Outward Sign Or Inward Reality
OUTWARD SIGN OR INWARD REALITY
ROMANS 2:27-29
Is our faith external or internal?
Paul is saying in the technical language of Judaism, that Gentiles, if they observe the moral law as conscience reveals it to them, win the favor of God, but that Jews, in spite of, indeed because of, the physical sign in their body, fall under condemnation if they fail to keep the Law which has been divinely given them.
It is a moot question how far the highly specialized language of the Judaistic debate should be kept in translation. A.S. Way’s little-known translation concludes the passage well: “He is the Jew who is so in his secret soul; and his is the true circumcision—that of the heart, consisting in the Spirit’s presence, not in observance of the written letter. Men may have no praise for such a man—God has.”
The argument appears remote from today and its ways of thinking. In the particular form in which we find it, it is remote. But consider two points. First, imagine its impact in the Roman Jewish community. A Jew, Paul points out, can be a transgressor of the Law, in spite of his possession of the Law, and the physical mark of the covenant in his body. He has an outward sign which does not vary as may the condition of his heart. That sign can be a reminder, a challenge, an encouragement, and so an undoubted blessing and an advantage, and therefore a responsibility.
Secondly, even though this argument may be remote from everyday thought with its symbolic language and strange imagery, the principle applies to the church. No outward formality, no ritual of worship, no religious attitudes or practice of church observance, no form or ceremony, no membership of organization or system, no right of birth, nothing devised by human beings, can replace the true experience of Christ in rebirth and salvation, genuine commitment to him, and continued practice of his presence.