Legalism and paganism lead to the same place.

Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

Romans 2:3-4

Christ does not turn people into judgmental jerks. The salvation that Jesus brings has no intention of creating self-righteous, legalistic, finger-pointing, rude, and unkind people. In fact, Paul argues that such attitudes are as equally lost as the most despicable immoral pagan… that these judgmental actions are in need of redemption, and leave a person outside the saving work of Jesus. Christian faith DOES NOT produce judgmental holier-than-thou hypocrites!

In Romans two, after opening his masterful dissertation on the gospel with an indictment upon the gentiles who are totally culpable before God for their sinful choices and lifestyles, Paul turns his attention to the Jewish world in the second chapter. The “you” who “judge those” were the Jews. Paul had risen to the highest levels of Jewish religious leadership before his conversion to Christianity. He knew that the Jews believed that their unique covenant relationship with God alone insulated them from His wrath and cleared them of any need to repent. But they instead stood guilty before God EXACTLY like the gentiles and EXACTLY for the same things! Paul says that the Jews did the same sins the gentiles have done. It’s a rough list by the way:

• Suppression of God’s revelation of Himself and a hard turn to replacing the worship of God with idolatry (Romans 1:18-23).
• Worship of the sensual, the sexual, and the created thing rather than worship of the Creator THROUGH the enjoyment of His creation (Romans 1:24-25).
• Surrender to passions that led to sexual shamelessness and “anything goes” sexuality that corrupted God’s design (Romans 1:26-28).
• Every kind of divisiveness, conflict, hate, and evil against humanity (Romans 1:29-32).

Self-righteous unbelief of the gospel focuses on these lists, thinks itself better, but yet harbors in the heart (and even in actions) the desire to do them all as well. It presumes upon kindness, forbearance, and patience to demand outward conformity! It will rage in anger for appearances. Every time I see a sign-carrying zealot I assume that their personal browser history (electronically and internally) would show a very shameful need for the gospel that they will never publicly recognize or personally admit. How many outwardly religious will find themselves surprised in eternity in a very warm hell? I know that in my legalistic hyper-fundie days, I was often far from Jesus. Paul says unless the gospel affects the kindness, forbearance, and patience of God toward other sinners… a person is guilty before God… as lost as a pagan.