Modern Jews

Romans 2:17-24

Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God; if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth-- you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? As it is written: "God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."

How often modern day Christians look like the Jews of Jesus' day. We pride ourselves on our spirituality and are quick to point out the wrongs of other people. We teach people all of the right things to do. We tell people the way that they should live; but we don't follow through with those teachings in our own lives. As a result, the world sees Christianity as a list of rules not worth following.

To the ancient near east, that meant that God's name was blasphemed among the Gentiles (Non-Jews). Today, it means that God's name is mocked among the non-Christians. The rules are not worth following, and He is simply not worth the time. DC Talk once stated that the greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians who acknowledge Jesus with their lips and then walk out the door and deny him with their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.

Could you imagine what the world would be like if Christians merely acted like they taught others they should. Perhaps, those of us who brag about our relationship with Christ and those who teach the Word of God should be more careful to practice what we preach.