Hypocrisy and Pride (Romans 2:17-29) (September 5, 2025)

Hypocrisy and Pride (Romans 2:17-29) Living Life 09/05/2025 Daily Devotional Bible Study

 

 

Hypocrisy and Pride (Romans 2:17-29) Living Life 09/05/2025 Daily Devotional Bible Study

 

 

 

 

1. Introduction

Welcome to living life.

You know when I was in the sixth grade I won a contest for an essay that I wrote for the Daughters of the American Revolution and the essay was one of the founding fathers of the American Revolution to write an essay about that person.
For me

my hero was always Thomas Jefferson.
He is the main author of the Declaration of Independence.
And in a sense for me I was never really a great writer.

I've never been told that I was a good writer.
And so when I read the Declaration of Independence I thought how beautiful this is not just the words that were used but the content of the Declaration of Independence.
And from that point on Thomas Jefferson was my hero.
And just thinking about what he wrote freedom the pursuit of happiness

The tyranny of the King how we're declaring freedom. From that it was just so beautiful.

It was only many years later that I realized that Thomas Jefferson was actually one of the most prolific slave owners.
And as it turns out he had a relationship with one of his slaves Sie Jennings who was one of his most beautiful slaves.
He had many children with her that he would write such a document attesting to the desire for freedom for men that it could only apply to white people that he had slaves that he would not even show when he had people over because he was so ashamed

and he was essentially raping his slave to have children.
This hypocrisy hit me hard that I could write such an essay about such a man who turned out to be such a hypocrite.
This hypocrisy this self righteousness and pride is the is the theme of today's passage.
Now Paul is talking about the Jews in today's passage but let us reflect on our own hypocrisy as we explore our faith as Christians.
Let us read today's Passage

 

 

Hypocrisy and Pride

 

 

 

2. Scripture Reading 

Romans Chapter two verses seventeen to 29

Now you if you call yourself a Jew if you rely on the law and boast in God if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind a light for those who are in the dark an instructor of the foolish a teacher of little children because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth that you then who teach others do you not teach yourself?

You who preach against stealing do you steal you who say that people should not commit adultery?
Do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols do you rob temples?
You who boast in the law do you dishonor God by breaking the law as it is written God's name is Blast famed among the gentiles because of you.
Circumcision has value if you observe the law but if you break the law you have become as though you had not been circumcised.
So then if those who are not circumcised keep the law's requirements

will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised?
The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who even though you have the written code and circumcision are a law breaker.
A person is not a Jew who is won only outwardly nor is circumcision merely outward and physical no a person is a Jew who is won inwardly and circumcision is circumcision of the heart by the spirit not by the written code.

Such a person's praise is not from other people but from God.

 

 

 

 

3. Commentary and Application

When we read today's passage we can gather that Paul is tying self righteousness to hypocrisy.
You preach against stealing yet you steal you preach against adultery yet you cheat you abhor idols or you say yet you rob temples.
In many senses this is the issue that Jesus had with the Pharises as well their outward righteousness that masked their internal hypocrisy

and this hypocrisy is what really gets to us right

It was what was most disappointing about Thomas Jefferson as well his blatant disregard for his outward righteousness that he displayed in writing this beautiful declaration of independence yet

inside in his home he was practicing exactly what he preached against in the declaration he was living the life of a hypocrite

and quite often this hypocritical outward self righteousness arises when we are in possession of knowledge and information it puffs us up.

Paul is talking specifically about the Jews in today's worse but this puffed up arrogance it comes from knowledge and it pervades all of society especially in Christian circles and in the church.

Many times this knowledge of theology and doctrine and Christian ethics and whatnot Bible knowledge

it gives people spiritual authority namely in the form of priests and pastors

and people who are in a position of leadership within the church.
And this spiritual authority that comes with a puffed up authority that comes from knowledge it often leads to spiritual abuse.
You know this spiritual abuse was present during biblical times right as it is present in today's church.
But why is this? It's because it is in human nature to value knowledge

and this has never been more so than information about God things that we profess to know more about God than other people.
In fact until the reformation the common person was not allowed to read the Bible.
The Bible was written in Hebrew and Greek and translated into Latin

but until it was translated into common German by Luther

the common person did not and was not able to read the Bible.
Therefore information about God, information of salvation was limited to the gatekeepers the priests who were able to dispense that knowledge and this external holiness and righteousness and their internal hypocrisy based on knowledge and information.
This is the basis for Paul's polemic against the Jewish leaders in today's passage.

And he is calling for everybody to be circumcised in the heart and not externally to obey God's word.

 

Paul is saying that circumcision internally it should be internal and not external right?
But at some point it became external for God's people.
The commandments were always about what was in the heart it was never about our outward actions right?
This is the hypocrisy of the heart of the Jews at this time desiring one thing but acting in another way.
And as Paul concludes this passage he states that being inwardly circumcised when it happens

when we seek the praise of God and not the praise of Man.
When we seek God's heavenly praise not only do we become circumcised of the heart we lose our self righteousness because we realize that in our hearts we really are not that righteous.
In fact we are wretched and we are depraved and that humbles us and that allows us to seek God's praise and not the praise of Man which only leads to more depravity.

This is what Paul is calling for in today's passage for all of us as followers of Christ to be humble followers of Christ and seek God's glory and not the glory of Man.

 

What well-intentioned traditions and practices can become a source of spiritual pride?

 

 

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You know as we live life it is not easy to seek the Heavenly glory because every day we seek to be accepted by our fellow men and it is even harder to be righteous when deep in our hearts we are not righteous.
And that is why Thomas Jefferson could write such a beautiful declaration of independence yet in his heart in his own life he was not living that life he was a hypocrite.
We are all hypocrites at heart.
That's why we have to be a people that not doesn't rely on the praises of our fellow human human beings in our lives.
We have to seek the praise of God and we have to put our faith in Jesus who lived that perfect life who died on the cross for our simple hearts.
Let us put our faith in Jesus and all that we do in our lives so that we can erase the hypocrisy of our lives and put our faith in what Jesus has done.

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4. Closing Prayer

Let us pray Heavenly Father We come before you today with a hypocritical heart.
Father We come before you today with a sinful heart.

We come before you with a heart that is so depraved Father that we cannot choose right from wrong.
Father but the Holy Spirit You give us ability and wisdom to seek you Father to erase the hypocrisy of our hearts.
Father to seek righteousness that only your son can provide.
Father let us live every day that your spirit may sanctify us may make us more holy and draw us closer to you Father So that ultimately when our time on this Earth is done Father, after our sanctification is complete

Father, we will be holy before you in your kingdom We pray all of this in your son's name Amen.

 

Pride is the sin we cannot see in ourselves and yet so detest in others. ~ R. Kent Hughes