The Righteous Judgement of God

Romans Chapter 5: No Partiality (Romans 2:1–16)

There was a brilliant Christian apologist who argued so compellingly during debates with his opponents that he reduced them to ashes, and afterward, it was said, he would dust off the spot where his adversaries had stood. I could not help but think of that description as I prepared this study of Romans 2.

Paul has just finished giving an indictment on all people. How long can he torment us with the oppressive character of the law and of our sin before he gives us some relief? After Jonathan Edwards preached one of his stirring sermons on the judgment of God and the threat of eternal damnation in hell, one of the parishioners cried out, “But, Mr. Edwards, is there no mercy with God?” Edwards reminded the people that they had to wait till the following Sabbath before they got that part of the message. The same is true here as we come to Romans 2. If we hope to get that good news now, our hopes are in vain, because the apostle is not finished with the bad news yet. Before we get to the gospel, the good news of justification by faith alone, we must be brought kicking and screaming, if necessary, before the holy standard of God’s law so that we might be duly persuaded of our need for the gospel.

Man’s Judgement

Romans 2:1–3 ESV

Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 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?

Mankind fervently seeks to cast judgement on others.

If we examined ourselves, we would quickly see that we have a judgement problem.

Don’t fool yourselves, it’s not just the religious kids and adults in this room that have this problem, I can quite confidently say every person in this room judges others.

I can point to Genesis 3 where Adam and Eve ate of the tree of knowledge and brought sin to all of mankind, but...

I can just as easily look around the room and see real examples of how we have judged others.

The worst culprit in this room… is me.

I was raised to be very religious and upstanding.

I was catholic.

I believed my salvation was up to my actions.

My actions were held up to a high standard.

I didn’t cuss or use vulgar language.

I didn’t participate in inappropriate jokes.

I said yes ma’am and no sir.

I didn’t get in trouble at school.

Yet, I was always judgmental of others.

I was never verbal with my judgement, it all existed in my heart.

I looked at others sin, and always told myself, I’m so glad I’m not like them.

My heart always swelled with pride when coaches, teachers, or other adult figures in my life commented on how different I was from everybody else.

What’s the problem with this mind-frame??

When we pass judgement, we bring condemnation upon ourselves.

Some of us might look at the sins that we read about in Romans 1, and sigh in relief that the Bible isn’t talking about us.

We might say

"Look at those people who practice homosexuality. They're the ones who'll face God's wrath, not someone like me."

Maybe when you hear about murderers, you think, 'Surely they're too far gone. At least I'll have a place in heaven.'

"Envy? Well, I've seen some people full of it. Thank goodness I'm not that way; I'm surely on better terms with God."

Maybe it’s not even that obvious.

Perhaps, you pass judgement by comparing your faith to others

You do this by looking at others around you and telling yourself:

“I go to church more often than my other peers, I’m here every Wednesday and Sunday.”

“While some may not participate in singing, I've dedicated myself to leading in worship.”

“ I’m one of the few people who has commited to serving in the church, while everybody else just shows up.”

Yet, this passage clearly tells us that those who judge others will not escape the judgement of God.

Why? because it also tells us that we practice the very same things.

Our judgement of others is just a way for us to mask our own sins, so that we don’t don’t feel the guilt of those sins.

If we go back to Romans 1 we can clearly see ourselves

Maybe we haven’t worshipped idols, but instead we have worshipped sports.

Maybe we haven’t murdered, but instead we have gossiped.

Maybe we aren’t full of envy, but instead we have been disobedient to parents.

Maybe we haven’t practiced homosexuality, but instead we have have been boastful.

Our condemnation will not rest upon the list of sins we haven’t committed, but it will rest on the sins we have commited.

God’s Judgement

Romans 2:4–11 ESV

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? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.

God’s judgement is good.

We see that scripture reveals that when man judges it is wrong and sinful, so how can it be good that God judges?

We see a picture of how God’s judgement is good in Revelation 6 where the seven seals are being opened.

Revelation 6:9–12 ESV

When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the witness they had borne. They cried out with a loud voice, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before you will judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then they were each given a white robe and told to rest a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers should be complete, who were to be killed as they themselves had been. When he opened the sixth seal, I looked, and behold, there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black as sackcloth, the full moon became like blood,

The martyrs that had died for their faith could call upon God’s judgment because He is sovereign and His judgement is holy and true.

Our God is able to make things right, He will bring judgement upon all injustice.

God’s judgement is perfect.

We can trust that our God will never judge wrongly because He is omniscient, meaning He knows everything.

There is no wrong on this earth that He doesn’t know about.

He knows it all, and He will judge it all.

We may hear about conflicts and wars across the world and not know who is right and who is wrong.

We have heard about the the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

We may be confused because we have to get our knowledge of what is occuring from other sources

We may read articles that state that one side is right while another article defends the other side.

We may have seen images of children dead from both sides.

Yet, our God is not confused.

He know severy detail of what is occuring

He knows the decision of every politician made.

He knows the commands of every general.

He knows the action of every soldier

He intimately knows the heart of every person involved.

Because He knows, and because He is a just God, He will judge each person according to His works.

We don’t have to worry that justice will not be served.

God’s judgement is impartial.

At the end of this passage it says that “God shows no partiality” meaning that He will equally judge each person based upon their works.

God will not give favor to a person based upon who they are.

God will not excuse you because you are the pastors son.

God will not excuse you because you come from a long line of Christians

God will not unfairly judge you based upon who you are.

God will not treat you more harshly because you come from a family that doesn’t go to church.

God will not treat you more harshly because you come from a broken household.

God looks at each of our works the same.

Romans—Righteousness From Heaven The Perfection of God’s Judgment: Absolute Impartiality (vv. 5-11)

It is absolutely clear that God is perfectly impartial in his judgment. The word for “favoritism” suggests in its original form that he is not swayed by a person’s face. We may imagine there is something about us that will persuade God to make an exception—our intelligence, our position, our many acts of kindness—but apart from the blood of Christ, he will not be moved.

The basis of God’s judgment of us will be our works. This does not mean some will be saved by works. Rather, believers will give an account of their works, and nonbelievers will be judged according to their works. The standard of judgment for those with a religious heritage will be the same as those who have none: works. In an eternally real sense, unrepentant man is making deposits in a bank account from which he will one day collect to his unending woe. God cannot be fooled. He is absolutely impartial. Such defenses as “My mother sang in the choir,” “I’m a church member,” “My grandfather was a preacher” will never meet the righteous standards of a holy God.