in God's sight,.he has a better standing before God than does the disobedient circumcised Jew. The worth of an ordinance in any person can be measured by that person's behavior, by the moral and spiritual success it achieves in the life. The conclusion of the matter is that a true Jew is not the man who is merely a Jew outwardly, and the real circumci sion is not merely that of the body. That which is external does not in itself constitute a right relation to God. The real Jew is the person who, in his heart, surrenders his will to God's will and seeks to obey God's Law (2:28, 29). But the Scriptures prove that the Jew has failed, thus he stands exposed and condemned before God. He has no hiding place. IV. THE PREROGATIVE OF THE JEW (3:1-8) The chapter division at this point in the Bible is unfortu nate. The first eight verses, at least, are a necessary part of the latter section in chapter 2. It is important, therefore, that we include these verses in our present theme, "The Con demnation of the Jew." Paul concluded that since the Jew did not obey the Law God gave to him, he stands condemned with the Gentile. At this point the Holy Spirit, directing Paul in his writing, anticipates some questions that would arise in the mind of some Jews. Paul, himself a Jew by birth, might have raised these same questions. To ask these questions is the Jews' prerogative. The question and answer method of teaching raises objections and attempts to answer them. A Jewish objector might argue that if what Paul said is true, then the Jew is placed on the same level as the Gentile. And if this is true, he has some questions he would like to have answered. The first question: "What advantage then hath the few? or what profit is there of circumcision" (3: 1)? If he is con demned as is the Gentile, what advantage is there in being born a Jew arrd being circumcised? If God chose the Jew, doesn't he have some preeminence over the Gentile? Isn't there some privilege or benefit to which he is entitled? The validity of such questioning should not be doubted. It is an intelligent question demanding a correct, intelligent answer. The question is in two parts. The first part, "What advantage then hath the Tew?" Paul answers in these verses in chapter 3. The second part, "What profit is there of
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