“For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight. Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right.” Romans 2:13-15 NLT
He was raised and trained in all things Jewish. And he mitigates the complex understanding of how God brought the story of salvation to and through the Jewish people. Yet, God does not hold Gentiles (us) to the complicated, but necessary, adherence to the details of the Law, he’s given us a new and better way.
We were not given God’s written law, nor his blood covenant he made with Abraham. We were given a new law, written on/in our hearts and a blood covenant made and paid for by Jesus. I can’t speak to the effectiveness of God’s law written and remembered by the Jews, but I can speak to the law written on the Gentile’s heart.
God has made himself abundantly clear to every Jew and non-Jew on the planet. He has and is doing so through his creation itself, life’s circumstances (across ALL cultures) and even in the still quiet places of dreams and visions.
I have been talking to a wonderful Vietnamese woman who cuts my hair about God. She went through a lot of struggles with her shop because of the pandemic and our Governor’s attempt to crush small businesses. I told her I prayed that God would do a miracle and get her out of a large lease space that the owner would not release her from and move her into the much smaller space next door. God did the miracle for her and she was thankful. Yesterday when I got another hair cut, I noticed that she was having a conversation with a woman who is also a believer and the gal was so sweet and kind to the shop owner. I remembered, God is ALWAYS working in people and whispering in someone’s ear about how much he loves them! I know she will come to faith in Jesus because of this verse Paul is writing to the Romans. And, we get to be a part of that. On any given day at any given time, our joy is to say yes to God about using us to love, tell our story and just be the light of Christ in someone’s dark place in their life.
PRAYER:
Dad,
I’m glad to see these things explained by Paul in your word. Because, that’s how it happened in my own life. And yes, you used a number of situations and people to get me to a quiet but frustrating place in my life. A place where I recognized just how chaotic and dark my life was and how you were offering a new future. I am so thankful that all the WORK is done by you and we just get the chance to participate with you in seeing people come from death to life! May it be so more often in me and my friends.