Romans 2 Part II - The Light of the World

Paul is writing to the church of Christ in Rome. This church is as young as Christianity itself. The letter was written less than thirty years after the crucifixion of Christ.

The church at Rome was made up of people who had been Jews and Gentiles before coming to faith in Christ. Paul is writing them this letter to remind them of who they are in Christ. Explaining that they are one in Christ regardless of where they had come from.

For those who were Jews and were brought up with the Torah of God, they were expected to have lived according to the Torah. For the Gentiles who did not have the Torah of God, they are judged just as though they had the law.

In Christ, both Jew and Gentile are expected to live in accordance with the Torah of God. The Jew and Gentile both have a change of heart, a "circumcision" of the heart, where they desire to follow the law. The love of God compels Christians to follow the Law not because they are commanded to, but because their heart's desire is to please the one who created the world and died for their sins.

In this lesson, we read Romans 2 in its entirety and discuss the expectations that God places on His people. He makes it clear that God does not favor the Jew over the Greek but that in Christ they are one. And they are both expected to live out their lives in accordance with their faith.

Faith is the resulting action from our belief. It's a basic fact that our actions are driven by our beliefs. The extent of our willingness to take any action is a direct correlation to that belief. In such, belief and action is faith.

So it is true, we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. Let us live our life as the light of the world acting out our belief in the one who died for us. amen.