Romans: The Covenant of Laws Written on Hearts

[Welcome, Lilliana Zoe, born January 26, 2012. This posting is dedicated to you and to your great-grandfather who would have loved you greatly. May you always know how much Jesus loves you, for with that confidence in your heart, you will walk unfailingly in His righteousness.]

"For God does not show favoritism. When the Gentiles sin, they will be destroyed, even though they never had God's written law. And the Jews, who do have God's law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it. For merely listening to the law doesn't make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in His sight. Even Gentiles, who do not have God's written law, show that they know His law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God's law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. And this is the message I proclaim – that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone's secret life." (Romans 2:12-16 NLT)

"This is the new covenant I will make with my people on that day, says the LORD: I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds. Then He says, I will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds." (Hebrews 10:16-17 NLT)

I knew a man once who all his life had been guided to always do what was right by fear of disappointing his mother if he didn't. He was a man loved by all who knew him. He was a humble man filled with kindness and great regard for others, willing to help others in any way he possibly could with no thought for himself. He had a marvelous sense of humor. He worked very hard to support his rather large family. He loved and honored his wife as much as he did his own mother. And to his children, he was the best man they had ever known.

This man had some upbringing in the Catholic church, but he did not go about speaking to others about Jesus Christ, leading me to wonder whether he knew Jesus Christ. So one day, I asked him if he believed that Jesus died for his sins on the cross and that Jesus was the Son of God. To which he simply replied, "I do."

I have often thought that God's laws were written on his heart from an early age. And while he was never an evangelist, and to my knowledge had never even opened a bible to read (for the Catholic church did not encourage that as he was growing up), still when I remember this man to whom many people were drawn by his sincere and selfless love for them, I remember Jesus.

Yet, when this man was nearing the end of his life, I had to question him once more regarding his understanding of the Lord, to which he replied, "I know and God knows that my conscience is clear. I know the relationship I have with Him is good, and no one can convince me otherwise."

My point here is that I never got the "pat" answers from this man (my own father) that we Christians want to hear. And yet, this man led a much more godly life than I can lay claim to. He demonstrated the love of God to others in ways that many Christians have not been able to do.

And I believe this is what Paul is referring to in this passage from Romans above: that there are going to be some folks who never heard the law, never even heard about God, and yet because God gave us all the conscience that He did, these folks know when they are doing right and they know when they are doing wrong; and every day of their lives they choose to do right. That is an amazing thing!

So that those who did not have the law given to them (which is revelation from God) still are able to "demonstrate that God's law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thought either accuse them or tell them they are doing right" and "God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone's secret life."

"Secret life" is the key. Many who call themselves Christians have the "appearance" of godliness; while their hearts are far away from the Lord.

"This people draweth night unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me." (Matthew 15:8)

The Roman Christians were judging each other by their words and by their keeping or not keeping of the external law, but the judgment of God will be of internal things for He will judge our hearts. And in that day it won't matter if we spoke all the "correct" words; what will matter is whether His law of love was written on our hearts:

"A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another." (John 13:34)