Resting in the Law Romans 2:17

Paul the apostle parenthetically told the church members in Rome how God will, “show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;), and he added, “In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.” In chapter two and verse seventeen of Romans, Paul shared how those who, “are called a Jew, and rest in the law” where we read:

Behold, you are called a Jew, and rest in the law, and make your boast of God,

The verse begins, “Behold, you are called a Jew, and rest in the law, ...” Paul began with the word, “behold” which means “take a look at and see”, “you are called” which means “those to whom Paul is writing are named and denominated as” “a Jew” or “ones who belong to the Jewish nation as respects to birth, origin and religion”, “and rest” which means “and settle and fix oneself” “in the law” which refers to “God's law, disciplines and rules that produce a state approved of God”. Paul referred to the people who were “named” as “Jews” and “settled and fixed” themselves in having “God's law”.

The verse goes on to say, “... and make your boast of God,” Paul added the words, “and make your boast” or “who vaunt, glory, joy and rejoice” “of God” which refers to “the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit”. Paul mentioned the way these “Jewish” people “bragged or gloried” in that they had God among them.

When we think through these words of Paul, we see how he shares this idea with his readers by declaring how they “possessed” God's law and God Himself. In other words, they were advantaged to have “God's law” and to have Him as their God, but this is only the beginning of Paul's statement because we shall find they were “resting” just in the fact they “possessed” rather than obeying and following them. People tend to rely upon the fact that “God is among them” or “we are a Christian nation” or “God is watching” or we have “God's word” rather than having a personal relationship with Him through Jesus Christ His Son. “Settling and fixing oneself” upon the presence of “God” and His “law” is not enough. There must be a personal relationship with God through Jesus, and anything other than that is “resting” and “boasting” upon an unreliable means for salvation.

Next time Paul shares how these people, “know his will, and approve the things that are more excellent”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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