Romans 2:28-29 Tender Hearted

Romans 2:28-29  For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.  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. (NASB)

Have you ever wondered about the label, “Tender hearted?”  I don’t know the actual origin of the phrase and at this point I have no interest in looking it up but I do think it fits particular people or moments in life.  I also think folks can build up layers of “Protection” for various reasons and wind up callused.  That callus though protective can also become a barrier to relationships; it can be a problem.

In the book of Romans Paul goes to great length to explain our Christian faith.  Many great men of faith have made it their lifetime endeavor to study and write on just this great book from our Bible.  It is deep and chewy and rich in helping us to understand the depraved state from which we come and the great gift of grace by the shed blood of Jesus which saves us.  If you grasp and believe what Paul presents in Romans your faith is on a solid foundation.

One of the themes presented early on is that there is no partiality in God between Jew or Greek.  That is, Jews and the rest of us.  He illustrates this with the picture of circumcision which of course was the ritual performed on every young Jewish boy prescribed in the Law setting them apart.  This ritual has its origin alongside the origin of the covenant God made with Abraham as a sign of that binding agreement.  We see it used throughout scripture including as the people of Israel wander through the wilderness.  Those who left Egypt had all been circumcised but those born in the wilderness were not.  Because of disobedience, the former generation were not allowed to enter the Promised Land and the sign of circumcision sorted the generations.  Before entering, Joshua was commanded to then circumcise this generation about to enter – Ouch!  There would have been up to 80 year old men (40 years x 2) uncircumcised that had to endure this ritual.

Back to Romans

Paul continues making this argument that the distinction between Jew and Greek is now gone.  And one of the chief symbols, circumcision of the flesh, is not what we should be considering.  Indeed, it is the circumcision of one’s heart that matters.

The verse makes the argument, “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly” – what?  I thought this covenant and ritual was all about Abraham’s children.  Yes, it is – but it is Abraham’s offspring by faith that are counted.  That is the point here.  “But he is a Jew who is one inwardly” – by faith having that same connection Abraham did.  That is the covenant relationship.  The symbol of that covenant was circumcision so Paul makes the comparison, “Nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh” and continues, “And circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter”.

Whoa!  Those are fightin’ words Paul!  Do you mean the prescribed circumcision that generation upon generation of Jewish people have followed is of no value?  Yep!  That’s right.  As a symbol of the covenant God made with Abraham – circumcision of the flesh is of absolutely no value!  NONE!  That is exactly what Paul is saying.  By contrast what is of value is the true circumcision which cannot be seen as faith cannot be seen – it is a circumcision of one’s heart.

Paul indicates this heart work is that of the Holy Spirit, “by the Spirit, not by the letter”.  That is instructive too, this heart work is not something a man with a sharp instrument does one to another.  This is in fact delicate work the Holy Spirit, God Himself accomplishes in the life of men. 

So was Paul coming up with a new idea?  Not at all.  Read this portion of God’s promise  … "The LORD your God will bring you into the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it; and He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers.  “Moreover the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live”. Deuteronomy 30:5-6 (NASB)

Did you get that?  Old Testament promise of God!  He will “Circumcise your heart” and so that you are able, “To love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.”

So, what does all this mean?  It means simply this.  Circumcision of the heart is the work of God that brings His covenant about in a person’s life through faith in Jesus Christ.  When His work on your heart brings about the necessary tenderness such that you may respond by faith, the circumcision is complete.  Only then are you enabled to “Love the LORD your God with all your heart.”  AMEN!

Romans 8:1 No Condemnation

Romans 8:1  “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (NASB)

Referred to as “The greatest verse in the Bible” by some, the truth revealed here is certainly central to the Gospel and essential to the Christian faith.  What a verse! 

Of course it isn’t fair to just jump right in to Romans 8 without pointing to the “Therefore”.  That single word at the beginning of the verse points to all that has gone before.  It has been a road pointing to the desperate need for a savior of all men.  Not just the gentiles but also the Jews, God’s chosen people.  Romans has pointed to man's ability to know God exists through His creation yet points to man’s rejection of the Creator.  Romans shows the way of knowing Christ as Savior and the redemption offered through Grace rather than works.  Leading up to Romans 8 we are presented with the struggle even Paul faces living out his salvation under Grace but in this sin stained body wrestling daily with the battle of spirit and flesh.

Only then comes the great news and assurance of Romans 8.  “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”.  So the verse is for those of us walking this earth and for those that have passed on “In Christ” only.  To be clear this is not a universal get out of jail card for the human race.  This assurance is limited. 

For those, “In Christ” the assurance is, “Now”.  Isn’t it significant to know that the assurance of Romans 8 is not something to wait for or hope for but is, “Now”?  I think so.  And what is “Now”?  “No condemnation” is what is “Now”.  So currently, in this present time, as we walk through this life troubled by the battle of spirit and flesh just referenced in Romans 7 we have this assurance of Romans 8.  There is no condemnation now.  I don’t have to wait for someone to remove my sin at some ceremony later.  Because of Christ Jesus my sin results in no condemnation right now.  That is a wonderful message to me.

Now there are plenty of warnings in earlier chapters of Romans about intentionally liberating Grace by sinning all to more.  Paul tells us this is absolutely wrong and misses the point.  The point is we will continue to sin because we are damaged goods.  We have a sin nature handed down from our father Adam.  Try and we might, we will continue to sin from time to time.  When we do, those sins are covered immediately by Grace through the work of Christ Jesus and we find ourselves in this state of “No condemnation”.  

Applied to our lives there should be great comfort in knowing we walk in Grace free from the burden of our sins.  We do not have to carry the guilt of our sins before the Lord.  When the Father looks at us he sees the Son; guiltless.  So we don't need to be kicking ourselves, that is what Satan wants.  He wins when we do that.  Hold your head up high and go do something for Jesus.

In closing, if this isn’t the greatest verse in the Bible, it certainly gives rise to explanation of the greatest gift, Jesus Christ our Lord.  AMEN!

Romans 5:18-19 Willing Spirit, Weak Flesh

Romans 5:18-19  “So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.  For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.” (NASB)

Do you ever wonder “Why” you do the things you do?  Do you think, “That was really bad; that’s not the way I want to behave”.  The conviction occurs nearly simultaneously with the act.  You’re not alone.

Just last week shortly after posting one of my devotionals my wife Sharon accusingly said I hadn’t done something I had agreed to do.  I didn’t think it was anything we had ever even discussed before.  My response was quick and harsh and I used language I shouldn’t have used.  She of course wasn’t happy about that and told me so.  I just shut up being convicted by both her response and the Holy Spirit letting me know that I’d blown it.

Where did all that come from?  I love Jesus, I try to live a life that honors Him in my behavior and yet I screwed up.

Paul wrote to the Romans about this explaining in Chapter 5 verse 18 that all men are sinners because of the, “One transgression”.  He’s referring to the original sin of Adam in the garden.  That sin resulted in the imputation of sin to all men.  So as descendents of Adam we are all sinners.

But Paul also shares that, “As through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners” that, “Through the obedience of One the many will be made righteous”.  The One of course is Jesus Christ and this being made righteous is the result of his work on the cross imputed to those who believe by faith.

So why do believers still sin?  Chapter 7 of Romans holds Paul’s answer.  There is in fact a war that rages in the believer between flesh and spirit.  Paul says, “But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.  I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good.” Romans 7:20-21  Christ is quoted in Mathew’s gospel, "Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." Mat 26:41 

So the bottom line is we sin in our weak moments because sin is in our flesh, our damaged DNA.  Even as believers saved by grace we sin.  The response when we do though should be different.  We should understand by the conviction of the Holy Spirit that we have sinned then deal with it.  We do this by confession of the sin and making the decision not to sin in that way again (repentance). 

One day our sinful flesh will be replaced with a perfect sin free body built for eternity.  That discussion we’ll save for another day.  AMEN!