All these terms emphasise the great distance between the Jew and the Gentile, so that he looked down on the Gentile from a considerable height. Was the Jew entitled to think of himself in this way? It was hard to prevent knowledge going to his head. A teacher can have a low view of himself, even though he has far greater knowledge than those he teaches. He is humbled by his failures, and he reminds himself that all that he knows comes from God, and that he would not have known anything if God had not treated him also as a babe who needed instruction. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The Jews had little love for the Gentiles, and failed to have that compassion for them that they were supposed to have.
All that Paul says about the Jews sounds like some Christians. ‘I know the word. I know the Reformed Faith. I can discuss and I can debate it. I know the system of doctrine. I know all these things, and I think I could teach others.’ But what is done to reach out with the gospel to those who are far from God? What sacrifices are we prepared to make to run a Sunday School, or to visit the community around our church and invite people in to hear about Jesus Christ and the way of salvation.