Romans 2:28-2:29 - By the Spirit, Not the Letter

Matthew Henry (4/26/01)

2:28: It is not that we must, or even should, avoid the observance of such institutions as God has ordained, but that our trust must not be in the institutions themselves, but in that which is signified by them. To stop short of the full significance is to find oneself unaccepted 'as the seed of believing Abraham,' for his children do his works (Jn 8:39-40 - If you are Abraham's children, do as he did, but in that you seek to kill the One who tells you the truth of God, you do not as Abraham did.)
2:29: Unless the heart be circumcised, circumcision does nothing to make us acceptable before God. (Dt 30:6 - He will circumcise your heart, so that you can love the LORD will all your heart and soul, and so that you may live. Col 2:11-12 - In Him you were fully circumcised, the flesh removed in the burial of His baptism, and yourself raised up with Him through faith in the One who raised Him from the dead.) It is a spiritual work of the Holy Spirit upon our spirit. Pretence and profession may deceive men, but not God. As baptism answers to circumcision for the Christian church, the verse might be rendered: "He is not a Christian that is one outwardly, nor is that baptism which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Christian that is one inwardly, and baptism is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter, whose praise is not of men but of God."

Adam Clarke (4/26/01)

2:28: Outward profession does not make one a genuine member of the congregation of God. Circumcision was only a rite, representing the intended purification of the heart. (Jer 4:4 - Remove the foreskins of your heart, else My wrath must burn because of your evil deeds. Jer 9:25-26 - The day comes when the LORD will punish 'all who are circumcised and yet uncircumcised,' not alone the nations surrounding Israel, but Israel itself, for their hearts are not circumcised, even though their flesh is. Ez 44:7 - It is an abomination that those whose hearts were uncircumcised, let alone their flesh, were allowed into His temple. Ez 44:9 - None who is uncircumcised in heart or flesh shall enter His temple.)
2:29: A true member has purified his heart as God has required, by the work of the Holy Spirit. (Heb 12:14 - No one without sanctification will see the Lord.) The name Jew, derived from Judah, signifies praise, as Judah (Yehuwdah [OT:3063]) means praised, and is itself derived from (yadah [OT:3034]) which, amongst other things, means to give thanks or praise. [Gives new meaning to the Yiddish yadah yadah yadah, doesn't it?] It is also noted, interestingly enough, that the rabbinical teaching also understood circumcision to be of the heart. Thus did they defend circumcision against the rather silly charges of the Christians, that women - being incapable of circumcision - were incapable of being Jews. Quoted from Rabbi Lipman 'The one who does not have genuine faith is not a partaker of the Jewish circumcision; but the one who has genuine faith is a Jew, although not circumcised.' In this chapter of Romans, one can see that God does not restrict His work of salvation to those places where His Word is known. He has not restricted Himself to one means of communicating His salvation[!?!]. The word effects salvation only when accompanied by the Holy Spirit which gave that word, and He can as easily speak without it. [This borders on a total misconception of Christ, as I understand it.] God will judge according to His word, whether written on hearts or stone. As He respects no person above another, He will reveal Himself to all nations in a manner sufficient unto salvation. Where the Word has been given, it has been given to be conveyed to those who have it not. This is the purpose of the missionary, and God's command upon all Christian nations. Where those nations fail, the ones they fail will not therefor be destroyed, for God is merciful, but those who failed will be required to answer to their Judge.

Barnes' Notes (4/26/01)

2:28: The separation expected for the Jewish people must consist of more than outward signs and professions, more than just lines of descent. The performance of the rite does not fulfill the purpose of the rite.
2:29: Rather, the fullness of the rite comes in the spirit. The separation of the nation was not simply to perform rites, or conform to observances, but rather to truly be a holy people in heart and life. To this the Scriptures attest. (Dt 6:5 - You shall love the LORD with all your heart, soul, and might. Dt 10:12-13 - All He requires is to fear Him, walk in His ways, love Him, serve Him with all your heart and soul, and keep His commandments for your own good. Dt 10:20 - Serve and cling to Him, swearing by His name. Dt 30:14 - His word is in your mouth and your heart, so that you can observe it. Is 1:11-17 - All your sacrifices and observances are but abominations, for the LORD cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly. Therefore, cleanse yourself, and cease from your evil ways, learning rather to do good. Mic 6:8 - All He requires of you is to be just, love kindness, and walk humbly with Him. Ps 51:16-17 - God does not delight in empty sacrifices, but rather seeks the acceptable sacrifice of a broken and contrite heart. Ps 50:7-23 - God doesn't come with demands for more sacrifices, for He has no need of them. Rather, He seeks a heartfelt thanksgiving, and an earnest service from those who would call upon Him. Where wickedness reigns, His name and His ordinances should not even be spoken, and in doing so, they are in danger of being destroyed. But the one who honors God with thanksgiving, and who walks according to His ways will see the salvation of God.) It is the cutting off of sins, not the cutting off of skins, that God seeks. (Dt 10:16 - Circumcise your heart, Jer 4:4 - else My wrath must burn unquenchably because of your evil deeds. Dt 30:6 - God will circumcise your heart, so that you may love Him and live.) Circumcision is to be a work in the soul, not just the body. Bodily circumcision seeks the praises of man, as does performance. This was the great problem of the Jew in Jesus' time. (Mt 3:9 - Don't pride yourself in being a descendent of Abraham, for God could make from rocks descendents of Abraham. Mt 6:2 - Don't brag of your almsgiving as the hypocrites do in hopes of honor among men. Mt 6:5 - Neither pray in a fashion designed to show men how spiritual you are, seeking only to be seen at your prayers. Lk 18:10-12 - Nor are you to judge yourself by comparison to others. Fasting and tithing do nothing in themselves to commend you to the One who counts, Mt 23:23 - indeed, you may be scrupulous in your tithing, and yet completely miss the point - to be just, merciful, and faithful. 1Sa 16:7 - But God reminds us to look past appearances, and rather see as He sees; looking at the heart.) As for the Jew, so for the Christian. Rites are less important than the heart, their only value being to promote real holiness of life. Birth into a Christian family will not save you, baptism will not save you, profession of orthodoxy or creed will not save you, opinions of man will not save you, owning a Bible will not save you, nor will reading it. All of these are great privileges, and benefit you in so much as they lead you to righteousness, but they bring the greater judgment upon you if you choose to remain in your sins. "The most wicked of the pagan may meet a far milder doom than many who are externally moral." See to your own estate.

Wycliffe (4/26/01)

2:28-2:29: It is the internals, not the externals, that make a man a true child of God. True circumcision is not a matter of legality, but a matter of will.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown (4/26/01)

2:28: No comments.
2:29: Both name and rite were intended as outward symbols of an inward separation from ungodliness. Where such devotion is realized, the signs are fully significant, but otherwise they are 'worse than useless.' In spite of the variation in religious opportunity amongst men, the perfect equity of divine rule will yet be seen to reign. In Chapter 1, we saw that God had made Himself evident in the physical, so that His metaphysical nature could be understood. Here in Chapter 2, the we see that proper ethics can also be learned by His more general revelation in nature. The louder the profession, the more disgusting the inconsistencies in those who make them, in those who have form without power. As the outward marks of religion will not serve to protect the unholy from God's wrath, so the lack of those marks will not serve to separate the holy from His blessings. The heart is all.

New Thoughts (4/27/01)

The message comes through loud and clear: Pretence and profession may deceive men, but not God. The performance of the rite does not fulfill the purpose of the rite. How many today are depending on the wrong thing for salvation? How many think their weekly, or annual attendance at church is sufficient to secure their place? How many think their tithing will somehow pay their way? How many 'social Christians' is God suffering with today, who lay claim to His name, but refuse to obey the rules of His house? The heart is all. The most perfectly crafted worship will be but a hollow act, a Hollywood creation, if it doesn't come from the heart. The most finely organized and delivered sermon will be but hollow words, if the preacher hasn't felt their impact first. By the same token, we can easily overreact to this understanding, and abandon all the rites and habits of organized religion. But this error is just as bad as the first. God has ordained these things to help us, to remind us of the truth. Physical creatures, we require physical reminders, just as our spiritual nature requires the reminders of the Spirit. Both aspects of our being must be attended to, or we become a house divided. The holiness and sanctity of the rites of communion and of baptism should not be downplayed. Nor, on the other hand, should they be held up as sufficient in themselves. Baptism doesn't save. It reminds us that we have died to our old ways, and been reborn into a new life in Christ. It is a solemn promise on our part to walk humbly with our Humble Lord. But for most of us, this is a once in a lifetime matter, perhaps twice for some. So God, in His graciousness, provides a more consistent reminder for us in the communion. Monthly, we are called to examine how we have been doing with our part of the promise made in baptism, and to consider how faithful He has been in the promise of His covenant with us. But even that isn't enough for forgetful men such as we. So, He institutes the meeting of the Church, to remind us week to week of His holiness, of His will for us. And, knowing that still won't be enough, He gives us His Word to study daily, that we might be reminded daily of His presence beside us, even in our darkest hours. All of these things that God has provided for us may be abused and misused. All of them may be trusted in as sufficient in themselves unto salvation, and in that, the benefit may quickly turn to a curse. But none of them ought to be discarded, for all are given to ease our trials, and help us in the fight against temptation. And Ez 44:9 reminds us that "None who is uncircumcised in heart or flesh shall enter His temple." What does this mean for His church today? I read it as saying that we are neither to ignore those rites and sacraments that were established for our benefit by Him, nor are we to ignore what was signified by those rites and sacraments. Outwardly and inwardly we are to walk humbly before our God.

Lord, tonight we will be joining together as a church to offer up our prayers before You. It has been established as a night for 'prayer all night.' Tonight we also place ourselves before the cameras to create the image that will introduce our newborn video ministry. And, tonight, we stand before Your people to lead them into the place of worship. In all these things, Father, we stand in constant danger of falling into performance, of allowing the form to rule, rather than the reality. Some of these things concern me, God, by their seeming nature, but I remind myself now that I am not the best judge. Rather it should always fall to You to judge in truth. I pray now for myself, dear Lord, that where there is hollow posturing in me, for I dare not deny it is there, that You would peal it away, that You would make my love for You the whole of what I do. I pray for those I serve with that, whatever outward acts we perform, in Your service, You would keep us mindful of the inner reality, the more full significance of what You have us to do. I pray our worship would always be our heart poured out to You, whether or not it's musically perfect. Where we strive for perfection, dear God, may it be found to be no more than our desire to offer You our very best. Where we find that perfection, Holy Spirit, may we recognize that it is Your doing, and none of our own. Jesus, I pray that You would make such offerings as we are making tonight acceptable in Your sight. I pray that You would filter out the imperfections in what we give to You, and present our offerings to Father as a sweet smelling sacrifice from contrite hearts.