OUTWARD VS INWARD
Romans 2:28-29
For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but 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.
Personal Challenge
Paul had to deal with the problem of the Judaizers in the early church trying to convince new Christians that they had to follow the traditions of their Jewish heritage before they could be truly identified as followers of Christ. Outward appearances were more important than inward presence. We have something similar happening in our churches today. We are seeing the rise of zealots that believe the church had a special, glorious heyday in the past, a golden age, that we must return to in order to be pure again. This is especially happening in both the Orthodox and the Catholic churches, which have people pursuing past traditions more than pursuing Christ. In Protestant churches this is playing out in a form of pursuing nationalism and believing the true Church must be a national church. Again, Jesus is not being pursued. We must all go back to pursuing Christ, and Christ alone. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!
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