Wednesday, May 16, 2007

Romans 2

What good is it to call ourselves Christian and then behave as a pagan? None. There is a story about Alexander the Great where supposedly a young man was brought before Alexander because he had fled in battle. Alexander the Great, of course, did not approve of this behavior and asked the young man his name. The young man replied that his name was also Alexander, to which, Alexander the Great responded, "Change your name or change your behavior."

So many Christians today need to understand this story. If you are going to have the name of Christian, then the behavior must come along with it. This is not to say that we are saved through our works because we are not; it is just to say that there is a certain behavior that comes from a relationship with God. If you are not exhibiting that behavior, then you may want to take another look at your relationship with God.

The statement that I have heard many times before, and that statement that Paul makes to the Romans, is that there are plenty of people in the world that are more Christian than the people that go to church every Sunday. Paul's statement is more along the lines of the fact there are plenty of people that are closer to God without circumcision than there are that have circumcision. In both cases, trust is being placed in the wrong thing. In one case it is likely a trust in church attendance and in the other it's the fact that they are physically circumcised. God is not looking for either of these. God is looking for a relationship which means communion with Him all the time and a circumcision of the heart.

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