Well, it's been awhile since I've sat down to write again. Terri and I were transitioning from one job to another. We were in the midst of redoing our kitchen cabinets (yes, we did it ourselves). That little project took about four weeks itself. Of course that meant repainting the ceiling and walls as well. We also planned for our church to participate in Rossville's Summer's End event. We were in the parade and also had a space in the park where we passed out free water, ice pops, shared Jesus and took prayer requests. Now Terri's older sister Debbie from Colorado is visiting us for a few weeks.
But now I have a few moments to write, so let's begin digging into the second chapter of Romans.
In chapter two Paul begins to lay out the playing field regarding the Jews. The Jewish people of Jesus' day regarded themselves as the truly saved people, those who were in good standing with God simply on the basis of their being Jewish, God's chosen people. So Paul begins to develop a three-part argument regarding the true state of the Jews, their guilt before God.
Paul begins to show them that the Jewish condemnation of the Gentiles (non-Jews, non-chosen) really turns on them because they commit the same sins they condemn the Gentiles for. "Therefore, every one of you who judges in without excuse. For when you judge another, you condemn yourself, since you, the judge, do the same things."
The "Therefore" that begins chapter two refers back to his discussion in chapter one and serves as a sort of summation. Paul had taken the Gentile world to task because of their constant and persistent turning away from God and the result, "Therefore God delivered them over to..." This was fine as long as Paul was aiming his arrows at the Gentiles. But now he turns to his own people and accuses them of doing the same things! Ouch!
What Paul was getting to was this; the Jews as well as the Gentiles were in danger of suffering God's wrath. How? This is what Paul develops as he continues to write. He wants his people to see that we all, both Jew and Gentile (non-Jew) are subject to God's wrath. Being a Jew does not get you a get out of jail card. So, Paul begins to develop the playing field in which everyone, both Jew and Gentile, are marked as sinners and, therefore, subject to judgment by Almighty God.
But all is not lost, as we will see. More to come...
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