Scripture Reading: Rom. 2:17-29; 3:1-8, 9-20
In this message we will cover the vanity of religion shown in the condemnation on the religious (2:17—3:8) and the totality of hopelessness shown in the condemnation of all the world (3:9-20). As we have pointed out, Paul deals with condemnation in four aspects: on mankind in general, on the self-righteous in particular, on the religious specifically, and on all the world totally. This is very meaningful. From these aspects of God’s condemnation we can see four things: the source of wickedness, the way of restriction, the vanity of religion, and the totality of hopelessness.
Let us first consider the vanity of religion. Human culture is the best human invention, and within this culture the foremost item is religion. Religion is the apex of man’s culture. Human culture needs religion, for without it culture is wild. If religion were eliminated from human culture, culture would remain crude. Therefore, most people respect religion.
Among the human race the two best religions are Judaism and Christianity. These are the typical religions. They are genuine, sound, and fundamental religions. Both proceeded out of the same source, the divine revelation in the Bible. Along with these two religions, we have Islam, a counterfeit of Judaism. Judaism was the source of Islam. The Koran, the sacred book of the Moslems, is actually an imitation of the Old Testament, although its contents have been changed in order to propagate lies. The Koran even speaks about Christ, saying that He is greater than Mohammed. According to the Koran, Christ was never crucified. As the people attempted to nail Him to the cross, angels descended and took Him away into heaven. The Koran even tells us that this Jesus will return. It is evident, therefore, that Islam and its sacred book, the Koran. are counterfeits.
Strictly speaking, besides Judaism, Christianity, and the counterfeit religion of Islam, there are no other religions. Buddhism is not a religion; it is nonsense. A religion teaches people to worship God, but in Buddhism there is no God at all. You may ask about Confucianism. The teachings of Confucius are nonreligious; they are altogether ethical teachings, having nothing to do with God. In his classical writings, Confucius probably mentioned God only once or twice, calling Him “the Heavens.” We should not consider Confucianism as a religion. On this earth there are just three religions — the genuine religions of Judaism and Christianity and the counterfeit religion of Islam.
Even with the two genuine religions there is still nothing but vanity. We do not need religion. We need a living Person. We do not need something related to God; we need God Himself. We do not need a way to worship God; we need the living Person of God to come into us. When God gave us the Bible, He had no intention of giving us a religion. God’s intention was to reveal Himself into us through the Holy Word, not to have a religious form. However, the ancient Jews formed a religion out of the Old Testament. Then Christianity made a stronger religion because it has 27 books more than the Jews. The Jews had only 39 books to use in establishing a religion; Christianity has 66. Thus, Christianity has formed an even stronger religion. Nevertheless, the stronger a religion is, the more vanity it contains.
I realize that I may offend some people in speaking this way. The word Christianity is sweet and precious to the ears of many Christians, and it is offensive to them for a man to say that Christianity is vanity. If you are offended by this, it proves that you are exceedingly religious. I do not say that Christ is vanity and I do not say that Christians are vanity, but I assert strongly that Christianity is vanity. Any “anity” is vanity, including “churchanity.” The church is precious, but if you add “anity” to the church it becomes vanity. We want Christ, Christians, and the church, but we do not want any “anity.” This is not my teaching. If we return to the pure Word in the New Testament, we find the term Christ and the term Christians (Acts 11:26). However, the terms Christianity or Christmas are not in the Bible. A kind of “anity” or “mas” has been added to Christ. Christmas is vanity. When people hang lamps on a little tree, that is “anity” and “mas.” That is vanity. We must beware of religion: religion is vanity.
Now we need to consider a few matters about the vanity of religion. First, religion has an outward name (2:17). Recently, I went to the barbershop for a haircut. The barber talked about attending Christmas Mass. I used the opportunity to ask him how many people would be there. He said, “You know, this is just a religious duty. Some people attend Mass only once a year at Christmas time.” Here we see an example of the vanity of religion: attending Mass once a year as a religious duty in order to keep the name of being a Catholic. What kind of believer is this? A believer with a mere outward name. If you are real in the spirit, meaning you are a genuine believer, that is wonderful. However, if you lack the reality and simply keep the outward name, it means nothing. It is vanity.
The second aspect of the vanity of religion is knowing God in outward knowledge (2:17-18). It is vain to know God merely in external knowledge, in outward letters. We need the inward knowledge of God, the knowledge in our spirit, the knowledge that spreads into our whole being. We need such an inward and subjective knowledge of God.
The third item of the vanity of religion is having the Scriptures outwardly (3:2). Both Jews and Christians have the Bible, but the Bible, for many of them, has become a superstitious book. They hold the Bible in a superstitious way. Some Christians have told me that they are afraid to sleep at night without having a Bible nearby. If they do not place the Bible beside their pillow or on their table, they have no peace to sleep at night, thinking the Holy Bible will keep the demons away from them. This is superstition. Other Christians use the Bible to find guidance in an extraordinary way. They open the Bible, point their finger to a certain place, and follow the leading given in whatever verse they locate. I once heard of a superstitious person who opened the Bible and placed his finger on the verse which said that Judas went out to hang himself (Matt. 27:5). I wonder what he did. It is terrible and absolutely superstitious to handle the Scriptures in this way. All of these vain practices must be torn down.
Of course, most orthodox Jews and genuine Christians do not handle the Bible in such a superstitious way, but they do not take the Scriptures in a real and living way. They care for the teachings in letters; they do not care for Christ, the living Person. In John 5:39-40 the Lord Jesus told the Jewish religionists that they search the Scriptures for knowledge, yet will not come to Him for life. Today many Christians are in the same category. Thus, the Bible does not mean much to them in life and reality.
Some religious people keep the outward form in letter (2:27-28). Take the example of baptism. Many dear Christians cling to their concepts about baptism by immersion in water. I myself am strongly in favor of baptism by immersion according to the Scriptures and I would never baptize people by sprinkling them. However, this matter of baptism has almost entirely become a mere outward form. We must avoid all outward forms. Paul told the Jews that if their circumcision is merely outward, it is unreal. The genuine circumcision is inward, in the heart and in the spirit. We may apply the same word to baptism, for, in a sense, baptism replaces circumcision. In the Old Testament was circumcision, and in the New Testament circumcision has been replaced by baptism. Since circumcision is unreal as long as it is practiced as a bare outward form, so baptism can never be real if it is simply outward. I am sorry to say that nearly all baptisms have degraded into an outward form.
I can illustrate from my own experience. First, I was sprinkled with a few drops of water by a pastor. Later I realized that this was wrong, that it was unscriptural. Then I was immersed in the sea by a Brethren teacher. After this, someone told me that it is wrong to be baptized in salt water instead of fresh water. According to them, people should follow the example of Jesus and be immersed in a river. Then, perhaps, a pastor will argue that it is still wrong because it is not in the river Jordan. Eventually I realized that even if people had been baptized in the river Jordan, someone else would tell them that it was still wrong because they had not been immersed in the precise spot where Jesus Himself had been baptized. The arguments are endless, and the criticisms are unfair and unreasonable.
People have argued and disputed about baptism for centuries because they cling to an outward form. Some, like the Quakers and Mrs. Penn-Lewis, have repudiated the outward, physical baptism. Although I do not agree with this, I caution you not to pay attention to a form which is correct according to your sight. You are not the Lord, neither am I. Whether you are baptized in hot water or cold water, salt water or plain water, in the river or in the ocean, one time or several times, the mere outward form means nothing. We need the inward reality. I do not encourage you to practice anything as a form. We should not be attached to any form, but pay our full attention to the reality.
Religion is vanity because it lacks inward reality in spirit (2:29). Romans 2:29 says that whatever we are, whatever we do, and whatever we have must all be in spirit. If you are a Jew and are circumcised, your circumcision must be in spirit. If you are a Christian and are baptized, your baptism must be in spirit. Everything must be in spirit. The spirit here, of course, is the human spirit. Why must everything be done in our spirit? Because our spirit is the very place within us where God can dwell. The spirit is the site, the ground where God can act on our behalf. If you are a Christian in your spirit, this means you are a Christian with God. If you act in your spirit, this means you act with God. Without God, everything is vain; with Him, everything is reality. Therefore, we must return to our spirit. If we love other people, we must love them in our spirit. Otherwise, our love is not genuine. It is a political love. However, if we love in our spirit, our love is with God. When you husbands tell your wives that you love them, you need to say this with your spirit. If your love is not in the spirit, it is a fraud, a political love. Many wives have been cheated by their husband’s political love. If I say a word to you, I must say it in my spirit. Then that word will be a word with God. Otherwise, it will be political talk. Our spirit is the organ through which God can touch us and through which we can touch God. Everything we are and everything we do must be in our spirit. This is not religion; this is reality.
Eventually, the religious people practice the same evils as the unreligious (2:21-22). It seems that there is no difference between the unreligious people and the religious people. All are the same. Although the Jews were religious, they behaved even worse than the Gentiles.
In this portion on the condemnation of the religious, we see that religion means nothing, that it is vanity. Therefore, we must stay away from religion and have nothing to do with it. We need the living Person of the Triune God.
Now we come to the condemnation on all the world, a condemnation that unfolds the totality of hopelessness (3:9-20). The world situation is hopeless. Do not try to cure it, correct it, or improve it. Give up your hope. The world condition is incurable.
In this section of Romans, Paul portrays man as totally evil and gives several proofs that the condition of the world is hopeless. Not one person seeks God and no one understands God (3:11). All have turned away from God and have become useless (3:12). No one is righteous (3:10) and no one practices good (3:12). In other words, there is not one righteous man and not one good man. Do you know the difference between a righteous man and a good man? If I work for you for one month at a salary of five hundred dollars per month and you refuse to pay me, you are unrighteous. However, if you pay me, you are a righteous man. If I did not work for you at all and you gave me five hundred dollars as a gift when I needed it, that would be an act of grace. If you did this, you would be a good man. However, Paul says that among all the human beings in the world not one is righteous and not one is good. Do you believe this? I do. We should not think of ourselves as exceptions. No one is righteous; no one is good. Therefore, everyone has become subject to the judgment of God (3:19). The condition of the world is totally hopeless.
Where were we before we were saved? We were all under the righteous judgment of God. Everyone of us was wrong. Not one of us sought God or understood God. Everyone of us had turned aside and had become useless. Not one of us was righteous or good. We were all under the righteous judgment of God. By this we can see the hopeless condition of the world.
I appreciate Paul’s writings. In the section on condemnation we see the source of wickedness, the way of restriction, the vanity of religion, and the hopeless condition of the world. Here is the conclusion of Paul’s writings on condemnation: the whole world is subject to the righteous judgment of God. Where would we be and what would we be if we were not yet saved? We would be a hopeless case under God’s judgment. Regardless of what we did, what we had, and what we were, we were under God’s righteous judgment. We all realized our need for God’s salvation. This section on condemnation paves the way for God’s salvation and opens up the door for people to enter into God’s salvation. Regardless of who we are, we need Christ. We need Christ with His redemption.
Paul’s intention in the section on condemnation was to prepare the way for him to minister Christ into us. The ultimate goal of Paul’s gospel is to minister Christ into us. When we come to Romans 8, we will find a verse that says, “Christ is in you” (8:10). This is Paul’s goal. Whether we are one of mankind, one of the self-righteous, one of the religious people, or a person in the world, we need Jesus. Our need is in our spirit. We should not pay attention to outward things or outward doings, but turn ourselves to the spirit. There in the spirit we will meet Christ. In the spirit we will enjoy Christ. Paul’s writing on condemnation paves the way for us to receive Christ. It opens the way for Christ to come into us.
