In Romans 2 Paul speaks to the hypocrisy of moralistic Jews. He could just as well be talking about religious church members. Their hypocrisy served to drive people away from the true God. In 2:25 he narrows the focus to the issue of circumcision, an outward sign of God’s covenant promises. But this external mark does not make a person acceptable to God. In our day that external mark could be baptism, church membership or a moral lifestyle. Paul insists that true faith is a matter of the heart. Today we explore the characteristics of those with an external religion compared to those whose faith is inward and genuine.
