Several years ago, a man in San Francisco was caught speeding. The man blew through an intersection without realizing there was a camera on the traffic light. A couple weeks later he received in the mail a picture of his car and a ticket for $40. Since he had never had a ticket like this before, he decided to have a little fun. So he wrote out a check for $40, took a picture of the check and sent the picture back to the police department. A couple of days later, the police responded in return and sent him a picture. This time it was of handcuffs. He got the point and they got their money.

There are some laws we just can’t get away from. Such a law is: Trusting in religion brings condemnation. Religion on the whole has been Satan’s great counterfeit to true spirituality. Religion has done far more damage to the church than all the atheists, communists, and liberals. Religion is Satan’s greatest lie because it keeps so many people out of God’s heaven.

In Romans 2:1-16, Paul pronounced Jew and Gentile guilty and condemned before God. The overall purpose of chapter 2 is to form a glaring contrast between the blatant disobedience of chapter 1 and the counterfeit obedience of chapter 2. In 2:1-16, we learned that if Jews or self-righteous persons want to live by the Law, they must do so perfectly. In this morning’s passage, Romans 2:17-29, Paul wants to nail this thought down and leave the Jew no way of escape.

1. The Confidence of Religion (2:17-20). Like all good speakers, Paul begins with the positive. In these four verses he summarizes three great advantages the Jews held over the Gentiles. Advantage #1 is Their Name. Paul writes in 2:17a, “But if you bear the name Jew.” The name was always first. The Jews always knew they were God’s chosen people. The name “Jew” reminded them that they were privileged among all the people of the world. In the same way, many modern day churchgoers pride themselves in their names: conservative, Republican, evangelical, Baptist, just to name a few. Yet a principle that we must always bear in mind is: When people are steeped in religion, they talk about names and church; when people are steeped in Christianity, they talk about Jesus.

Advantage #2 is Their Book. Paul continues his thought in 2:17b-18, and writes, “and rely upon the Law and boast in God, and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law.” In the movie, “The Princess Bride,” during the battle of the wits between Wesley and Vizzini, Vizzini audaciously declares about himself, “You’ve heard of Plato, Aristotle, Socrates? Morons!!!” This was the mindset of the Jews. The Greeks might have Plato and Aristotle, but the Jews had the Law of God. No one could top that. Not only did they have the Law, they were instructed in the Law. But that’s not all. Because the Jews had the Law of God, they knew God’s will in a way the Romans and Greeks never knew it. They knew what was right and what was wrong. And they didn’t mind telling everyone else about it. A great danger that we face in the 21^st century is getting high on our knowledge of the Bible without allowing it to affect our lives. Unlike the Jews, we utilize the full revelation of God’s Word—all 66 books. We have multiple translations, cutting edge Bible software, and the Bible on cassette. Here in America we have every opportunity to know God’s Word. But we must ensure that we don’t fool ourselves into assuming that we know the God of the Bible when all we really know is the contents of the Bible.

Advantage #3 is Their Works. In 2:19-20, Paul lists four claims the Jews made for themselves: “and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth.” Those are pretty heavy claims, yet Paul never contradicts them. Each of these claims is good if used in the right way. If you widen the lens to take in all three advantages, they are all outward—a name, a book, and a series of good works.

None of those things touch the heart, and since they don’t touch the heart, they can all be faked. They require no inward change. Without a change of heart, the Jew has no advantage at all! The truth applies to us as well. We must be careful not to place confidence in our Christian service, whether it’s Awana, youth staff, the worship team, or pastoral ministry. Our confidence must be in Christ.

[We’ve seen the confidence of religion, now; we must pay close attention to...]

2. The Hypocrisy of Religion (2:21-24). As many of you know, I really enjoy boxing. I like to watch boxing and I like to practice boxing. I bring up boxing because in 2:17-20, Paul was shadowboxing. In this section, he abruptly turns aggressive and the blows become lethal as he confronts the Jew with the disparity between what he teaches others and his own manner of life. Paul’s right hand comes over the top and breaks the jaw of the Jew when he writes in 2:21a, “you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself?” The word “therefore” means, given all of the amazing advantages listed in 2:17-20, it seems “therefore” that you would teach yourselves.

Notice, Paul uses five consecutive questions. This series of questions is an attempt by Paul to turn the complacent Jew back on himself to search his own soul. The Jewish religious leaders of Paul’s day were notorious for their inconsistency and hypocrisy in respect to the Scriptures. In 2:21b, Paul writes, “You who preach that one should not steal, do you steal?” The Jews were stealing from one another, perhaps by collecting extreme interest or cheating on business deals. They preached against stealing, yet they themselves broke the 8^th commandment. Paul follows this up in 2:22 with, “You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery?” The Jews preached against adultery but were also guilty of breaking the 7^th commandment as well. Finally, Paul questions the Jews again in 2:22, “You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?” God’s Law commanded Israel to destroy pagan temples in Canaan and zealous Jews sometimes acted on this statute. However, they often broke the 2^nd commandment by confiscating the temples’ treasures. This isn’t the obedience that God demands. That’s why Paul follows up this question with another pointed question in 2:23: “You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?” On one hand the Jews boasted in their knowledge of the Law, yet on the other hand, they were guilty of breaking the Law and dishonoring God.

But our major concern really shouldn’t be with the Jews of Paul’s day but with ourselves. Do we also commit the same or similar sins that we denounce in others? Do we slander the welfare cheats yet take deductions on our income tax return to which we’re not lawfully entitled? Do we rebuke the pornographers publicly; yet vicariously live out other people’s sexual adventures through TV soap operas, movies, and the Internet? Do we decry the breakdown of the family yet head for the divorce court when faced with difficult marriage problems?

This morning, are you practicing what you’re preaching? Are you living what you’re saying? Does your life match up to your lips? Do your deeds match your declarations? If the answer to any of these questions is “No,” you’d be well advised to zip your lips until you submit your life fully to Christ.

This hypocritical behavior led to 2:24, where we read, “For ‘THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU’, just as it is written.” This quotation can be traced back to several Old Testament texts, including Isaiah 52:5 and Ezekiel 36:20-21. In both passages, God is mocked by the Gentiles on account of Israel’s disregard for and disobedience of the Law. On one hand, the Jews were so jealous for the name of God that they would not even pronounce it, yet their conduct caused the Gentiles to blaspheme that very name. The Jews utterly failed in their calling to make God known. Will we?

The acid test is not so much what we say about ourselves but what the world says about God because of us! Jesus said in Matthew 5:16, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Does your life point people to the Savior? Or does your life cause people to blaspheme His holy name? If we’re striving for practical righteousness in our lives, the world will stand up and take notice. If they see that we live lives of humility, integrity, and purity, they’ll be attracted to what we believe.

[In our first two points, Paul discussed the confidence and the hypocrisy of religion, now he turns to...]

3. The Ignorance of Religion. In 2:25-29, Paul further explains 2:21-24 by way of the best example he can think of—circumcision. He explains why Gentiles blaspheme the name of God; it’s because the Jews don’t live up to their profession. In 2:25, Paul writes, “For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.” Our primary problem in approaching this passage is that circumcision doesn’t mean to us what it meant to the Jews. To us, circumcision is an optional physical act performed on baby boys. Some are circumcised; some aren’t. Outside of the Jewish faith, few people are circumcised for religious reasons. Most undergo the procedure for hygienic reasons. But to the Jews circumcision was intended to demonstrate that a man had committed himself to obey the Lord and it invited God to cut off the man and his heirs if he rebelled against God. Unfortunately, many Jews came to think that the mere rite guaranteed their membership among God’s people. However, circumcision was never meant to be an end in itself. The physical mark was meant to be accompanied by a deep spiritual commitment to God. Where commitment was absent, circumcision soon degenerated into ritualism. That’s roughly what had happened over the centuries. By the first century many rabbis spoke of circumcision as if it were an automatic ticket to heaven. However, this is like placing a Mercedes Benz hood ornament on a broken down Yugo.

Yet Paul is quite clear in 2:25 that circumcision is only valuable IF you continually practice the Law. For those Jews that have failed to keep the Law and are relying on their circumcision, it’s uncircumcision. Now, in the place of circumcision, you can put a number of equivalent things: baptism, confirmation, church membership, communion, and other good works. Paul’s point remains the same: unless you’ve been perfect, it’s of no value!

Ray Stedman told a story about a dentist who took X-rays of every patient who came in and then made a special proposition to them. He said, “For $10 I will fill these cavities that you have here, but if you don’t want to pay that much, for $5 I will retouch the X-rays.” Now, the ritual without the meaning behind it is like that, it’s a retouched X-ray—the cavity is still there.

Although some may find this entire discussion academic, it has an incredibly relevant application to modern American church members. Many of us regard our baptism in much the same way the Jews regarded circumcision. Some churches even teach that baptism saves from sin and guarantees entrance into heaven. To put a sharp point on it, this is one place where the practice of infant baptism may be rightly criticized. Multiplied millions of people are today putting their hope of heaven in the fact that a priest sprinkled some water on their forehead when they were a few days old. Whatever may be said in favor of infant baptism, this is the most damning indictment against it. It tends to become a religious ritual that leads many people away from saving faith in Jesus Christ.

In 2:26-27, Paul continues his thought by explaining, “So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law?” In these two verses Paul powerfully sets forth the truth that inner change happens without works. Let us be clear on this point.

Paul is saying that all religious ritual is worthless unless something has already happened in the heart! Baptism can’t save you or help you. The Lord’s Supper can’t save you or help you. Those things aren’t altogether bad. But to whatever extent you base your hope of eternal life upon any of those things; you’re making the same mistake the Jews made 2000 years ago.

Paul closes this section with 2:28-29: “For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.” The great ignorance of religion is man doesn’t realize that God approves matters of the heart. As 2:28-29 make clear; God seeks a circumcision of the heart by the Spirit. This is what results in the praise of God. Why? Because what a man is inwardly is the true measure of what he truly is before God.

There’s a play on words in 2:29. The word “praise” is a play on the word “Jew” in 2:17, because the word Jew means “praise.” It comes from the Hebrew word judah, which means “praise.” These Jews were praising themselves because they had the rite of circumcision. This was the great mark of the true people of God. Whenever anybody questioned their standing before God, they only had to refer to the fact that they were circumcised. Yet, we know this doesn’t bring praise from God.

With this we come to the bottom line. As shocking as it may sound, there will be many church members in hell. Many Baptists will end up in hell. In fact hell will be populated with people from every religious persuasion. Why? It is because many people are locked into a false religious confidence. They trusted in religion instead of Christ. In the end, they were too religious for their own good.

What are you trusting for your eternal salvation? Or, to put it more accurately: In whom are you trusting to take you to heaven? After all, salvation isn’t a what; it’s a who. The issue on the floor is your relationship to Jesus Christ. Let me give you five simple words that can take you all the way from earth to heaven. Here they are: Faith alone in Christ alone.
Only Jesus can save you so put your trust in Jesus only.

Larry Moyer, a Dallas based evangelist, illustrates this well. He simply draws three circles that represent three types of people. Inside of Circle 1, we can draw a “W.” This person is trusting in works to save them. Inside of Circle 2, we can put the equation “C+W.” This person is trusting in Christ and works to save them. Finally, inside of Circle 3, we can place a “C.” This person is trusting in Christ alone to save them. My prayer is that you’ll find yourself in this last circle.

The structure of 2:17-20 consists of six main verbs: (1) bear, (2) rely, (3) boast, (4) know, (5) approve, and (6) confident. And this six-fold framework details the proud self-righteousness of Jewish mankind. It’s worth noting that throughout the Scriptures six is the number of man and is always less than perfection. The subdivision into three, points to the two primary features of human self-righteousness, whenever and in whomever found. Namely, a feeling of special relationship to God (2:17) and a feeling of special wisdom (2:18-20).

Seen in that light, Paul’s words must have seemed shocking indeed. The real message of this passage may be summed up in one simple sentence: Being a Jew is not a matter of racial heritage or religious ritual, but is instead a matter of the heart. True Jews are not the ones who keep the Law the best. True Jews are those who reflect the teachings of the Law in their hearts. If all of this seems rather remote, simply substitute the word “Christian” for “Jew.” Being a Christian is not a matter of religious ritual, but is instead a matter of the heart. That’s what I mean when I say that it is perfectly possible to be a religious church member without being a Christian at all. Unless the truth touches and changes your heart, what you have is religion— not Christianity.

Quantities of wealth were often kept in pagan temples. God’s Law commanded Israel to destroy pagan temples in Canaan (Deut 7:1-6) and zealous Jews sometimes acted on this statue. However, they often broke the Law by confiscating the temples’ treasures (Deut 20:16-18; Josh 6:18-19; 20). The Jew would never take anything from the temple of God but would from an idolatrous temple. This isn’t the obedience that God demands. That is why Paul follows up this question with another pointed question in 2:23: “You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?” On one hand the Jews boasted in their knowledge of the Law, yet on the other hand, they were guilty of breaking the Law and dishonoring God.

What’s real religion supposed to look like? What’s the difference between true and false spirituality? Three characteristics of religion: (1) Religion is man’s attempt to reach up to God by his own efforts. 400 + religions are man reaching up to God. Christianity is God reaching down to man. (2) Religion is man’s attempt to imitate the handiwork of God (to reproduce what only God can produce). (3) Religion is a counterfeit form of spirituality, which keeps man’s pride intact. In evangelical Christianity, pride is our besetting sin.

Someone once said to Charles Spurgeon, the great English preacher of the 19^th century, “The Bible is the light of the world.” Spurgeon objected, saying, “How can that be? The world never reads the Bible.” He went on to say, “The Bible is the light of the church and the church is the light of the world. The world reads the Christian, not the Bible.” Spurgeon is right. What do your friends discover when they read your life? Does your life point people to the Savior? Are you serving God as a faithful steward?

Copyright © 2001 Keith R. Krell. All rights reserved. All Scripture quotations, unless indicated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, C 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1977, and 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, and are used by permission.

Permissions: Feel free to reproduce and distribute any articles written by Keith Krell, in part or in whole, in any format, provided that you do not alter the wording in any way or charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. It is our desire to spread this information, not protect or restrict it.

Please include the following statement on any distributed copy: by Keith Krell, Timeless Word Ministries®, 2508 State Ave NE Olympia, WA 98506, 360-352-9044, www.timelessword.com

All Scripture quotations, unless indicated, are taken from the New American Standard Bible, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1975, 1977, and 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, and are used by permission.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
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