Lost Religious People Rom 2:17-25

Lost Religious People
Rom 2:17-25


The context—Paul is proving that man cannot save himself.

The last two weeks we looked at your typical heathen moralist who thinks he is better than others while essentially doing the same things.

This week, we look at Lost Religious People

The problems of the religious Jews of Paul’s day: self righteousness and surface compliance with the Law of God

The Faith of their fathers was not defective—their hearts were!

A word about self-righteousness: it is a door that goes in both directions

-Some self-righteous folks have a self-made religion which is strict to a fault

-Some self-righteous folks have a self-made religion that is watered down to the point where it means little.

-But they all share this concept—they think they are fine, based on some religion they have manufactured or adopted, but their religion is shallow and false.

-They are lost religious people


1. The Self Concepts of the Lost Religious Person

a. “2:17 "Indeed you are called a Jew…” A lost religious person is proud of their affiliation

(1) The self-righteous person proudly bears the name of his denomination

(2) “We have Abraham for our Father…” Mat 3:9

(3) As they proudly (and erroneously) said to Jesus (John 8:33) "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. "

b. “…and rest on the law…” A lost religious person is proud that they possess the written Word

(1) Interpretation—they had the Law, the Gentiles did not. They rested on The Law, they were proud of the Law.
(2) They argued over the fine points and minutiae of the Law, and ignored the basic teachings of the Law. The law was not the center of their life—Dt 6:4-9

c. “…and make your boast in God…” A lost religious person is proud that they believe in God

(1) (James 2:19) "You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe; and tremble!"

(2) They thought they had the real God as their God, but they were not part of His Kingdom, and they did their best to keep others out. tried to exclude others from having any part of Him

(3) They did not know and love the One True God of the Bible—they claimed Him as their own, but their life did not show it—(Titus 1:16) "They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him…”

d. “…18 and know His will…”A Lost religious person is proud that they know what God wants—if you don’t believe it, ask them! —

(1) They don’t know Him, but they claim to know His will
(2) They claim to know what God wants, but they have not committed five minutes of real prayer to God, and they have never said, “Thy will be done,” and really meant it.

e. “…and approve the things that are excellent , being instructed out of the law…” A Lost religious person Claims to know what is right and wrong—even when they don’t have a clue

(1) They did not understand the true meaning of the Law—as given by Jesus in Matt 5:17-48

(2) They did not understand obedience, nor did they obey, often even at the surface level of their understanding.

f. …2:19-20—“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.” The Lost Religious person is confident that they know how to tell everyone else what to do and what to believe.
(1) It is one thing to not know and to know you don’t know…it is another to think you know

(2) What is result of self-made religion? (2 Tim 3:5) "having a form of godliness but denying its power. ..”

2. Paul’s challenges to the lost religious person

a. The Basic Charge: Lost Religious people are spiritually clueless

(1) —“…21 You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? “

(a) The Rich Young Ruler said it best, in describing his own surface knowledge: “…The young man said to Him, "All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?"

(b) The Rich Young Ruler’s understanding of God and His Law was so shallow that he imagined that his surface obedience to the Law would suffice.

(2) The Law’s requirements are impossible to meet—(Gal 4:21) "Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?"

b. Example #1: Some Lost Religious People have only a surface understanding of theft

(1) they steal, but it is white collar crime, a shrewd business deal, perhaps even technically legal—

(2) “You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal?” The answer, incredibly, is “yes.”

(Mat 23:14) ""Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows' houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation."

(3) “…no wonder that these men preferred Barabbas, a thief and a robber, to Jesus Christ….” Dr. John Gill

c. Example #2— Some lost religious people have a surface understanding of adultery—(Rom 2:22) "You who say, "Do not commit adultery," do you commit adultery?…"

(1) The True Definition of adultery. (Mat 5:28) ""… I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart."

(2) And, perhaps many had actually committed the sin of adultery—see John 8:1-11

(a) Where is the dude? If they caught her in the very act, they would have gotten the man as well.

(b) What is Jesus writing in the sand?

(c) When Jesus said, “let he who is without sin cast the first stone…”, the words in the original can be translated, “let he who is without THIS sin cast the first stone…”

(3) The following comment by Dr. Gill is interesting here. He said that the historical writings of the rabbis of the period showed that sexual sin was a huge problem among the religious leaders themselves…

“…an iniquity which greatly prevailed among the Jews at this time of day; hence Christ calls them “an adulterous generation”, (Matthew 12:39 16:4 --Mark 8:38); …, cases of this nature being so very numerous: and this sin prevailed …among their [religious leaders]…” Dr. John Gill

d. Example #3—Some Lost Religious People Rob God, a surface understanding of giving—“…You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?...”

Commit sacrilege. — “The word here used literally applies to the robbery of temples, for which the Jews had many opportunities, as well as of appropriating to themselves what was devoted to religion…and of robbing God in tithes and offerings…” (Haldane)

The Pharisees tithed every plant in the garden but did not understand that giving must be from the heart or it is of no avail.

(2 Cor 9:7) "So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver."

(Mat 6:1-4) ""Take heed that you do not do your charitable deeds before men, to be seen by them… when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 "that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly."

(1) God does not want our money—He wants US—our stewardship will follow.

e. Example #4—Lost Religious people put out empty hot air supposedly devoted to God—but no obedience “…23 You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law?”

(James 1:22) "But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves."

f. “…24 For "the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you…" Example #5—The Lost Religious person often leads a double life, and everyone in town knows it.

(1) “The church house discussed at the ale house,” as the Puritans like to say—

(2) their hypocrisy had given God a bad name among the “unreligous,”

3. What Does God Really Want? He Wants US

a. Not Ceremony, but Reality— (1 Sam 15:22-23) "Then Samuel said: "Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, And stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry…”

(1) Celebration of ceremonies without reality was revolting to God—“…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…”

(2) Interpretation—they were relying on the outward ceremonies of the Law to save them, but they had missed the essence totally—

(a) God wanted THEM—

(b) God demanded heart obedience, not empty sacrifices.

(c) God demanded justice and mercy (in their lives), not empty ceremonies.

b. Even the New Covenant’s Worship and Ordinances can become Empty ceremonies

(1) Worship without spiritual reality

(2) èBaptism, when performed on someone not truly saved

(3) Vain preaching, from ungodly, untaught, and uncalled men fit and able only to tickle ears

(4) People vainly attending church, watching their watch, wanting gentle, ear-tickling preaching, wanting to get their hour of “worship” in, so they can check that mark off the list.

(5) The Lord’s Supper, Church membership…when these are practiced by lost people, they are a stink in God’s nostrils.

c. What does God want? What does God Seek?

(John 4:23) ""But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him."

(1) Only those who have been born again and who have the indwelling Holy Spirit can worship in Spirit

(2) Only those who have been brought up and discipled in “The faith once delivered to the saints…” Jude 3, can truly worship in Spirit.

(3) And only those wonderful, saved, discipled saints can know the peace that passes understanding, and only then can they really experience the true Worship of Walking With Jesus

(a) Walking in Him
(b) Walking in His Love
(c) Walking in His Truth
(d) Walking in ObedienceWalking in Power, to fight spiritual warfare