Romans 2:21 – Pious theft 

You then, who are teaching another, you are not teaching yourself! Who are heralding not to be stealing, you are stealing!

It is at this point that the moralist, of which Judaism is an exponent, is being exposed. It can be summed up in one word: hypocrisy. Demanding something from others while you withdraw yourself from it. And then also keep up appearances to the contrary. The judgment that was heard in Romans 2 is so much sharper than the judgment that was heard in Romans 1 of the nations walking in darkness. The reason for this tougher judgment is simple: the nations without GOD do not claim to know and acknowledge Him , while the religious moralist, especially the Jew, does. That is why the bar is set higher for him.

Anyone who tells someone else not to steal but commits theft himself makes himself to be untrustworthy. But worse still, it discredits the content of the Word and thus GOD himself.

Stealing means: taking away something that is due to the other. This can be material but also spiritual. Who e.g. takes away the promises that GOD has made to Israel, and appropriates itself (read: “the church”), commits theft. It is fraud, however piously presented. 

Delen: