Romans 2:25-29 (#11.2025.02.16)

Scott Keffer [: 00:00:02

Hi. If you're looking for greater hope, assurance, and confidence through the shifting sands of life, then join me on today's episode as we dig deep into the Bible to discover rock solid truth for life and living from the God of the bible. I'm your host, Scott Keffer. Hi, and welcome to today's episode. As always, for a deeper experience, you can go to the show notes and download the blank insight sheet. Fill in the blanks along with the group. Depending on how you're listening to this, there'll be a link to the episode website at beholdingbibletruth.com, and a sheet with the answers is included as well. Enjoy today's episode.

Scott Keffer [: 00:00:48

Well, we are still doing planning for folks. We did lifestyle legacy planning as a, as a a planner for folks. And one of the things when you're putting together legacies was to create a, an inheritance in such a way that it didn't lead your children or grandchildren astray. Warren Buffett used to say, I wanna leave them enough so that they would would do anything, but not so much that they could do nothing. And then the question was always, how much and how should your, you know, next generation receive that in such a way that it didn't disable them and also in such a way that it didn't become a sense of, I deserve this. And so we're gonna see as we continue to go through the book of Romans that there were some Jews who found themselves in a place of figuring, I deserve this. Right? And I have special privileges because of who I am as a Jew. So stay with me if you will.

Scott Keffer [: 00:01:44

We're reading early end of chapter two, Romans chapter two twenty five through 29. Let's start. For indeed, circumcision is a value if you practice the law. But if you are a transgressor of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the law, will he not judge you even though having the letter of the law and circumcision are a transgressor of the law? For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh, but he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that which is of the heart by the spirit, not by the letter, and this phrase is not for men, but from God. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Yeah.

Scott Keffer [: 00:02:53

Yeah. Well, if you study the scripture for any period of time and you have a sense of what is the spirit of God, saying, and particularly through the apostle Paul, sometimes you have to take a breath and say, what is really going on here? Right? You have to stop and kinda weave your way through it. And keep in mind, in the original breed, there are there are no punctuations. There's no beginning and end sentences. It's just words. Right? No. There's no verses. None.

Scott Keffer [: 00:03:20

None. So as you go through here, we're trying to dissect it to get a sense of what's going on. But we're at we're at that place where he's talking to Jews and Gentiles and giving us a sense of why we're all guilty, why we are all guilty. Right? And now he begins to deal with kind of the seal of affirmation that I must be somebody special to the Lord. He's talking specifically about circumcision, right, which would have been the sign of the covenant in the Old Testament. Right? So he says circumcision is valuable for sure, but he said if. If. If what? If you practice the whole law.

Scott Keffer [: 00:04:05

So he says, if you practice the whole law, circumcision is indeed valuable because it's one part of the whole law. So in James, he says, forever whoever keeps underline the whole law and yet stumbles in underline one point, where does that leave him? Graden on a curve? Underline guilty of all. Well, that doesn't seem fair. That doesn't seem right. Couldn't they do 99.8%? Couldn't you? So he said, no. The law is the sense of giving us the sense of god's absolute, utter holiness. And it sound like I did pretty well. This is the law of God, which shows us the character and the nature of God, what is required to approach God, what is required to be in fellowship with God, what is required to have an intimate relationship with the eternal holy one, the holy one of Israel, you cannot stumble in but one.

Scott Keffer [: 00:05:15

So he says if a Jew transgresses the law, he says circumcision can't help him. Right? If the Jew, those circumcised transgresses the law, circumcision isn't gonna save you. Right? Circumcision is not sufficient to save you. And then he says, well, what about the uncircumcised? Now keep in mind, if you're a Jew, what were Gentiles to you? Dogs. Dogs. Anathema. Right? They're they're unholy. They're they're not the people of God.

Scott Keffer [: 00:05:46

Right? They're oh, you right? There's that sentence. That's right. That's there's that sentence. So if the uncircumcised keeps the law, he's saying, if the uncircumcised kept the law, it would be like they were circumcised. He says in there. Really? And he said even more even more that he will judge you. Now if you're a Jew, the hairs on your neck would stand up. You're saying, wait a minute.

Scott Keffer [: 00:06:16

The uncircumcised would be as if they were circumcised? Right? No way. And they will judge the Jew. That would be like, what? No way. No way. So he says circumcision is valuable if you keep the whole law. So then he goes on to say, this is for us to understand, this is the true Jew. This is the true Jew. So he says he is not a Jew who is one outwardly by birth.

Scott Keffer [: 00:06:53

So in Genesis, God calls Abraham out, and he says, I will bless the nations of the earth through you. That's he is our father, Abraham. And as a result of if I can trace myself back in lineage to Abraham, I must be one of God's people. Right? One of God's people. But he says he's not one who is hourly by birth. So then he says in Romans, we'll look in Romans nine, for they are not all Israel. Underline that. So he's saying they're not all Israel.

Scott Keffer [: 00:07:30

Who's not all Israel? Those who are descended from Israel. Jesus had the interaction with the Pharisees. Our father, Abraham, right, were saved, but as a result of it, he says that is it it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God. What? This would be mind blowing for someone who is Jewish to say, wait a minute. Wait a minute. What's he saying? But the children of the promise are regarded as descendants. So it's the same thing in Galatians. The chill the heirs of the promise.

Scott Keffer [: 00:08:08

What promise? The promise to Abraham. Really? Really? The the promise to Abraham, which should lead you, right, if you're a well informed gentile to say, how do we get to have a connection to the promised Abraham? Because it was to Abraham and his descendants descendants. How is that? So the Jew would say, that's not right. You're wait a minute. He's saying if you belong to Christ, you are Abraham's descendants, children according to the promise. Okay? So how is that? So he says, here is a Jew or he is a Jew who is one inwardly inwardly. So what's up with circumcision? It is not outward in the flesh, but it is outward. I mean, it's a outward thing that we do.

Scott Keffer [: 00:09:13

They say, no. That's not it. Really. Yes. In in Colossians, he says, and in him, you were also circumcised. Really? Maybe I was. Maybe I wasn't. With a circumcision performed without hands.

Scott Keffer [: 00:09:36

Really? How'd that work? In the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ. That's a different circumcision than the one performed by hands. So if you're Jewish, you'd be saying, wait a minute. Like, what's up with that? What's up with that? So I I put as I was thinking about that, if I were if I were Jewish, I'd be saying, wait a minute. Is this really new? Is this new? Is this new? So that's the question. Right? Is this idea that circumcision is not by hand, is this new? Well, it's no and yes. Let's look at the no part. So in Deuteronomy, the lord says, Yahweh says to the peoples, circumcise your heart and stiffen your neck no longer.

Scott Keffer [: 00:10:45

Okay. So wait a minute. So there's a connection between my heart and my neck. So he says circumcise your heart, to which you would say, how would you do that? I get the the the actual circumcision. You go through the right of circumcision, but how do you circumcise your heart? And then, of course, later in Deuteronomy, God gives this promise. Moreover, Yahweh your God, isn't this cool? He will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants. That circumcision will unstiffen your neck so that you will love the lord your god. Heart circumcision.

Scott Keffer [: 00:11:38

Heart surgery. Internal circumcision. Is that so is this new? So that's it was in Deuteronomy. This is not new that there is there's something there's an external right, but there's an internal reality. Forget that? There is an external right, but there's an internal reality. The external right is circumcision, but there's an internal reality, which matters to god. The right The reality. The reality.

Scott Keffer [: 00:12:19

The reality. Not the right, but the reality. So in some ways, it's no, but it is also, yes. It is new because it's called the new covenant. The new covenant. The new covenant, he promises I don't know. There we go. Okay.

Scott Keffer [: 00:12:51

He promises the days are coming when this was a which was a picture of an internal reality. The external right was a picture of an internal reality. He says the days are coming when the lord will make a new covenant. What's the new covenant? I will put my law where? Within them and on their part, I will write it. Really? He's gonna circumcise my heart, and he's gonna write he's gonna write his law into the heart of man. Right? He puts it into our heart. Where is that? In here. For thou thus desire truth in the inward hearts.

Scott Keffer [: 00:13:37

How do you do that? How do you do that? Well, something has to happen. Moreover, he says in the Ezekiel, I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you. So he says, what you need is a new heart, and you need a new spirit. Right? And then I will put my spirit within you. And I'll remove the heart of flesh, and I'll give you a heart of I'll remove the heart of stone from your flesh, and I'll give you a heart of flesh, and I will put my spirit within you. What will happen? I will cause you to walk in my statutes. This is this is an inward out transformation, not an outward in. So this is is this new? No.

Scott Keffer [: 00:14:39

He said it. Or there had to be an internal reality, and the clarity is that you cannot do the internal work. You're not an internal surgeon. You can't change your heart. You can't take the heart of stone and make it a heart of flesh. You can't do that. New spirit, his spirit, all of this was part of the new covenant in my blood in my blood. So the true Jew the true Jew is circumcised inwardly in the heart.

Scott Keffer [: 00:15:18

Inwardly. That's an inward job, an internal job. So he says, for we are the underlying true circumcision. What does that look like, the true circumcision? Well, first of all, we worship in the spirit. We take pride in Christ Jesus, and we put no confidence in our flesh. So there's the picture. So we we have been circumcised inwardly by the spirit by the spirit. That's the bike, by the spirit.

Scott Keffer [: 00:15:55

And we've been circumcised by the spirit to be a new creation. I love that in Galatians. For for neither is circumcision any anything nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. New creation. You must be born again. There's gotta be a transformation. You have to have a new creation, right, to do a work in your heart and in your soul, which is is impossible to do. So this is not new, and yet it is completely new.

Scott Keffer [: 00:16:41

And he says it's not by the letter not by the letter. So in second Corinthians, he starts talking about so here's Moses. Moses went up to meet with God. Right? He got the tablet to stone, and he came down, and he literally glowed. But he said he was like a glow stick. Right? If you break your glow stick, it'll glow for a while, and then it'll fade. So Moses, when he met with God face to face, he would glow with the glory of God, but he was like a glow stick. He would fade as time went.

Scott Keffer [: 00:17:18

So at first, he put a a veil over his head because they couldn't see. So he's saying, okay. Let's look at the new versus the old. So he says, you are a The letter. Letter of Christ. Because Paul says, do I need a letter of commendation? Do I need a letter of recommendation? He said, no. You're my letter. I'm a letter of Christ? I'm a letter of Christ.

Scott Keffer [: 00:17:47

Who? What's it say? He says written not with ink but with the spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone, but on tablets of human hearts. Who can write on human hearts when god can? As servants of the new covenant, not of the letter, but of the spirit, for the letter kills, but the spirit gives life. He's saying, but if the minister of death and letters engraved on stones, what is that? The law, right, came with glory. So the law came with glory. It was glory to it. God made himself known to a people, but he said so that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face even though it was fading. Forget it? So it came with glory. There was glory when he met with and it was like this, but it faded over time, fading as it was.

Scott Keffer [: 00:18:42

How will the ministry, the spirit, fail to even be nay with glory? For if the ministry of condemnation has glory much more, does the ministry of righteousness abound in glory? For indeed, what had glory, the law, has been surpassed. In this case, has no glory because of the glory which surpasses it. So if the law had glory around it, why without the ability to change, right, How about the new? So I compare the new compared to the old. You flip over new compared to the old. So in the old, it's the law of God with glory. But he says, who's the letter of Christ? You are. You are. Sometimes a better letter than others.

Scott Keffer [: 00:19:35

Right? Because god is writing that letter inside of you. And he says, the new covenant is written by the spirit. It's a ministry of the spirit. The law is a ministry of death. Isn't that interesting? Was the law bad? Absolutely not. Also, when the law came, sin abounded. Why? Because I don't wanna be told what to do. So he says when it when I heard you shall not covet, I coveted more.

Scott Keffer [: 00:20:05

And, of course, the law is written with ink, but the new covenant is written by the spirit of God. What kind of pen does he use? And he said that that is written on stone. This is written on your heart. Well, stop for a minute. And imagine you're telling your friends, well, let me tell you about this. Right? That takes your heart out, gives you a new heart, gives you a new spirit, put his spirit in you, writes his law upon your heart, changes your heart, writes your law. Oh, and how does he do that? Right? How does he do that? He must be supernatural. He must be not of this world.

Scott Keffer [: 00:20:53

He must be other in order for that to happen. And the letter kills. Isn't that interesting? The letter kills. The spirit gives life. Then he compares. There's two ministries going on. He says the letter is the ministry of condemnation condemnation. We read the law, we should be condemned because the law speaks truth.

Scott Keffer [: 00:21:26

Instead, the ministry of the spirit, the ministry in the new covenant is ministry of righteousness to bring about the righteousness of god in us and through us. One has fading glory. The other has unfading glory. The law is about praise from men, where this is praise from god. So you are a letter of Christ, the law of God. Minister of the spirit, minister of death. Written by the spirit of God, written with ink. Written on your heart, written on tablets of stone.

Scott Keffer [: 00:22:10

Spirit gives life. We ought life. Life, not the letter kills. Ministry of righteousness, changing of our nature and our character. Ministry of condemnation, unfading glory, glory faded, praise from God, praise from men. And we like the new covenant better than the old. That's right. It's been surpassed.

Scott Keffer [: 00:22:34

New covenant. So a lot of Christians will say new covenant. What is it? I don't know. It's a new covenant in his blood. We need to understand the new covenant. You need to understand the new covenant based upon the old covenant because the old covenant is in contrast, if you will. It informs the nature of the new covenant. And he says in second Corinthians, he said, we are not like Moses who used to put a veil over his face.

Scott Keffer [: 00:22:58

Why did he do that? So that sons of Israel would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. So the glory would fade over time. Everybody get it? So he'd meet face to face with God, glory, and then it would fade. So he put he put a veil over it for a time, then it would fade. He said, when when Israel hears that their minds are pardoned For until this very day at the reading of the old covenant, the same veil remains unlifted. Can they pull the veil off? No. How's it pulled off? It's removed in Christ. That sounds like spiritual surgery.

Scott Keffer [: 00:23:39

It's the heart surgery that must occur. Right? But to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart, not their head, not their eyes, but over their heart. But whenever a person turns to the Lord, what happens? Veil's taken away. So you see now. Right? Messianic you know, they would call messianic Jews. Those who've had their eyes opened, right, come to Christ. Generally, we're in a time when most believers the majority of believers are Gentiles. Oh, what's that about? We'll look at that in a second.

Scott Keffer [: 00:24:22

But he says, well, we all, with unveiled face, what are we doing? Okay. Beholding. What are we beholding? In the mirror, what do we see? The glory of the lord. Where is that glory? In you. In you, the glory of god glory of god in me. Isn't that what he said? Not out there in here. Not external inward. Glory of God.

Scott Keffer [: 00:24:50

And what is that glory doing? We're transforming us, be transformed into the same image. What image? Christ. Right? We're transformed into his image from glory to glory. In other words, right, where Moses, right, where Moses cracked a glow stick, it dies. He's saying this kind increases. We have an increase in glory where Moses was an external glory. We have an internal glory. Where does the glory come from? From the lord, the spirit.

Scott Keffer [: 00:25:29

The spirit of god within us. Well, sometimes it doesn't feel like mine's going from glory to glory, doesn't it? Right? And so sometimes it's up and then it's right down and then it's and, hopefully, over time. So two things I noticed over time if you sort of draft it. Right? This kind of up and down that, actually, it should be doing two things even though it doesn't feel like that, that the that the amplitude of the up and down decreases over time and that, generally, it has the feeling that I'm moving upward. But sometimes it doesn't feel like that when you're here. Right? So two things are happening. One, the narrowness of the up and down is narrowing the amplitude and the general direction. Although there are times when this doesn't feel very good.

Scott Keffer [: 00:26:27

Right? But we compare it to where we've been. So from glory to glory, it's clunky, or at least my glory to glory is clunky. I don't know about yours. Right? It's clunky glory. But, generally, the amplitude is decreasing, and, generally, I'm moving in the upward direction with the promise that he began a good work in your will. You'll finish it. Right? Glory to glory. So he says that we have great hope.

Scott Keffer [: 00:27:02

Right? Has great hope. The new covenant has we should have great hope. We're going from glory to glory, and we have the promised glory that that he will transform the body of this humble state into conformity with the body of his glory by the power he has even to conform all things to himself. What's that mean? When I see him, I will be made like him, and I will share his glory. I'll share his glory. That's the hope that we have. That's the hope. So we see the new covenant versus the old covenant.

Scott Keffer [: 00:27:38

And then this was a challenge for Jews, wasn't it? It was right? That's why he said to Gentiles, foolishness. To Jews, a stumbling block. Like, there's no way this makes sense. No way this makes sense. From glory to glory. So it's comparing the new covenant and the old covenant. So I started to think about, okay. So we're not Jewish.

Scott Keffer [: 00:28:04

Right? Which means we're not steeped in that. And even today, right, if you if you met most Jews, they wouldn't necessarily be steeped in it. They might be cultural, right, depending on how deep they are with a clear sense that this doesn't seem to make sense. It's a Jesus is a stumbling block. Messiah on the cross? No. It doesn't make sense. Gentiles? Alright. Doesn't make sense.

Scott Keffer [: 00:28:29

But I thought so so what about us as Gentiles? Let's flip flip it around because whatever if you were Jewish, whatever they struggle with, we would struggle with the same because all have sinned and fallen short. Right? So I put on there dangers for Gentile true Jews. Dangers for Gentile true Jews. What's that mean? That we must struggle with the same thing. So let's look at what he says. Right? And we'll look at this in, I don't know when, Romans 11. We get there. He says, but if some of the branches were broken off and you being a wild olive were granted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich fruit of the olive tree.

Scott Keffer [: 00:29:19

Right? So let's go back. So so he's saying Jew and Gentile. So if you look at branches, those are who? The Jews. Who's the wild olive? The. Gentiles. So put a line, wild olives. Right? The wild olives are Gentiles. And it says we have been drafted in.

Scott Keffer [: 00:29:51

Grafted in. What's that mean? Added in. That's exactly right. Right? So he says he says, you be you became partaker with them of the rich fruit of the olive tree. Do not be arrogant. Underlying do not be arrogant toward the branches. But if you're arrogant, remember, underline remember. It's not you, the gentile, who supports the root to Jew.

Scott Keffer [: 00:30:28

Right? But the root supports you. You will say then, well, branches are broken off so that I might be grafted in. Quite right. They were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Faith unbelief. Right? Behold then, what are we beholding? Wait a minute. By your faith. Do not be go underline.

Scott Keffer [: 00:30:56

Do not be conceded, but fear. He says, for a god did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you, a gentile either. Behold then when you're bolding, the kindness and the severity of God. Well, like the first part, I don't necessarily like the second part, but he says they both exist. To those who fell, severity, underline, but to you, god's kindness. If you continue in his kindness, otherwise, you'll also be cut off. So he says, for I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed. Underline, uninformed.

Scott Keffer [: 00:31:39

I don't want you to be uninformed. That's what he's saying. Right? Do not be arrogant. Remember, do not be conceited. Fear. And I want you to be informed, if you will, so so that you will not be wise in your own oh, I know what that's like. I'm often wise in my own estimation. He says that there is a partial pardoning.

Scott Keffer [: 00:32:07

This happened to Israel. Well, how long will that happen? Until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, and so then all Israel will be saved. All Israel will be saved. So questions on that? Go deep in that in in 11. So Gentiles are grafted in. Right? The natural root, the natural branch, or or to salvation is to Jews first and then to Gentiles. So we are grafted in. So we're saying as a result of that, because we're in the period of Gentiles, the time will come when all Israel will be saved.

Scott Keffer [: 00:32:55

In in, in other words, every Jewish person know, but where the general just like it is now, mostly Gentiles coming to Christ, mostly Jews are gonna come as well. Any questions on that? But at the same time, fear. Right? At the same time, fear. And and what does that look like? That's hard to say because people will say that. And the it's not a great illustration, but when we went to and hiked into the Grand Canyon, anybody hiked into the canyon I I mean, there are parts in the canyon where it's scary. Right? You could literally fall over the all over the edge. Right? And we had two choices. Either you're gonna hike down or you're gonna take a mule.

Scott Keffer [: 00:33:37

And we looked at mules until I'm not I'm not riding a mule wolf, and I'm not putting my future, right, into the hands of a mule. I thought I'm a mule myself, so I'm not as well. You know? If I'm going over the edge, I'm going over. Right? That that if you had a clear sense of the danger and and yet that that I'm secure, you would not be hanging over the edge dancing and you know what I'm saying? Right? So Jesus is saying, yes. He keeps you, but we don't take that for granted. Right? That there's that sin. So, yes, you must he who endures to the end will be saved. That's very clear.

Scott Keffer [: 00:34:19

You must endure to the end. During Christ, will you endure to the end? Yeah. I believe. Yes. Not to him who was able to keep you from stumbling. But you have to fear. He said, we still fear. Do not be conceited.

Scott Keffer [: 00:34:31

Fear. Right? Understand this is God's kindness. Right? God's kindness. So, generally, here, what do we see? We see the danger for for a a Gentile true Jew is the same for a Jew, and that is spiritual superiority. Spiritual superiority. That's where they got into. Right? Spiritual superiority. So he says in Ephesians, he says, underline, therefore, remember.

Scott Keffer [: 00:35:06

Again, he when he when he's saying, do not be conceited. Do not be arrogant. Remember. He says this again. Therefore, remember, whether we remember it, that formerly you, you were Gentile in the flesh. You were called uncircumcision. That's you. By the so called circumcision.

Scott Keffer [: 00:35:28

And you were, right, that which is performed in the flesh by human hands. Remember that you were at that time to work separate from Christ excluded from the Commonwealth and strangers strangers. So the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. So we see, remember, that's who you were. That's who you were. So if you are right? Think about it. If you're in a place where you are separated and you're separated from the most valuable thing in the world, you're excluded and you're a stranger without hope and without God, how is your life? Not good. That's right.

Scott Keffer [: 00:36:22

I I was in a not good position. I was in a way not good position. So we say, remember, that's who you were by nature. Right? All all that was done over here, you were drawn in. He says, underline but now. But now, something different. And that now is in Christ Jesus, in Messiah Jesus. And so for a non Jew, Messiah doesn't mean a whole lot, does it? Jesus Christ, that's his name.

Scott Keffer [: 00:36:58

Right? For us, that's his name. For a Jew, it's no. Messiah promised one. Right? All of the promises of God brought about into Christ Jesus, you who were formerly far off, you've been run near. I've been run near by the blood of Christ. So what should we be? Thankful, humble, grateful, amazed, blown away that we were far off. We were Gentiles. So Gentiles have been grafted in.

Scott Keffer [: 00:37:36

We should be more grateful than a messianic Jew. We should be more great. Right? Salvation is first to the Jews and then to the Greeks. Make sense? Questions on that. Please, therefore, remember, therefore, remember, you had no hope. You were without God. Now you've been brought near. Also, to me, a great reminder that if you've been brought near, you take advantage of the nearness that you have been brought near.

Scott Keffer [: 00:38:11

There is there is the the veil has been rent, and you were able to go in. You remember, right, when the law came, they said, hey, Moses. You go talk to God. We don't wanna talk to him. He's scared. You go talk to him and tell us what he says. And, indeed, is it not the same today? Well, you go talk to him, and I'll read a commentary. You go talk to him, and I'll read what he says to you as opposed to you've got the opportunity to go near, to bro be brought near.

Scott Keffer [: 00:38:47

Does that make sense? That's that's a privilege. You know, in a privileged pay place, you were excluded, separated. You've been brought near. Are you taking advantage of the nearness that the blow is priced? He's inaugurated a new and living way. He's opened up the holy of holies. We have a high priest. Sit at the right hand of the father. Are you taking advantage of the nearness that god has made possible? So spiritual superiority and, also, are we taking advantage? The second, he says, be all the more diligent.

Scott Keffer [: 00:39:29

So in Hebrews, it says, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God. So the one who has entered his rest has himself rested from his works. Right? Rested from his works. The Sabbath rest, we don't Sabbath anymore. We have a Sabbath rest. We rest from our works as that which qualifies us to be gods, but we don't we don't stop. So he says, be all the more diligent to make certain. What are we making certain? It's calling choice to you.

Scott Keffer [: 00:40:06

Wait a minute. That don't make sense. So as as good evangelicals, we press the point that you are saved. You are saved, and you can be certain in your salvation. We jail at home. Why? Because we're afraid that people would try and work their way. Right? But with that, it can be the sense of this isn't a Sabbath rest, but this is you can just get on your parking lot. Right? Slide down the river.

Scott Keffer [: 00:40:32

So he's saying, where he reminds us here. So he says it the same way. But now be much more in my absence, underline work out. What are we working out? Your salvation. Wait a minute. I thought I didn't have to work through my salvation. But you're working out your salvation. Working out.

Scott Keffer [: 00:40:53

For it's god who is at work in you. What's he doing? The will and the work his good pleasure. How does that work exactly? I don't know. But it's it's it's the lord's grace, and it's your work. Work out your salvation. He says make certain. Be all the more diligent. So what's the danger? Spiritual sluggishness.

Scott Keffer [: 00:41:18

Spiritual sluggishness. So we can have superiority. You can also have sluggishness. And lastly, he says, by this time, you ought to be teachers. Do you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the actual words of God and you've come to need milk, not solid food. If grandkids now, you don't wanna meet them, you know, drinking milk all the time. Right? At some point, they transition to solid food saying you should be transitioning, but by now, you should be back on milk. So I put spiritual superficiality and then those essence.

Scott Keffer [: 00:42:05

So we see Jew, Jew, and a true Jew. Gentile can become a true Jew, but we're susceptible to the same things that stand in the way of a Jew becoming a true Jew. And so we gotta be cautious about that. Right? Superiority, selfishness, superficiality, right, that we have this ever increasing glory for the internal work that God has done in us. Internal work. Alright. Write down the inside or question or a thought. Because that you could lose your salvation.

Scott Keffer [: 00:42:40

Is that the question? Yes. Where it says you could be cut off? Yeah. Well, again, the the the best way for me to answer scriptures with scripture. But people said, what does that mean there? Just like John 15. Oh, right. You you could be burned yet at the same time. These things are written in order that you may know that you have eternal life. He who has the son has the life.

Scott Keffer [: 00:42:59

He does not have the son, and God does not have the life. So, my understanding would be in the depth of all of scripture, what does that exactly mean? That with unbelief, you could be cut off. With unbelief, you could be cut off. But that if you're a true believer in Christ, you can't be cut off. Because he he's talking here to Jews and to Gentiles overall. Large group. Right? And at the core of this, he says, too bad. They were cut off for their way.

Scott Keffer [: 00:43:29

Unbelief, these had faith. Right? These had faith. Severity, right, Right? So this route, that route, if you will, right, going back in there. Right? And, again, when, I always say when there's confusion in the scripture, you have to look to all the scripture to explain it. You have to look to all the scripture. We're talking to all all all Gentiles. You continue in his presence. Otherwise, you'll be cut off.

Scott Keffer [: 00:43:59

Right? I love that. You were brought near. Learn a lot by the birds. Right? Who brought us? Subject. Right? He brought us. Yeah. That's a great point. I love that, his sovereignty.

Scott Keffer [: 00:44:17

I love all I love all of him, Roger. I love all of him. Yeah. Yeah. For sure. Because I talk to people, how can you be unadopted? How can you be how can you be ungored? Those are very specific illustrations to tell us somebody. Right? Very specific illustrations. Yep.

Scott Keffer [: 00:44:40

And so so Jesus said, I am the true vine. My father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that that bears fruit, he prunes it that it may bear bear more fruit. Right? Says that, yeah, I'm the vine. You're the branches. He who abides in me, right, he bears much fruit. For apart from me, you can do nothing. Right? Hard for me, you can do nothing.

Scott Keffer [: 00:45:02

Yes. So we abide in him. We press into him. Yes. Yeah. It's funny because we you know, everybody tends to go to the, you know, oh, what about cutoff? Can I lose my salvation? Why don't we flip over the other side and say, can I press in? Right? Why don't we go to the negative? Why don't we go to yes. How how how deep can you get? You know? How how near can you get to the Lord. Right? The quality of our relationship as opposed to what happens if what does this mean? What does it what means? Be fearful.

Scott Keffer [: 00:45:39

It means don't dally on the edge of the to say, oh, I'm I'm safe. So now I can try to play around on the edge of the, you know, Grand Canyon. Right? But to me, that's it. Even if I knew I couldn't go over the edge, it would be who would do that? It would be discounting. It's it it's taking for granted. It's it's making the things of God, which is the nature of sin, making the things of God, glory of God, pedestrian, Not valuable. Right? So when you recognize the value of that relationship, how would you treat it? How would you treat it? Well, it gave you new ones, right, which is good. Took the heart of stone out, gave you a heart of flesh.

Scott Keffer [: 00:46:22

Right? Yeah. He's he's pretty good at heart surgery. But it's easy to forget that the that the lost aren't the are enemies. They're, right, held captive. It says held captive by the evil one. Right? They're prisoners. They're they're they're prisoners. Right? And so we can have that same arrogance.

Scott Keffer [: 00:46:41

Yeah. I'm saying they're not they don't get it. Of course, they don't get it. They're blind. Of course, they don't get it. They have a cold heart. If perhaps it says, if perhaps God would grant them repentance. If perhaps God.

Scott Keffer [: 00:46:55

So we need to be patient, not quarrelsome. Right? Well, that old stuff that they are blind. We're hold we're holding Rembrandts, before blind people and saying, don't you see? Don't you see? And we should be amazed that the that the the blessing, and the promises to Abraham, we get to we get to share in the the favor that was given to Abraham, the promises of Abraham, and we've been grafted in by the grace and the kindness and the mercy of God. Right? We're not first in. We're not first in. It's good to remember that. Amen. And may the god who brought you near, may he bless you, may he keep you, may he cause his patience to shine upon him.

Scott Keffer [: 00:47:42

May he lift up his countenance and grant you his shalom deep in your soul. And may the grace of the lord Jesus Christ, the love of god the father, and the fellowship of the holy spirit be with you now and always. Amen. Amen and amen.

Scott Keffer [: 00:47:59

Thanks for listening. I hope you have greater hope, assurance, and confidence in your life and a deeper trust in the God of the Bible and his son, Jesus Christ. Until next time, may the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. And may the Lord lift up his countenance on you and give you his peace, his shalom in your soul and in your life. Until next time, may God bless you and keep you.