Serious Allegations

I have been reading the last verses of Romans 2 over again each day for about a week now and trying to sink deeper into the real meaning and flush out a clearer perspective. Each time I read it I ask God to show me what is really here and how it applies to me and to my relationships. I have found that when I do this that over time pictures and connections begin to emerge at first slowly but then, if I am patient, they begin to accelerate and after awhile they almost become like a flood of insights that almost overwhelm me. I say this, not to brag but to simply record and capture my own thoughts and experience and what I personally believe are to me precious gems of truth and light entrusted to me from a higher Source of wisdom. This morning as I again started reading around verse 22 I once again opened my mind to seek for questions that will help me think outside all of my previous assumptions; questions that, in fact, will challenge those assumptions and expose them to revealing light. As I read I became aware of a tension inside of me that has always been there when I read these verses but up to this point have ignored it as is often the case. It is the inner conflict that I feel when I am forced to accept someone else's interpretation or spin on something that just doesn't quite fit well, or not at all, but is accepted because that is what I have been trained to do – reflect someone else's thoughts instead of thinking for myself and seeking God and His truth personally and directly. This sense of “uncomfortableness” emerged in the form of the irritation I feel or resonate with that must have been in the minds of his readers if they were in fact the way he describes them to be in the previous passages since the beginning of the book, particularly in 2:17-21. These people considered themselves quite spiritual, close to God and careful, thoughtful, conscientious followers of God. They were also Christian Jews who had been converted to believing in Jesus Christ, not arrogant, close-minded, unbelieving Jews opposed to the gospel. In fact, if most of us could be truly honest about ourselves, his descriptions of these people would very closely parallel our own description if Paul were to address us today. Of course, since we don't like his conclusions and revelations about these people our minds quickly begin to squirm and try to distance ourselves from these descriptions to avoid being associated with his warnings and counsels to them. But I want to honestly know my true condition so I can be able to see myself as God sees me. It is only by conviction and accepting the real truth about myself from the the Holy Spirit that I can start to identify, take responsibility for, and begin to become free from the hang-ups described so clearly in these verses. So if these people who were apparently comfortable with their level of spirituality and felt, at least to some degree, that their religious beliefs and practices must have qualified them in some way to receive the favor of God as described in these verses, then I can't imagine them not internally squirming a great deal at the allegations that Paul makes about what is actually their true condition in God's eyes that they cannot see. It seems to me that they, along with myself and I assume many others who read this, would object, possible strenuously, against Paul's assertions that they steal, commit adultery, rob temples and generally break the law. I do not see many of us readily accepting that kind of assessment about ourselves easily. Those kind of charges feel very much like false allegations that have gone too far and are exaggerated in the imagination of the writer of this book, maybe just to make a point. That is the feeling that emerged this morning as I read over these verses. And the question that was raised by my emotions was “Paul, where are you getting this stuff? I know you are led by God and all, but why do you claim that we do all of these horrible sins when, in fact, we are very careful to guard our words and actions to be just the opposite of what you describe?” These are people – Christians remember – that Paul has just described as proudly bearing the name “Jew”, relying upon the Law and boasting in God. While at first from our perspective, with possible subtle feelings of unconscious antisemitism lying under the surface, we impose our own judgments on the people described here, it is easy to fail to fully identity with their condition as possibly being our own. But we have to take responsibility based on what God is revealing about us here and realize how very easy it is for any “religious” person to slip into the trap of depending on religion for their identity instead of looking constantly to God and depending totally outside of themselves for true perspective and value. The descriptions that Paul has made about these people fits so uncomfortably well that we try to slip out from under it and apply it more to someone else. These are people who take satisfaction and a certain amount of “humble” pride in the name that they claim in association with God's chosen and special people. In those days it was not necessarily a shame to bear the name Jew, at least in the spiritual world. Paul makes it clear repeatedly that Jews have great advantages and have been wonderfully privileged by God with deep insights and extensive spiritual blessings. Identifying oneself as a Jew was not a shame but was the same as claiming today to be a good Christian. The terms and labels have changed over the centuries but the underlying issues remain the same. When Paul says they relied upon the Law, he was not necessarily saying they were depending totally on self-righteous attempts to be perfect by law-keeping as the unconverted Jews were trying to do. Remember, he is addressing Christian Jews here and is flushing out the residual but subtle dependence they feel on their advantages that unconsciously still make up some part of their reasoning for which they believe God will save them. Every one of us grapples with this problem much more than we consciously realize and that is exactly what Paul is flushing out in this passage. To some degree or other, in some form or another, we all have a very strong tendency ,though usually very camouflaged to ourself, to depend on something internally or externally to recommend ourself to God and in some subtle way earn His grace and salvation. There is an unavoidable urge in the mind of every human being to “do” something to help God save us. And the more religious we are and the more educated we become in our knowledge of religion the greater danger we are in of being deceived by this most pernicious but hidden fault that neutralizes the grace of God in Christ Jesus in our lives. It is so subtle that we simply cannot see it within ourselves and honestly believe we are in right relationship with God. We really can be just like these people and very often are if we are just willing to admit the real truth. These are people known as those who know God's will, they approve the things that are essential and are being instructed out of the Law, or the Bible. They are confident in their abilities to guide others who don't understand the Bible and believe they can shed the light of truth to those who are in darkness. They believe in correcting error, they teach and train the less mature and believe that the embodiment of truth and knowledge can be found in the Bible. (v. 18-20) Does this sound like a description of someone we should be wary of or a description of someone we look up to for spiritual guidance and authority? If we are honest here we have to admit that every one of these attributes are things that we strenuously promote in our seminaries and look for in our leaders. They are not identified by Paul as bad things or necessarily even liabilities, but they are descriptive of the very people who Paul claims have hidden problems of stealing, adultery, robbery and law-breaking even though they are Christians. Those are shocking charges and cannot be taken lightly or believed easily. Paul had better have some some really good evidence or proof of such charges and allegations or he is putting himself out on a very shaky limb. I will explore further the basis that Paul uses to make these strong statements later. But in the meantime I want God's Spirit to open my own heart to examine it's true condition and expose to my mind the things secretly hiding there that I am oblivious to myself. The good news is that God never convicts to condemn but to restore me into a much closer intimacy with Him and fellowship with all of His children in a spirit of harmony, peace and love. That is what I want my life to look like. Your thoughts? (next in series)