No one has an advantage

Don’t we like to feel special? This seems to be a thought that is popular amongst some Christians – I am special and God has specially selected me! They often quote verses about God selecting individuals and feel they are one of the special ones. The problem with this type of reasoning is that these verses apply to all of God’s children – if you are special, then so am I, and so is everyone else. And if we are all special is anyone really special?

This is not a new thought as it has been around since the first Christians. In the days of the apostles it came across this way: because I’m a Jew and also a Christian, I am special. I have an advantage over the Gentiles (those who are not Jews). The promotion of this idea caused problems in congregations that were made up of Jews and Gentiles – just read through the book of Acts and you see some of this surfacing. Paul had to address this more than once in his letters. Notice what he wrote to the Christians in Rome.

“’What advantage, then, is there in being a Jew, or what value is there in circumcision?” (Romans 1:1-3 NIV)

Wouldn’t the fact that God had selected the Jewish people give them an advantage over others? Wouldn’t their covenant with God symbolised by circumcision show that they had an advantage, that they were special? Notice Paul’s answer.

“’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? Not at all! Let God be true, and every human being a liar. As it is written: ‘So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge.’” (Romans 3:2-4)

Did the Jews have an advantage over anyone else? The answer to that is “Yes!” But their advantage was that they had God’s word first. God had entrusted them with his very words! These are recorded in the Jewish Scriptures: in the Torah, in the Prophets, and in the Writings. They had been given God’s word.

Sadly, that did not mean that they were faithful. Just read through the books of Kings and Chronicles and you quickly found out that even though they had God’s word they weren’t following it – and at times they lost it. Just because they had God’s word didn’t mean they were better than anyone else. This is Paul’s point in what he had been writing in this letter: no one is righteous (Romans 3:10 quoting Psalm 14:1-3); “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Throughout their history the Jews had been a special people to God, but this no longer gave them any advantage. Keep in mind that the Messiah who was coming and talked about throughout their Scriptures came – and God’s people, the Jews, rejected him. What advantage could that give anyone? They had the scriptures but they ignored them!

“What shall we conclude then? Do we have any advantage? Not at all! For we have already made the charge that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under the power of sin. As it is written: ‘There is no-one righteous, not even one; there is no-one who understands; there is no-one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no-one who does good, not even one.’” (Romans 3:9-12)

Although the Jews had been God’s people under the Old Covenant, they have no advantage under the New Covenant. All have sinned. All need the forgiveness that can be found only in Jesus.

The same applies to us. Although we may like to feel that we are special, we are like everyone else – all have sinned. We are all equally sinners in God’s sight. This is why we all need to respond to God’s word in the same way: in loving, humble obedience.

May we always seek to serve and obey Jesus.

Image created by Chat GPT by Jon Galloway.

Readings for next week: Romans 3-10