Your Religion Can't Save You (Romans 2:1-16)

It is very easy for religious churchgoers to look at the world around us and decry what we see. Perhaps last week as we walked through the wrath of God against a culture, you found yourself agreeing with the judgments made. Our culture fell prey to their own sins resulting in a sexual revolution, homosexual revolution, and now societal chaos. We bemoan all that is going on around us. We rant against it with our family, friends, coworkers, neighbors, and on social media. 

However, we will discover today that Paul set us up. We fall prey to looking with disdain at the evil in the world around us. And often, we fail to look honestly at our own lives. Too many people believe that because we are moral and religious we are good with God. Too many people are relying on a ditty they said as a child for their eternal security. All the while, we excuse the sinful actions and attitudes present in our own hearts. The world decries the hypocrisy of Christianity, and we often bristle at this accusation. Unfortunately, this accusation is not unearned. 

After demonstrating that the culture is in trouble because it is under the wrath of God, Paul presents some bad news to the moral religious people: You are in trouble as well, because your religion can’t save you.

Chapters 1-3 lay the foundation of the Gospel. We cannot save ourselves. We cannot gain eternal life on our own. We cannot create our own purpose in life. We cannot enjoy a relationship with God through our own works. Modern culture cannot accomplish these things for us because we are under God’s judgment. But neither can modern religion accomplish these things for us. Only faith in the saving work of Christ and surrendering our lives to him can accomplish these things for us. You see, your religion can’t save you.