Romans 10:1-2
Years back, I visited a religious man in company of some family elders. Then, I was a young lad who had little knowledge about salvation. I saw this man halt the conversation to say some prayers. I can't remember the number of times he did that. He had religious image in his house. What happened that day registered in my heart.
Ever since, I have seen several men and women who are pious but not saved. They have knowledge about religion but have not accepted the righteousness that comes by faith in Christ Jesus. Men who have images of the cross in their houses, cars and wear it as chain pendants yet do not know the power of the cross.
Nothing is wrong with piety as long as the pious man is saved and his piety is geared towards spirituality.
Through rites, creeds and codes, the unsaved pious men want to establish their own righteousness,something that should have been received on a platter of grace. They are like the Jews Paul described in Romans 10:3 who sought to establish their own righteousness because they don't know the righteousness of God.
Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness".
Unsaved pious people think they can work for salvation. Something Christ paid for on the cross and shed his own blood for so that you and me can have it freely just by putting our faith in him. Religion does not believe salvation should be that easy so it has some rules, rites and rituals for its attainment.
In Ephesians 2:8-9, my bible says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— [9] not by works, so that no one can boast"( NIV).
God's grand design for salvation is that no one will be able to boast about its attainment. It is too precious and expensive to be attained by human works of religion. Why? God doesn't want the sacrifice of Christ to be rubbished by man's religious works.
Religious men are too proud about their self effort instead of taking pride in what Christ has done for them.
Anytime you seek to attain salvation by your own religious works, it is an indirect way of saying what Christ has done is not enough. Religion believes it has to be hard for it to be authentic but Christ is saying, "I have done the hard part, just believe*.
Dearest, when you come around religious people, introduce them to the saving grace of Christ. Unsaved pious men need Jesus Christ. Preach Christ to them. Let them know what he has done for them and their own role in partaking in the wonders of the cross.