“Circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God.” - Romans 2:29
Every great once in a while, I get a phone call from someone I don’t know who will ask, “Would you do my baby?” And by “do,” I am quickly able to discern that they are asking if I would baptize their baby. Contrary to what you might think, I’m actually glad when they ask me because it means that there is something that is leading them to reach out. I also value the opportunity to explain what baptism means, even if for them they see it as a rite of passage.
In Romans 2, Paul was addressing something similar to this “do the baptism thing”; but in this case it was regarding circumcision. And his point is that if all it means to you is a sprinkling with water or a cut of the skin, then it’s no more than a tradition. And even if it is religiously correct, it's not what God intends it to be spiritually.
Both the Old and New Testaments teach that the way we live says something about who we are and how we really understand our faith journey. Jesus taught that you could tell something about a tree by the fruit it bears (Matthew 7:16-20). And in Paul’s letter to the Romans, what he tries to clarify is that the fruit of doing good things is not what saves us; rather, what we must answer is whether or not the good things we do come from a heart that belongs to Jesus.
As we gather together this week, Paul asks us to consider: “Do all the things I do reflect that my heart belongs to him?” It’s a key question that determines our vertical relationship with God, but it also determines how someone else may relate to God. How sad would it be if “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you”? (Romans 2:24) May we be challenged to not simply go through the motions, but to live our faith.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Aaron
Every great once in a while, I get a phone call from someone I don’t know who will ask, “Would you do my baby?” And by “do,” I am quickly able to discern that they are asking if I would baptize their baby. Contrary to what you might think, I’m actually glad when they ask me because it means that there is something that is leading them to reach out. I also value the opportunity to explain what baptism means, even if for them they see it as a rite of passage.
In Romans 2, Paul was addressing something similar to this “do the baptism thing”; but in this case it was regarding circumcision. And his point is that if all it means to you is a sprinkling with water or a cut of the skin, then it’s no more than a tradition. And even if it is religiously correct, it's not what God intends it to be spiritually.
Both the Old and New Testaments teach that the way we live says something about who we are and how we really understand our faith journey. Jesus taught that you could tell something about a tree by the fruit it bears (Matthew 7:16-20). And in Paul’s letter to the Romans, what he tries to clarify is that the fruit of doing good things is not what saves us; rather, what we must answer is whether or not the good things we do come from a heart that belongs to Jesus.
As we gather together this week, Paul asks us to consider: “Do all the things I do reflect that my heart belongs to him?” It’s a key question that determines our vertical relationship with God, but it also determines how someone else may relate to God. How sad would it be if “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you”? (Romans 2:24) May we be challenged to not simply go through the motions, but to live our faith.
Grace & Peace,
Pastor Aaron
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