Romans chapter 2

Romans 2: What it means to be a Jew

Romans 2:1-11 The Responsibility of Privilege
Paul is directly addressing the Jews here. Previously he painted a dark picture of the heathen world (which the Jews agreed with). But, they failed to see that they were also sinners.
They thought they occupied a privileged position.
Paul reminded the Jews of (4) things:

Trading on the mercy of God Romans 2:4
Kindness (chrēstotēs)
Good in Greek is agathos and chrēstos
An Agathos man will rebuke in discipline and punishment. EG, Jesus driving out moneylenders from the temple.
A Chrēstos man is always essentially kind. EG, Jesus’ acts towards the adulteress
Forbearance (anochē) = Truce
A man cannot sin forever with impunity
Patience (makrothumia) = Patience with People
A man who has the power to avenge himself and deliberately does not.
The Jews were taking the mercy and love of God as invitation to sin rather than as an incentive to repentance.
God will forgive me, it is his trade. Heinrich Heine.
There is NO “Most Favored Nation” clause
People are picked for special tasks and special responsibilities, but not for special privileges and special considerations.
Faith is no faith at all without deeds

Romans 2:6
A man’s works and faith are bound together
“To Paul a faith which did not issue in deeds was a travesty of faith; in fact it was no faith at all.”

Romans 2:12-16 The Unwritten Law
A man will be judged by what he has the opportunity to know. IE, God is fair. J
If he knows the Law, he will be judged by how he lived with the Law
If he does not know the Law, he will be judged to his faithfulness to the highest that it was possible for him to know.
We all have an unwritten Law in our hearts
Instinctive knowledge of right and wrong.
This is inline with Greek reasoning of the time
No one is exempt from God’s judgment.

Romans 2:17-29 The Real Jew
Jewishness is not a matter of race; it is a matter of conduct.

Romans 2:29 The praise of such a man comes not from men but from God.
Praise (epianos) is the traditional meaning of Judah – who was one of the 12 sons of Jacob and a great-grandson of Abraham. He founded the Kingdom of Judah, which is one of the twelve tribes of Israel (from Jacob’s 12 sons).
This verse then, also means: The Jewishness of such a man comes not from men but from God.
There were some Jews who, by their conduct, defamed the name of God.
How we act as Jews/Christians gives the rest of the world a perception as to what we believe and who our God is.
At that time, there was a lot of ignorance about Judaism
Rumors that the Jews began as lepers, that they worshiped asses and pigs, that they were lazy for not working on the Sabbath.
At the time, there was a lot of resentment about Judaism
Jews were unpopular, but the Roman government gave them select privileges.
They were allowed to transmit the Temple Tax to Jerusalem every year.
They were allowed to have their own courts and live by their own laws (at least more so than the Gentiles).
They didn’t have to work on the Sabbath
This meant… they weren’t forced to join the army.
(1) Big Misperception
Others thought they were atheist since there were no visible images to worship. This was very different from any other religion of the time.
Mostly though…. They had a great contempt for others
Tacitus (a Roman Senator and Historian 56-117 CA) said: “Among themselves their honesty is inflexible, their compassion quick to move, but to all other persons they show the hatred of antagonism.”
“The did bring the name of God into disrepute, because they shut themselves into a rigid little community from which all others were shut out and because they showed to the heathen an attitude of contempt for their worship and complete lack of charity for their needs.”
Real Christianity is a thing of the open heart and the open door.