“A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God” (Romans 2:28-29).

This passage of scripture is powerful. In a world where we judge others on the basis of their skin, the country we live in, or even the church we belong to—we find so many things to divide us. But this is an invitation to unity in Christ. In a startling revelation, as Paul announces that it is the condition of one’s heart that makes him or her a true child of God. 

To the Jewish people, who had prided themselves in being circumcised, a physical sign showing they were a part of God’s chosen people, this is quite the statement. Paul reveals that circumcision is merely an outward sign of an inward reality. This reality is a circumcision of the heart by the Spirit of God himself.

“If those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker” (Romans 2:26-27).

If the Jewish people were unable to keep the Law, how did the Gentiles, who had no knowledge of the Law, accomplish it? They did it because instead of fulfilling the letter of the Law they kept the righteousness of the Law (Rom. 2:26 KJV). 

The difference is huge. A person can fulfill the righteousness of the Law by faith in Jesus, but no one, Jew or Gentile, can keep the Law. The Jewish people were pursuing righteousness as a reward for the things they did, instead of trusting in the only one who could provide what they sought. In the previous verse, Paul announced their habitual sin disqualified them from obtaining righteousness through the Law (Rom. 2:25).