SWHW Bible Reading Plan: July 2021Sample

Top Takeaway from Audra Haney:

Do you remember the old schoolyard saying, “You have one finger pointing at me, but four pointing back at you”?

Paul starts his letter to the Roman house churches with a laundry list of sins that grieve God. Sins that distort and pervert His original design. Sins that repulse and grieve God’s heart deeply. Sins that by their very nature demand our rejection and separation from God. Sins that demand justice.

But, the beginning of Romans 2 is a clear reminder we are not the ones holding the gavel. Paul starts with a reminder- We have to be mindful of where we are pointing our fingers.

“You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.” Romans 2:1

We are so quick to condemn the sins of others. However, when it comes to our own sin, we tend to do one of three things: categorize, minimize, or normalize. 

By categorizing, we say our sins are less repulsive than another type of sin. By minimizing, we reason our sin isn’t really all that bad. And when we normalize our sin, we declare that because the majority of people sin in this same way, God will probably give us a hall pass. 

But the sobering reality is ALL sin deeply grieves the heart of God and demands eternal judgment. Even our bad attitudes, our unforgiveness, our gossip, our white lies, our complacency, our religious indignation, our misplaced priorities. Even our judgment of others. 

Romans 2 is a reminder; we are on trial, too. 

Let this passage be a reminder that keeping our eyes or fingers on other sinful humans isn’t the answer. The only answer is to keep our eyes on Christ. The holy, perfect life of Christ. The holy, perfect sacrifice of Christ. And our holy, perfect status only through the blood of Christ.

Let’s be a forgiven people -- busy pointing to Jesus, rather than pointing our fingers at others.

Father, You have been so merciful to us. Help us not to minimize the sacrifice of Jesus by minimizing our own sins. Help us to show others Your kindness leads to repentance. Help us to keep our eyes on You and reflect You in all our interactions and relationships. Amen.