The Pot Calling the Kettle Black

The phrase "The pot calling the kettle black" is an idiom used to accuse a person or thing of being marked with or guilty of the very thing they are pointing out.

This is what was taking place in Romans 2 when Paul tells the Jews they are as guilty as the Gentiles. The Jews in Rome were blaspheming God through their behavior. The Gentiles heard the Jews teaching the law, yet their actions were no different than the pagan Gentiles. Paul says "You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? You who say, Do not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples" (vs. 21, 22)?

We do the same today. As believers (spiritual Jews), we have His name upon us, yet our behavior does not square up with what we teach and believe. Marriages are falling apart and believers are bailing because they don't want to work at the commitment. We gossip and judge others without all the facts. We complain about our spouses, children, jobs, houses, and many times do not have a spirit of thankfulness to the Lord for who He is and what He has done for us. Yet, we are quick to teach others God's law.

"But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God"(v. 29). Let us be the Christian whose inward thoughts and desires reflect God's character, and whose outward appearance squares up with what we teach and believe.