You don't seem to understand the things you say. You told me a religious person cannot keep God's law. Why not?
The problem is your misunderstanding of what I meant by "a religious person". And I will take some responsibility for
not being clearer about the phrase "religious person."
"A religious person" as I use it means any person trying to do something for God but without Christ.
Take Saul of Tarsus, a Pharisee of Pharisees, educated under great rabbi Gamaliel, and towards many of his
contemporaries was considered "blameless" about the Torah
(Phil. 3;6). He is my prime example of what I mean by "a religious person".
Romans chapter seven outlines his religious experience. Go read about his dedication, zeal, effort to keep the law of God.
He ends his little biography there with the realization of his failure to keep the law.
For I delight in the law of God according to the inner man, (v. 22)
Because of his religion he thoroughly delights in the law. He loved the law and his conscience "the inner man" tells him that the law is totally right.
But I see a different law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and making me a captive to the law of sin which is in my members.
In spite of his knowing that
the law is holy, and the commandment holy and righteous and good (v.7)
a stronger power in his fallen body's members thwarted his best effort at law keeping.
Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from the body of this death? (v.8)
The outcome of his religious zeal is self condemnation and feeling of hopeless failure - wretchedness.
Let alone he also is guilty before God.
Thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ our Lord! (v.9a)
He discoved that his salvation from this wretched religious futility is the living Lord Jesus Christ.
News flash - Jesus is not a religion.
So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh, the law of sin. (v.9b)
This is a summary of chapter 7. It leads the way to a entirely
INTERNAL salvation in he and us by the
Spirit of life.
What could be more subjective to us than the divine life of the
Spirit of life of Christ living within?
There is now then no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.
For the law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and of death. (Rom. 8:1,2)
So I use the phrase "a religious person" to mean a zealous and dedicated person working for God yet without
the Spirit of life.
To be fair I know
James uses the term "religion" in a positive way.
(James 1:27) Or he says "true religion."
I am not going to go into his epistle now. If you want you should now see what I meant by "a religious person."
And
Romans 8 as a rejoinder to
chapter 7 is subjective and inward salvation of the Person Christ's life as reality rather than religion as I
use it.
Do you think God is a God of religion or a God of reality?
Only a religious person has any interest in God and has any opportunity for a relationship with Him, and only the presence of the HS in the life enables a person to keep the law. Therefore you believe everything takes place externally to the believer.
Paul's attitude about his past "religious" life was that it was all dung - dog food - refuse compared to knowing the internal
grace of Christ. He counted all his past religious accolades as loss in comparison to Christ living in him.
If any other man thinks that he has confidence in the flesh, I more: (Phil. 3:4b)
He had more reason to boast of his religiousness than anyone.
Circumcised the eighth day; of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; (v.5)
He brags about his religios pedigree.
As to zeal, persecuting the church; as to the righteousness which is in the law, become blameless. (v.6)
But what things were gains to me, these I have counted as loss on account of Christ. (v.7)
But moreover I also count all things to be loss on account of the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, on account of whom I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as refuse that I may gain Christ - (v.8)
This religious zealot counts all his past religion not worthy to compare with the INTERNAL knowing of Christ.
His only desire now is to GAIN more and more and more of Christ. His whole being is open for one thing - for Christ's life
to encrease, grow, and spread into all of his personality. He would forever only wish men would find him "in Christ."
And be found in Him, not having my own righteousness which is out of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is out of God and based on faith, (v.9)
Ezekiel 36: 25 ¶ Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you.
26 A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.
27 And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them.
So you are saying what I am saying in
Romans chapter 8.
For the law of the Spirit of life has freed me in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and of death. (Rom. 8:2)
I use "religious person" to mean a person outside of this experience yet seeks to keep the law of God as Paul TRIED in chapter 7.
Mind you he appeared to many of his colleagues to be successful. They thought "Now this religious Jew is blameless about the Torah."
But he knew he could not overcome coveting and therefore breaking the 10th commandment.
What then shall we say? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! But I did not know sin except through the law; for neither did I know coveting, except the law had said, “You shall not covet.” (v.6)
But sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, worked out in me coveting of every kind; for without the law sin is dead. (Rom. 7:7,8)
And
James rightly says -
For whoever keeps the whole law yet stumbles in one point has become guilty of all. (James 2:10)
So you should know now what I meant by a religious person cannot keep the law.
Why a heart of flesh? Because it is soft and pliable so God can mold and shape it.
That's right. This is very internal is it not?
My children, with whom I travail again in birth until Christ is formed in you, (Gal. 4:19)
This promise is no different than Galatians 5: 21, 22.
Notice that one of the fruits of the Spirit is
"self-control".
But the fruit of the Spirit is . . . Meekness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Gal. 5:23)
So to walk in the Spirit of the resurrected Christ is to gain also
"self-control". This along with the other
fruits are very internal,very subjective, very enjoyable in an inward way.
So you characterization of me saying something like Christ's salvation is all outward is wrong.
But you may double down and still insist on your error that I teach only an outward, non-internal salvation.
I'm clear though.
If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit. (v. 25)
This is thoroughly internal and will be manifested one day as glory from within us.
To whom God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory, (Col. 1:27) 
