Witness - May 26, 2013

By Pastor Greg

I remember singing a song quite frequently when I was a teen. As we would sit around the campfire at Camp Eder often we would sing “They will know we are Christians by our love”. I suspect many of you are familiar with the song. It speaks of Christian conduct, specifically how our unity and love testify that we are followers of Christ; that we are Christians. The idea behind the words in this song speak not about what we say, but how we live. And how we live carries more weight than what we say; an idea that some may not be too excited to hear.

Actually, the idea of Christian conduct is not new. It is quite old. God expected Israel’s conduct to match their beliefs. He not only expected them to know the Law, but to live the Law. Yet the people of the covenant did not live like people of the covenant. And because Israel lived like hypocrites, the other nations of the world actually blasphemed God.

This hypocritical way of living was apparently still a problem when Paul wrote Romans. It is this attitude he addresses in chapter two (read Romans 2:17-29).

Paul corrects a belief that even he would have held in the past. There were Jews who felt that since they had been born into the right family (being Jewish), and since they had followed certain prescribed rituals, they were accepted by God. But a person is not made right with God simply because they were born Jewish or because they followed certain rituals. A real Jew was someone who lived the commands of God each and every day; whose conduct confirmed their beliefs.

The point Paul is trying to make here is that sometimes it is more difficult to get a religious person to repent than it is an unreligious person. And what he means is that someone we would call a sinner knows they are a sinner, sometimes instinctively, while someone who hides behind their religion will often times deny they are sinning simply because of all the religious things they do. But when that religious person’s conduct is outside of the teachings of God, their conduct condemns them just like the sinful person of the world. Just because a religious person goes to church or gives money to the church or even owns a Bible does not mean they are beyond sin. No, it actually means that they have an even greater responsibility. You see those of us who claim to be Christian have the responsibility and the duty to show the world what a Christian life looks like. Our walk needs to match our talk. Our walk as a Christian becomes our witness to the rest of the world. And sadly, our conduct can destroy our witness, especially if we profess to be a follower of God but continue to live just like a person of the world.

Please keep in mind that becoming a Christian is not joining an organization. A person is not a Christian by attending meetings or paying dues. And a person is not a Christian because of what they do. But, there are those in this world who believe this. They actually believe that Christian is something you do rather than something you are. Some individuals believe that Christian is something you do on Sunday, or it means following certain rituals. But giving money to the Church or wearing a cross necklace does not make a person a Christian. To be a Christian is to be reborn. To be a Christian is to be a person who has restored their relationship with God through faith in what Jesus accomplished upon the cross. And to confirm that we are Christian, God “marks” us by pouring out His Spirit upon us and within us. Then, from within a heart that has been circumcised (as Paul describes it in this section), a person begins to demonstrate love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The Fruit of the Spirit becomes a witness that others can see. By our conduct the world will know that we are Christian, not simply because we attend church or wear nice clothes on Sunday or have a Christian bumper sticker on our car. The world knows we are Christian simply by looking at our attitude and our conduct.

Paul does not mince words for those Jews who felt they could preach one thing but live another. Oh, they were Jewish, but you couldn’t tell it by listening to them talk or watching the way they lived. He was pointing a finger to the Jew who knew what God commanded, yet would habitually break these commands, and then come to the Temple offering a sacrifice thinking all would be well. But it wasn’t okay. Their habit of breaking God’s Law demonstrated a heart without remorse. These words are just as important for us today. If we confess to being a Christian then the way we live must confirm this. We cannot live one way six days of the week and another way on Sunday. Actually, the person who has had a change of heart has a changed attitude toward sin: realizing that sin tarnishes their relationship with God, and also destroys their witness for God. So even though there is nothing wrong with wearing nice clothes on a Sunday, attending Church, wearing Christian jewelry and Christian apparel, tithing, and such things, the Christian must realize that none of these will be an effective witness to the people of this world unless their conduct first confirms it. And the way to have our conduct transformed, says Paul, is to allow the Spirit of God to circumcise our heart; to be reborn and transformed by the Holy Spirit.

As Christians, we must take seriously Paul’s words in verse 24. No wonder the Scriptures say, “The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you.” We must take our responsibility as Christians seriously. Our failure to live a life that honors God not only destroys our witness, but may cause someone of the world to reject God, all because we live like hypocrites. It is a difficult burden to bear knowing that someone rejected God simply because I did not conduct myself as a child of God.

As believers, we are left with only two choices. Either we surrender ourselves to God’s commands, circumcising sinful practices from our lives, or we change God’s commands so that they no longer convict us of sin. Sadly, I see a trend in the North American Church where there is a call to change God’s commands rather than a call to change our behavior. And what is unfortunate in all of this is that the people of the world (those who are truly sinners) know what today’s church is doing. And it destroys the Church’s witness.

I wonder how shocked some would be to see us in church today. As we live out our lives Monday through Saturday, does our conduct confirm that we are Christian or does it condemn us as a sinner? And if our life the other days of the week condemns what we profess to believe, we must stop hiding behind our religion and confess our sin. We have been called to be witnesses to the people in this world. The Church is to let the light of Christ shine through her, and that by this light the people living in darkness might see and repent and believe and be saved because through the Church the world saw Jesus.

And now to the questions:

1. If I understand these verses correctly what he is saying is that Jew or Gentile what matters to God is not our deeds so much as the condition of our hearts?

Answer: What Paul is trying to point out is that the condition of our heart should transform our actions. The Jews felt they could act any way they pleased yet still be right with God. Paul says absolutely not! Their actions testified that they really were not right with God. Their actions condemned them. It is the same with the religious person today. Although they go to church, are a member, and do religious things, their actions testify that they are not right with God. So if we want to be a Christian faithful to God, our actions should confirm that we are believers. Our deeds do matter to God.

2. Even though we don’t have the Law, yet obey the Law, we are circumcised, not externally but internally in the heart. Is that what Paul is trying to say?

Answer: I think the bigger question here is what or who causes us to obey the Law in the first place. To be circumcised in the heart is to allow God to cut away the old person and be made anew. Our old attitudes are replaced with new ones. This is part of what the Holy Spirit does for us. He creates within us a new nature; a heart that desires to love and obey and honor God; a heart willing to admit sin. It is this new nature that is at work in the hearts of true believers that cause them to strive to do what is right and honorable and godly. When the Holy Spirit is poured into a believer, the prophecy God spoke through Jeremiah is fulfilled. But this is the new covenant I will make with the people of Israel on that day,” says the Lord. “I will put my instructions deep within them, and I will write them on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people. ³⁴ And they will not need to teach their neighbors, nor will they need to teach their relatives, saying, ‘You should know the Lord.’ For everyone, from the least to the greatest, will know me already,” says the Lord. “And I will forgive their wickedness, and I will never again remember their sins” (Jeremiah 31:33-34).