Judged According To Light

APRIL 19, 2023 STUDY NOTES ROMANS 2:12-15 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES JUDGED ACCORDING TO LIGHT INTRODUCTION Romans 2:12-15 is a parenthetical passage concerning God’s judgment upon sinners Which we see by reading, Rom 2:12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; Then read, Rom 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. In between these verses Paul is not explaining the way of salvation, there is only one way, Act 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. Paul is explaining the must of salvation, which agrees with the words of Jesus, Joh 3:3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Joh 3:7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. Which is exactly what Paul is telling us in Romans 2:12-15, “you must be saved” All Jews must be saved, all Gentiles must be saved, or they cannot enter the kingdom of God The first part of Romans 2:12 refers to the Gentiles who do not have the Law The second part of the verse refers to the Jews who have the Law Verse 13 refers to the Jews, Rom 2:13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. Verses 14 & 15 refers to the Gentiles, Rom 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Rom 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) Paul answers many age-old questions in this passage, questions that are still being asked today What about those who have never heard of Jesus Christ? What about those who lived before Jesus came to the earth and died on the cross? Will they be forgiven of their sins and go to Heaven when they die? Many throughout the world today have never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ Many in America have never heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ Regardless of when and where they lived, all sinners are still lost and condemned without Christ Regardless of when and where they lived, they will be judged by God according to the light given The future judgment of the lost and saved is a very important subject found within scripture Paul now tells us that both saved and lost will be judged according to what they know They will also be judged according to their opportunities to learn and know about God Paul said that judgment would be according to truth, Rom 2:2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. God’s judgment will be based upon truth and God knows the truth of every person Judgment will be according to works, Rom 2:6 Who will render to every man according to his deeds: People will be judged according to the life that they lived upon the earth Now Paul tells us that judgment will be “According to Light” which all have received Paul is not telling us that according to your light, the thinking that your life is alright Because you think your life is right does not mean it will be alright with God Page 1 of 5 Man is not saved because he does what he thinks is right Man is not lost because he does what he knows is wrong Man with all of his personal thoughts, decisions, and deeds stands guilty before God The day is coming when God will judge the secrets of men according to the Gospel, Rom 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. Scripture presents a great contrast between the Law of Moses and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Joh 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. The Law was given to reveal man’s sinful condition before God and the need of God’s grace Jesus was given to save man from his sinful condition and allow him to come before God Paul explains to us---THE LIGHT OF THE LAW Rom 2:12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law; “For as many as” leaves no one out, presenting all Jews and Gentiles without exception Which explains the previous verse, Rom 2:11 For there is no respect of persons with God. Those who have sinned without law are the Gentiles The Law was given by God to Moses to be given to God’s chosen people Israel, the Jews Gentiles stand guilty before God because of their sin without the written law of Moses God will judge Gentiles according to their knowledge of Him, the light they have received Paul is going to explain the light Gentiles have received and why they perish without law Even though they do not have the Mosaic Law, there is a God-given law written within them Which tells sinful man that he needs a way of salvation, he needs the forgiveness of sins Without salvation sinful man will perish, which does not mean ceasing to exist To perish is not the loss of being, it is the eternal loss of well-being To perish is to experience an earthly life of uselessness and an eternal life of torment “Perish” describes the future state of those who have rejected God’s “Light” To perish is a person’s destiny in contrast to receiving eternal life, Joh 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. Gentiles are not exempt from God’s judgment of lost sinful man But the Law of Moses will not be used as a standard of judgment against them Sinful man was sentenced to perish before there was a written law Gentiles will be judged according to their knowledge of God without the Law They will be judged even though they did not know of God’s Law that He gave to the Jews Paul will later explain how Gentiles will be judged without regard to the Law “And as many as have sinned in the law” refers to the Jews who sin knowing the Law Jews had the light of the law, and they will be judged according to their rejection of the Law The Jews were taught the law, under the law, subject to the law, and influenced by the law Scripture reveals how often and how much light God had given the nation of Israel Scripture reveals how often and how much light from God that Israel rejected Therefore, Israel “shall be judged by the law,” which will be a perfect and righteous judgment With God there is no respect of persons, the judgment of God will be in truth God’s judgment will be according to the light they received and the light they rejected God’s impartial and just judgment identifies with the truth of the degree of punishment The greater the light received and rejected the greater the future condemnation (Matt. 11:20-24) The Jews received light from God, the Gentiles have received light from God God’s judgment will be according to the light received for both Jew and Gentile They will not be judged according to light they did not have from God Paul shows us that there is a light for all, all have received light from God All will be judged according to the light given to all from God DOERS OF THE LAW--Rom 2:13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the Page 2 of 5 doers of the law shall be justified. “For” introduces the proof of the previous statement in Romans 2:12 A man is not just before God just because he hears the Law or the Word of God Jews regularly heard the Law as they faithfully attended the synagogues The reading of the Law was a part of every synagogue service for the Jews As a Jew they were instructed and educated in the Law Which is why they will be judged by the Law James covers the same point of “hearers” in, Jas 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. James says that we must become “doers of the Word,” the Jews were to be “doers of the Law” “Hearers” are those who are just listening, not agreeing, not learning, not obeying They are not listening in order to put what they have heard into practice The hearing is not the end of the road, it is the beginning of the journey The purpose of God’s Word is more than listening and learning, it is living what you have heard “Hearers only” can be those who hear on Sunday but don’t live it on Monday “Hearers only” are guilty of deceiving their own selves, they lead self-astray When it is the truth of God’s Word it is not what you hear that is deceiving If you believe that all you have-to do is listen to the Bible, then you are deceived “Hearers only” are not “just” before God, they do not stand in a right relationship with God “But the doers of the law shall be justified,” true if it was possible for sinners to do Paul is not teaching salvation by works, he is teaching that salvation by works is impossible Paul is sharing with us the truth and the must of salvation through Jesus, Eph 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. Justification before God is not accomplished by man, it is an act of God’s grace, Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. It is impossible for lost man to be saved and have sins forgiven through the keeping of the Law, Rom 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Gal 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. Jesus would not have died on the cross if sinners could be saved by obedience to the Law, Gal 2:21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. The Law demands obedience which sinful man cannot accomplish, but Jesus did, 1Pe 3:18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: The righteous “One” took upon himself the sins of an unrighteous world The righteous “One” died for all-of the unrighteous ones The cross of Jesus was the only way possible for sinners to be “justified” before God Man cannot stand before God on the basis of a moral nature Rom 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Even though Gentiles did not receive the Law in the same manner as the Jews They have a law by which they will be judged, it is a law written within their heart If Jews could be saved and made right by having, hearing, and obeying a written law Then Gentiles could stand right before God by living according to their moral law Page 3 of 5 Many do their best to do right at all times, but there are times that even the best is not right Just like Jews, all Gentiles at all times do not do what is right But it is possible for some Gentiles some of the time to do what is right according to law Even though Gentiles did not possess God’s written code, they could “do by nature” There is a code of ethics that has been handed down from one generation to another “The things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves” So even Gentiles could observe that which was written in the law by their very nature They would be known as moral Gentiles, just as we talk of moral people today Because of a moral nature they could obey things in the law without being under the law Paul does not say that there is a law within the Gentile that is equal to God’s written law Twice in this verse Paul says that the Gentiles do not have the law But the Gentiles do have a sense of right and wrong which is God working in them It has always been God’s Spirit in man that reveals sin and wrong unto them Knowing that a person is wrong within leads them to seek that which is right They understand enough about life to recognize some things that are in the Law There is something within a person that tries to direct them in doing the right thing Which is a WITNESS OF THE CONSCIENCE--Rom 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) “Which” continues the thought of the previous verse From their heart they are actually doing the same thing that the law requires the Jews to do They do it because of some law that is “written in their hearts” Which refers to a God implanted knowledge of right and wrong found within the heart Which Paul identifies as “their conscience also bearing witness” They have a deep-seated conviction of that which is right and wrong Even Gentiles who do not have the written revelation of the law have a conscience The conscience is like a watchdog guarding the premises: He barks when something that doesn’t belong on the premises approaches Or he wags his tail when someone who belongs on the premises approaches The conscience can give the assurance of that which is done right The conscience will prick the heart and cause guilt when wrong is done The conscience is a sense of sin and a fear of the price that will be paid The Bible does not present the conscience as the correct guide of life The conscience does not always identify or instruct us in the will of God The old saying, “let your conscience be your guide” is not an accurate statement What is offensive to one person may not be offensive to another person Yet we are not to ignore the conscience, the conscience can evaluate our actions Our guide for life is to be the written Word of God revealed to us by the Holy Spirit Our conscience will testify to our sincerity for Christ, 2Co 1:12 For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward. Paul wanted a clear conscience before God and man, Act 24:16 And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men. Paul’s life allowed him to live with a clear conscience, Act 23:1 And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day. All Christians should have a clear conscience, 1Pe 3:16 Having a good conscience; that, whereas Page 4 of 5 they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. Christians must pray to have a good conscience, Heb 13:18 Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly. “A good conscience” is the persuasion that life is right with God The prayer was that others would be persuaded that he was right with God He was praying for a good testimony before others He knew that you could not hide an evil conscience behind good deeds The ability to perform good works can only come from a cleansed conscience, Heb 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Paul has explained that Jew and Gentile have a law by which they will be judged Judged by God who has revealed His existence in many ways unto man The judgment of God will be a just judgment for all, for Jew and Gentile According to God’s revelation that they have received or rejected The saved will stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ, 2Co 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. The lost will stand before the Great White Throne Judgment, Rev 20:11 And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. Rev 20:12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. 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