I n Romans 2:28, Paul states that a man is not a Jew who is one outwardly. In God’s sight, a Jew is one who inwardly has faith in the Promised Messiah. It is not the knowledge or possession of the Law, not the rite of circumcision; it is not the claim to a special relationship with God on account of one’s race or ancestry. The only thing that makes a man a Jew is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Being a Jew and a member of the chosen people of God, the heritage of being born of the seed of Abraham, with the legacy of the law and the sign of circumcision; these things bring no salvation. All these counts for nothing unless there is a change in the heart. The fact that Jews have the law and are even circumcised, will not keep them from answering to God for their personal sin. The Jews had a greater opportunity to know and obey God than anyone else. They had been given the privilege of knowing and receiving so much from God, but if they refuse to make it personal in their hearts, there is no benefit in Jewishness. They had the advantage, but failed to make use of it, and therefore it does them no good at all. The light they were given had no illumination for them. They have no spiritual security unless their relationship with God is personalized. They were no better off than if they had never known the Law. Righteousness is not achieved through external factors like race and religious rituals. God at work in us is what matters most – a changed heart.
LESSON
What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision?
Religious sacraments, labels, and other forms of good works are not what will save us.
THOUGHT
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