walk in faith

DEVOTION

ROMANS

WALK IN FAITH

Rom 2:17-24

17 Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God; 18 if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; 19 if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24 As it is written: "God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."  

NIV

This is just a portion of Paul’s argument about the value of being righteous before God because of being in Christ. Here he is chastising the Jewish believers who are still practicing living by the law. Although they have been called to be saints, they get it about Jesus being the Messiah and they are living in Rome among pagans, they feel the law still holds them to God. Bragging how righteous they are by keeping the law is mere foolishness. How can anyone brag about living a life one hundred percent according to the law? God is telling them through the Apostle Paul, they break the law daily. This is why they are told that God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of them. They are not walking the talk. They claim to live by the law, but they do not and thus they make a mockery out of God before unbelievers. It is hypocrisy at its finest. This should give us the same lesson. Do we live what we confess? If people know we are Christians, and they certainly should, then what do they believe about God based on our lives? Are we any different than they are? Sure, we do not go out to bars and party all night. We do not carry on having affairs with co-workers. We do not engage in filthy language or use the Lord’s name in vain. But is that it? Is that all that makes us different? Do we gossip about the boss, or a co-worker? Do we complain about the job, or a supervisor? Do we invest in retirement plans like everyone at work? Do we think we deserve a better pay? Do we think we are better than all those who do those things we don’t? Do we isolate ourselves from them, not making them our friends because they are not believers? Are we trying to live by a standard we believe God calls us to, yet failing to abide by it one hundred percent? Do the non-believers see our short comings in our walk that we have talked? Do we look even a little hypocritical? Are we giving God a bad reputation? Let’s face it, the reason we have any righteousness at all is because we are in Christ. Although we should not make an excuse for our only being human and not divine, we should be open enough to understand the only difference is we have accepted what Jesus did on that cross. Sure, we should live a life pleasing to the Lord. But what is that? It is living by a law, a set of rules and regulations God established for us? That was the Law, and its main purpose was to show the Israelites they needed the Messiah, a Savior. Why would God give us another set of laws to live by when we have the Messiah, the Savior? Jesus set us free from the Law, from all the Law. Let us not establish a set of laws for ourselves, but rather live a life of faith, showing complete trust in Jesus and we should show this life before all men, both believer and non-believer alike. This is a life pleasing to God. A life trusting in our ability to keep some set of rules is not only foolish but shows our hypocrisy before other believers and non-believers alike and we give God a bad name.

Let us walk the talk and the talk is believing God, having faith in God. Let us not give him a bad reputation among men. Let us just walk in faith.