What About The Law?

So today we’ll be looking at the second half of Romans chapter 2. That’s from Romans chapter 2 verses 12 through the end of the chapter, Romans chapter 2 verse 29. So we’ll read. “For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.”

“But when Gentiles do not have the law by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.”

But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God and know His will and approve what is excellent because you are instructed from the law, and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth. You then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you not tumble?

“You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. For as it is written, ‘The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.’” Verse 25: “For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law. But if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. So if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. For no one is a Jew is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.” So this is the word, glory, thanks be to

God. So let us pray. Looking to our Father, once again we ask you to open our eyes to see what’s in this text. Help us to understand it and apply it to our lives. Lord, may you work in our cause as we hear your word, that Jesus may be praised. Amen. So last week we saw from the previous passage, that is from Romans chapter 2 verse 1 to 11, how Paul calls out people who judge others while committing the same sin as others and think and things that they will escape the judgment of God, but instead store up God’s wrath for themselves. We have also

seen how God’s delay of judgment should lead us to repentance and that God’s judgment will be revealed one day and he will be very impartial in punishing the wicked and rewarding the good. So here in this passage Paul continues his thoughts on sin and judgment and brings into picture the law of God.

So that’s why the sermon title is “What about the law?” So if we can divide this passage into four sections, we can see that number one, Paul is saying that everyone who has sinned will be judged, whether Jew or Gentile, whether they have the law in their hands or not. So we see that in verses 12 and 13 in this passage. And the second one is that Paul shows that even Gentiles have a law which is operating within them and they will be judged according to that law, and we’ll see that from verse 14 onwards to 16. And the third one is that Paul confronts the possessors of the law, that is Jews, for

not obeying the law and thereby dishonoring God and blaspheming his name, and we’ll see that from verse 17 onwards till 24. And finally, fourth one is Paul shows that a true Jew is one whose heart is circumcised by the Spirit and who keeps the law, and we’ll see that from verse 25 onwards till 29. So these are the four things that we’re gonna look at this morning. So the Jews. So last Sunday when I said this word, I kept saying juice, and Ronald’s son was asking for juices. The Jews, not the Jews, the Jews do not easily mingle with others but are quick to separate

themselves from the outside world. It is interesting to know that Paul, though he is separating Jews and Gentiles as he writes, basically shows that there is no difference between them in terms of sin and judgment. Everybody is treated equally before God in judgment.

But in terms of privilege, the Jews had received the covenant and the law and are called to be witnesses in this world. But they took their privileges for granted and they sinned against God. So their separation from Gentiles meant nothing as there is no difference in moral lives of both Jews and Gentiles.

So just like Jews who had written laws separated themselves from Gentiles, we see some groups separating themselves for having something which others do not have. Right? Can you think of anybody like that? In our context it's like Brahmins who have Vedas separating themselves from Shudras and Dalits.

Muslims who have Quran separating themselves from non-Muslims. Christians who have Bibles separating themselves from non-Christians. Reformer Christians who have doctrines or sound doctrines separating themselves from non-reformer priesthoods. People who speak the right theology and good English from those who do not.

We see this separation everywhere, right? How about among us in Gospel Life Church? So coming to the first point, we see Paul is saying that everyone who has sinned will be judged, whether Jew or Gentile, whether they have the law in their hands or not. So we look at verse 12 and 13, we see, “For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all that sin under the law will be judged by the law.”

Go to any place in the world, talk to any person in the world, you can see that everyone believes that there is good and bad in this world, right? Or in the world of the ideas. People understand that doing things in one way is good and doing things in another way is evil. There is a basic framework of morality people's thinking. Though it might not be as clear as Bible defines it, yet people still think along those lines.

The other words that I use for them are righteousness and sin or wickedness. Philosophically, canonically and existentially or in other words, it's simply Bible and experience. Sin is real, evil is evident, wickedness is everywhere in this world. You read the newspaper or turn on the news channel or simply watch out from your windows, you will see it. You do not even need to do all that. Your own heart and you'll find it there.

Sin is real. If sin is real, so is the judgment. If there is this idea of morality and that it is universal, then for sure it is not man-made thing. Someone above this world must have put that here in our minds, and that would be God himself, right? God who created us made us as moral beings. That is why we think in terms of good and bad, righteous and evil. So if God is a morally perfect God, then he will for sure judge those who fail to live a morally good life, a perfect life. From Genesis to Revelation in the Bible, the authors keep showing us that God is righteous in all his judgments and humans are sinful. Since Adam's fall, God gave the law in the Garden of Eden and Adam and Eve they broke

it and were cursed. God gave the law to Israel on Mount Sinai but they broke it and were judged. The law matters because if we break it we will be judged accordingly. People do not go to hell for rejecting the gospel but for breaking the law of God in the first place.

In verse 12 the words perish and judge if you see here are used to convey the same meaning. When God judges all sinners they will perish or be utterly destroyed. There will be a complete alienation from God forever in hellfire. Who is in that state? things. Everybody who is born with sin in this world is by default in that state unless Jesus interferes in their lives.

It's a default position of every human being. So we all know that famous verse John 3:16, right? What's after that? It says, “For God so loved the world, whoever believes in him should not perish but have an everlasting life or eternal life. But God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” But then watch this: “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already because he has not believed in the name.” And this is the judgment, says John. “The light has come into the world and people loved darkness rather than light because their works were evil.”

So Paul is showing that with God there is no partiality. God gives every sinner what they deserve on the final day. He will be impartial in all his judgments. relax even one of his judgments but will be faithful and execute every one of them. Verse 7 says, “For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law will be justified.” Paul takes a step further and says the righteous ones are not those who just hear the law, hear the word, hear Bible, but those who do the law. They will be justified.

Now how do we understand this? First we need to keep in mind that this is a general principle that Paul is laying here. Blessing of life to those who obey God’s law and curse of death on those who law. This is a general principle. When we talk about doing or obeying the law, we take it in its fullest sense, obeying the whole of the law at all times. If there is a person who is without sin and obeys the law from the time of his birth to his death and stands before God for judgment, then he will be justified and declared to be righteous before God. But the question is, who can become righteous in such a way?

Paul answers that in chapter 3. And the answer is, none. Paul is laying grounds for his argument and showing us the standards of God in all his judgments, which God never compromises. So coming to the second point, you see that Paul shows that even Gentiles have a law which is operating within them and they will be judged according to that. Verse 14 onwards to 16.

“For when Gentiles who do not have the law by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law.” See, we all know that the law was given to the Jews and not to the Gentiles, right?

What law is Paul then talking about while referring to Gentiles’ law? There is a law within every man and woman. By nature we do or do not do what the law demands. And we know that in QTL, right? There is a mechanism within us that tells us what is right and what is not. That is the law operating within us. And who put that law in our hearts? God did. God did. That is what Paul is showing us here. Now Paul says that Gentiles do not have the law. He’s particularly referring to the law that God gave Israel and some Jewish people, the written law on tablets. Gentiles do not have that written code in their hands, yet some of it they have it in their minds or their system. That is why they sometimes do what the law demands. By their actions they show

that the law is written on their hearts. And what is the proof for that? Paul continues to show us that their conscience bears witness. Conscience is a discerning or self-judging system that we have in ourselves. Every time we do something wrong our conscience condemns us and we feel guilty about it.

Right? So this is the experience of all humans everywhere on daily basis. And we cannot deny that, right? We all know by experience that we have a conscience that tracks our behavior like a smartphone that tracks our health. That monitor inside of us either acquits us or condemns us.

You and I are like a walking court and your conscience is a judge and you and I are convicts. Paul concludes this thought in verse 16 saying that this conscience will speak up against us on the day of judgment when God judges the secrets of men.

Whatever sins people did when no one is watching them will come out on that day. Or the sins of the heart, things done rightly but with wrong motives, they will all come out on that day of judgment. That hatred behind the smile, that curse behind the riches, that greediness behind greetings, that lust behind care or that enmity behind loving affection, all such secret motives will come to light one day on that judgment day when God judges everyone by Christ Jesus according to the gospel.

Paul is showing that God appointed Jesus as a judge of this world here by bringing Jesus into the picture. That is why Peter said in Acts that God made Jesus the Lord and the book of Daniel we see the Ancient of Days giving his kingdom to the one like the Son of Man, that is Jesus who rose from the dead and is seated at the right hand of God. That shows the authority and power of Jesus over everything and over everyone. He is now supreme judge of all the earth. One day everybody has to stand before Jesus for judgment.

So coming to our third point, you see Paul confronts the possessors of the law, that is Jews, thereby dishonoring God, blaspheming this man. I’m going to see that from verses 17 onwards to 24. “But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God” — it starts off this way — “and knows his will and approve what is excellent because you’re instructed from the law, and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, and light to those who are in darkness, a teacher of children, having in the law embodiment of knowledge and truth.”

You then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law, dishonor God by breaking the law.

The name of God is blasphemed among Gentiles because of you, Jews. After talking about the Gentiles and how they possess a law within themselves, Paul gets back to the Jews again. You've already seen that in chapter 1, he talks mainly in the second half of chapter 1, he talks about the Gentiles. And then in chapter 2, he talks about Jews. So even while he's talking about Jews, he goes back to Gentiles a little bit and shows what's happening with the law in their hearts. Jews again now.

So, and then he raises some serious questions here in this passage. Look how he starts his statements with the word if in verse 17. It is a conditional statement with if followed by then. First, he lists all the privileges that Jewish people had. Then he questions their practice and makes some serious allegations of them.

Look at the privileges of Jews here. They have a law to rely on and God to boast about. This law which is the wisdom of God from God taught them God's will and what is excellent in this world. So having this law with them they see themselves as superior people and so act as guides, instructors and teachers. It is not that they have better minds than others, but they have a better revelation with them than others. However, Paul goes on to show that they are guiding, instructing or teaching others but not themselves. They're telling others to follow what, but they themselves are not following.

They have all the knowledge and truth in the written form. In the written form. They teach it to others, but they do not do it themselves. They tell others not to steal, commit adultery or idolatry, but they do them, all these things. The teaching is right.

but not the teacher. If that is the case, then at the end of the day, what are they boasting about? All they're boasting is just hypocrisy to its extreme. That's what Paul is trying to show here. Paul says that by living in such a way, they are dishonoring God and blaspheming his name.

If you recall what happened in Romans 1 verse 21, is this not what Gentiles deliberately did knowing the truth about God? They openly dishonored God and blasphemed his name. They rejected God. They dishonored God and blasphemed his name. But the Jews did it very simple. They have this form of godliness outwardly. But inside they are full of wickedness.

No wonder why Jesus called them whitewashed tombs. How are they dishonoring God? Paul says they do it by breaking the law. Not once in a while but by constant breaking of the law of their lives. It is their sinful lifestyle that is in view here. Blasphemy means to speak lightly or profanely of sacred things, or it can also mean to revile or slander someone.

Here it is the second meaning that applies. By their behavior they are bringing a bad name to God among the Gentiles. That's how they're blaspheming the name of the Lord. Have you ever noticed or come across this situation? When Christians sin, then immediately someone might respond saying, “Is that what your God taught you?

Is that what your religion teaches you?” They criticize God's character or insult him and thus make him look little in the eyes of others. That's blasphemy. That is dishonoring God and blaspheming his name among the believers. Paul's point to the Jews is, if you are living in such a sinful way, then what is the point in calling yourself Jews and boasting in the law?

Gentiles who had general revelation blasphemed the name of God, but Jews who had the special revelation also blasphemed the name of God. And it is much worse than what Gentiles did. Paul then moves on to show what a true Jewish person looks like.

And we’ll come to the fourth point. Paul shows that a true Jew is the one whose heart is circumcised by the Spirit and who keeps the law. We’ll look at this from verses 25 and almost till 29. “For the circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. So if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you of the written code and circumcision but break the law.” So what? Why talk about circumcision here? Because for Jewish people that is the main sign that they are in the covenant that God made with Abraham.

They proudly identify themselves with Abraham who received from God the covenant and its sign. So they think that having this sign is enough to be in the covenant. it. An author says one rabbinic tradition says circumcision saves from hell, and so it saves people from hell. And the same rabbi says that Abraham sits before the gates of hell and does not allow any circumcised Israeli to enter hell.

They have gone too far in their boasting, right? Paul shatters the views here and says if they do not obey the law then their sign of circumcision is of no value. It is like if the husband and wife are not living by the rules of marriage and the promises they made to each other but are living separately, then what is the point of wearing their wedding rings? Do they carry any value?

It will be just a piece of metal that means nothing to both of them, right? Those rings are valuable when they both live by the rules of the marriage. Just like that, circumcision is of value only if there is obedience to the law. And if not, then their circumcision is counted as uncircumcision. That means those Jews were counted as Gentiles in God’s hand. That is big insult to Jews. Paul does not stop there, but goes on to say that if a Gentile who is uncircumcised obeys the law, then his uncircumcision is counted as circumcision. That means the Gentile is counted as a Jew.

and will judge those hypocritical Jews on the final day. That is a double insult on Jews by God. Now Paul is using all these hypothetical cases to make a point that Jews are not any better off than the Gentiles. Both have failed utterly.

In the final two verses in his chapter he makes his point clear. Here he answers the question who that is the truth you are truly belong to God’s people. Look at verse 28. “For no one is a Jew is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical, but a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the literature or the law. His praise is not from man but from God.” So by saying that, Paul is striking at the idea that the privilege of being God’s people only belong to ethnic Israel or Jews. He’s striking of that idea from Jewish minds. He demolished this thought and established a new

one which is broader in scope, which allows anyone from any country to become a part of God’s people. It is through the inward change or the circumcision of the heart that people become God’s people. So it is not what you show externally that matters much, but what happens internally is what really matters. The identity of true God’s people is not outward or appearances but internal ones. The change of heart, the change of mind, the change of life from inside out is what matters. Unless this happens, everything that a person displays outwardly is useless, is completely useless. All the good works that they display, all

the forms of godliness that display outwardly is just useless. This change of heart or circumcision of heart is wrought by the Spirit of God. It is no work of man or of the law but of God himself. So in the time you have, I just wanted to take you through certain passages in the Old Testament and show what’s happening with this idea. So if you quickly turn with me to Genesis chapter 17, Genesis chapter 17, we might be reading a few verses here and there.

So in Genesis chapter 17, we see God speaking to Abraham. And God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant.” Sorry, it’s verse 9 onwards. Genesis chapter 17 verse 9 onwards. “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. This is my covenant which you shall keep between me and you and your offsprings after you. Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.” Verse 12, “He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male throughout the generations, whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring.”

“Both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised. So shall my covenant be in your flesh” — covenant. Look at verse 14: “Any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from his people; he has broken my covenant.” So here God is laying down rules to be in the covenant, and it’s not just for Jews here, you see. Even see, now God is telling Abraham to even do that to foreigners as well. But then we’ll come to the next passage and see some things here.

We’ll notice some things here. Verse 15 onwards we’ll see. “And God said to Abraham, As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I’ll bless her, and moreover I’ll give you a son by her. And I’ll bless her, and she shall become nations. Kings of people shall come from her.”

Look at verse 18. In — and Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you.” You know what happened, right? Even before Isaac was, there was Ishmael, who is son of the servant Hagar. And now here Abraham is pleading for Ishmael, that he might live before God, that he might be in the covenant, in the — but look at verse 19, how God responds to that. God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear your son, and you shall call his name Isaac, and I will establish my covenant with him as a everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.”

“And as for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. But he shall father twelve great princes, and I will make him into a great nation. But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”

Here, and after this conversation, look at verse 26 and see what Abraham is doing that very day. Verse 26: “That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised, and all the men of his house, those born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with them.” So now the question here is, did God make a covenant with all those who were — Abraham, Ishmael was circumcised as well, right? Did God accept him into the covenant? Why only with Isaac and not Ishmael? Later, why only with Jacob and not with Esau? Let us ask it in this way: are all

God’s people circumcised in the Old Testament times? Yes. Are all the circumcised God’s people? No, not necessarily. It is like all sheep are animals but not all animals are sheep. In these cases the vice versa does not work. The reverse logic does not work.

So what kind of circumcision the Bible is talking about here? So we quickly turn to Deuteronomy 29. We know from Abraham the Israelites came, and God made a covenant with the nation of Israel, right? And Israel is God’s people, people. But look at what Moses says. Deuteronomy is giving of the law second time, after 40 years of roaming around in the wilderness. So Moses prepares that young generation who will be entering into the promised land by reminding them of the law of giving. That’s the second law, second time. So, and Moses — look at Deuteronomy chapter 29, verses 2 to 4. Verses 2 to 4.

“And Moses summoned all Israel and said to them, You have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh and to all his servants and to all his land, the great trials that your eyes saw, and the things and those great wonders. But to this day the Lord has not given you a heart to understand or eyes to see or ears to hear.” Whom is he talking about? Israelites, God’s own people, right, in one sense? But then look at Deuteronomy chapter 30 verse 1. And in between, the — in between Moses lists all the blessings and curses that

follow based on their obedience or disobedience and then he says verse 1 of chapter 13 and when all these things come upon you the blessing and the curse which I have set before you in one sense Moses already predicts that these people will be a disobedient people and will come under the curse and judgment of the Lord and once all these things happen Moses tells them think about the Lord return back to the Lord and verse 6 look at verse 6 it says like when these people return to the Lord what happens and the Lord your God will do what circumcise your heart on the

heart of your offspring, so that you will love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, that you may live.” See what’s happening? Who is circumcising? What? God is circumcising the hearts of his people so that they can love him, adore him, worship him and follow him.

So this circumcision is taking place inside the heart. Galatians chapter 5 verse 3 says, “I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law.” If a person is thinking in terms of flesh, that is bound to keep the whole law to be righteous before God. And you have seen the being that it’s impossible. And Paul is saying that none could be in such a way, right? None could be justified in such a way. But then Paul goes on to say in Galatians 5 verse 6, he says, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.”

Galatians chapter 6 verse 15, “For neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.” Again in Colossians chapter 3 verse 11 it says, “Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian is Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all in all.” So when Christ came he destroyed that separating wall between Jews and Gentiles, right? You know, he gave the law to people and the law is good and shows who. It shows that we are sinners.

But it cannot change us from inside out. But the law leads us to Christ Jesus who alone can change our hearts and change us from inside out. We all have failed to keep the law, right? All human beings, none of them can change it. So we all have failed to keep the law and enter a state of condemnation. You’ve all under God’s wrath and judgment of God. So Jesus took the law or obeyed the law fully on our behalf and took the punishment for our failure to keep the law by dying on that cross on our behalf. But God raised him up on the third day, accepting his sacrifice on the cross. So now we who repent of our sins and trust in Christ Jesus will be circumcised in the heart to love God and obey Him.

We will be saved from all sin and its consequences of eternal punishment in, and we will be given a new heart, that is a circumcised heart, and a new life to live in obedience to God. We are saved from sin, we are saved from hell, but we are saved unto God, but we are saved to obedience, unto obedience. God enables us to keep his commandments which are given for us as in the New Testament. As Christians we follow the New Testament, right? And the Old Testament is interpreted in the New Testament. So though not perfectly, still we do keep the law of Christ out of

love for Christ. Again, we do not do it to be justified before God, we do obey the law to be justified before God, but because we are already justified now we follow the law, because now we have a new state in Christ, a new position in Christ. We live up to that.

Now if you have no interest in knowing God's Word or God's law, studying it or keeping it, then the question that you need to ask yourself is whether you are saved or not. What should you do then if you are in such a state?

You must repent of your sins and put your trust in Christ. Believe with God to save you from your own sins and the dangers of eternal fire. And He will for sure save you. For He is faithful to His word. He promised that He will save us if we call on His name. And He will certainly do that.

So let me just close this with a couple of verses from Revelation chapter 20 verse 12 and 13. Return with me to Revelation chapter 20 verses 12 and 13. “And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life, and the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.

And the sea gave up the dead who were in it. Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done.” Dear brothers and sisters, if we just take time to introspect our lives and see how we are living, in which category do we fall into?

Are we like the hypocritical Jews who are just showing off outwardly when there is no proper attuning or change in us? Even after becoming Christians we can still act hypocritically, right? Let us be careful in how we walk with others. God shows no partiality.

God shows no partiality. Sin is real, so is the judgment. But for Christians, we know that judgment is finished on the cross, right? And we no longer have to fear that day, that day of judgment. For Christ paid the price for our sins. But then if we continue to live in sin, even after believing, then there will be discipline from the Lord.

There will be discipline from the Lord. God will judge us to correct us. Why does he do that? Because he loves us and he wants us to be into the image of Christ, make us into the image of Christ. So let us not play with God’s word or God’s law. Let us conform our lives to God’s word and live in such a way that will please him, that will honor him, that will not blaspheme his name before others. As Christians we are called to live in such a way. So let us take his word seriously and then let us live according to it.

For that we need to spend time in the word, read it, study it, understand it, memorize it, live it out, applied on us. And it’s impossible for us to do it alone. That’s why we need each other, for the church. That’s why we need fellowship, and that’s why we need the Lord’s help, and we receive that in prayer and as we do the Pentecostal. So let us take the law seriously. Let us take God’s rules, precepts seriously, because it is linked with his honor and his name. And the way we honor him is by being obedient to his word. There’s no other the way.

So by our actions, by lifestyle, we either honor Him or dishonor Him. So let us, every step we take, let us think seriously before we take that step. Whether we will honor the Lord or take that step. Let us live our lives prayerfully unto God, unto God, all for the glory of his great name and for the good of all souls and for the benefit of our fellow brothers and sisters. Shall we do that? Thank you.