It’s no good being proud of how good you are
“The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jews first and also to the Gentiles” (Romans 1:16). That’s the heading for most of the letter to the Romans as Paul outlines the gospel of grace. The first job is that we need to know what we need to be saved from!
Yesterday’s reading (Romans 1:17-32) was aimed at Gentiles – we don’t have the OT Law over us, but we do all have an awareness of God and his righteousness. Every one of us naturally exchanges the truth of God for a lie. God’s wrath is shown currently by giving people up to their passions (Romans 1:26) In effect you want that, you can have it, all of it and the consequences too.
Tomorrow’s reading is aimed at Jews. The first part of today’s is like a no-man’s land, ambiguous whether it is aimed at Jew or Gentile. That is because it is aimed at both, aimed at all of us.
We are all in danger of judging others. Thinking that we are better than others, proud of how good we are. Jesus spoke about taking the log out of our own eye, before we remove a speck out of someone else’s. Self- reliant religion doesn’t work, it won’t save us from judgement and actually makes the situation worse because we add pride to rebellion.
We need Jesus!
Don’t let moralism rule. Don’t let pride at how good you are be what you are trusting in. Jews have the Law (by which I mean the 10 commandments and associated legislation in the first five books of the Bible) and will perish because they don’t live up to it. Gentiles don’t have the Law, but do have by nature a sense of the law’s requirements in terms of right and wrong and will perish because they don’t live up to it.
When the end comes, God will judge the secrets of mankind. The only escape is to trust Jesus for forgiveness so that your secrets are taken away as far as the east is from the west. We need Jesus!
Andy Moyle
