Romans 2New King James Version (NKJV)
God’s Righteous Judgment
2 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.
[SUP]2 [/SUP]But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. [SUP]3 [/SUP]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?
[SUP]4 [/SUP]Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
[SUP]5 [/SUP]But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
[SUP]12 [/SUP]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 [SUP]13 [/SUP](for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; [SUP]14 [/SUP]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, [SUP]15 [/SUP]who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) [SUP]16 [/SUP]in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.
17 [/SUP]Indeed[SUP][b][/SUP] you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God, [SUP]18 [/SUP]and know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, [SUP]19 [/SUP]and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, [SUP]20 [/SUP]an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law. [SUP]21 [/SUP]You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? [SUP]22 [/SUP]You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? [SUP]23 [/SUP]You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? [SUP]24 [/SUP]For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,”[SUP][c][/SUP] as it is written.
25 [/SUP]For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.
[SUP]26 [/SUP]Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision?
[SUP]27 [/SUP]And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law?
28 [/SUP]For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; [SUP]29 [/SUP]but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.
Church – this is for all of us.
God’s Righteous Judgment
2 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.
- We know from 1 Corinthians 5 v12-13 [SUP]12 [/SUP]For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? [SUP]13 [/SUP]But those who are outside God judges. Therefore “put away from yourselves the evil person.”[SUP][d][/SUP]
- How are we to reconcile Romans 2v1 and 1Corinthians 5v12-13 ?
- The Corinthians discourse makes allowance for judging those within the Church, but not those on the outside.
- But the judgement upon the church needs to be according to righteousness, and not hypocrisy.
- This can be seen in the following scripture of Jesus’ words: Matthew 7v3-5 [SUP]3 [/SUP]And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? [SUP]4 [/SUP]Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? [SUP]5 [/SUP]Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
- So Matthew 7v5 means that we are NOT to leave the speck in a brothers eye. We are in fact to help them. But helping them, when you yourself are steeped in sin with a plank in your own eye is the height of hypocrisy.
- And that is how we reconcile Romans 2v1 and 1 Corinthians 5v12-13. The judgement is according to righteousness.
- The Romans 2v1 above caters specifically for this person within the church who judges others (whether it be in the church or outside of the church); who himself/herself is also enslaved to that very sin.
[SUP]2 [/SUP]But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. [SUP]3 [/SUP]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?
- Who is this letter written to? It is written to the church in Rome, whom Paul calls to be saints; Romans 1v7a [SUP]7 [/SUP]To all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called to be saints:
- It is silly to assume that the above judgement is against those outside the church. The letter is not written to the outsiders but to those inside the church. It is equally silly to assume an outsider will stumble across these scriptures.
- We have clear evidence according to scriptures that God will not excuse the hypocrisy of His church. Just like He would not excuse the hypocrisy of the Pharisees, who instructed in one way, but did the exact opposite.
[SUP]4 [/SUP]Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
- The above could just as easily been written as “Do you despise His Grace, not knowing that the Grace of God leads you to Repentance.
- The component parts of God’s grace, of which goodness, forbearance, longsuffering are part – is MEANT to lead you to REPENTANCE.
- How long will you tolerate your sins?
- How long will it take you to change your mind about sin?
- When will you use the free will which Christ purchased for you though the Cross and Resurrection to choose righteousness?
[SUP]5 [/SUP]But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
- Yet God says that his church has hardness and impenitent hearts
- Impenitent means “unrepentant” - not feeling shame or regret about one's actions or attitudes.
- Hardness – not allowing or adhering to correction.
- And this attitude has a “payday”. For those in the church choosing this direction, there is a day of wrath.
- In this day of wrath there will be a “Revelation of the Righteous Judgement of God”. What does this mean? It means that there are those in the church who have no-cooking clue as to this part of God’s nature. That He is a righteous God and will not condone willful sin and transgressions within the Church. He may be patient in forbearance (verse 4) not wanting any to perish, but there is a Day when the Judgement comes to the house of God.
- Will you yet not repent? Will you still remain hardened? Church wake up. You cannot retain your sins and retain Christ.
- We all will be judged by our deeds.
- For those here who are so fearful that “any” deed is “works” – you need to read these passages again carefully.
- Eternal life is reserved for those who (1) continue patiently – keeping the faith (2) do good works (3) look forward to our inheritance and glorification. We see here that faith and good works are inexorably linked. As it is throughout scripture.
- Hell is reserved for those who are (1) self-seeking (2) disobedient
- This is as applicable to the Jew as it is to the Gentile (Greek). And we know that there are both Jews and Gentiles in the Church under the new covenant. God will not judge on this matter in one way for the Jew and in another way for the Gentile. You will receive according to what you do above.
[SUP]12 [/SUP]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 [SUP]13 [/SUP](for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; [SUP]14 [/SUP]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, [SUP]15 [/SUP]who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) [SUP]16 [/SUP]in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.
- For those who received the law, they stand judged by this law. For those who did not receive the law, they are judged by their consciences (knowledge of good and evil).
- For the law is written on the hearts of his people under the new covenant: Hebrews 8v10 [SUP]10 [/SUP]For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
- God puts the laws on the hearts and minds of both Jew and Gentile in the new covenant.
- The doers of the law will be justified (v13). Maybe you need to read that again. The DOERS of the LAW will be JUSTIFIED. Paul and James are in agreement: James 2v [SUP]24 [/SUP]You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
- For those who claim a divorce between faith and the law, we can see Paul writing the following in Romans 3v31 [SUP]31 [/SUP]Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.
- Our consciences (“con” = with; “science” = knowledge) will either accuse us or excuse us on the day of Judgement, whereby our secrets will be laid open for all to see and Christ will judge them.
- Will you at this point decide to Repent? Church? Are you happy to test God’s patience as per Romans 2v4 and be ready to give an account to Him as per Romans 2v5? Adam and Eve’s conscience caused them to hide from God in the garden of Eden. Their eyes were opened and they became aware of their nakedness
- How much more will your nakedness be exposed on the day of Judgement should you decide not to repent whilst it is called TODAY.
17 [/SUP]Indeed[SUP][b][/SUP] you are called a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God, [SUP]18 [/SUP]and know His will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, [SUP]19 [/SUP]and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, [SUP]20 [/SUP]an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law. [SUP]21 [/SUP]You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal? [SUP]22 [/SUP]You who say, “Do not commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? [SUP]23 [/SUP]You who make your boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law? [SUP]24 [/SUP]For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,”[SUP][c][/SUP] as it is written.
- Being a hearer of the law is to no avail, being a teacher of the law is to no avail --- unless you are a DOER of the LAW.
- We are not justified by the law, we are justified by Faith. Believe on Jesus Christ. And Faith is made perfect by Works. James 2v22 [SUP]22 [/SUP]Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?
- Works are the evidence of Faith. See the whole of Hebrews 11 – Faith is ACTION.
- Do you, as is written in Romans 2v23, dishonour God through breaking the law? Never lose the context --- he is writing to the Church in Rome. And in this particular instance the Jews.
25 [/SUP]For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.
- For a Jew, circumcision (a cutting off of the flesh, and symbolic of the separation of living according to the flesh ) only profits a Jew if they keep the law
- For what would the symbolic cutting off mean if this Jew were to simply follow the desires of the flesh by breaking the law. It’s like reattaching the cut away flesh.
[SUP]26 [/SUP]Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision?
- So if an uncircumcised man keeps the law, and by implication this means not living by the flesh and thus upholding the law, then this is the same as being counted as circumcised. This man has understood that the symbolic (physical circumcision) is not more important than the real circumcision of the heart. A separation. A Sanctification. Holiness.
[SUP]27 [/SUP]And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law?
- Hypocrisy will be judged.
28 [/SUP]For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; [SUP]29 [/SUP]but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.
- Those who live by the Spirit will inherit eternal life
- Those who live by the flesh (uncircumcised in heart) will not inherit eternal life.
Church – this is for all of us.
