Topic: A Matter of the Heart
Reading: Romans 2:25-29
Introduction and Overview
In this section we learn a valuable lesson about what God wants of His people. It speaks about the attitude of those who are under the law, but the principle Paul speaks of are universal.
There are many people who show an outward appearance of being Christians, but it is just a mask. Just as there are people who appear to be friends, but when tough times hit, they disappear. Fair weather friends is what they are often called.
And in the same way there are “fair weather Christians.” I’m not talking here about wolves in sheep’s clothing, which is an extreme version of this, but rather those who are Christians on Sunday morning, and then do whatever the world does for the rest of the week.
This is why the key to this section of scripture and this Bible Study is that true Christianity is a matter of the heart.
Key points from reading:
- The law of God is only of benefit if you keep it
- Those who are not under the law but keep it anyway because they believe it is the right thing to do, will be accepted by God.
- True Christianity is a matter of the heart.
Discussion:
- Scripture: Romans 2:25
- Under Judaism, circumcision was the sign and seal of those who had received the Laws of Moses. Those who were circumcised as the children of Israel were required to keep the laws. And being circumcised was an important part of the Jewish law, which is why there was a law that all male children were to be circumcised exactly eight days after birth.
- But being circumcised was of no value if a person did not keep the law. Just being circumcised was of no value if the man did not keep God’s law. They may as well have not been circumcised.
- And indeed if a person was circumcised and did not keep the laws, their circumcision would not be counted as they would be considered as bad as the uncircumcised and rejected in the same way. As the scripture says, “…your circumcision becomes uncircumcision.”
- Scripture: Romans 2:26
- In the same way, the reverse also applies.
- If a man who is uncircumcised, that is, a Gentile, but they keep the precepts of the law believing them to be the right things to do, then they will be regarded as being circumcised.
- This is a very important point because the acceptance of a Gentile was not done under the law. The Jews were to be separate from the Gentiles and if they did have any dealings with them, there were all manner of cleansing rights they had to perform under the law. (Read where Paul returned from working among the Gentiles and had to go through a week of purification rights in Acts 21:23-27)
- Fortunately for us is the fact that God is a God for ALL peoples, not just the Jews, and Jesus was sent to bring a message that would include the Gentiles too, showing no partiality.
- Scripture: Romans 2:27
- There is a provocative message in this verse that would have riled up the Jews. But it is the truth.
- When uncircumcised Gentiles, who do not have the laws of Moses, do by nature what the law requires, and Jews who are circumcised and DO have the law but fail to follow it, then the Gentiles will indeed judge the Jews.
- The message here then is quite clear and is defined in the next two verses for our understanding.
- Scripture: Romans 2:28-29
- Being a Jew or a child of Israel is not about external and outward appearances. It is not about whether a person is circumcised or not. It is not about the wearing of certain types of clothing, or having your hair cut a certain way, or what they do and don’t eat, or paying tithes, or fasting, or any other external factor that might define a person as a Jew.
- And it is exactly the same for a Christian. Attending church, or singing songs of praise and worship, or tithing and fasting, or even expressions of spiritual gifts such as speaking in tongues, and anything else that people may presume are the external trappings of Christianity. None of those things are important.
- A true Jew and a true Christian is a matter of the heart. It’s about what is inside, not what is outside. It’s what you believe and what you do based upon what you believe. And it is the praise of God that matters, not the praise of men.
- Consider and read these scriptures as examples:
- Hebrews 10:16-17 – The basic purpose of the New Covenant is contained in these words. God is writing His laws on the hearts and minds of His people through the working of the Holy Spirit so that doing what is right becomes our nature. And by so doing, the righteousness of God contained in the law becomes a matter of the heart.
- Mark 7:1-23 – This is a great scripture showing how the Pharisees were all about the external things, and how they had the appearance of righteousness but it did not come from within. Jesus shows that what comes out of the heart is what is important. All evil and wrongdoing starts from within the heart of a person. But those who repent and turn to the Lord, seeking to do right and having their hearts and minds transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit, they show their good hearts by what they do. Again, as Jesus makes clear, it is a matter of the heart.
- Ephesians 6:5-6 and Colossians 3 22-24 – In both of these verses it is speaking about slaves, bu the principle applies to everyone, especially in a work situation, but also in any relationship where one works with and for another. The essence of this is that we are not to be insincere in our relationships as “men-pleasers.” Our aim is to satisfy the one for whom we work to the best that we can do. We need to “be good,” not just “look good.” And in both these scriptures we note that it is by a “singleness of heart” that we ought to be “doing the will of God from the heart.” As already mentioned, it is a matter of the heart.
- 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 – Finally in these words we learn that if we are trying to be a Christian and it is not built on the basis of love, then we are wasting our time. Love is a condition that comes from the heart, and all the aspects of love shown in these verses are what we ought to be doing from the heart.
Key Takeaways:
- Looking the part by attending meetings, fasting, tithing, and so on will not bring us to God’s kingdom. They are just a shadow of what the truth of Christianity is all about.
- We need to learn the teachings of the Lord so that our hearts can be transformed into His image by the working of the Holy Spirit.
- True Christianity is a matter of the heart. It is sincere and based upon love, seeking the best for all we come into contact with.
Prayer Points
- Pray for the Lord to transform your heart by the working of the Holy Spirit so that you can enter into His Kingdom.
- Pray that you do not fall into the trap of external appearances rather than the inner jewel of a repentant, righteous, and loving heart for the Lord and His people.