We see here in Romans 2, that Paul does not attribute true Jewish status to solely being born of Jewish parents, nor because one has met the requirements of the law. He connects true faith in God and belonging in His kingdom to having a changed heart that is right with God. It's not ridiculous to assume why many young adults leave the church because, even though they grew up under the faith of their parents and/or community, they may never have made their faith personal. Therefore, once they step out of that setting, many of them cease to continue in that faith, because it doesn't seem relevant in their new culture and never belonged to them anyway.
Throughout my years in college ministry, I saw so many freshman come to our services and events and were initially very excited about getting involved. However, after a couple weeks they disappeared. Why? Their parents influenced their faith, brought them to church, and connected them with other believers. Over time, they learned the ins and outs of what it looked like to walk like a Christian, and they truly believed that they were. But, I noticed that, for many of them, their faith was rooted in social interaction versus real encounter with the living God. Because once it became more difficult to walk with Christ, they seemed to jump ship.
I wonder if this reaches beyond young adults? Perhaps, many more people in the church are only walking as Christians because their parents did or because they find a sense of social belonging in the church. Have we reduced the meaning of being a Christian to such minimal standards of fitting in with a group of people? Perhaps, our modernized version of Christianity has become more about looking like everyone around you instead of living how Jesus did.
Following Christ exceeds all of these things. It's not about social belonging, approval, or acceptance. It's not about following norms and traditions that we attribute to people of faith. In that case, we're no different than the pharisees who praised each other for following all of the rules.
This is about way more than any of that. To follow Christ means to lay yourself down. It means to pursue growth as we die to our old selves and take on the mind and heart of Christ. It means living an uncomfortable life. For many in the world, it means giving your life as a martyr. This is not a cultural way of living. This is an eternal, world-shaking mission that surpasses all tradition and cultural norms. True faith is marked by someone who is pursuing God even if it means giving up their social belonging. They know that it's not about being accepted or praised by people, but living a life pleasing to God, convinced of the importance of bringing His kingdom to earth.
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