Romans 2:17-24—“But if you call yourself a Jew and rely upon the Law and boast in God, 18and know His will and distinguish the things that matter, being instructed from the Law, 19and are confident that you yourself are a guide to people who are blind, a light to those in darkness, 20a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, possessing in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth—21you, therefore, who teach someone else, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one is not to steal, do you steal? 22You who say that one is not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who loathe idols, do you rob temples? 23You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? 24For ‘the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you [Isaiah 52:5; Ezekiel 36:21, 23],’ just as it is written.”

No one is saved by status, heritage, or works.

Possession of the Law does not protect from the wrath of God against sin, in fact, possession of the Law heightens the judgment of God against sin.

What they think will be their salvation will be their condemnation.

Establishment of the Standard (Romans 2:17-20)
Failure to Meet the Standard (Romans 2:21-23)
God’s Verdict (Romans 2:24)

“call yourself” (Romans 2:17)
“rely” (Romans 2:17)
“boast” (Romans 2:17)
“confident” (Romans 2:19)

“know His will” (Romans 2:18)
“distinguish the things that matter” (Romans 2:18)
“instructed from the Law” (Romans 2:18)
“guide to people who are blind” (Romans 2:18; cf. Isaiah 6:10; 42:7, 16, 19; 43:8; Matthew 15:14; 23:16ff; Luke 6:39; John 9 esp. 9:41)
“a light to those in darkness” (Romans 2:19; cf. Isaiah 42:16; 59:9)
“corrector of the foolish” (Romans 2:20)
“teacher of the immature” (Romans 2:20)
“possessing in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth” (Romans 2:20)

All of these things Israel had a mandate to be and do. The keeping of the Law was supposed to be a demonstration of the nature and character of Israel’s God to the rest of the world, inviting the nations to worship Him.

The Law—X-Ray vs. Cure

Someone can have terminal cancer and be unaware and someone else can have terminal cancer and be made aware of it by an x-ray. Access and use of the x-ray, however, will never cure cancer but only reveal it. Similarly, access to and use of the Law does not save, it only identifies sin. The Law establishes guilt, not salvation.

Romans 2:24—“For ‘the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you [Isaiah 52:5; Ezekiel 36:21, 23],’ just as it is written.”

Biblical history precludes any claim by the Jews that they had successfully kept the Law of God. The curses of the Law would become a reality for Israel in the future because Israel would break the covenant to keep the Law, necessitating God’s grace in salvation (cf. Deuteronomy 30:6).

Deuteronomy 31:27—“For I know your rebellion and your stubbornness; behold, as long as I have been alive with you until today, you have been rebellious against the Lord; how much more, then, after my death?”

The Law-breaking of Israel, leading to the blasphemy of God from the Gentiles, necessitated the gospel of God’s salvation (cf. Isaiah 52:7).

https://youtu.be/ZQy2cWuUfdA