https://youtu.be/dgrkjpugaq0
In our verse by verse study of Romans last time we finished Rom 2:28; with the expanded translation of "Consequently, he is not a Jew who is one by overt manifestation; neither is circumcision the category that is manifested overtly in the flesh."
God's Word tells us here that contrary to what the Jews thought overt ritual and being a member of a special gene pool does not make one a true Jew.
Rom 2:29; "But" is the adversative conjunction "alla" that sets up a contrast between the true and the false Jew. Both are Jews racially and both are Jews nationally, a spiritual factor divides the true from the false Jew.
"he is a Jew" the repetition of "Ioudaios estin" plus the present active indicative of "eimi" translated "is." This is constructed as an ellipse so the subject and the predicate must be repeated from the previous phrase.
The present tense of 'eimi" is a retroactive progressive present tense referring to something that happens in the past and continues into present time.
The progressive present tense implies linear action so it could be translated "he keeps on being a Jew."
"who is one inwardly" from the nominative masculine singular definite article "ho" used as the relative pronoun, "who" the antecedent is" Ioudaios" translated "Jew."
Then the prepositional phrase "en" plus the instrumental of "kryptos" that literally means, "hidden." The NASB translates it "inwardly."
It is referring to birth, a hidden birth so we have "but he is a Jew who is one by a hidden birth (referring to being born again or regeneration)."
Regeneration or the hidden birth is the point of salvation adjustment to God's justice. Regeneration converts a physical Jew into a true spiritual Jew.
Salvation adjustment to God's justice demands non-meritorious faith in Jesus Christ. It is not a product of keeping the law and producing self-righteousness because self-righteousness is not a substitute for God's righteousness.
God's righteousness is only imputed through faith in Jesus Christ keeping the law does not impute it. To understand this statement you have to understand God's integrity or holiness that is comprised of His perfect righteousness and justice.
In addition one must understand that man's relationship with God is predicated on God's righteousness and justice, not on God's love.
Adjustment to God's justice comes from the hidden birth that occurs at the point of faith in Jesus Christ. It was this hidden birth or regeneration that caused the distinction between the twins, Esau and Jacob.
In Rom 9:13; there are two anthropopathisms applied to Jacob and Esau on the basis of this hidden birth.
Rom 2:29; "and circumcision is that of the heart" from the continuative use of the conjunction "kai" plus the nominative singular from the noun "peritome."
"Circumcision of heart" is the predicate for maximum doctrine resident in the soul. The only way the believer can have blessing and a complete relationship in glorifying God is through maximum doctrine resident in the soul.
Circumcision of the heart is a description of maximum adjustment to God's justice. Circumcision is a ritual and all ritual correlates to doctrine in some way because it always starts with and represents some principle of doctrine.
The ritual of the Lord's Table represents adjustment to God's justice, Jesus' humanity in the first advent, and His work on the cross.
The ritual of circumcision it represents maximum adjustment to God's justice that occurs during the advance to spiritual maturity.
Ritual circumcision removes unnecessary skin that represents the removal of evil.
Remember, all sin is evil but evil is not limited to sin, evil is thinking demon doctrine and deploying demonic policies from satanic viewpoint that rejects God's viewpoint that is expressed in, Divine Establishment principles, the Gospel, and Bible Doctrine that God's Word of truth reveals to us.
Evil is the thinking of bleeding heart do-gooders, liberals, socialists, dirt worshiping promoters of anthropogenic climate change, sexual perverts, and people who deceive themselves into thinking that there are more than 2 genders, etc
"by the spirit" from "en" plus the instrumental of "pneuma." The absence of the definite article makes it anarthrous giving the noun great quality.
This is a reference to the Holy Spirit who regenerates those who believe in Jesus Christ resulting in instant adjustment to God's justice. This refers to positional adjustment to God's justice for salvation.
"not by the letter" is from "ou," a strong negative, plus the instrumental of "gramma" referring to a written letter such as those used in writing the Mosaic Law.
God the Holy Spirit is the agent of regeneration, not the letter, not the law. The Mosaic Law is not an instrument of salvation; the Holy Spirit is the instrument of salvation.
The Holy Spirit regenerates those who make instant adjustment to God's justice by faith in Jesus Christ, not those who try to manufacture a system of good works in order to be good people.
Regeneration is the spiritual difference between the true and the false Jew.
"whose praise is not from men, but from God" the possessive genitive singular from the relative pronoun "hos." The predicate here is being a true Jew who has adjusted to God's justice by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Then the nominative singular subject "epainos," translated "praise." It means praise, approval, or recognition, but it is a lot stronger than that.
The word began to have a connotation in the Greek language and by the time of Stoicism it had the connotation of man being free from a judgment because he was right.
It is used in this manner in 1Cor 4:5;
Rom 2:29; Praise translated from "epainos" is a technical word for adjustment to God's justice. Then we have "ek" translated "from" followed by "anthropos" translated men then the strongest adversative conjunction "alla" translated "but" then "ek tov Theos" translated "from the God."
We will translate it not just as "whose praise" but as "whose approval is from God's justice is not from man, but from the God."
Again we have the monadic term "tou Theos" referring uniquely to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Rom 2:29; Expanded Translation: "For he is a Jew who is one by hidden birth (regeneration); and circumcision is that category of heart, by the Spirit (HS, the teacher of doctrine, not by the letter (Mosaic law); whose approval (adjustment to God's justice) is not from man, but is from the God (Jesus Christ)."
We started Romans chapter 2 in our verse-by-verse study in September 23, 2022 so it took us 6 months to complete the chapter.
Here is our expanded translation of Romans 2.
Rom 2:1; "Therefore, you are without excuse, O man, everyone of you when you judge: for in which sphere you keep judging the other category, you condemn yourself; for you who keep judging practice the same things."
Rom 2:2: "For we have come to know that the judicial verdict from the God is according to the truth against them who practice such things."
Rom 2:3; "And do you presume this, O Man, who judges those who practice similar things, and are guilty of the same things, that you will escape the judicial verdict from the God?"
Rom 2:4; "Or do you disparage the riches of his gracious generosity and clemency and patience; not knowing that the kindness of the God brings you to a change of mind."
Rom 2:5; "Because of your hardness and unrepentant heart, you store up and accumulate for yourself wrath against the day of wrath, even disclosure of just judgment from the God."
Rom 2:6; "(Jesus Christ) who will render judgment to each one according to his works."
Rom 2:7; "To those on the one hand who on the basis of expectation of a good work are seeking glory, honor, immortality, and eternal life."
Rom 2:8; "But to those on the other hand who from inordinate ambition, also disobey the gospel (truth), but continue obeying injustice (wickedness or evil resulting from salvation maladjustment to God's justice), anger (judgment in time) and wrath (judgment in eternity)."
Rom 2:9; "There is pressure (personal suffering) and distress (national and historical disaster) for every soul of man who produces the evil, especially with reference to the Jew, but also to the Greek."
Rom 2:10; "But glory and honor, even prosperity, to each one who attains the good (maturity adjustment to God's justice), especially to the Jew, but also to the Gentile."
Rom 2:11; "For there is never partiality before the God." Note the article that is refers to Jesus Christ as God.
Rom 2:12; "For as many as have sinned without the law also shall perish: and as many as under the law have sinned, through the law will be judged."
Rom 2:13: "For the hearers of the law are not just before the God, in fact the doers of the law will not be justified."
Rom 2:14; "For every time that Gentiles, who do not have the law, do instinctively those things from the law, these, not having the law, are a law unto themselves."
Rom 2:15; "The very ones who demonstrate the accomplishment of the law written in their hearts, their conscience confirming the testimony, in fact their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending themselves;)"
Rom 2:16; "In the day God will judge the secrets of those men through Jesus Christ according to the standard of my Gospel."
Rom 2:17; "If on the one hand you are classified as a Jew (and you are,) and not only rely on the law (for salvation), but you also boast about your relationship with God (and you do)."
Rom 2:18: "And knows his (God's) will, and approves those superior things, since he is instructed from the law."
Rom 2:19; " having been persuaded you yourself are a guide of blind ones, a light in darkness."
Rom 2:20;"A child instructor of the unthinking ignorant, a teacher of the immature, having a superficial form of knowledge and the doctrine in the law."
Rom 2:21; "You therefore, when you teach others, do you teach yourself? You who preach not to steal, do you steal?"
Rom 2:22; "You who say not to fornicate, do you fornicate? you who despise idols, do you rob temples?"
Rom 2:23; "You who keep boasting in the law, through violation of the law do you dishonor the God?"
Rom 2 24; "Consequently the reputation of the God is slandered among the Gentiles because of you, just as it stands written."
Rom 2:25; "So on the one hand circumcision is beneficial if you accomplish the purpose of the law (salvation adjustment to the justice of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ): but if on the other hand you are a transgressor of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision."
Rom 2:26; "If therefore the uncircumcised Gentile observes the righteous requirements from the law, will not his uncircumcision be evaluated as circumcision? (Yes, it will.)"
Rom 2:27; "In fact, if he accomplishes the purpose of the law, will not the physically uncircumcised Gentile judge you Jews, who through the letter and circumcision transgressor of law"
Rom 2:28; "Consequently, he is not a Jew who is one by overt manifestation; neither is circumcision the category that is manifested overtly in the flesh."
Rom 2:29; "For he is a Jew who is one by hidden birth (regeneration); and circumcision is that category of heart, by the Spirit (HS, the teacher of doctrine, not by the letter (Mosaic law); whose approval (adjustment to God's justice) is not from man, but is from the God (Jesus Christ)."