Today’s reading is Romans 2: 16-29

Many of Paul’s day who were of the Jewish tradition said that they could not possibly be sinful, for they were circumcised.  If they were circumcised and had this external marking upon them, this showed that they were a child of Abraham and they were under the covenant. So, surely they could not be considered sinful.  This would be like us today saying, “Hey I can’t be sinful, I am baptized.  That baptism covers everything that I have done wrong.”

Paul says, no, that’s not the way that works.  It is not any external marking that saves one or makes one holy. It is the internal shift of the heart.  Our faith is not an outside-in faith, but an inside out faith. When our heart is right, that is what shapes everything. One who was circumcised was in no way holier or more faithful than one who had not been.  So is it with baptism for us today.  One who has been baptized is not holier than one who hasn’t.  It’s about the heart.

Today, how is your heart?  Has it been changed?  Is it being changed?  Is God at work within it? Because that is what truly matters. That is what makes the difference.

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