Romans 2:23-25 - Dishonouring God

2:23,24

So the Jew who was so proud of the Law was actually dishonouring God by breaking the Law. The fact is that we are all sinners, no one can boast before God. Moreover, the Old Testament said the very same thing, repeatedly. Paul quotes from Isaiah 52:5 (Septuagint version) , and Ezek 36:20, 22 says the same thing. As an aside, the Septuagint, or Greek version, of the Old Testament was the one most widely used in New Testament times which is why many of the OT quotes we find in the New Testament come from that version.

So the message is that the Law does not actually give the Jew any grounds for boasting or assurance, rather it condemns him because he too is a sinner, a law breaker.

2:25

If you read the New Testament letters, and Acts, it becomes obvious that circumcision was a big issue in the early church. The Jews saw it as central to their faith. Now it was a commandment in the Old Testament that Jews had to be circumcised, indeed Moses was nearly killed by God for not circumcising one of his sons. Conversely, Roman society tended to look down on circumcision. However, even in the Old Testament there are numerous references to being circumcised in the heart, ie a deep and effective inward attitude, not just an outward sign. Paul is reminding his hypothetical Jew that circumcision was only of value if a person obeyed the Law, if you did not keep the Law then circumcision had no value, indeed you were effectively uncircumcised.