²¹ … you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? ²² You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?

Onslaught continues as the apostle blasts those who rely on their Jewishness for a privileged position with God. The grand irony was that the Jews were appointed by God to teach the rest of the world about God. They of all people should have known that they fell short of God’s standards—the Law of Moses made sure that they could not miss that. Even the adulterous David understood this in his psalm of confession: “

For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me. Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight, so that You are justified when You speak and blameless when You judge. (Ps 51:3–4)

It is only as a self-acknowledged, self-confessed sinner and transgressor of the Law that a Jew could be in a position to teach others, precisely because he teaches himself. And what is it that he can teach others? Only what he himself has learned, that it is only through forgiveness and the work of God in our lives that anyone can come close to God. Only then can he teach others the true sense of the Law. David did not want to waste his failure by remaining silent about God and His ways, for he had discovered the key to being a man after God’s heart:

“Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners will be converted to You. (Ps 51:12–13)

The propensity to teach as a moral authority came into the crosshairs of the apostle James as well, when he wrote, “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment” (James 3:1). The danger of hypocrisy increases for those who teach spiritual truth. At the core of teaching must be a resolute humility—as the saying goes, “One beggar showing another beggar where to find bread.” We are all in need of God’s grace and kindness, and that is the only thing that can bring us close to Him—not our preaching against theft, adultery or idol worship. We are all guilty at some level of all those things. Moralizing against others does not improve our standing with God. We still fall short and need grace.

Lord, when I observe the sin of others, help me always remember: “But for the grace of God, there go I.”