From the Inside Out

In my reading yesterday, I came across these two verses:

“For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.”                 --Romans 2:28-29 (ESV)

These words of Paul wrap up his chapter long discourse in Romans 2 on how the Jews are not superior to the Gentiles, but that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). In first century Christianity, this was a huge deal. Christianity, at that time, was still largely a Jewish sect. It had begun to accept Gentile (non-Jewish) converts, through the work of Peter and the missionary journey’s of Paul, but some Jewish Christians weren’t entirely comfortable with this. They clung to Jewish superiority and insisted that any Gentile who converted would also have to become a Jew--most notably by undergoing circumcision.

Today, Christianity is--on the surface--very different. It is certainly no longer thought of as a Jewish sect, and I doubt that there’s anyone out there preaching that circumcision is necessary for salvation--or even for being a good Christian--any more. In light of all that, it would be easy to dismiss Paul’s remarks as irrelevant to us today.
But I think God can still teach us a thing or two from these old words. Looking again at this passage, I can see an underlying similarity between these verses and some of the situations we face today. Just replace Jews with Christians and circumcision with whatever ritual, attitude, or work you think of as the measure of a Christian. Since baptism is a common one, I’ll use that. The resulting paraphrase begins:

“For no one is a Christian who is merely one outwardly…”

There’s a whole lesson right there. A lot of “Christians” in the world today are only outwardly or nominally Christian…but let’s go on:

“For no one is a Christian who is merely one outwardly, nor is baptism outward and physical. But a Christian is one inwardly and baptism is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter.”

There are a couple of important points here. First of all, an outward, physical ritual--by itself--is meaningless. Just because someone was baptized, it doesn’t mean they’re a Christian, or even a better Christian. All it necessarily means is that they got very wet. The same could be said of any “Christian” thing we do. It is possible for communion to merely fill the stomach. Reading the Bible makes one well-read, but not necessarily more spiritual. Prayer can be empty words that bring the speaker no closer to God. The list goes on and on. None of the things that we, as Christians, do--none of the things that I find myself judging myself and others on so frequently--really matter. In and of themselves, they are empty.
What’s important is our hearts. God is not after a bunch of wet, well-fed, well-read people who talk to empty space. He may well start out with that, but He is not content with it. He is after our hearts. That is the only thing that matters to Him, because He loves us.
All of these things are important, if they effect the heart. True baptism isn’t about getting someone wet. It does not matter whether the person is baptized as an infant, a child, or an adult, by sprinkling or full immersion, in a church, at a youth camp, at home, or in a cattle pond. What matters is that they make in their heart an inward commitment, between themselves and the Spirit, to obey Christ and give their lives to Him, dying to themselves and their old ways by His power and living a new life with God. True communion isn’t about eating bread and drinking wine (or grape juice). It’s about remembering in your heart that Christ died for your sins, giving His body to be broken and His blood to be shed to bear the penalty for your sins. Reading the Bible isn’t about absorbing information and achieving page counts. It’s about letting the Spirit of God speak to your heart through the words He inspired in centuries past. Prayer isn’t about what you say or how you say it. It’s an attitude of the heart, pouring out all your heart to God and trusting that He cares for each piece--good and bad. It’s about sharing with Him your troubles, joys, frustrations, and sorrows, from the heart, and asking for His help (or praising Him) for each of them. This brings us to the last part of the passage:

“His praise is not from man but from God.”

Man can only see what’s on the outside. Other people will judge you based on that. If you’re not doing the things they think you should, or doing them enough, or in the right way, they may well judge you negatively. They may think you’re less of a Christian, or they may think you’re not a Christian at all. That doesn’t matter. You don’t need their approval. Your praise doesn’t come from human lips, or thoughts. It comes from God. God sees the heart. If your heart is right in His eyes, if your love for Him is genuine and strong, He’ll know. He’ll praise you (isn’t that a thought!). It doesn’t matter if you don’t have the outward trappings other people think you should have. You’re not here to please them. You’re here to please God. Certainly, there will be outward trappings to your faith, but these should flow from the inside out, as God changes your heart. Otherwise they are forced and faked. If, on the other hand, your life is full of outward trappings that others clamor to praise, and yet your heart toward God remains--or has become--cold and weak, God also knows. His praise is your only purpose, the only lasting reward, and it cannot be gained by outward performance. Go to Him for a change of heart!