Lessons #79 and 80
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New American Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ HCSB = Holman Christian Standard Bible +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
+ 4. Text is based on 1984 edition of the NIV +
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True Jew defined by inward circumcision (Rom 2:25-29)
25 Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised. 26 If those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? 27 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. 28 A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 29 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.
Previously, we indicated that Romans 2:25-29 is concerned with Apostle Paul’s definition of a true Jew by true circumcision. We stated that the apostle’s message to Jews especially those in Rome is that A true Jew is one with inward circumcision evidenced in obedience to the law and not one with outward circumcision accompanied by disobedience to the law. Consequently, we derived the message that is applicable to us from the original message which is that A true Christian is the person that has been regenerated as evident in obedience to God’s word and not one that has undergone water baptism accompanied by disobedience to God’s word. We also asserted that in verse 25, the apostle gave an evaluation of circumcision. In verses 26-27, he classified the uncircumcised that keeps the law. Finally, he defined a true Jew based on the true circumcision as he described in verses 28-29. Our last study focused on the apostle’s evaluation of circumcision, so we proceed to consider how he classified in verses 26-27 the uncircumcised that keeps the law’s requirements.
We begin by stating there are two ways the apostle classified those who are not physically circumcised but obey God’s law. First, he classified them as circumcised in the true sense of circumcision. Second, he classified them as judges of those who are physically circumcised but failed to keep the law. Our exposition of the passage is concerned with working out the details of these two classifications we stated.
Apostle Paul wanted his readers to recognize that he was about to state something that is derived from what he already said although it is the other side of his argument that is to be given in what follows. Thus, the apostle used a Greek conjunction (oun) that was not translated in the NIV84 but translated “then” in the NIV2011 with the additional word “so” that does not actually appear in the Greek text since the Greek conjunction used is already translated “then.” That aside, the Greek conjunction the apostle used in verse 26 is used in two general ways. It may be used as a marker of continuation of a narrative so that it may be translated “then, so, now.” It may also be used as a marker of inference, denoting that what it introduces is the result of or an inference from what precedes in which case it may be translated “therefore, then.” It is in this second usage that the word is used in our verse to indicate that what the apostle states results from what he previously stated in verse 25 that in a sense implies that a Jew who is circumcised but does not keep the law has in a sense placed self in the position of a Gentile that is uncircumcised both physically and inwardly, in the sense of no regeneration. Based on that assertion, the apostle draws an inference or states what results from the exchange of position he mentioned in the previous verse; only this time, he shifted his focus on a Gentile that is uncircumcised that would in a sense be placed in the position of a Jew that is both outwardly and inwardly circumcised.
Anyway, the apostle states a condition that if true would lead to the classification of a Gentile in the way he did in the two ways we have summarized. The condition the apostle stipulated is given in Romans 2:26 If those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements. The word “if” is translated from a Greek conjunction (ean) that may mean “when” as a marker of the prospect of an action in a point of time coordinated with another point of time. It may mean “ever” as a marker of the possibility of any number of occurrences of the same event. However, in our passage of Romans 2:26 the Greek conjunction means “if” as a marker of condition with the implication of reduced probability of the occurrence of the action stated. Here the apostle used it to describe a condition that is necessary for the classifications he gave in verse 26 to be true. The conjunction is used in connection with a present tense of the Greek verb that we will get to shortly to indicate something that is expected to occur repeatedly.
The thing that could occur repeatedly is a Gentile keeping God’s law. It is this that is stated in the conditional clause of Romans 2:26 If those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements. The clause those who are not circumcised is more literally the uncircumcision. This is because we do not have a Greek verb (peritemnō) that means “to circumcise,” that is, “to cut off of the foreskin of the male” instead we have a Greek noun (akrobystia) that we considered in Romans 2:25 with the meaning of being physically uncircumcised. It is in this same sense of being physically uncircumcised that the word is used in Romans 2:26. However, the word is used to describe a Gentile as one that is physically uncircumcised.
Who does the apostle mean in the literal phrase the uncircumcision or in the words of the NIV who are not circumcised? The apostle most certainly would have meant Gentiles who are believers in Christ. It is true that the word “uncircumcised” refers to Gentiles as that was the sense the apostle used the Greek word that means “uncircumcision” or “uncircumcised” in asserting that his missionary work was targeted to non-Jews as we read in Galatians 2:7:
On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews.
I will return to this passage later. Anyway, the apostle recognized that a Gentile believer in Christ would not be circumcised as implied in the instruction he gave to the Corinthians, regarding those who were Gentile believers not to seek to be circumcised as we read in 1 Corinthians 7:18:
Was a man already circumcised when he was called? He should not become uncircumcised. Was a man uncircumcised when he was called? He should not be circumcised.
The apostle was aware of the ruling of the church not requiring Gentile believers to be circumcised since he and Barnabas brought the matter to the church as stated in Acts 15:1–2:
1 Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.
When the church decided the matter that Paul and Barnabas brought because of those who insist on necessity of circumcision for Gentiles to be saved, there was no requirement of circumcision as we may gather from the summary statement recorded in Acts 15:28–29:
28 It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: 29 You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.
Furthermore, the apostle later in this epistle to the Romans argued that Abraham’s salvation occurred when he was uncircumcised as he penned in Romans 4:11:
And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness that he had by faith while he was still uncircumcised. So then, he is the father of all who believe but have not been circumcised, in order that righteousness might be credited to them.
Thus, as we have stated, when the apostle used the literal phrase the uncircumcision in setting up the condition that must be met for the classification he gave in Romans 2:26, to be true, he must have had in mind Gentile believers.
Our interpretation that the apostle must have had in mind Gentile believers when he set the condition for his classification is further supported by the verbal phrase of Romans 2:26 keep the law’s requirements.
The word “keep” is translated from a Greek word (phylassō) that may mean “to be on one’s guard against something” as the word is used in the Lord Jesus’ warning against greed in Luke 12:15:
Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
The word may mean “to guard” in the sense of to take care not to violate, especially of a law, so it may mean “to keep” or “to obey” as Apostle Paul used it in his assertion that even some Jews did not keep or obey the law in Galatians 6:13:
Not even those who are circumcised obey the law, yet they want you to be circumcised that they may boast about your flesh.
In our passage of Romans 2:26, the word means “to follow or observe,” that is, “to conform one’s action or practice to.” The thing that is to be observed or conformed to in a sense is given in the phrase of Romans 2:26 the law’s requirements.
The word “law” is translated from a Greek word (nomos) that is used in three ways in the NT Scripture. It is used for a procedure or practice that has taken hold and so means “a custom, rule, principle, norm.” Another usage of the Greek word translated “law” is for describing the first five books of Moses (i.e., Genesis to Deuteronomy) often known as the Torah. Still another usage of the Greek word translated “law” is as a reference to the entire OT Scriptures. In the phrase of Romans 2:26 the law’s requirements, the “law” refers to Torah and so refers to Jewish law as contained in the first five books of the OT given by Moses. The Torah contains primarily commands that if violated result in sin. For example, the Ten Commandments prohibited idolatry and other sinful conducts of people on the planet earth. Anyway, the various commands of the law are implied in the phrase the law’s requirements.
The word “requirements” is translated from a Greek word (dikaiōma) that may mean “a regulation relating to just or right action,” and so it is with the meaning “regulation” that the word is used to describe the devotion of the devout husband and wife team, Zechariah and Elizabeth, in Luke 1:6:
Both of them were upright in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commandments and regulations blamelessly.
The word may mean “an action that meets expectations as to what is right or just,” hence it means “righteous deed or act” as it is used to provide the reasons nations would worship the Lord in the future as stated in Revelation 15:4:
Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed.”
In our passage of Romans 2:26, the word means “righteous commandment,” that is, “an authoritative rule; especially regarding righteous behavior.”
It is our interpretation that the uncircumcised or in the words of the NIV of Romans 2:26 those who are not circumcised are Gentile believers because they are the Gentiles that can keep the requirements of the law. A natural person is incapable of doing such a thing. I mean that if a person is not regenerated and controlled by the Holy Spirit such a person could not possibly observe God’s requirements. Only those who are regenerated and controlled by the Holy Spirit can obey God’s word or observe His requirements. Apostle John stated this in a roundabout way when he wrote first in 1 John 2:3:
We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.
To know God is to be personally acquainted with Him or to have personal relationship with God. This cannot be true of a person who is unregenerate since such a person is spiritually dead and so cannot be in a personal relationship with God. The apostle indicates that obedience is one of the ways a person can be sure of that personal relationship with God. He goes on to make the point that it is this obedience that gives assurance or confidence that one is a believer or in a personal relationship with God as he penned in 1 John 2:5:
But if anyone obeys his word, God’s love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him
The sentence This is how we know we are in him conveys that it is through obedience to God’s word that we can assure ourselves that we are in the right relationship with Him, implying that we are spiritually alive. If obedience is tied to the right relationship with God, those who are capable of obedience are those alive. Spiritually dead people are incapable of obeying God’s word. Even if a person is regenerated that does not necessarily mean that such a person will fulfill God’s word. No! It requires that such a person be controlled by the Holy Spirit. It is because no one can obey God’s word and reject sins without being controlled by the Holy Spirit that the Holy Spirit gave the instruction to the Galatians through Apostle Paul as stated in Galatians 5:16:
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.
The command to live by the Spirit can only be given to those who are spiritually alive since only such individuals have the Holy Spirit living in them. Only those who have the Spirit living in them that are God’s children as the apostle stated in Romans 8:9:
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
The point we are stressing is that only those who are spiritually alive, that is, regenerated, that are capable of obeying God’s word. Consequently, when the apostle stated the condition, he gave in Romans 2:26 If those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements, he must be thinking of Gentile believers as those who are uncircumcised that can observe the requirements of the law.
Be that as it may, the apostle having stated a condition that could happen frequently with Gentile believers in Christ, proceeded to state how such individuals would be classified when the condition is fulfilled. Such individuals will be classified as circumcised. This classification is given in the form of a rhetorical question of Romans 2:26 will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? The pronoun “they” of the NIV is not in the Greek but it is used in the NIV to avoid redundancy in English that would involve the repeat of the word “circumcision” or “circumcised.” This we can see since a more literal translation is, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?
The question given in the NIV or in the literal translation expects a positive response. Thus, the question can be turned into a positive statement. Using the literal translation, the positive statement is that “the uncircumcision will be regarded as circumcision.” Our concern, of course, is to determine what the apostle meant if we turn his rhetorical question to a positive statement. The answer requires examination of the key words he used in the rhetorical question.
The word “uncircumcision” is translated from the same Greek word (akrobystia) that the apostle used in setting up the condition that if fulfilled will lead to the inevitable conclusion contained in his rhetorical question. The Greek word, as we have previously stated, is used for a Gentile as a person that has not experienced physical circumcision. It is in this sense that the word is used in the rhetorical question of the apostle that we are considering.
The word “circumcision” in the literal translation is translated from a Greek word (peritomē) that refers to the cutting away the foreskin of male children. We have considered this word previously. Recall, it is a word in the NT time used to describe a Jew. We also stated that the word is used in two general ways in the NT. It refers to “circumcision” that is to be understood both literally and figuratively. Literally, it is used in the sense of the rite of circumcision and figuratively it is used for spiritual circumcision to describe the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in an unbeliever that results in a person being a believer. In short, we indicated that spiritual circumcision is the same as regeneration. This aside, in at least in two passages when the two Greek words that mean “uncircumcision” and “circumcision” are used together the context indicates the apostle meant Jews and Gentiles. Take for example, he used the two words together in his epistle to the Galatians clearly to imply he meant Jews and Gentiles in the passage we cited previously, that is, Galatians 2:7:
On the contrary, they saw that I had been entrusted with the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews.
The sentence I had been entrusted the task of preaching the gospel to the Gentiles, just as Peter had been to the Jews is more literally, I have been entrusted with the good news of the uncircumcision, as Peter with that of the circumcision. Clearly, the apostle meant that Peter was to preach to Jews and he to the Gentiles hence the translation of the NIV that used “Jews” and “Gentiles” in place of “circumcision” and “uncircumcision.” Another passage where the apostle is clear in his use of the two Greek words that he meant Jews and Gentiles is in his epistle to the Ephesians as recorded in Ephesians 2:11:
Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (that done in the body by the hands of men)—
Here the apostle described Gentiles with the word “uncircumcised” or literally “uncircumcision” implying that the phrase the circumcision refers to Jews since according to the Scripture, the ancient world is divided into two categories of humans, Gentiles and Jews. Hence, it should be clear that in some contexts the two Greek words used in Romans 2:26 refer to Jews and Gentiles. Anyway, the apostle’s rhetorical question is, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? Again, literally, the Greek reads will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?
The word “regarded” is translated from a Greek word (logizomai) that may mean “to determine by mathematical process” and so may mean “to count, take into account” as the word is used to describe a blessed individual as one that God does not hold the individual’s sin against the person as per the quotation from the OT Scripture by Apostle Paul that is recorded in Romans 4:8:
Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never count against him.
Under the concept of determining by mathematical process is the meaning of “to evaluate, estimate, look upon as, consider” as a result of a calculation. It is in the sense of “to consider” that Apostle Paul used it in his quotation from OT Scripture in support of his teaching that the love of God for us cannot be changed as we read in Romans 8:36:
As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”
The word may mean “to hold a view about something,” that is, “to think, believe, be of the opinion” as the apostle used it to describe himself to the Corinthians in 2 Corinthians 11:5
But I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.”
The word may mean “to give careful thought to a matter” and so may mean “to consider, to ponder, think about, let one’s mind dwell on something” as the apostle used it to caution those who are superficial in spiritual matters, to recognize that he and his apostolic team belong to Christ as we read in 2 Corinthians 10:7:
You are looking only on the surface of things. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as he.
In our passage of Romans 2:26, it means “to be considered.” The apostle used a passive voice in the Greek indicating that someone other than the one who observes or keeps the requirements of the law is responsible for considering such individual what is stated in the verse we are considering. Although the apostle did not state who is responsible, he meant God so that he was merely recognizing what God would do. We say this because it is God that is described as crediting righteousness to those who believe in Christ as stated in Romans 4:24:
but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness—for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead.
Be that as it may, we turn our attention to understanding what the apostle meant in the literal rhetorical question of Romans 2:26 will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? This question implies that if a Gentile that is not in a covenant relationship with God meets the requirements of the law that such a person would be considered by God as one that is in a covenant relationship with Him. The apostle, of course, does not mean salvation by works but he acknowledged the fact that a person who is able to fulfill God’s word has been regenerated and so a Gentile that fulfills the requirements of the law is because that person has become regenerated. In effect, a Gentile who was not in a covenant relationship with God as a true Israelite has indeed become a member of the new covenant because of regeneration that results from faith in Christ. Thus, the Gentile that is uncircumcised is considered one with true circumcision which is inward. In effect, the first classification of the apostle is that a Gentile that is not physically circumcised is one with true circumcision having received the inward circumcision that enable such a person to fulfill the requirements of the law. This brings us to the second classification.
The second classification by Apostle Paul of those who are not physically circumcised but obey God’s law as we stated previously, is as judges of those who are physically circumcised but failed to keep the law. The apostle again described the individual he had in mind in this second classification as a Gentile that obeys the law as stated in the first sentence of Romans 2:27 The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law. A more literal translation is and the uncircumcision by nature keeping the law. The literal translation may be understood as providing a second classification of those who are Gentiles that obey God’s law or it states what results from the first classification, especially, as the answer to the ending question of verse 26 is expected to be in the affirmative. We say this because the word “and’ in the literal translation that is omitted in the NIV is translated from a Greek particle (kai) that is often translated “and” in our English versions as a marker of connection between single words or clauses, but the Greek particle has several usages. It may be used as a marker of introduction of a result that comes from what precedes and so may be translated “and then, and so.” It may be used to emphasize a fact as surprising or unexpected or noteworthy, leading to the translation “and yet, and in spite of that, nevertheless.” It may be used as a marker of emphasis where there is a stress on what is said hence means “indeed, certainly.” It may be used as a marker to indicate an additive relation that is not of equal rank and significance to another clause, in which case, it means “also, likewise.” Still the word may be used as a marker of contrast with the meaning “but.” In our verse, it could be used either as a marker of additional classification and so may be translated “and” as reflected in some English versions such as the NET or it may be understood as a marker that introduces a result that comes from what precedes in which case it may be translated “and so” or “and then.” This may be the interpretation adopted by the TEV that used “and so” or the NCV that used the meaning “so.” This may be a case where the apostle added an additional classification, but the classification is to be understood as introducing result. You see, in verse 26, the apostle conveyed that a Gentile who obeys God’s word is classified as one with inward circumcision and so such a person is in a state whereby the individual could be classified as being a judge of those who are Jews but are in disobedience. It is for this reason that we believe that the Greek particle used is probably used both to provide an additional classification and a result of what preceded.
In any case, the person that the apostle had in mind is a Gentile as indicated by the clause of Romans 2:27 The one who is not circumcised physically or literally and the uncircumcision by nature. The fact that the person in view is a Gentile is underscored by the word “physically” or literally “by nature.” This is because the apostle used a Greek word (physis) that is predominantly used in the Greek NT by Apostle Paul in that, of the thirteen occurrences of the word in Greek NT, he used it eleven times. The word may mean condition or circumstance as determined by birth hence may mean “birth” as Apostle Paul used the word to distinguish Jews from Gentiles in Galatians 2:15:
“We who are Jews by birth and not ‘Gentile sinners’
The phrase by birth is literally by nature. The word has the sense of “characteristic” when Apostle Paul used it to describe pagan gods in Galatians 4:8:
Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods.
The word “nature” here refers to one’s essential character or characteristic so that our Greek word has the sense of “characteristic” or “disposition.” The word may mean “specie” or “kind” of animals as it is used in James to describe the taming of various kinds or species of animals in James 3:7:
All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man,
In our passage of Romans 2:27, the word means “nature,” in the sense of “the attribute which is proper for persons in view of their origin.” This being the case, the word is used here to ensure that the apostle was concerned with a Gentile since by origin or nature Gentiles are usually the ones that are not circumcised.
The Gentile the apostle had in mind is described as obeying the law in Romans 2:27 and yet obeys the law. The word “obey” is translated from a Greek word (teleō) that may mean “to pay what is due” as the word is used to report those who want to entrap Jesus Christ regarding the concept of payment of taxes to Roman government as stated in Luke 20:22:
Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
The word may mean “to finish, bring to an end, complete ” in the sense of “to complete an activity” as Apostle Paul used it to describe completing the assignment God gave to him regarding the Christian faith that he described using an athletic metaphor that implies he reached the finished line without saying he won the race since the result of his activities is left to God to determine as recorded in 2 Timothy 4:7:
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
The word may mean “to perform, fulfill, keep,” that is, “to carry out an obligation or demand” as it is used to describe fulfilling what the law requires in James 2:8:
If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing right.
In our passage of Romans 2:27, the word means “to keep, execute,” that is, “to carry out a demand.” So, it is used to describe the Gentile who carries out the demand of the law.
It is the Gentile who, no doubt, is a believer in Christ that is capable of carrying out the moral requirements of the law and so this individual is then classified as one that will judge a Jew who fails to keep the law. This activity of the Gentile that is a believer is described in the verbal phrase of Romans 2:27 will condemn or literally will judge.
The word “condemn” is translated from a Greek word (krinō) that may mean “to judge as guilty, condemn” as that is the sense in which Apostle Paul used it in his sermon in Pisidia Antioch to describe what the Jews in Jerusalem did with respect to Jesus Christ as narrated in Acts 13:27:
The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.
The word may mean to make a judgment based on taking various factors into account, hence means “to consider,” as the word is used to describe what Lydia said as she invited Apostle Paul and his team to her house as recorded in Acts 16:15:
When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. “If you consider me a believer in the Lord,” she said, “come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
The word may mean “to punish” as in Stephen’s sermon as he referred to God’s promise to Abraham of punishing those who would enslave his descendants in Acts 7:7:
But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves,’ God said, ‘and afterward they will come out of that country and worship me in this place.’
The word may mean “to reach a decision” as it is used to describe the decision a man takes concerning his fiancée as stated in 1 Corinthians 7:37:
But the man who has settled the matter in his own mind, who is under no compulsion but has control over his own will, and who has made up his mind not to marry the virgin—this man also does the right thing.
The verbal phrase has made up his mind may be translated has decided this in his own heart. In our passage of Romans 2:27, the word means “to condemn,” that is, “to judge as guilty.”
The one that is to be condemned or judge as guilty by the Gentile who believes in Christ as evident in obedience to God’s word is a Jewish unbeliever described in two ways. First, the individual in view is said to have the written code as in the clause of Romans 2:27 you who, even though you have the written code. Literally, the Greek reads you the (one) with (the) written (code). The word “code” does not appear in the Greek but is added for smooth reading in the English since the Greek used a Greek word (gramma) that may refer to a unit of alphabet so means “letter” as that is the sense Apostle Paul used it to describe how he wrote his epistle to Galatians as stated in Galatians 6:11:
See what large letters I use as I write to you with my own hand!
The phrase large letters refers to large Greek alphabets the apostle used to write the epistle to the Galatians. The Greek word in the plural may refer to “learning” or “knowledge” as in the response of Festus towards Paul’s preaching of God’s word during his defense as we read in Acts 26:24:
At this point Festus interrupted Paul’s defense. “You are out of your mind, Paul!” he shouted. “Your great learning is driving you insane.”
The Greek word may mean “writing,” that is, “a relatively long written publication.” So, the word is translated “scriptures” in Paul’s commendation of Timothy’s knowledge of God’s word as stated in 2 Timothy 3:15:
and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
In our passage of Romans 2:27, the word refers to the written Mosaic law. In the time the apostle wrote this epistle, the written Mosaic law or Torah is found normally with Jews. Thus, the fact the person to be condemned is associated with it implies that the individual is a Jew.
Second, we know that the person to be judged as guilty is a Jew because the person is associated with circumcision as in the phrase of Romans 2:27 and circumcision. We have already commented on the word “circumcision” severally but suffice to say that the word is one that is used in the NT times to describe a Jew. Hence, the use of the word clearly indicates that the one that is to be condemned or judged is a Jew.
The apostle focused on this activity of Gentile believers who obey the law when he wrote in the words of the NIV of Romans 2:27 will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision. We say this because the apostle placed the Greek verb translated “condemn” at the beginning of the verse. Although there is no strict order in Greek sentence, it is not normal to place a Greek verb first in a sentence unless the writer wants to emphasize the action of the verb. Thus, the apostle focused on this action of the Gentile believer towards a Jew that clearly is not a believer in Christ as implied in the verse we considering. Anyway, the apostle did not tell us when this condemning of the Jew will take place but his use of the future tense in the Greek suggests something that will take place in the future. The time of this corresponds to the judging that the apostle said believers in Christ will participate as stated in 1 Corinthians 6:2:
Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?
In any case, we contend that the Jew that will be judged guilty or condemned is an unbeliever. This is primarily because of the reason for such an activity against the Jew mentioned in our passage. Such a person does not keep the law as described in the last verbal phrase of Romans 2:27 are a lawbreaker or literally transgressor of (the) law. This is because the word “lawbreaker” is translated from a Greek word (parabatēs) that means “a violator, a transgressor” but when used with the law, it may mean “lawbreaker” as it is used in James to describe a person who keeps some codes of the Ten Commandments but violates even one as stated in James 2:11:
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.
In our passage of Romans 2:27, where there is a reference to the law, the word has the sense of “a lawbreaker” or “a transgressor.” It is not that a believer does not sin but there is probably the sense of that which characterizes the person the apostle had in mind. It is doubtful that a person who is habitually a transgressor is saved. This, we say, because of the declaration of the Holy Spirit through the pen of Apostle John in 1 John 3:9:
No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God.
Anyway, the apostle’s assertion of the condemnation of the person who is presumably characterized as a lawbreaker or transgressor should cause anyone that claims to be a Christian but habitually lives a life of sin to question the person’s salvation. Furthermore, this judgment the apostle mentioned implies that at the judgment seat of Christ, those who did not have constant teaching of the word of God and did not have easy life in the Christian faith would probably be used as witnesses against those of us who have the constant teaching of God’s word and somewhat easier life on this planet but fail to apply what we heard taught from God’s word. This is similar to what our Lord said to the Jews who did not respond to His teaching about those who will rise in judgment against them as record in Luke 11:31:
The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with the men of this generation and condemn them; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here.
In any event, there is still more to consider but we are out of time so let me remind you of the message of this passage we are considering which is A true Christian is the person that has been regenerated as evident in obedience to God’s word and not one that has undergone water baptism accompanied by disobedience to God’s word.
01/09/26