ROMANS 2:21-24 DOES YOUR WALK MATCH YOUR TALK

Ro 2:21 You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal?22 You who say, "Do not commit adultery," do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?  23 You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law?  24 For "the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you," as it is written.

 

V21-23 Paul asks a series of questions designed to show the difference between what the Jews knew and what they practiced

v-21 First he asks do you practice what you preach

Matt 23:1-5 Pharisee's taught it but did not practice

Then he speaks of three sins that were in abundance among the Jews

Stealing - Psalms 50:16-21 ungodly God does not want them teaching his covenant, stealing

Matt 23:14-15 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. 15 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

James 1:27  Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.

v-22  Adultery - Malachi 3:5  And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness Against sorcerers, Against adulterers, Against perjurers, Against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans,

Rob temples  - Acts 19:37  "For you have brought these men here who are neither robbers of temples nor blasphemers of your goddess.

V 23 Paul goes back to verse 17 and mentions again their boasting in the law and yet you break God's law and dishonor Him

John MacArthur says that since it was impossible to keep the law perfectly some of the rabbis began teaching that learning the law was sufficient, then some claimed that possessing the law in the form of scrolls was sufficient and lastly some taught that the Jews were safe from Judgement because they were God's chosen people to be the receivers and custodians of the law

V 24 quoted from Isaiah 52:5

Blaspheme means to be evil spoken of, reviled, railed at

This means the Jews were not speaking evil of God but that the Gentiles were speaking bad about God, His Word and Christianity because of What they taught vs what they practiced.

Psalms 1:1-6

Matt 23:27 "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. 28 "Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. 33 "Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?

 

Circumcision of no avail or the impossibility of rituals pleasing God

Paul starts to remind his readers that religion without a heart change is useless

Many today think that because they were baptized as an infant they are going to heaven

 

We minister to people who are locked up in one way, shape or form:  nursing homes (in bodies that don't function);  jail, prison or youth detention centers;  and those addicted to drugs, alcohol and depression.