Romans 2:17

Romans 2:17 Meaning and Explanation

Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,

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Paul addresses one who bears the covenant name, relies on the law, and boasts in his relationship to God.

What Does Romans 2:17 Mean?

Paul now turns to address the religious insider directly. Such a person is called by the covenant name, rests in the possession of the law, and makes his boast of God, glad to belong to the people who know the true God.

These are real privileges, and Paul does not mock them. But he is about to ask whether possessing them has become a substitute for living them. To rest in the law can mean to lean on it gratefully, or it can mean to recline in false security. Paul probes which it has become, for nearness to holy things can either form the heart or merely flatter it.

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What does Romans 2:17 mean?

Paul addresses one who bears the covenant name, relies on the law, and boasts in his relationship to God.

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