But He is a Jew, Which is One Inwardly

2014-04-20

For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God. (Romans 2:28-29)

We continue with the discussion that the inner man is more important than the outer appearance. We already see foreshadowing that something other than the law must save us, because that which pronounces judgment on us will not deliver us, but destroy us without mercy.

These verses here are not something new. In Deuteronomy 10:16, we read, “Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.” Later in Deuteronomy 30:6, we read further, “And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.” God can do an inner work in our lives; and this manner of circumcision is what makes the difference... not the ritual that is merely a picture of what God was going to do.

We cannot ignore the last phrase as well: “whose praise is not of men, but of God.” Those who have the praise of God are the ones who have this inner circumcision! This inner working, as we can see from the verses in Deuteronomy, is something that we are commanded (Deuteronomy 10:16), and something that God does (Deuteronomy 30:6). So which is it?

At this point, we are greatly humbled. We know that we cannot perform this inner working, and know that God must do something. In everything we have read so far, the works of the law no longer seem like the pedestal on which we stand, but the master that humbles us. We need God to do something within us. What is it? What is he going to do?