Very well said!
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Romans 2:17-29
"But if you bear the name "Jew," 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, 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, you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one should not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? For "the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you," just as it is written. 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. If therefore the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? And will not 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? For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither 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."
I can think of few other passages that Paul wrote that speak directly to the errors that permeate what is called "Christianity" in today's churches, denominations, and religious culture. The Law was given to the Jew through Moses (John 1:17), not to the Gentiles (Romans 2:14; Ephesians 2:11-12), and it certainly has absolutely nothing to do with His church (the Body of Christ). It was given to lead us to Christ (Galatians 3:24). It was given to prove that we are sinners (Romans 7:7), so that we would turn to Christ for salvation. We are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), and we are not under the Law (Romans 6:14; Romans 7:6). The Law is not of faith (Galatians 3:12; Romans 3:28). Paul calls the Law the ministry of death and condemnation (2 Corinthians 3:7-9).
Yet, "Christians" everywhere not only look to the Law to be "right with God" or "in fellowship with God", but they put the same burden on those who do not know God. It is not that they use the Law, (as Paul called it "lawfully" 1 Timothy 1:8-11) to prove to others that they are sinners in need of a Savior, but that they themselves keep the Law in order to be a "witness" for Jesus. They wrongly assume that their works and actions are what lead others to Jesus, and that what they DO is the evidence that they are "Christians", but nothing could be further from the truth. They fabricate "revivals" and pep rallies under the guise of such things as "Promise Keepers" or "What Would Jesus Do", when the truth is that apart from His righteousness that we receive as a gift, we are blind, wretched, and hopeless.
I want you to take a look again at Romans 2:17-29, with the perspective that Paul is speaking to today’s churches:
"But if you bear the name "Christian," 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, 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, you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one should keep their promises, do you keep your promises? You who say that one should not lust, do you lust? You who say one should do what Jesus does, do you? You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? For "the name of God is blasphemed among the lost because of you," just as it is written. For indeed being saved is of value, if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your salvation is lost. If therefore the lost man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his being lost be regarded as salvation? And will not he who is lost, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and salvation are a transgressor of the Law? For he is not a Christian who is one outwardly; neither is salvation that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Christian who is one inwardly; and salvation is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God."
If obedience to the Law is the outworking standard or sign of salvation, then when the lost meet that standard, they can boast of being no different than the Christian. When Christians believe that showing others that we "have it together" or "obey the Law" is what makes us Christians, we offer them no hope, and all they see is nothing but a bunch of hypocrites. But, when we show them that we are all on the same level (sinners in need of a Savior), and that everyone’s "good works" is as "filthy rags" and that we are all totally dependent on Christ for His grace, then we give the lost - HOPE, because anyone can DO that!
Do you really want people to believe that if they are as "good" as you, that is what makes them Christian?
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