Spend time in prayer and silence with God, asking Him to meet with you and speak to you.
Bible Reading
Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God; if you know His will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth—you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised.
– Romans 2:17-25
Devotion
Much of this chapter is aimed directly at Paul’s fellow Jews. They prided themselves on being the “children of Abraham,” and thought that this physical heritage guaranteed their right standing with God. They also believed that certain rituals such as circumcision guaranteed their right standing with God. Religious affiliation and rituals don’t mean much with God. What really matters is the inner life that goes along with those things. The Jewish people had a horrible reputation in the Gentile world because of their hypocritical behavior. Paul makes the point that these things are meaningless unless it is matched by a spiritual, inward transformation. When God looks at our hearts, He sees a sin problem. He’s hoping that we see it also. We need Jesus!
The Big Question
How does this passage impact the way you think about your own life? Where do you sense areas of hypocrisy? How is God’s reputation viewed in light of how you live out your faith? Have you declared your faith in Jesus through believer’s baptism? Are you relying on the rite of infant baptism to guarantee your standing with God? What is your major takeaway from this passage?
Conclude your time in prayer and silence, reflecting on what God revealed to you today.