“Between the Lines: It’s An Inside Job”
Romans 2:11-29
A robbery occurred in the branch bank where we did our banking. Law enforcement officers stated that the evidence pointed towards an “inside job.” The crime had been carried out in such a way that only someone who knew the bank from the inside and had special access could have committed it. And they were right. One of the young tellers who frequently waited on us was involved. She and her cohorts had done a poor job of planning – but they had the right idea. People on the inside of something know things, and have access to places, that others do not. And that’s a principle of life: What, or who, is on the inside is one of the most important determinates or detriments to living between the lines. So Paul, in chapter two of Romans, forces us to look inside to evaluate whether or not we are currently living between the lines. In doing so he lists three criteria.
First, Paul raised THE TREND OF SUPERIORITY (11-16). In chapter one, Paul convincingly outlined the sin and corresponding judgment of the world. He stated that God had given and was giving people over to their own hellish desires because of their neglect of God, their sexual impurity, shameful lusts, unnatural sexual relations, every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity, envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, gossip, slandering, insolence, hatred of God, arrogance, boastfulness, their invention of ways to do evil, disobedience to parents, senselessness, faithlessness, heartlessness, and ruthlessness. After hearing this catalog of extensive evil our tendency is to say, “Yes, Paul, the world sure is in bad shape. Those sinners, those non-Christians sure have made a mess of things. They deserve hell.” Ever thought like that? Of course, this implies that we do not deserve hell. IT’S SO EASY TO FEEL SUPERIOR, isn’t it?
What’s your initial reaction when the news announces that some notorious convicted murderer has become a Christian. He repented and was sorry for what he did. He was even baptized, began reading Christian books and attending chapel. Do you immediately jump for joy? Or are you skeptical – or perhaps even disappointed? It’s hard to believe – in fact, we’re not sure we want to meet him in Heaven. It just doesn’t seem right or fair, does it? After all, he deserves hell. What if, prior to his hanging, Saddam Hussein announced he had become a Christian? How would you have responded to the news? After all, he too deserves hell, doesn’t he? Ever thought like that? Of course, anytime we think like this it implies that we feel we do not deserve hell. It’s so easy to feel superior, isn’t it?
We must be careful about an attitude of superiority. When we selectively compare ourselves to others, we feel so squeaky-clean. And we like that feeling! But remember Jesus’ story in Luke 18:9-13: “To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: ’God, I thank you that I am not like other men--robbers, evildoers, adulterers--or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ’God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." How many times have you said, “My, the sermon was great! I sure hope so and so was listening!” (In other words, “I’m glad I’m not like them.”) Or what about, “I would never do that!” (“I’m not that bad!”)
Listen to Paul (11): “GOD DOES NOT SHOW FAVORITISM.” Paul’s chief charge against the people of the world was that they had not lived up to the light they had. He then pointed to the Christians and said, “You are guilty of exactly the same thing. You have not lived up to the light – the Law – you have.” What we see in others is really within ourselves. Sir Percival Lowell was esteemed for his study of the solar system. He had a particular fascination with Mars. He was convinced that there were canals on Mars and spent years mapping them. We now know there are not canals on mars. It turns out that Lowell suffered from a rare eye disease that made him see the blood vessels in his own eyes. The disease is, in fact, now called “Lowell’s syndrome.” So we see in others is often really in ourselves. Want proof? Today the morality of Christians is indistinguishable from that of non-Christians. Poll after poll shows the same attitudes and behavior. While we have been busy condemning the way of the world we have been lowering our own standards of morality and decency. But we want justice for others and mercy for ourselves. Perhaps that’s why Paul said, (1:18): “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against ALL the godlessness and wickedness of men…” Even our wickedness. As Max Lucado wrote: “From God’s perspective there is no difference between the ungodly party-goer, the ungodly finger-pointer, and the ungodly pew-sitter. The Penthouse gang, the courthouse clan, and the church choir need the same message: Without God all are lost.”
JUDGMENT IS BASED NOT ON HOW MANY SINS WE COMMIT, BUT ON WHETHER OR NOT WE’VE EVER SINNED. Sin is anything less than perfection by God’s standard. There is no immunity from judgment and sin. “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God; all we like sheep have gone astray.” In The Message Eugene Peterson paraphrases Paul this way: “Being a Jew (or a Christian) won’t give you an automatic stamp of approval. God pays no attention to what others say (or what you think) about you. He makes up his own mind.” God wants responsibility to replace superiority.
The second criterion of self-examination is THE TRUTH OF STATUS. (17-24). The Jews had many special privileges: they possessed the law, had a special relationship to God, knew the will of God, had great ethical discernment and so they could approve of right things and disapprove of wrong things, and were regularly instructed in the law. Therefore they were able to be a guide to the blind, and light to those in the dark, instructors of the foolish, and teachers of children.
But they needed Paul’s warning: BE CAREFUL NOT TO PUT PRIDE IN YOUR PEDIGREE. My grandfather was a deputy sheriff. I have his badge and handcuffs. Suppose I wore his badge and showed up at the local police station ready to serve. Do you think they would welcome me with open arms, tell me they were glad I was ready, and turn me out as an officer? Why not? After all, I have the badge! After all, I come from good stock – it’s in my bloodline! It’s ludicrous to think they’d accept me. Likewise, the Jewish Christians were living on the badges of their ancestors – they were riding on the coattails of their heritage (17-24). But our value is not in our status – it’s in being able to walk the talk. WE MUST PRACTICE WHAT WE PREACH. We must be who we say we are. Wrongdoing offsets right teaching. The greater the privilege, the greater the responsibility. We are called to a lifestyle rather than to a status.
Think of it this way. Have you ever had your reputation ruined by someone else? They said something about you that lessened your reputation or maligned your character? I’ve been there. Several times during my years of ministry someone has accused me or libeled me incorrectly and unjustly. Not only does it hurt, it also is hard to recover reputation and character. So imagine, then, how God feels when (24) “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” Now the Jews were so jealous of God’s name that they would not even pronounce it; yet their lack of integrity in matching lip and life caused the Gentiles to mock and blaspheme God. It still happens today – Christians live and speak contrary to the admonitions of Scripture leading non-Christians to mock God. The point is that GOD HAS ENTRUSTED US WITH HIS REPUTATION! Hear me - inconsistent living makes Christianity a farce rather than a force. It is not a matter of how many people you have led to Christ – although that’s important – but how many people have you turned away from Christ.
One night in China, missionary C. L. Culpepper stayed up late for devotions, but as he tried to pray he felt like stone. Finally he asked, “Lord, what is the matter?” He recorded what happened next. “I had opened my Bible to Romans 2:17. It seemed to me the Apostle Paul was speaking directly to me when he said, ‘But if you call yourself a Christian and rely upon the Gospel, and boast of your relation to God, and know His will, and approve what is excellent; and if you are sure you are a guide to the blind, a light to those in darkness, a correction to the foolish, a teacher of children – you then who teach others, will you not teach yourself?’ The Holy Spirit used these verses like a sword to cut deeply into my heart. He said, ‘You are a hypocrite! You claim to be a Christian! What have you really done for Christ? The Lord said those who believed on Him would have rivers of living waters flowing from their inmost being! Do you have that kind of power?’ Culpepper awakened his wife, and they prayed into the night. The next morning at a prayer meeting with fellow workers, he confessed to pride, and spiritual impotence, saying his heart was broken. The Holy Spirit began to so convict the others of sin that they could hardly bear it. “I watched their faces grow pale, then they began to cry and drop on their knees or fall prostrate on the floor. Missionaries went to missionaries confessing wrong feelings toward one another. Chinese preachers, guilty of envy, jealousy and hatred, confessed their sins to one another.’ The revival spread through the seminary, the schools, the hospital, and the area churches. “The impression that the Shantung revival wrote upon my soul lingers with me even today. Throughout the breadth and depth of Shantung Province, I discovered signs of revival. The churches were as never before. Attendance multiplied. Countless people gave up their idols.”
So what badge are you wearing? That you’re a preacher’s kid? That your mother is a saint? Your dad sang in the choir? Mom served on Consistory? Dad was treasurer for the Church? Or perhaps you have no badge – you’ve lived your life apart from Christ until recently. That’s OK. The truth of status is that it does not count – nor does lack of it. The only question is “How responsible are you? Have you upheld or ruined God reputation?” Remember – God shows no favoritism.
The trend of superiority and the truth of status. Paul’s third criteria of measurement is the TRUST OF SYMBOLISM (25-29). Verse 25: “Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you become as though you had not been circumcised.”
Circumcision was an important rite. It symbolized the nearness of God to His people and His promise of faithful blessing. The problem lay in how the Jews – Christians – were using it. It had become, for them, a symbol of salvation. Some believed that because they were circumcised they were saved. But God never intended circumcision to do anything. Consider, for example, labels. They name the products, but they do not bring them into being. So with circumcision: BAPTISM LABELS YOU A CHRISTIAN, BUT IT DOES NOT MAKE YOU LIVE LIKE ONE. Wearing a wedding ring labels me a husband, but it doesn’t make me live like a husband. Wearing a cross around my neck labels me a Christian, but it doesn’t make me live like a Christian.
In the ‘Left Behind’ series, the authors created an interesting scenario. One of the main characters was a pastor and he was not raptured. He admits he was not truly “in Christ.” Interesting – and highly possible! So you’re a member of the church. You attend worship, even twice a week. You never miss Communion. You were baptized as an infant, or at age 16, or you gave your life to Christ at Camp. You memorized all the required Bible verses and creeds and the catechism; you have a stack of perfect attendance pins. Congratulations on your performance. But it’s not what counts, unless it is a reflection of your heart! I used to wear a Grand Rapids Community College football tee shirt, the same one the football team wore. When I wore it, someone would inevitably ask if I played football at CC. I got it as a gift from a CC staff member. Suppose I showed up at the first practice some fall assuming I could play for the team because the tee shirt would be enough to enable me to be a good player. What do you think would have happened? (Don’t think about it too long – it could get ugly!) I would have been foolish to trust the shirt to make me a football player. In the same way, DO NOT PUT YOUR TRUST IN A SYMBOL of your faith. In verses 28-29, Paul wrote: “A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 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.”
Baptism is a sign of submission, not a guarantee of glory. Living between the lines is an inside job – it is a matter of the heart. Comparisons, pedigree, status, and performances are not what count with God. God wants our hearts. In fact, BAPTISM PUTS US UNDER LIABILITY. At every celebration of baptism we declare: “Through baptism Christ calls us to new obedience: to love and trust God completely, to forsake the evil of the world, and to live a new and holy life… Do you promise to make faithful use of the means of grace, especially the hearing of the Word and the use of the Sacraments; to give faithful adherence to the doctrines and teaching of the Church; to walk in the spirit of Christian fellowship and brotherly love with the congregation; to submit yourself to all Christian admonition; to offer faithfully to the service of God your prayers and your gifts; and to seek the things that make for purity and peace in the Church of Jesus Christ as long as you live?” It’s a sign of submission. Be careful of trusting the symbol. Again, Eugene Peterson in The Message put it well: “It’s not the cut of the knife that makes a Jew. You become a Jew by who you are. It’s the mark of God on your heart, not of a knife on your skin, that makes a Jew.”
The book entitled Peace Child is the story of some missionaries who served in New Guinea among a tribe of highly immoral and degraded natives. But even in the midst of their degradation they had a marvelous system of honor. If a tribe gave a baby or a child from their tribe to another, then that other tribe would be bound to keep its agreements and to honor its treaty with the first tribe. Similarly, God has given us Jesus Christ and we are obligated to be obedient and keep our agreements with Him. He shows no favoritism. No matter who we are GOD JUDGES NOT OUR ACTIONS BUT OUR HEARTS. But, as our Baptismal liturgy affirms, “Yet, when we fall into sin, we must not despair of God’s mercy, nor continue in sin, for baptism is the sign and seal of God’s eternal covenant of grace with us.”
So a thief on a cross received grace. So Saddam Hussein is eligible to receive grace. So we need to receive and accept grace. It’s the same for all of us. God shows no favoritism. What, or who, is on the inside is one of the most important determinates or detriments to living between the lines. I urge you to trust Jesus Christ – and then to obediently live for Him. As Hebrews 2:1-3 puts it: “We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, how shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?”
