A Change Of Heart

 Meditations on Romans

July 21, 2021

A Change Of Heart

And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.

Romans 2:29c

Read: Romans 2:25-29

When God entered into a covenant with Abraham, God decreed circumcision as a sign of the covenant. The sign marked the individual as belonging to God’s people. In a similar way, wearing wedding bands marks the individual as being in the covenant of marriage. However, wearing a wedding band is meaningless if the person does not honor their wedding vows. In today’s passage, Paul made this same assertion concerning the Jews who believed the sign of the covenant was all they needed; they did not accept their responsibility to not only possess God’s law, but also to obey it.

Paul makes two points which are vital to those of us seeking to make the life in Christ our way of life. First, Paul declares that a true member of the family of God is one whose heart is right with God. And secondly, the true sign of being a part of God’s people “is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit” (Romans 2:29b).

My Takeaway: The mark of circumcision and dietary laws were the signs that the Jews were God’s people. Today, the sign of Christianoi, the people of Christ, is justification by faith. Paul makes clear in today’s passage that justification, right standing with God, comes from allowing the Spirit to change our heart.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

Prone to leave the God I love;

Here's my heart, O take and seal it,

Seal it for Thy courts above

Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing

          Robert Robinson & Martin Madan

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

 

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  The meditations are published on the BLOG, http://seekingthelifeinchrist.blogspot.com/ and they are also distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com.

 

Copyright © 2021 by Alex M. Knight

 

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.