16 This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares. 17 Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; 18 if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; 19 if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself?

For years I volunteered as a hospice chaplain. This was an important responsibility as I tried to discern what a person is thinking as he or she prepares for death. Were they open to hear the gospel - if they are not believers in Jesus? How can I communicate that love to them in their terminal condition? Most people are open to either draw upon their faith in Jesus or come to lean on Him if they are willing to talk with a chaplain. Some are not open. Some are beyond cognitive functions and all I can do is pray for them.     

I wondered often about their experiences and how they saw themselves on the judgment day. Were they prepared? Many told me they have faith but haven’t been to church in years. They talked about their beliefs and listened. Many people were turned off to God because of religion. Many people did not consider the claims of Christ because of religion.

Scot Spenser is right when he writes, “The problem is not simply, because some people who profess to be religious, show the world by their actions that they are hypocrites. That certainly is an unfortunate reality. The problem is not even because of the evil things people do in the name of religion. These are really symptoms of the problem. The problem of religion is religion itself. What we must understand is that our world’s religion can encourage people to live lives of hypocrisy. It's easy to be religious. But religion is not enough.”

Thus far in the book of Romans, Paul has been dealing with people who reject God. Now he turns his attention to religious people. I find people claim to be religious and believe in God, but do not practice their faith in a church. These are not people who reject God. Some people are very religious, but unable to attend their church due to their illness. I tried to explore if there is a relationship with Jesus or just a religion.

In this portion of Romans, Paul is referring to people who affirm God, accept God's word, and participate in the rights and rituals of the temple. These are people who openly identify with God and His Commandments. The shocking thing about them, however, is that they are lost. They are religious but lost! This is a situation that exists in many parts of the world today. People may be religious, but religion will never get you into heaven. Religion is not enough - never was, never will be.

In our text, Paul exposes the fallacy of trusting in religion. He is speaking to the Jews who were the primary beneficiaries of the true word of God. God had revealed Himself to the Jews. They were His people. By understanding the mistakes they made, we can judge whether we are making those same mistakes ourselves. The real question you must ask is this are you trusting in religion or in Christ?

Application:   When you stand before the Lord and are asked, “Why should I let you into heaven?” - what will you say?

Prayer:   Lord, I know that it is only by grace through faith that I am redeemed.   I was bought with a price, Your only Son.  Thank you Lord.  This is the assurance I have.

Dale