serious indictment. All five questions implied that the Jews were guilty ofthe sins mentioned. Because the Jews made no attempt to practice what they preached, God's name was not respected among Gentiles. The people who had God's Law should have been living a holy life, but instead, they were doing those very things forbidden by the Law. The Jew was the worst hypocrite of all. The man with special pri vileges who is called to guide others must not dishonour God by disobeying His Law. He is a wolf in sheep's clothing. Both Isaiah (52:5) and Ezekiel (36:20-23) mention how the bad behaviour of the Jew caused the Gentiles to scoff at God. These Old Testament references, Isaiah 52:5 in particular, were what Paul had in mind when he said, "as itis written" (2:24). Every Jew knew that the captivities of both Israel and Judah were the judgments of God upon their sins. Any reproach cast upon the people of God reflects upon God. There must be something more than mere profession of religion. Let not one of us Christians fail to apply this lesson to our own lives. The hypocritical character of the professing Christian does much harm to the cause of our Lord Jesus Christ. At the Judgment Seat of Christ, "we (Christians) must all appear .. . that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (II Corinthians 5:10). The professing Christian who is a hypocrite is no better than the professing Jew who is a hypocrite. God's indictment against religious hypocrisy is not an indictment against any one religion. It is an indictment of all those who have received God's truth. And we Christians, more than any people since the life, death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, have been highly privileged because we have had the Word of God with its inspired, inerrant revelation of the will of God. The practical conclusion to this portion of our study is a warning to every saved person. III. THE PRETENSE OF THE JEW {2:25-29} The person who has in his possession the inspired Word of God is expected to have a life-style with behaviour that is commensurate with that Word. If pagans, who never had God's Law shown to them, devise evil practices, we more or 72
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