The
apostle then gets to his rhetorical questions, diagnosing his kinsmen of the
flesh. They who claim the honored status of being custodians of God’s law do
not teach themselves. They do not follow the law they tell others is required.
They are, as Jesus told them, blind guides rather than trustworthy guides. In
fact, much of the Old Testament is filled with prophets rebuking and
pronouncing God’s judgment on Israel and Judah because of just these things!
Paul sounds much like an Old Testament prophet as he pronounces doom on the
Jewish leaders.
One beggar telling other beggars, here is the heavenly bread, even Jesus, Who is the Christ!
Thursday, December 22, 2016
Romans 2:17-29 Self Righteousness Denied
Romans 2:17 – 22. These
first 6 verses are a series of questions aimed at bringing self-righteous Jews
to see themselves rightly. Paul starts off by playing on their pride, granting
them the status they think they have – experts on the law, in good standing
with YHWH, providing guidance to lesser folk. We see in the terms Paul used in
this opening sentence that, in fact, the Jewish leaders of his day were condescending
to anyone not in their group. Doug Moo observes that in the first two verses
Paul has listed 5 blessings that Israel enjoyed as God’s temporal people, then
he lists 4 prerogatives Jews enjoyed as regards other peoples – teacher, etc.
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