Romans 2:13-24
For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
If you are reading this, it is probably because you already believe in God. You have heard the Bible and know God's commandments. But if you are reading this you are probably also not totally following His commandments. That is where verse 13 is convicting, for it says: "It is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified". Hearing the law and knowing the law are not enough; our actions need to match our words. As verse 22 challenges us: "You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery?". If we say that sexual immorality is wrong, yet we commit sexual immorality ourselves, then we are being hypocrites. One of the prime goals of recovery is to replace hypocrisy (acting differently than we say we believe) with consistency (acting in accordance with our beliefs). Furthermore, our hypocrisy is a bad witness to those around us. Like it or not, we are an example of Christ to the unbelieving world, and when they see us in sexual sin, they use that as an excuse to insult and ignore God (verse 24).
Lord, I confess that I have often not "done" what I have "heard". Please forgive my hypocrisy, and help me to be a person of integrity, to act consistently with my beliefs.
For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus. But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
If you are reading this, it is probably because you already believe in God. You have heard the Bible and know God's commandments. But if you are reading this you are probably also not totally following His commandments. That is where verse 13 is convicting, for it says: "It is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified". Hearing the law and knowing the law are not enough; our actions need to match our words. As verse 22 challenges us: "You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery?". If we say that sexual immorality is wrong, yet we commit sexual immorality ourselves, then we are being hypocrites. One of the prime goals of recovery is to replace hypocrisy (acting differently than we say we believe) with consistency (acting in accordance with our beliefs). Furthermore, our hypocrisy is a bad witness to those around us. Like it or not, we are an example of Christ to the unbelieving world, and when they see us in sexual sin, they use that as an excuse to insult and ignore God (verse 24).
Lord, I confess that I have often not "done" what I have "heard". Please forgive my hypocrisy, and help me to be a person of integrity, to act consistently with my beliefs.