February 7, 2018
Hypocrites, Meet Hope in Christ
Romans 2:22–24
Wade Souza
Central Truth
Apart from grace through faith, the Jews were as guilty and godless as the Gentiles. Their hardened hearts blinded them from their hypocrisy, which hindered their witness and blasphemed the name of God. Christ's blood was on their hands, yet only Christ could wash them clean and set them free.
Romans 2:22–24
22 You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. 24 For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
Dive Deeper | Romans 2:22–24
Parenting continues to show me, as a new dad, how much I still have to grow. Early on, I remember when our son Will would cry and cry, and my entitled heart would cry out for "me" time to do what I wanted to do, what I used to do, or what I thought the rest of Dallas was doing. My frustration reflected my immaturity more than Will's.
Too often, I criticize others while losing sight of my own sinfulness and my own salvation story—I was saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (see Ephesians 2:8-9). Apart from Christ, we are all condemned. In Christ, there is no condemnation for the believer (Romans 8:1).
It's always easier to see others' sin than to recognize our own.
Here, Paul pleads with the Jews to recognize their wretchedness, hypocrisy, and insufficiency to save themselves. Paul, too, was once deluded, deceived, and destined for destruction . . . but for Christ. Though Paul witnessed the Jews' unrighteousness, he also was a witness and recipient of the righteousness of Christ. In love, he points to their crisis. In love, he points to the cross as the solution.
The Jews' history of hypocrisy dishonored God. It was pride that caused them to perceive perfection as possible. They placed the hope of their hardened hearts in a counterfeit system of compliance with the law that mocked the Messiah's gift of righteousness to us.
Though hypocrisy has hindered the witness of God's people throughout history, His résumé of righteousness remains untarnished. As Todd Wagner often says, "Just because you sin doesn't make you a hypocrite." Hypocrisy comes from failing to address sin, confess sin, and forsake sin. As Isaiah 5:20 warns, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness . . . ." Yet 1 John 1:7 warmly invites, "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin."
Autonomy is a lie. Abundant life is in abiding with Christ (John 15:4-5).
This month's memory verse
Life in the Spirit
1 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
– Romans 8:1
Discussion Questions
1. Do you view confession and repentance as necessary only when you first become a Christian, or to be practiced throughout the Christian life?
2. Read 1 John 1. Do you view confession and repentance as burdensome, or as a bridge to right fellowship with God?
3. What sin struggle or people in your life are you most prone to rush to judge, forgetting your own sinfulness and salvation story? What steps can you take to love those people like Christ does?
4. In what areas of your life do you most view yourself as autonomous? Have you compartmentalized your faith to allow change only where change is most comfortable or agreeable to you?
5. In what role, responsibility, or relationship is it most difficult for you to reflect Christ? Do you have a plan in place to overcome this difficulty, or are you expecting progress without preparation, prayer, a plan, and support from God's people?