A
Study of the Book of Romans
Lesson
# 6
“Religious But Lost!”
Romans
2:17-29
Many people thing that
being religious is a good thing. But in truth religion is a major problem in our world
today. The problem is twofold; first, lots of people are turned off to God because of
religion. There people who will not consider the claims of Christ because of experience
with religion. And secondly, religion can deceive some people to believe that they are
right with God when they are not. In that sense, religion responsible for sending people
to Hell. What we are going to see tonight is that it is not what we do externally that
saves our souls but what happens internally.
The problem is not
just the age old problem of hypocrites. The fact that some people who profess to be
religious show the world by their actions that they are in reality hypocrites. We all know
from experience that this is certainly an unfortunate reality. The problem is not even
because of the evil things people do in the name of religion. Millions of people have been
killed down through the centuries in the name of religion. But the problem of religion is
religion itself. It's easy to be religious. But religion is not enough. Religion will
never get you into Heaven. Religion is not enough - never was, never will be. The writer
of Hebrews speaks to this problem “Religious but Lost” in verse seventeen
through twenty-nine.
“Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast God, (18) and know His will, and approve the things that are
excellent, being instructed out of the law, (19) and are confident that you yourself are
a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, (20) an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes,
having the form of knowledge and truth in the law. (21) You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach
yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? (22) You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do
you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? (23) You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through
breaking the law? (24) For “the name of God is blasphemed
among the Gentiles because of you,” as it is written.(25) For circumcision is indeed
profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has
become uncircum-cision. (26) Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous
requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? (27) And will not the physically
uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your
written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law? (28) For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is
circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; (29) 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.”
You will remember that
thus far Paul has undertaken to show the universal guilt of Mankind. Mankind without
Christ is hopelessly lost. In quick succession, he has taken us this is true of the pagan man (1:18-32), the moral man (2:1-16) and now is also true of
the religious man (2:17-29).
First,
The MARKS OF EMPTY RELIGION
If someone asks you
the question, “Are
you a Christian?” and you answer, “Well I’m a Baptist” or
“I’m a Presbyterian” or “I’m a Methodist,” chances are you
fall into the same trap the Jews did. If your first response is, “I’m a _______
and you give a denomination,” you’re in danger of putting your trust in the
wrong thing.
“I heard about a preacher
one time who was raving about being a Baptist. He said, “Everybody in this room who is glad to be a
Baptist, say AMEN!” Most of the people said “AMEN!” He said “Anybody in this room who is not a Baptist and
proud of it say, AMEN.” A little kid on the back row said, “AMEN.” The preacher thought he would really
put the little boy in his place. He said, “Son,
what are you?” He said, “I am a
Methodist, sir.” The preacher said, “Tell
us why you are a Methodist?” He said, “Because
my momma and daddy are Methodists.” The preacher knew he had him then, he was
going to refute him with logic that could not be refuted. He said, “Son you tell if your momma and daddy had been
born idiots, what would that make you?” He thought for a moment and replied, “A Baptist I guess.”
1. Pride– (v. 17)
“Indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast God.”
The Jews pride
themselves on their connection to the law (law of Moses). They felt that their knowledge
of the Law put them in a right relationship with God. The truth however is that their
knowledge of the law will hold them to a higher standard of judgment than those who do not
have the Law. What they thought was a guarantee of salvation turned out to be a guarantee
of condemnation.
They want other people to see them practicing their
religion. Jesus gives an example of this in the Pharisees who love to be seen in public
praying. In Matthew 6:5 he says, “And when you pray, you shall not be like the
hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the
streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.”
2. Hypocrisy– (vv. 21-24)
You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach
yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? (22)
You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do
you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? (23) You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through
breaking the law? (24) For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles
because of you,” as it is written.”
The word “hypocrite”
comes from the Greek word (hupokrisis); (hupo) means under, or
literally, from under, and (krisis) means to speak or to communicate. The word “hypocrite”
means to speak from under, meaning speaking from under a mask. The word hypocrite was a
word used to describe the Greek and Roman dramas, because actors put on a mask and spoke
from under it.
“Paul’s explanation of the Jewish
position, clearly outlined three dangers that confront all religious people. First, the
danger of failing to live according to knowledge and profession; second, the danger of
being responsible for unbelievers being misled and confused by inconsistent behavior; and
third, the danger of God’s name being despised because of this confusion.” [Stuart Briscoe. Mastering The New Testament:
Romans Vol. 6 (Word, 1982) p. 70
The actions of these
false religionists (in this case the Jews) has caused others to turn away from God. This
is the accusation that the prophet Nathan brought against King David after his sin with
Bathsheba (2 Sam 122:14), “However, because by this deed
you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord
to blaspheme…”
Mohandas Gandhi, Hindu leader of India,
stated that the biggest hindrance he had to conversion to Christianity, was Christians. He
of course, was speaking of Christians who did not live up to what they said they believed.
When those who go by
God’s name are either openly sinful or exposed as being privately sinful, God and his
word are understandably ridiculed by the world. We only have think about the public
failure of such national religious figures as Jim Baker and Jimmy Swaggart to comprehend
this.
3. Trust in outward evidence. (v. 25)
“For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the
law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.”
The religious person trusts in the
performance of a religious ritual, to
make them feel good about themselves.
The Jews of course
prided themselves on the rite of circumcision,
the symbol that they were God’s children. We only have to substitute baptism, church
membership etc. to apply it to our on day. The subtle trap of religion is the idea that
somehow, if they
participate in
religious activity or perform some ritual then we will gain favor with God. Some of the
common substitutions of our day for a real relationship with Christ are;
· I've been baptized!”
Baptism is a wonderful
step of obedience that every Christian
ought to take. I like the way Pastor David Dykes of Tyler, Texas puts it, he says “You can be
baptized so many times in a farm pond where you know every catfish by its first name, and
you still could be lost as a ball in high weeds!” Baptism does not save you.
· I'm A Church Member!
If I were to bring a
membership roll in to the service tonight you would discover that are 572 members
on the rolls some of which if I read their names you would have never heard of. Many of
which have not darkened the doors of this church, never givev a penny, in the twenty years
have been with the church. Yet when they die, it will be written in their obituary in the
newspaper, they were a member of First Baptist Church. Some of them are sitting at home
right now thinking, “I have the matter settled. I’m a church
member.” That is a dangerous, false sense of security. Everybody ought to
join the church. You ought to be involved in a local church, but don’t you think for
even one minute being listed on the church roll is the same thing as being saved.
· I was born a Christian!
Some people claim they are Christians
Some people believe
that being born in a so-called Christian nation, automatically make them a Christian.
Someone replied being born in America does not make you a Christian any more than being
born in chicken coop makes you a chicken.
· Look At What I Have Done for God.
Some say, I have been
active in the church, I taught Sunday School, I sang in the choir, I work in Awana and I
attend all three weekly services of the church. I have done all this things I must be a
Christian.
Jesus spoke to this issue when he said in Matthew
7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me,
‘Lord, Lord,’
shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does
the will of My Father in heaven. (22) Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord,
have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders
in Your name?’ (23) And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you;
depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!"
Most of the things
that we have listed are in of themselves good. But to whatever extent one bases their hope
of eternal life on any of these things, they are still making the same mistake the Jews
made 2000 years ago.
Second, The Marks Of A True Relationship With Christ (v. 29)
“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.”
1.
There is a
inner transformation of the heart.
Salvation is not in
joining a church (any church); it is not in become a part of a denomination; it not in
filling out a card at the altar; and it is not in being baptized. Salvation is when you
enter into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and you experience an inner change
of heart.
Paul says in 2 Cor.
5:17, “Therefore,
if any man is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold all
things have become new.” I think that Paul clues us in on what this change
or transform-ation is like in Romans 12:2 where he says “And do not be conformed
to this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind….” The
Greek word translated “transformed”
is (metamorphousthe)
the word we get our English word metamorphosis from. This of course is a process of change
from the inside out. When a person gets develops a relationship with Christ, the Holy
Spirit takes up permanent resident within the believer and there is a change, from the
inside out.
In a life where there
is no change, there has been no transformation, and thus there is no true relationship
with Christ.
2. The presence of
the Holy Spirit.
“But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and
circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit”
The second mark, of
course, goes right along with the first. To be saved means to be under the influence of
the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:9 states, “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if
indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ,
he is not His."
· A
desire to please God.
“… not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.”
Again it is Paul who
states in Galatians
1:10, (NIV)
“Am I now trying to
win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying
to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ.”
Is what you have religion or a relationship?