"Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law; And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law. Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written. For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision. Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God."
In today's lesson, Paul ridiculed his brother Jews for their haughty, self-righteous behavior toward Gentiles saying that, judged by their actions, they too, just like the Gentiles, were unworthy of righteousness under the law.
Paul explained that in order to be deemed wholly righteous under Hebrew law, one must live absolutely within the boundaries of that law, then gave examples of how they were failing to do so.
He ridiculed the Jews because they were expecting things of the Gentiles that they wouldn't abide by themselves.
There is much of the "Christian" world today that lives by the same standard as did those Jews. Too many, so-called Christians, give the outward appearance of obedience to the law of Jesus Christ while inwardly they are as "open graves". ~
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