“Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God” (Romans 2:17).
Paul the Apostle will now turn his attention to the Jewish people beginning here in verse seventeen and continuing through the rest of Romans chapter two. While the Jews have held a long and privileged position in the history of salvation, neither “… their heritage (v. 17a), their knowledge (vv. 17b–24), nor their ceremonies, specifically circumcision (vv. 25–29), will protect them from God’s righteous judgment.” (1)
The Scriptures identify the people of Old Testament Israel as members of a chosen nation who were called to become a holy and separate people unto God. However, that distinction had developed into an attitude of spiritual pride with the approach of the New Testament period. John the Baptist’s interaction with the spiritual leaders who attended his baptisms serve as a case in point….
“Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to [John] and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, ‘Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance, and do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire'” (Matthew 3:5-10).
These religious authorities seemed to believe that their mere association with Abraham, the great Old Testament patriarch, was sufficient to ensure their entry into heaven despite their unrepentant attitudes. But as John observed, God could raise up descendants of Abraham from the surrounding rocks if He desired. That misguided mentality thus serves as an object lesson. It also illustrates how readily we can delude ourselves in matters that concern our spiritual well-being.
For instance, let’s consider the example of those who think they’ll go to heaven simply because they once took part in a religious ceremony. Or perhaps they are seeking to rely on their charitable gifts or good works to ensure a positive entry into the afterlife. The issue is that God’s Word supports neither of those views. Anyone who seeks to be accepted by God must approach Him through the mediator He has established. That mediator is Christ, for “…there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus…” (1 Timothy 3:16).
As Jesus Himself once said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
(1) John F. MacArthur Jr., The MacArthur Study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2006), Ro 2:17–29.