Genuine

1
Genuine Jews from the
Heart.

• Roman 217-29

2

• Real Children of God Are Devoted to Doing Gods
  Will from the Heart as they trust in the Savior.

3

• Privileges given to us by God do not, in
  themselves, make us children of God.
• Too often, the privileges given to us by God are
  taken for granted and we do not take them to
  heart.
• God desires His children to be genuine, not
  superficial nor hypocritical, in their service to
  Him.
• Privileges alone will not lead to our salvation.

4

• This is the challenge we face when we are given
  special privileges To continue to recognize
  our need for the Savior to be right with God
  every step of the way.

5

• The Self-Image of the
  Self-Righteous Jew
  (Rom. 217-20).

6
Romans 217-21a (NASB)

• 17 But if you bear the name "Jew," and rely upon
  the Law, and boast in God, 18 and know His will,
  and approve the things that are essential, being
  instructed out of the Law, 19 and are confident
  that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a
  light to those who are in darkness, 20 a
  corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the
  immature, having in the Law the embodiment of
  knowledge and of the truth, 21 you, therefore,
  who teach another, do you not teach yourself?...

7
Matthew 236-7 (NASB)

• 6 "And they love the place of honor at banquets,
  and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7 and
  respectful greetings in the market places, and
  being called by men, Rabbi.

8

• Similarly, some brethren today arrogantly boast
  in the name Christian, their possession of the
  law of Christ, and their position as teacher of
  the truth of this world!

9
A SAD STATISTIC The Number of Name-Only
Christians.

• 2 Corinthians 135 (NASB)
  Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith
  examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this
  about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you
  unless indeed you fail the test?

10
Some have become proud possessors of truth and
have forgotten that truth is a gift of God!

• Romans 1133 (NASB)
  Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom
  and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His
  judgments and unfathomable His ways!

11
Some lift themselves in arrogance over others,
failing to love them.

• 1 Corinthians 81 (NASB) Now concerning things
  sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have
  knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant, but love
  edifies.

12

• Do We Practice What We Preach? (Rom. 221-24).

13
Romans 221-22 (NASB)

• 21 you, therefore, who teach another, do you not
  teach yourself? You who preach that one should
  not steal, do you steal? 22 You who say that one
  should not commit adultery, do you commit
  adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?

14

• Some brethren will study to help others, but fail
  to help themselves.

15
Luke 641 (NASB)

• And why do you look at the speck that is in
  your brother's eye, but do not notice the log
  that is in your own eye?

16
(No Transcript)
17
Romans 223 (NASB)

• You who boast in the Law, through your breaking
  the Law, do you dishonor God?

18

• The problem lies when we believe that the mere
  possession of truth makes us right with God!

19

• Being the pillar and ground of the truth (1
  Tim. 315) involves more than just defending it,
  it requires living it! (James 122-25).

20

• Failing to teach ourselves and boasting in our
  knowledge of truth will lead to sin (e.g., Rom.
  221-22).

21

• To claim to be people of The Book and yet not
  follow it dishonors the name of the Lord (Rom.
  223).

22
Romans 224 (NASB)

• For "the name of God is blasphemed among the
  Gentiles because of you," just as it is written.

23
Isaiah 525 (NASB)

• Now therefore, what do I have here, declares
  the LORD, "seeing that My people have been taken
  away without cause?" Again the LORD declares,
  "Those who rule over them howl, and My name is
  continually blasphemed all day long.

24
Some brethren are giving heathen an excuse to
blaspheme the Lord!

• 2 Peter 21-2 (NKJV) But there were also false
  prophets among the people, even as there will be
  false teachers among you, who will secretly bring
  in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord
  who bought them, and bring on themselves swift
  destruction. 2 And many will follow their
  destructive ways, because of whom the way of
  truth will be blasphemed.
  
  cf. 1 Tim. 514 61 Titus 25

25
Circumcision Has Value Only If One Keeps the Law
Perfectly (Rom. 225-27).

• The Jews gloried in circumcision as being their
  special mark that they were Gods people of the
  covenant (Gen. 171-14).
• The Jews failed to see that circumcision brought
  privileges only if they met their obligation to
  keep the whole Law perfectly.

26
Romans 25 (NASB)

• For indeed circumcision is of value, if you
  practice the Law but if you are a transgressor
  of the Law, your circumcision has become
  uncircumcision. cf. Gal. 53

27

• Similarly, some Christians today fail to see that
  baptism brings eternal blessings only if they
  continue in obedient faith to the Lord.

28
Hebrews 1026-27 (NASB)

• 26 For if we go on sinning willfully after
  receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no
  longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a
  certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and
  the fury of a fire which will consume the
  adversaries.
  cf. Rom. 61-4

29

• If the circumcised transgress the Law and the
  uncircumcised keep the Law, it would be the
  Gentiles, not the Jews, who would be counted as
  Gods people (IF
  salvation could be obtained through the Law)
  (Rom. 226-27)

30
Romans 226-27 (NASB)

• 26 If therefore the uncircumcised man keeps the
  requirements of the Law, will not his
  uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 27
  And will not he who is physically uncircumcised,
  if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who
  though having the letter of the Law and
  circumcision are a transgressor of the Law?
  cf. Mat. 1241

31

• Similarly, if Christians
  (the baptized into Christ)
  do not continue to obey the law of Christ, the
  world will tend to view religious
  non-Christians (unbaptized) as Gods people
  instead!

32
Baptism, by itself, does not demonstrate genuine
Christianity!

• If that were true, then we would be saved by
  keeping just one law! (Acts 238).

33

• What sets us apart from the world is that even
  after baptism we maintain an obedient faith in
  Christ our Savior to the very end (Rev. 210
  Titus 211-14 James 212-26).

34

• What it Means to Be a Real Jew (or Christian)
  (Rom. 228-29).

35
Romans 228-29 (NASB)

• 28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly
  neither is circumcision that which is outward in
  the flesh. 29 But he is a Jew who is one
  inwardly and circumcision is that which is of
  the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter and
  his praise is not from men, but from God.

36

• A true Jew is not determined by ones outward
  physical lineage or by circumcision (Rom. 96-8),
  but by faith that comes from the heart (Gal. 37
  Rom. 109).

37
Galatians 37 (NASB)

• Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of
  faith who are sons of Abraham. cf. Rom. 109

38

• Similarly, a true Christian is not determined
  only by the fact that he was at one time baptized
  (though essential to becoming one
  Gal. 327).

39
Baptism is just the beginning!

• Acts 238 (NASB) And Peter said to them,
  "Repent, and let each of you be baptized in the
  name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your
  sins and you shall receive the gift of the Holy
  Spirit.
• Acts 241-42 (NASB) 41 So then, those who had
  received his word were baptized and there were
  added that day about three thousand souls. And
  they were continually devoting themselves to the
  apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the
  breaking of bread and to prayer.

40
A Genuine Jew (or Christian)

• Devoted to God from the heart (from within),
  his/her heart is changed and thus he seeks to put
  away sin and obey Gods will.

41
Romans 228-29 (NASB)

• 28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly
  neither is circumcision that which is outward in
  the flesh. 29 But he is a Jew who is one
  inwardly and circumcision is that which is of
  the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter and
  his praise is not from men, but from God.
  
  cf. Rom. 216 1 Cor.
  45 Gal. 56

42
A genuine child of God has a circumcised heart.

• Jer 44 (NASB) "Circumcise yourselves to the
  LORD And remove the foreskins of your heart, Men
  of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Lest My
  wrath go forth like fire And burn with none to
  quench it, Because of the evil of your deeds.
  cf. Deut. 1016 306 Col.
  211-13

43

• Being a genuine Christian is not JUST based on
  the external requirements we meet to the letter
  of the law (Rom. 229 cf. Mat. 721-23 Rom.
  617) GOD WANTS OUR
  HEARTS!

44

• Genuine Christians seek to do all that the Lord
  has commanded to the best of their ability
  including the spirit of the law such as
  justice, mercy, and faithfulness (Mat. 2323).

45

• And in harmony with the baptism in which we
  receive, we put off the body of sin daily (Col.
  35-8) (circumcision of the heart).

46

• Genuine Christians Devote Themselves Wholly to
  Being Holy in Heart and in Life So
  That They May Receive the Praise That Is from God!