especially if its a prestigious school) as well as where they're working (if its a multi-national company). Such people are often termed as braggarts and I believe the reason they brag is because they want to feel important and they want others to think that they're important.
But sometimes people brag for other reasons, such as when they think and when they know that they're right and you're wrong. They brag when they have something that you don't have or something that is way much newer than what you have now. They even brag when they think that they are better and nicer people than you. Now before I keep on pointing fingers at others, I need to look at myself and admit that there are times when I am a braggart myself, when I begin to look at myself as being more superior than others or when I think that I'm smarter than others, or when I have something more superior to what you have. Why do some people brag or boast? It is because they feel a bit insecure about themselves as compared to others and thus, the need to elevate themselves or to put themselves on a pedestal in order for them to get attention.
Bragging is not an exclusive domain of an individual; it is also something that institutions do when they achieve a certain level of success such as a school winning a basketball tournament over a rival school, or a university achieving an engineering breakthrough, or of an alumni doing very well in the business world and in politics. Companies also brag about what they've accomplished such as inventions and patents.
Bragging is a trap we, as individuals, all have the tendency of falling into, when we are not careful in our thoughts as well as with our words. In fact, we may brag about certain things that may prove to be detrimental to us in the end. A southern California couple appeared in the talk show of Dr. Phil McGraw, the psychiatrist who became famous because of Oprah. This couple bragged to Dr. Phil that they had made US$ 100,000.00 by selling shoplifted toys on e-Bay, and even told Dr. Phil that they had stolen more than a hundred boxes of Lego toys. Their bragging led to their arrest by the police. The husband must serve a 27 months prison term while the wife must serve 12 months. There was also an incident involving an old friend of mine. One day he showed up in school wearing a Giordano T-Shirt. He was then boasting to another friend that he had a Giordano T-Shirt which was the fad in the early 1990s. Our friend then asked a seemingly innocent question, “What size is it?” My friend who was wearing the Giordano T-Shirt then answered, “Free Size.” Immediately, the other friend replied with a taunting chant, “Walang free-size ang Giordano. Fake iyan.” My friend who was wearing this fake T-Shirt had a deflated look on his face. His bragging led him to embarrassment instead!
While the examples that I've cited may cause one to be imprisoned or to be embarrassed, there is a kind of bragging that is dangerous to our soul and, if not addressed, will surely lead us to eternal damnation. What exactly am I talking about? As we will be examining Romans 2:17 – 29 this morning, we will see some things the Jews of Paul's time were bragging about and Paul warned them that their bragging would lead them nowhere close to God.
Context:
In the second half of Chapter 1, we find Paul talking about people having no excuses because of their rejection of the knowledge of God, their worship of idols, and the surrendering of themselves to their sins. Many scholars and commentators will tell you that Paul was talking about the Gentiles. A Jew would heartily agree that Paul was right – that the Gentiles were idol worshippers, people who have no idea whatsoever who the One True God really was. The Jews also despised the Gentiles as being terrible sinners, as described in Chapter 1.
Even as the Jews scoff and look down at the Gentiles, they also became arrogant and began to brag about what they had that made them superior to the Gentiles. From today's passage, we find a couple of areas that the Jews bragged about. As the Jews were beginning to feel that they were safe and secure from God's wrath, Paul reminds them that their bragging would lead them nowhere. What the Jews bragged about themselves and about their being God's people are the same dangers we may commit, bringing spiritual peril to us as we think wrongly that we are already safe and secure. What are these dangers?
Danger # 1: Religious Affiliation
The first danger that we can see from this passage is the danger of religious affiliation. Look at verse 17 carefully. Here we read that the Jews bragged about their relationship with God; this was because of their religious affiliation, the Jews being the chosen people of God. If one is familiar with the Old Testament Scriptures he would be aware that the Jews traced their lineage to Abraham. Furthermore, it was their ancestors who received the Law from God through Moses. If you were to compare the Jewish faith with the other religions existing together with it, not counting Christianity, you would easily conclude that Judaism was a superior religion with its ethical and ceremonial teachings as well as it elaborate rituals and sacrifices. But herein lies the danger: the Jews thought that they were right with God simply because they were Jews. They thought that their being descendants of Abraham would surely save them and give them favor before God. We know from the Gospels that being a descendant of Abraham was no guarantee of salvation and favor with God; just read what John the Baptist said to the Pharisees and the Sadducees in Matthew 3:7 – 9, and what Jesus said to the Jews in John 8:33 – 47 and you will conclude that being a Jew does not guarantee a right standing before God.
The danger of religious affiliation is not exclusive to the Jewish people; it applies even to people who claim to be Christians. There are many who claim to be Christians or, to be specific, who claim to be members of a particular denomination or followers of a certain theological position or of a particular church. They proudly declare that they are Methodists or Episcopalians or Presbyterians or Baptists. They proclaim that they are Calvinists or Dispensationalists or Arminians. They will claim that they are Christians because of their long-time membership in a particular church or denomination; they may also claim to be Christians because their parents and grandparents were Christians, or that they are saved because their parents were missionaries or pastors. The emphasis on religious affiliation poses danger because it will mislead people into thinking that they are OK with God on the basis of their membership and ancestry when in fact every person has to make an individual response to the message of the Gospel. No human being can ever do anything to give me salvation; a person's right spiritual connection with the Lord is no assurance that the next generation is saved and is right with God.
Danger # 2: Intellectual Knowledge of the Word
The second danger the Jews fell into, according to Paul, was that their understanding of the Word was merely intellectual and not transformative. In verse 18 we read that the Jews knew God's will and approved what was taught by the law. They gave their intellectual assent to the Word of God, however, there is no indication that they were truly practicing what the Word of God was teaching. In fact, Paul rebuked the Jews, saying that the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of them, meaning they had possession of the Word of God and they knew the Word of God but they failed to live out the Word of God and had become stumbling blocks for others. The Jews thought that they were blessed by God and even saved because they possessed God's Word, but sadly, no amount of intellectual knowledge about the Word will bring salvation.
We may think that it is rather far-fetched that there would be people who think they're OK with God because they know God's Word, but I do believe that there are people who think that way. They have read the Scriptures and are familiar with the different facts recorded. They know the order of the books of the Bible by memory. They can even memorize and quote Scriptures. However, these same people who know so much about the Bible do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. They think that they are OK because they know the Word, but that's not the basis for our salvation. Many people come to church and they have heard countless sermons; many have attended Sunday School for so many years and have heard so many lessons from the Bible, yet they are not saved. Why? It is because they think that hearing the Word is enough. They think that possessing the Bible in their hands is enough. Well, the Jews had the Word of God but were they exempted from God's condemnation? NO! In fact, they stood even more condemned because they knew the Word but they failed to put it into practice.
Now, I am not in any way treating the Word of God as being unimportant, but what I am stressing right now is that the mere intellectual knowledge and possession of the Word of God will not save you. The Word of God must probe deep into our hearts, revealing our sins and bring us before the feet of Jesus. If we know the Scriptures solely for intellectual exercise, then we stand condemned by what it teaches. We shouldn't brag if we are in possession of God's Word – what is expected of us is our response and obedience to God's Word.
Danger # 3: Religious Duty
Related to the danger of mere intellectual knowledge is the danger of religious duty. If you look carefully at verses 19 and 20, you will read that the Jews understood that they had the responsibility of being guides for the blind, of being lights for those who are in darkness, as instructors for the foolish and as teachers of infants. In other words, they understood that, because they possessed the Word, they were responsible for teaching the word. They knew their duty as God's chosen people, and no doubt, they did exercise their duty; but they did not pay attention to their personal testimony.
This danger that Paul cited was something that had been happening for some time already. Jesus had rebuked the Pharisees and the teachers of the law numerous times in the gospels because they were too eager to teach but unwilling to follow what they were teaching themselves. We know this problem by the term, hypocrisy. What they taught others to observe, they themselves violated.
However, I would like for us to pay attention to the idea of duty. I have no doubts that the Jews, outwardly, were faithful in administering their responsibility as bearers and teachers of God's law to those who are ignorant and who are in the dark. What is sad is that they think that their being dutiful to the Law of God is something for them to brag about. They viewed their duty as a hallmark of a good Jew and probably thought that it would win more merits for them. Unfortunately, we know that doing good works is not going to save anyone. We've learned that in other passages of Scripture such as Ephesians 2:8 – 9 and Titus 3:5 – 7. We will also learn more about that in Romans 3. We do good works as a grateful response to what God has done in saving us, and not as a prerequisite for salvation.
Unfortunately, many people who go to church, even to an Evangelical or a Protestant church still fall into such a trap. They believe that, by doing good works, they will earn merit that will tip the scales in their favor. They believe that, by doing good works, they will be rewarded with eternal life. Some are even in positions of authority and they're doing a lot in the church but they do not have a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus.
The Jews of Paul's time fell into the trap of thinking that their good works or fulfillment of duties will win them God's favor. Many in the Christian community make the same mistake also and what is worse is that they brag about their goodness and falsely conclude that they are saved. Let us be careful that we don't make this mistake also.
Danger # 4: Ritualism
Finally, the fourth danger that would surely bring peril to anyone who adheres to this is the danger of ritualism. In our passage, we see indications that the Jews thought that their being circumcised surely meant that they were viewed with favor by God and that they were surely saved. I'm sure we all are aware that the rite of circumcision was something important for the Jews. It was the sign of the covenant between God and Abraham in Genesis 17, sort of a condition required of Abraham and his descendants as indication that they belong to God's covenant community. Sadly, the Jews thought that being circumcised or keeping this important ritual was key to their being the people of God. This was why Paul talked about the circumcision of the heart by the Spirit (v. 29), because the outward rite should be symbolic of what has taken place inside your heart. If circumcision symbolized separation unto God, then the heart must first affirm that it is devoted or consecrated to God in order for the rite of circumcision to be truly meaningful for the person who has undergone the rite.
I think the closest equivalent to circumcision in the church is the rite of baptism. We know that baptism is the outward rite that symbolized what has happened to us spiritually, namely the forgiveness of our sins and the new life that we have in Christ Jesus, attained not by good works but because of God's grace that operated through our faith. The inward reality of conversion must happen in order for the outward rite to become something meaningful. Unfortunately, many in the Protestant and Evangelical churches have the mistaken notion that, because they are baptized, they are already saved and they are in a favorable position with God. Baptism does not save us from our sins and give us salvation in the same way that ritual circumcision does not make one a true Jew. Ritualism is dangerous because it gives a false security or hope that, because we have gone through baptism we are already safe when in fact, we aren't.
Conclusion:
This morning, we've learned that the Jews made the mistake of trusting in four things for their salvation and for their gaining favor with God. First, they trusted in the religious affiliation. Second, they trusted in their knowledge of God's Word. Third, they trusted in their fulfillment of religious duties. Finally, they trusted in the rituals they had undergone. Now, note that I never said that these things are bad in themselves, however if we are to trust these things for our salvation and for gaining favor with God, we will soon find out that we are trusting in the wrong things. Being right with God does not depend on what we do or what we achieve; it depends on our having saving faith in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. The Jews made the mistake of trusting in their own righteousness; some who attend church have committed the same mistake. I hope and pray that we will not make the same mistake of trusting our own righteousness; instead, let us trust only in the Righteous One – our Lord Jesus Christ.
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