Romans 2:17-24

This goes back to what was said in yesterday’s post—it is sin to know what to do and choose not to do it. Put more simply, we are accountable for what we know, and with greater knowledge comes greater responsibility.

Paul is giving the Jews a hard time because they were the ones entrusted with God’s Law. In fact, they prided themselves on their special relationship with God and their knowledge of His ways. Yet Paul warns them that their privileged position does not excuse their disobedience. Quite the contrary! Their knowledge of God’s Law makes them all the more accountable when they knowingly violate it. Their sin is not born out of ignorance but out of willful disobedience.

Be careful! It is admirable to pursue knowledge and understanding, but with that knowledge comes accountability. Once you know the truth, you are responsible for what you do with it.

Consider what James says to teachers in James 3:1:

“Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly.”

Teachers bear a greater responsibility because they stand in positions of influence and are accountable not only for how they live but also for what they teach. Their words and actions can lead others toward the truth—or away from it.

Think about what Jesus said to the Pharisees in Matthew 23:13:

“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you shut the door of the Kingdom of Heaven in people’s faces. You won’t go in yourselves, and you don’t let others enter either.”

That is quite a judgment! How awful would it be to spend your entire life teaching something, only to discover in the end that you had been leading people in the wrong direction? And even worse, that your unwillingness to receive correction prevented others from discovering the truth.

What a sobering responsibility for anyone entrusted with teaching God's Word!

This is why we must never take ourselves too seriously or become so convinced of our own understanding that we leave no room for correction. No matter how much we know, there is always more to learn.

Consider the account of Apollos:

“Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well, had arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt. He had been taught the way of the Lord, and he taught others about Jesus with an enthusiastic spirit and with accuracy. However, he knew only about John’s baptism. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him preaching boldly in the synagogue, they took him aside and explained the way of God even more accurately.”
Acts 18:24–26 NLT

I love this account because Apollos was no novice. He was an eloquent speaker, well-versed in the Scriptures, enthusiastic about the Lord, and already teaching others with accuracy. Yet there were things he still did not understand.

Notice that Priscilla and Aquila did not publicly embarrass him or attempt to discredit his ministry. They took him aside and explained the way of God more accurately. And Apollos, despite his knowledge and influence, was willing to receive their instruction.

That is the mark of a teachable spirit.

We are all operating with incomplete knowledge. None of us has arrived at a place where we know everything there is to know about God and His Word. Therefore, we should never feel threatened when someone comes alongside us and helps us understand something more accurately. That is a gift we should never refuse!

The danger is not in what we have yet to learn but in becoming so confident in what we think we know that we are no longer willing to be taught.

And perhaps there is an even greater lesson here. Paul was confronting people who knew God's Word but were failing to live according to it. They were quick to instruct others while overlooking their own disobedience.

Knowledge of God's Word should never become a source of pride. It should produce humility, obedience, and a greater reverence for the One who entrusted us with it.

After all, the goal is not merely to know more about God but to become more like Him.