Pathway to Victory

Speaker 1

Hey podcast listeners, thanks for streaming today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Pathway to Victory is a nonprofit ministry featuring the Bible teaching of Dr. Robert Jeffress. Our mission is to pierce the darkness with the light of God's word through the most effective media available, like this podcast.

To support Pathway to Victory, go to ptv.org/donate or follow the link in our show notes.

Now here's today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.

Speaker 2

Hi, this is Robert Jeffress and I'm glad to study God's Word with you every day. This Bible teaching program on today's edition of Pathway to Victory.

Speaker 3

Religion says you're saved by good works, but it doesn't give you the internal mechanism you need to produce those good works.

In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul said, if any man be in Christ, he's a new creation. Old things have passed away, new things have come.

While it's true that good works are not the means of our salvation, they are the measure of our salvation.

Speaker 4

Welcome to Pathway to Victory with author and pastor, Dr. Robert Jeffress. In many religions, followers are required to practice complex rituals and extreme self-discipline. But for Christians, the only thing that matters is having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

Today on Pathway to Victory, Dr. Robert Jeffress explains what it truly means to have a right relationship with God through faith in Christ alone.

Now here's our Bible teacher to introduce today's message: Dr. Jeffress.

Speaker 2

Thanks David, and welcome again to Pathway to Victory. Now, let's just say it out loud. Religious people can get under our skin. Do you agree with that? It's not their convictions that trouble us; it's the self-invented holiness that kind of bugs us. Right? Well, today we're going to see that Paul wasn't impressed with legalists either. And his instruction in Romans 2 can liberate us from the smothering influence of hypocrisy. The goal, of course, is that we choose a relationship with Jesus over empty religious behavior.

Paul is a champion of our Christian faith because he exposed the hypocrites and he taught us how to embrace the real Jesus. Along these lines, I'm pleased to offer an illustrated guide to the Apostle Paul. Through stunning visuals and easy-to-understand commentary, this beautiful book brings his teachings to life. Whether you're a first-time student of the Bible or a history book buff, this illustrated guide makes this story accessible to everyone.

Let me send an illustrated guide to the Apostle Paul to your home. It's yours when you give a generous gift to support the growing ministry of Pathway to Victory. As a bonus, when you respond today, I'll also include a multifolded Journeys of Paul map and brochure. This map identifies the key cities Paul visited and why those events matter to your life today.

Now it's time to open our Bibles to Romans Chapter Two. Let's resume the study we began on Monday's program. I titled the message "How to Be a Christian Without Being Religious."

Speaker 3

If you have your Bibles, turn to Romans chapter 2, beginning with verse 17, as we discover how to become a Christian without being religious. Now remember, we're in this first major section of the Book of Romans. The theme of Romans is the righteousness, that is a right standing of God is only available to those who come to God through Christ. Now, the problem is none of us has righteousness on our own. We all need a right standing with God.

And so in this first section of Romans, Paul goes to great lengths to show that all men are guilty before God. We look, for example, at the pagan who's never heard the Gospel. Paul says he's guilty. He needs the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Last time we looked at the moralist, the person who tries to keep a code of good conduct. The Bible says he is still guilty before God because he's not good enough. And now, finally, Paul looks at a third group of people who stand guilty before God, and that is the religious person.

You see, we have the idea that of all of these groups, certainly religious people ought to be okay with God because after all, by definition, they recognize something is wrong. They recognize they need God's forgiveness, and they go through a list of works in order to earn God's forgiveness. Shouldn't their confession of sin and their attempt at receiving righteousness, shouldn't that count for something? And yet Paul says in this passage very clearly that the religious person is also guilty before God, in spite of his spiritual heritage, his biblical knowledge, and his religious works.

Now, Paul used the Jew as an example of that. In Paul's day, the Jew was the most religious person who certainly by works ought to be saved. Most people thought, look at this passage with me, and let's see how Paul develops that thought. Beginning in verse 17, he names the three excuses religious people use to say, I don't need Jesus Christ.

"But if you bear the name Jew and rely upon the law and boast in God, those of you who have received the oracles of God and you know his will and approve the things which are essential, being instructed out of the law, and you are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind and 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 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."

You see, the Jews had fallen into a trap that, quite frankly, many of us have fallen into as well. We equate knowing God's word with doing God's word. We equate knowledge with obedience. They are not the same thing. Did you know? You get absolutely no credit with God for believing the right thing. You get zero, zip credit with God. All you get credit for as a Christian is how you obey God.

Now, don't misunderstand. Beliefs and knowledge are important. It's impossible to obey that which you don't know. But unfortunately, you can know a lot of things that you don't obey. That's what Paul was saying to the Jews. He was saying this passage, you know, you teach, don't steal, don't steal from God. But are you stealing from God? Are you holding on to tithes and offerings that belong to him? You say, do not commit adultery, but aren't you yourselves engaged in legitimized adultery, unbiblical divorce? It's not just knowing God's word, it's obeying God's will that makes the difference.

That was the problem with the Jew. He thought it was all about knowledge. He said, look at my spiritual heritage. Look at my biblical knowledge. Paul says, not enough. Finally, look at his third excuse for not needing the righteousness of Christ. He'll say, watch my religious works. Look at verse 25. "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."

Nowhere was there any idea that physical circumcision automatically made you a believer. Being a Jew was not enough. So what was circumcision about? Circumcision was a physical ritual that pointed to a spiritual reality. Remember, even the prophet Jeremiah said, what we need is not a physical circumcision. We need a spiritual circumcision. That is, we don't need a tiny piece of flesh removed from the foreskin. We need our sin nature removed from our heart. Physical circumcision just pointed to a spiritual circumcision, the removal of our sin nature that only Jesus Christ could do.

Physical circumcision was only to be a physical symbol of a spiritual circumcision that was yet to come. Now turn back to Romans 2:28-29. That's what Paul says here. "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly. Let that sink in. It's not being a Jew physically that makes you a Jew and inheritor of God's promise. 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."

And yet the Jew constantly taught it was physical circumcision that saved a person. Rabbi Menachem, in his commentary on the Book of Moses, said, our rabbis have taught that no circumcised man will see hell. Another commentator wrote, circumcision saves from hell. In the midrash you'll find these words, God swore to Abraham that no one who was circumcised should be sent to hell. That's what the religious person does. He trusts in physical acts, religious works, in order to save him. Paul says, no, religion will not save you.

You know, I believe that if Paul were writing to us today, he would substitute the word baptism for circumcision. Because we have done the same thing with baptism that the Jews did with circumcision. You talk to many people today and ask you, well, no, when did you trust in Christ as your Savior? They'll say, well, I was baptized when I was 10. That's not what I ask you. When did you trust in Christ as your Savior? In fact, go back to Romans 2:28-29. Let's just substitute baptism for circumcision.

"For he is not a Christian who is one outwardly. Neither is baptism that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Christian who is one inwardly. And baptism is that which is of the heart by the Spirit, not by the letter. And his praise is not from men, but from God."

Now hear me this morning. Baptism is very, very important. Baptism is a sign. It is a physical sign of a spiritual reality that has taken place in our heart. Just as circumcision pointed to a future event that needed to happen—the circumcision of our heart—baptism is a ritual that looks back at a spiritual reality that has already taken place in our life. But both circumcision and baptism are alike in this way. They are physical acts that are absolutely meaningless without the spiritual reality behind them.

And that's why throughout the Bible, you find the emphasis on believers' baptism. Throughout the New Testament, the pattern is always this: believe and be baptized. Believe and be baptized. Believe and be baptized. Did you know there is not one instance in the New Testament where anyone was ever baptized first and then later became a Christian? That never happened. It was always believe first and then be baptized. And there is not one instant in the Bible of any baby ever being baptized. Give me one instance and I will quit talking about this. But the fact is, there isn't an instance of it. It was always believe and be baptized.

The Bible teaches believer baptism, not baby baptism. If you want to dedicate your child to God, wonderful. Do it. Bring them down to the front, baptize them, but don't throw any water on them and get them in danger of catching pneumonia. Okay? You don't use water. The Bible doesn't teach baby baptism. It teaches believers' baptism. I always talk about this with children once they've made their decision to trust in Christ. I explain to them that baptism is a sign of their salvation. It is not the means of their salvation.

And this is what I'll say to a child. I'll point to this wedding ring and I'll say, you know, about 36 years ago, I made a commitment to my wife, an unconditional commitment, that I would love her with all of my heart. And when I made that commitment here at the First Baptist Church in Dallas, she put this noose around—I mean, this ring around my finger here. And this ring means I belong to her. And anytime anybody looks at this ring, they know I belong to somebody.

And then I'll say to the child, now, is it possible for me to be married without this ring? Yes, the child will say. And I'll say, well, I certainly hope so, because this is my third wedding ring. I've lost two of them already because there are times I didn't have the ring on. But it wasn't the ring that made me married. It was the commitment that I made to my wife. And then I'll take the ring off, and I'll ask the child to put their finger out. And I'll take the ring and I'll put it on the child's finger. And I say, now, does this mean you're married? And they'll giggle and they'll say, oh, no, no, no, no, no. I said, right, the ring doesn't mean anything unless you've made that commitment in your heart.

And I said, now, baptism is the very same way. Baptism is a sign. It's a symbol that you've trusted in Jesus as your Savior. Could you be saved without being baptized? Yes, but God commands you to be baptized as a way of showing that you belong to him. That's what the Bible teaches about baptism. But baptism is simply a physical symbol of a spiritual reality. And without that spiritual reality, if you get baptized, you've done nothing but get wet.

The Bible teaches believers' baptism. The message of Romans 2 is simply this: religion is absolutely worthless in obtaining righteousness for you. The religious person is condemned before God in spite of his spiritual heritage, his biblical knowledge, and his religious works.

Now, I was thinking this week about how to sum all of this up, because this is some deep stuff in Romans chapter two, how to sum it up. And so I want to close today with two principles. I want you to write down that contrast: genuine righteousness, a right standing with God, with empty religion. Would you write down these two statements, the difference between genuine righteousness and empty religion?

Number one, righteousness results in works. Religion results in words. True righteousness always results in works. Religion results in words. Now, don't misunderstand. I am not saying we are saved by our good works. Good works are not the means of our salvation, but they are the measure of our salvation. If we are truly saved in a right standing with God, good works are going to flow from our life. That's what Paul is saying in this passage.

Now, many people don't understand that they focus on empty religion. But here's the problem with empty religion. It only focuses on the external, you know, baptism, church membership, going through this ritual or that ritual. But religion doesn't provide the internal change in our life necessary to produce truly good and consistent works in our life.

My oldest daughter, Julia, when she was about eight years old, she was always interested. Dorothy, you can attest to this, she was always interested in where people went to church and wanted to know, you know, if those people were going to heaven or not. She was very evangelistic, even as a little girl. And so when she was about eight years old, she asked me about a particular person in our community. And she said, now, dad, what church does he go to? And I mentioned the name of the church. And she said, well, how do they believe you get to heaven? And I said, well, they believe it's good works that sends you into heaven. And Julia shook her head and said, boy, by the way he acts, he's not gonna make it, is he?

You see, that's the irony of religion. Religion says you're saved by good works, but it doesn't give you the internal mechanism you need to produce those good works. In 2 Corinthians 5:17, Paul said, if any man be in Christ, he's a new creation. Old things have passed away, new things have come. While it's true that good works are not the means of our salvation, they are the measure of our salvation. That's what Paul is talking about in verses 7 to 10 of Romans 2.

Go back up there and look at it for a moment. How do you know if you're in a right standing with God? The way to know it is by looking at the works or the fruit of your life. He said in verse 7, "To those who, by perseverance in doing good, seek for glory, glory and honor and immortality, what awaits them? Eternal life. But to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, what awaits them is wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil of the Jew first and also of the Greek. But glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good to the Jew first and also to the Greek."

What Paul is saying is what comes forth from your life demonstrates which road you're on. Are you on the road to heaven or are you on the road to hell? The best way to know is what is being produced in your life right now. It's time right now to examine your own heart. What is it that really characterizes your life on a day-in and day-out basis? Selfish ambition? Materialism? Anger? Bitterness? Lust? Or is your life characterized by purity, obedience to God, a desire to put his kingdom first? Jesus said, you will know them by their fruits.

See, genuine righteousness always results in works. Empty religion, for all its talk, only ends up and results in words. There's a second balancing truth in this passage, and that is genuine righteousness is based on God's effort. Religion is based on our efforts. Now, it's true good works are important. They are the measure of our salvation, but they are not the means of our salvation. In fact, as we'll see in this next section of Romans, Paul goes overboard to show that our good works cannot earn God's favor. It's something that we receive as a gift from God.

You know, there's this misnomer, this idea that, well, the Old Testament teaches salvation by works, and the New Testament teaches salvation by grace. No, it's always been by grace. King David understood that. Remember, after his sin with Bathsheba, after his sin with Bathsheba, he's poured out his heart toward God. He confessed his sin, but he knew confession was not enough. And in Psalm 51, verse 7, he cried out, "Purify me, God, with hyssop, and I shall be clean. Wash me and I shall be whiter than snow."

Do you know what hyssop was? Hyssop was a plant. It was a very bushy plant in Israel that was used to sprinkle the blood of a sacrifice on the altar in the temple. And what David was simply praying was this. He said, God, I need you to cover my sin. I need you to take innocent blood and cover over my sin. That's what atonement means. It means covering. David understood he needed someone to cover over his sin. We all need that.

Listen, salvation, a right standing with God is not the result of our efforts of what we do for Christ. It is what Christ has done for us. Why is religion worthless? It cannot obtain a right standing with God. In spite of our spiritual heritage, in spite of our biblical knowledge, in spite of our religious works.

I once heard Chuck Swindoll use this analogy of a person who depends upon religion to save him. He said such a person is like a parachutist who is standing on the edge of the airplane door, getting ready to jump out. But accidentally, instead of strapping on a parachute, he straps on a knapsack filled with cement. He confidently plunges toward the earth below. He starts to pull on the strings, and only then does he realize what he was depending on to deliver him is going to destroy him.

And so it is with the person who depends upon religion to save him. When that time comes for you to make that jump from this life into the vastness of eternity—and we're all going to make that leap one day—when that time comes for you to jump from this life into the vastness of eternity, what are you going to be depending on to deliver you from God's deserved judgment? If you're depending upon your religious heritage, your biblical knowledge, your religious rituals to save you, you're going to be sadly disappointed. There is only one thing that will deliver you from the wrath of God, and that is the blood, the forgiveness of Jesus Christ.

Speaker 2

Perhaps right now you're prepared to receive this gift of grace. Now is the time to say yes to Jesus and allow him to cleanse you with the forgiving power of his blood. At Pathway to Victory, we love hearing from those who have said yes to Christ.

Let me share an encouraging note from a gentleman who was incarcerated. While listening to KCBI, a station right here in Dallas, he prayed the prayer of salvation and asked God to change his life. Ten years later, he's a recovered drug addict and listening to Pathway to Victory every day. He said, "Dr. Jeffress, I'm thankful for the partners who support Pathway to Victory so that prisoners like me in a small county jail could hear the good news of Christ. You gave me the tools to change my life forever." Isn't that incredible?

When you give to Pathway to Victory, God is using your generosity to change lives. And today I'm inviting you to join me in this effort to shine the light of God's Word into darkness. When you give, I'm going to say thanks by providing an illustrated Guide to the Apostle Paul. This high-caliber reference book is a fabulous tool whether you're a seasoned student of the Bible or just getting started.

I reach for this illustrated guide whenever I prepare sermons on Paul's teachings because it gives so much context for the first century. Our times are much like the first century because the culture was divided into two camps, the insiders and the outsiders. For this reason, we invite you to partner with us so that all may know the liberating truth of Jesus Christ.

Thank you for responding with your generous gift today.

Speaker 4

David thanks Dr. Jeffress. Today, when you give a generous gift to support the ministry of Pathway to Victory, you're invited to request a copy of *An Illustrated Guide to the Apostle Paul*. As a bonus, we'll also send you the *Journeys of Paul Map* to help you trace out the paths that Paul took on his missionary journeys.

To make your request, simply call 866-999-2965 or visit online@ptv.org. Now, when you give $75 or more, you'll also receive the audio and video discs for *Grace Powered Living*, which features Romans Chapters one through eight. All the messages come in their original uncut form. To request your copy of the *Grace Powered Living* teaching set, call 866-999-2965 or go to ptv.org.

If you'd like to write, here's the address: P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222. Again, that's P.O. Box 223609, Dallas, Texas 75222.

I'm David J. Mullins. You know, most of us would claim to be relatively good people, but so-called goodness can never measure up to God's righteousness. Hear a message called *Verdict Guilty* when you join us again Wednesday for Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress.

Pathway to Victory with Dr. Robert Jeffress.

Speaker 1

Comes from the pulpit of the First.

Speaker 4

Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas.

Speaker 1

You made it to the end of today's podcast from Pathway to Victory and.

Speaker 4

We'Re so glad you're here.

Speaker 1

Pathway to Victory relies on the generosity of loyal listeners like you to make this podcast possible. One of the most impactful ways you can give is by becoming a Pathway Partner. Your monthly gift will empower Pathway to Victory to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and help others become rooted more firmly in His Word.

To become a Pathway partner, go to ptv.org donate or follow the link in our show notes.

We hope you've been blessed by today's podcast from Pathway to Victory.