Bible Study: Romans 2:25-29

Romans 2:25-29 Circumcised of Heart

1. The Value of Circumcision and Practicing the Law (2:25)

• There is value in circumcision as that was a sign to Abraham indicating a seal of the righteousness of faith which he had while uncircumcised (Rom 4:11). Paul is not minimizing circumcision, yet he is magnifying the holiness of God in that if one wants to boast in circumcision then he must be keeping the full law. (2:25a)
  
• However, if one is not keeping the Law, then circumcision becomes uncircumcision; physical circumcision did not make a man righteous in and of itself, for obedience to God is what makes a man righteous. (2:25b)
  

2. The Righteous Uncircumcised Man vs the Unrighteous Circumcised (2:26-27)

• Paul’s hypothetical example here of the Gentile who keeps the Law speaks to the heart of the matter: The Heart.  It is always the heart that God is after and to confuse that is to confuse how salvation occurs so that no man may boast (Eph 2:8-10). (2:26)
  
• Paul pierces the dagger deeper into the mere external Jew as he asserts that such a righteous uncircumcised man would even judge the Jew!  That statement surely raised eyebrows, yet Paul does not mince words in his exposure of Jewish hypocrisy. (2:27)
  

3. External Appearance vs Internal Change (2:28-29)

• Boasting in External Jewishness is Insufficient (2:28)
  

             A. Possessing the mere outward appearance of being a Jew is not enough for salvation. (2:28a)

             B. Being circumcised of the flesh is not the heart of the matter. (2:28b)

• The Internal Reality of a Changed Heart Receives Praise from God (2:29)
  

             A. A true Jew is one who has been changed from the inside. (2:29a)

             B. Circumcision of Heart is what the Lord desires, and this come by the Spirit and not by the Letter of the Law. (2:29b)

             C. One who has been circumcised of heart is praised by God and not mere man, and the glory we have in Christ is far greater than anything we can conjure up ourselves for own exaltation apart from Him. (2:29c)

             D. We must desire circumcision of heart and the praise of God and not man, though in doing so persecution is sure to come.  Do we desire the fleeting pleasures and glories of man in Egypt that do not satisfy, or are we willing to endure persecution for the greater eternal glory that lies ahead? Let us not chase after the idols of the world and the vain fleeting glory they promise, but let us boast in Christ alone and what He has accomplished for us on the cross! Amen! Amen!