A
Study of the Book of Romans
Lesson
# 5
“The Principles of Divine Judgment!”
Romans
2:1-16
There are some really important questions
that arise in life, and then there some that are interesting but perhaps are not that
important. Someone has raised the question; “If a man is standing out in a forest all by
himself, and he speaks, if no woman is present, is he still wrong?” Interesting but perhaps it is not that important.
In Chapter one verses nineteen and twenty, it is as if the Apostle Paul anticipated and
answered the question, “What about those who have never heard of God?” Paul says that every person no matter where he may
live in this world has two incontrovertible witnesses to the existence of God, the witness
of Conscience (v. 19) and the witness
of Creation (v. 20). And now it is as
if Paul again anticipates the question, “But how is God going to deal with the moral
upright person, who has never really had time for God in their life?” In the context that I am speaking, the “moral man”
is a good person, but not a Christian. He pays his taxes and is a law abiding citizen,
loves his wife and kids, works hard and is a good neighbor, he may even be a church
member, but he is not a Christian. He is moral but he is lost!
Over the last few weeks we have looked on
in chapter one as Paul portrays a world as it progressively turns away from God. Each
stage is worse and more depressing than the last. At this point some of the readers may
have begun to justify themselves, “At least I am not as bad as those heathens.”
Yet the point of Chapter two is that moral
man also stands guilty before God. Their sins may be different but their guilt
is the same.
“Imagine that three of us are
walking along together and suddenly tumble into a dry well. We fall ninety feet to the
bottom and somehow survive with nothing broken. The walls are too steep to climb and the
well is too deep to jump out. We have a real problem. Unless someone finds us soon, we’re
going to die.
Now suppose you hurt your leg and
can jump only six inches off the ground. The other person with us take a look at your
injured hop and says, ‘Man, can’t you do
better than that? That’s pitiful! You’ll never get out of this hole.’ Then
he proceeds to jump two feet into the air. All the while I am watching. When the both of
you have ceased exchanging frowns, I say, ‘Listen,
both of you are pathetic. Neither of you can jump and you’re never going to get out
of here. I, however, come from a family of jumpers. My dad holds an Olympic record in the
high jump. Three of my uncles play professional basketball. I’ve been training for
the last six years.’ With an air of superiority, I say, ‘Watch and learn from a pro.’ The I
proceed to jump five feet into the air. ‘Wow!
See how much better a jumper I am than you guys!’
Ok. Good. Now what have we
settled? I can jump higher, but which of us is any more likely than the other to get out
of the hole under his own power? The truth is unless someone finds us soon, and throws us
a rope we’re still going to die in the bottom of this hole. Who can jump the highest
is a non-issue under these circumstances. None of us can jump out of the hole.” [Dave Redick. “You May Be Good But
You’re Not Good Enough.” (www. preachersstudy.com/Rom 3.) ]
The objective of chapter two is to build a
bridge from the truth given in chapter one that all men are sinners, to now facing what
the horrible consequences of that fact are.
First, The Inconsistency
of Human Judgment (2:1) “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another
you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.”
Paul first establishes the guilt of all
mankind. The word “inexcusable” means without any defense. He is silence, because he is
guilty and he knows it!
The inconsistency of human judgment is Paul’s
next point. But this verse does not mean what many think it means. You probably have had
someone come up to you and say, “Well we know
that the Bible says, You shall not judge!” But I want you to note that the Bible
does not say not to judge period! It says be careful how you judge. In fact the word here
for “judge” carries the thought of judging with
an adverse verdict. It can be translated, “Who
ever among you that condemns
another.” The Bible is saying “Be careful that you do not stand in
condemning judgment over someone!”
Secondly, the Integrity
of Divine Judgment (2:2-15)
Some people make statements like, “I don’t believe that a loving God will
condemn anyone!” But whether we like to accept it or not, God’s judgment is a fact of human existence. Hebrews
9:27 says, “And as it is appointed for men to die once,
but after this the judgment.” Man can argue, and rationalize all he likes and
it still does not change the fact that man will face Divine Judgment.
This passage gives us four Principles of
Divine Judgment.
The Judgment Is According to Truth (vv. 2-3) “But we know that the
judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things.”
Truth here does not refer to the gospel but
rather to reality, to life as it
actually is.
God judges people not by the way they wish
things were, but according to the way things are.
In verse three continues the thought
with, “And do you think this, O man, you who judge those
practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?”
J. Vernon McGee lists four possible means of escape which are open to
the man who breaks human laws:
1. Failure
of offenses to be discovered.
2. Flee beyond the jurisdiction of the court. Yet Psalm
139:7-12 reveals that one cannot escape the presence of God.
3. Escape punishment through a legal technicality. Numbers 14:18 states
that he (God) “will be no means clear the guilty.”
4. Escape from prison after being convicted. No such possibility exists for the condemned sinner for the Bible reveals that “there is a great gulf fixed” between heaven and hell that will allow no transfers. (Luke 16:19-31) [J. Vernon McGee. “Thru the Bible Commentary.”(electronic ed. - 1997). Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1981]
While
it is true that escape is impossible there is another alternative. You can settle out of
court. I’m never going to stand before the Lord God Almighty at the White Throne
Judgment (Rev 20:11-15). I settle out of court almost 36 years ago. As a sixteen
year old I found myself a lawyer, Jesus Christ the Righteous. According to (1 John 2:1)
Jesus Christ is our advocate (lawyer) with the father. I received this lawyer and retained
him, and what I told him was this, “I am in
deep trouble, because you see I am guilty.” He said, “Don’t worry I will handle it from here.”
He went to see the judge who low and behold was his father. He said, “I am here on behalf of John Hamby. Now father, John
is guilty. There is not question about it. But I am going to stand in his defense. I am
ask that you allow the punishment I endured on the cross to pay the penalty for his sin.”
“There is
therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”(Romans 8:1).
I settled out of court, I highly recommend that you do so as well.
The Judgment Is In Response to Mercy.
William Barclay says,
“The mercy and love of God are not meant to make us feel that we can sin and get away
with it; they are meant to break our hearts that we will seek never to sin again.”
[William Barclay. Romans.
p. 47]
The Judgment Is According to Deeds
The next principle is found in verse six,
“who will render to each one according
to his deeds?.”
Paul is not contradicting himself on the
means of salvation. Paul is not trying to show how to be saved but rather trying to show
men why they are lost. He is not teaching here that salvation is by works rather than by
faith, the issue is not faith versus works. The real issue is truth versus hypocrisy. The reality is that your deeds
will sooner or later reveal your heart. Whatever is on the inside will ultimately come to
the surface. Whether good or bad, ultimately what you are will be revealed by what you do.
There is a vital link between belief and
behavior. How we behave tells us what
we really believe. If what you say you believe, does not impact the way you live, then you
don’t really believe what you think you do.
Verse seven continues with,
“eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory,
honor, and immortality; (8) but to those who are self-seeking
and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness - indignation and wrath, (9) tribulation and anguish, on every
soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; (10) but glory, honor, and peace to
everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”
The Judgment Is Without Prejudice
· The
Law of Light (12-13)
“For as many as have sinned
without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be
judged by the law (13) (for not the hearers of the law are
just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified.”
In that Day of Judgment there will be no excuses – not for the Gentile and not
for the Jew. No one will be treated unfairly. No one will be cheated. Everyone will
receive exactly what they deserve.
Each one will be judged according to the light they received and no one will be innocent.
What Paul says in
verse thirteen is that whether you have a Bible or have ever read a Bible, God’s
demand is the same. God’s requirement is not hearing the Word of God, or knowing the
Word of God but is obeying the Word of
God!
· The Law
of Conscience (14-15)
“for
when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these,
although not having the law, are a law to themselves, (15) who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness,
and between them-selves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them)”
Paul is saying that God has written into the
man a basic moral DNA, his conscience,
which tells him some things that are just right and some things that are just wrong.
Third, the Inevitability
of Divine Judgment (2:16)
“in the day when God will judge
the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.”
When man stands before God in judgment there
will not be anything that escapes his notice. There is nothing that will be hidden. There is nothing that will not be revealed. In Luke 8:17 Jesus said, “For nothing is secret that will
not be revealed, nor anything hidden
that will not be known and come to light.” In
1 Corinthians 4:5 Paul warns, “Therefore judge nothing
before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of
darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts.”
We are thus faced with three inevitable
conclusions.
(1) We must all face Jesus Christ sooner or later.
(2) Either we face him as Savior in this life or we will most
assuredly face him as Judge in the next!
(3) Those who prefer to face him as Judge will live to eternally regret their decision.