True Jew

   "he is a Jew who is one inwardly"

Are You Jewish?

There is an argument here that Jewishness is not a legalistic,  nor religious thing.  It's not even racial.

Paul a 'proud' Jew,  loves his people and his nation.  Let's be clear about that,  but the line he develops is one of a spiritual Jewishness. It supercedes the requirements of law, religion and race.

This is not to say that God does not have a special relationship with his covenant people.  God does not go back on his promises.

That is why in the previous paragraph he speaks of judgement coming first to the Jew, but then so does honour.

We are told that 'there is no partiality with God'.

I think that he is saying,  in the balance it all works out.

So having made it clear that those without the law are in peril,  as are those with the law,  he moves on to deal with the very religious,  who claim to have special favour with God,  as teachers of the law and who take strength from their racial privilege; 'making their boast in God'.

Those people will make much of their being circumcised.  Remember David's attitude to Goliath? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine? That someone is uncircumcised is a disgrace to them,  in their eyes. (I am not commenting on David,  but highlighting the cultural attitude)

But Paul rightly points out that one can be Jewish on the outside but inwardly they are effectively uncircumcised.

And then Paul says something that would be staggering to his contemporary Jewish readers (remember he is writing primarily to gentiles).  He says that;

"He is not a Jew who is one outwardly"

But rather;

"he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God."

He has already made allusion to those who fulfill the law apart from the law,  saying that they are a law unto themselves.

I believe this is a development of that.

He describes the gentile who keeps the righteous requirements of the law as being those who have circumcised hearts.

Listen,  Jewishness is about covenant.  And the whole Jewish faith is a picture of what God would do in Jesus.

Even at the beginning God made a covenant with Abraham,  saying that through him all nations would be blessed.  The Jews were chosen to be a light to the gentiles. And Jesus,  the pinnacle of Jewishness described himself as the 'light' not of Israel only,  but 'of the world'.

God's love for humanity was always inclusive.  He made a way for us to all be Jewish.

In the prophets it was spoken of,  that God would make a new covenant,  that he would write his laws in our hearts; that he would change our hearts from hearts of stone to hearts of flesh.

And now,  through the blood of Jesus,  believer,  you are in a covenant relationship with God,  a blood that speaks a better word than the blood of bulls,  a blood that is effective and powerful and that can clean you,  not just ceremonially,  but on the inside.  A blood that gives you a new and circumcised heart.  Where by your very (new) nature,  you can do the things that please God.

In essence,  you are a true Jew.

A caveat here. 

I believe that God has very much still got a plan for Israel and for the Jewish people.  I do not believe in replacement theology.  No. This is about us being grafted in to the vine of Israel.

And the wonderful thing is that anyone can be 'Jewish' in spirit.

Because that is an inward thing.

And he has made this most wonderful way with his amazing grace.

Thank God for Jesus,

This day,

All days,

Always,

Amen.