We’ve been exploring Romans 2 and the four points that Paul was making to the religious Jews of his day:

• Knowledge without action is not enough.
• Teaching without lifestyle is not enough.
• Ceremony without heart change is not enough.
• Heritage without obedience is not enough.

Today, we’re looking at Heritage without obedience is not enough. (Romans 3.1 – 8)

Yes, I can see that we’re in Romans 3, not chapter 2, but Paul is just finishing up by affirming that it’s good to have a heritage, but that the heritage without obedience isn’t enough:

What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision? Much in every way! First of all, the Jews have been entrusted with the very words of God. What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness nullify God’s faithfulness? (Romans 3.1 – 3, NIV)

John the Baptist made that point clear to his Jewish audience, and the Cotton Patch translation makes it clear to some of us. The Cotton Patch translation was done by Clarence Jordan, who lived in south Georgia and operated a co-op farming community where (poor) blacks and whites lived together. Dr. Jordan was way ahead of his time. He paraphrased a few New Testament books to help people get a feel for the life and times of Jesus: Jerusalem became Atlanta and Jews were white people. John the Baptist’s message about heritage sounded like this:

This guy John was dressed in blue jeans and a leather jacket, and he was living on cornbread and collard greens. Folks were coming to him from Atlanta and all over north Georgia and the backwater of the Chattahoochee. And as they owned up to their crooked ways he dipped them in the Chattahoochee. When John noticed a lot of Protestants and Catholics showing up for his dipping, he said to them, “You sons of snakes, who put the heat on you to run from the fury about to break over your heads? You must give some proof that you’ve had a change of heart. And don’t think that you can feed yourselves that ‘we-good-white-people’ stuff, because I’m telling you that if God wants to he can make white folks out of this pile of rocks! (Matthew 3.4 – 7, Cotton Patch Translation)

Don’t be content with a good heritage (if you have one) or with having the Bible in your house. Read it! Spend time daily prayerfully reading and asking God what he wants you to do with what he just told you.

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3.16, 17, NKJV)