"Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God; if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth-- you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who brag about the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? As it is written: "God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you."" (Romans 2:17-24)
When I was little, I was involved in martial arts for a couple of years. For the most part it was fun, but there were a couple of experiences that were less-than fun. One of those less-than-fun experiences was getting an unexpected kick to the gut. If you are prepared you can tense your body up and take the blow in stride, but if you are not ready for it, you lose all the air in your lungs. Your abdomen feels like "the blob" at summer camp when a chubby kid drops on it from the towering high dive. The whiplash of the blow sends your diaphragm up like a tidal wave which crashes on the shores of your lungs, evacuating your life-giving ability to take in oxygen. No matter how great of a fighter you are, this is crippling. (It is also embarrassing if it causes you to moan like an injured animal). Come to think of it, I hate martial arts;)
Romans 2 has that sort of effect on me. It is a swift gospel-kick to the abdomen of my soul. It deflates my self-centered, self-reliant, religious, Pharisaical lungs. Most seasoned Christians are jocking and vying for the best religious seat in the house. We attend church weekly, we listen to christian audio(music, sermons, etc...), we maybe read a little christian literature, some christian blog, we abstain from gross moral sin as best as we are capable, and we boast. We boast in our ability to be good "christians." Let me warn you though, God hates "good christians." When Jesus talked to a bunch of religious people (what we might call "good christians") he said they weren't sons of God, but instead, sons of the Devil (John 8:44). The Devil himself seems to advocate self-reliance in becoming a good person, "I will make myself like the Most High" (Isaiah 14:14). Which is the mantra of "good christians" everywhere. Good christians say things like; I will attend church, I will change my life, I will become a better husband, I will get control over my emotions, I will, I will, I will... Which is dangerously similar to Isaiah 14:13,14. The reality of that attitude is that you do not need a god if you are a god for yourself. If it is within you to change your life for the better then why would you need Jesus? Do you see the absurdity of Christ if you are religious?! If you are religious then you can come to church and God can stay home. We don't need Him.
Look again to Romans 2. "If you are convinced you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, etc..." Those are all well and good but subtract God from them and they become religious and spiritually dead. Those that practice outward appearances of good without real inward gospel-change are spiritually dead too! "You who teach others, do you not teach yourself?" (vs. 21). There seems to be a contradiction between what is being said and what the teacher's life actually demonstrates. This is the case with religion, it has no power to actually change people. It is a form and it is a dead form. Furthermore, the form leads to hypocrisy and even slander of the Name. "As it is written: God's name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you"" (vs. 24). A religious person can never live up to the holiness and righteousness of God Himself. Our best efforts are laughable and sub par (Isaiah 64:6).
We must be warned of this! It's been said over and over, "religion is the default of the human heart." We naturally resort back to "I will" statements. We naturally become a god for ourselves looking for ways to save ourselves and others.
Paul tells us what we need... we need an inward change by The Spirit. We need an inward circumcision of our hearts and Spiritual renewal by God Himself, which He provides for us by His grace, through His Son (vs. 28-29). Praise God that even though our religious acts are rebellion, even though we are more likely to trust ourselves than we are to trust God, even though we usually dismiss God and emphasize our own efforts, even in all those things God loved us enough to send Jesus. Jesus is the only one who has the right to say, "I will.... I will be a guide for the blind and a light for the foolish. I will teach you, I will preach the kingdom, I will correct, I will renounce idols, I will make a way." Praise His Name. He rescues rebels like you and me from the stupidity of religion. He delivers a gospel-kick to the gut. He does this so we exhale our stale, life-less, puffed up, religious breath, that He can fill us with the life-giving Spirit!
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