17 but if you call yourself a jew and rely on the law and boast in God 18 and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; 19 and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? while you preach against stealing, do you steal?- [romans 2:17-21]
practicing what we preach
in the last several verse, paul has spoken to the gentiles, and now he turns to the jews. but be not mistaken – this word to 1st century jews is extraordinarily relevant for us in the american church.
the jews were unique among the peoples of the world throughout history, as God chose to speak and reveal Himself directly to them. the jews were given the ten commandments, the prophets, and knew the requirements that God had of humanity. yet for many of them, this had become a point of hypocrisy as they worked to enforce these rules upon others while not practicing these things themselves. they trusted in the things they did and the things they knew instead of trusting and honoring God Himself.
before we judge them for this, let’s take a look in the mirror.
the america many of us grew up in was a nation built on Godly ideals without Godly submission.
rules without worship.
right behavior without righteousness.
we as a culture expect people to act and think a certain way, without ever requiring submission to God. they should just ‘know better’.
we consider general morality to be ‘common courtesy’, without ever considering that any and all courtesy or politeness is derived from submission to God.
how easy it is to judge non-believers for their immoral behavior, while we continue on in our lies, hatred, envy, and gossip.
how easy it is to become a hypocrite.
paul tells the jews that it doesn’t matter if they are jews. knowing what right behavior is and complaining about others who don’t is not salvation.
teaching others to follow rules we don’t follow ourselves is useless.
it is only a trap of satan to make us feel like we are ‘better’ than others, while slipping into hypocrisy and judgement.
how often do we accuse others of stealing while we ourselves steal? we have all seen headlines of pastors and teachers who have fallen when their hidden sin is revealed. and we have likely heard this as an excuse from others who choose to not believe.
yet Jesus is lord regardless of the deeds (or misdeeds) of others.
may we strive to live not in hypocrisy, but humility, not trusting in a set of rules, standards or values, but asking God to guide our steps daily in obedience to Him alone.
~ jason soroski