The Duty of the Church
(Romans 2:17-20)
God entrusted the Jews with a duty that was intended for the entire world. They were meant to be used in the history of redemption to restore fallen humanity and to serve as a channel of blessing through which all nations would be blessed. However, they failed. Now, that mission has been handed over to us—the Church of Jesus Christ.
1.The Basis of Security
The Jews believed they were secure from judgment simply because they were God’s chosen people and the recipients of the Law. While they recited the Scriptures and boasted in God, they turned a blind eye to what He truly desired. The prophet Micah declared the total destruction of Jerusalem to those who took bribes for judgment and prophesied for money, yet felt secure saying, “Is not the Lord among us? No disaster can come upon us.” Merely having a name or possessing knowledge never guarantees safety. We must first ask: “What is the true basis of my security?”
2.Knowing Vs. Living Out
The Apostle Paul brings charges against the four spiritual roles that the Jews took such pride in: a guide to the blind, a light to those in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, and a teacher of babes. These were originally glorious missions entrusted to them by God. However, instead of leading the Gentiles toward God’s true will, the Jews trapped them within their complex rabbinical traditions. As a result, they made their converts twice as much a son of hell as themselves, merely reproducing a form of godliness. When Knowing does not manifest as Living Out, knowledge ceases to be a ground for salvation and becomes, instead, the very standard for judgment.
3.The Lesson of Failure
The sense of relief that says, “I am okay because I go to church and know the Bible,” shares the same structure as the delusions of the Jews. God evaluates His servants not by the volume of their knowledge, but by the depth of their obedience and the transformation of their lives. Yet, this warning does not end in condemnation. The Lord holds onto us and personally leads us so that we do not follow in their footsteps. He moves us from possession to obedience, from a mere name to reality, and from boasting to serving. The mission that the Jews failed to fulfill must now be carried out by us, the Church.
Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim
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