Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the Law and brag about your relationship to God; ROMANS 2:17

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3 Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the Law and brag about your relationship to God; ROMANS 2:17

4 if you know His will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the Law; ROMANS 2:18

5 if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, ROMANS 2:19

6 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and truth ROMANS 2:20

7 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? ROMANS 2:21

8 You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? ROMANS 2:22

9 You who brag about the Law, do you dishonor God by breaking the Law? ROMANS 2:23

10 As it is written: God s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you. ROMANS 2:24

11 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 2:25

12 If those who are not circumcised keep the Law s requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? ROMANS 2:26

13 The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the Law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker. ROMANS 2:27

14 A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. ROMANS 2:28

15 No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man s praise is not from men, but from God. ROMANS 2:29

16 It s not what you say, but what you practice. (2:17 24)

17 For whoever keeps the whole Law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. JAMES 2:10

18 For He who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker. JAMES 2:11

19 Moralism is extremely common, and always has been. It is the biggest religion in the world today. It is the religion of people who compare themselves with others,

20 who notice that they are a lot more decent than other people, and conclude: If there is a God, He ll certainly accept me. I m a good person. TIM KELLER

21 The moralist or dead orthodox Christian loves the concepts of truth, but is never changed by them

22 They often see how a sermon or Bible text ought to convict others, but they seldom (if ever) let it convict them. TIM KELLER

23 Paul made it clear that it was not the possession of the Law that counted, but the practice of the Law. WARREN WIERSBE

24 Conclusion: Having (knowing) the Law cannot save the Jew.

25 It s not your ID badge or IQ score, but how you live. (2:25 27)

26 It s possible to trust in Christianity rather than Christ. TIM KELLER

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28 A true Jew is one who has had an inward spiritual experience in the heart, and not merely an outward physical operation

29 People today make this same mistake with reference to baptism or the Lord s Supper, or even church membership. WARREN WIERSBE

30 Conclusion: Being circumcised cannot save the Jew.

31 It s a heart change that enables life change and that is supernaturally given. (2:28,29)

32 Our deeds don t determine our destiny. Our deeds display our hearts. Our hearts determine our destiny.

33 And we each need a new heart that natural birth doesn t give us.

34 Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God JOHN 1:12

35 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband s will, but born of God. JOHN 1:13

36 For I will take you out of the nations; I will gather you from all the countries and bring you back into your own land. EZEKIEL 36:24

37 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. EZEKIEL 36:25

38 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. EZEKIEL 36:26

39 And I will put My Spirit in you and move you to follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws. EZEKIEL 36:27

40 Both the (Law) and circumcision are benefits for the Jews; the problem is that without the Spirit these gifts do not produce righteousness

41 The gift of the Spirit circumcises the heart and makes obedience to the Law a reality. THOMAS SCHREINER

42 Human beings are comfortable with what is outward, visible, material, and superficial. What matters to God is a deep, inward, secret work of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. JOHN STOTT

43 You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about Me, JOHN 5:39

44 yet you refuse to come to Me to have life. JOHN 5:40

45 Conclusion: Being a descendant of Abraham cannot save the Jew.

46 Before the judgment of God, none of us possess a get out of jail free card.