Gospel for all

Introduction

Paul here turns his attention away from everyone like he has been talking about and to the Jews in particular. Remember Paul has just finished saying that because of the wrath of God people have been turned over to their own desires of the heart. Turned over to the way of the beast.

Romans 2:1-16

Romans 2:1–16 NIV

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism. All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.) This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

As Paul speaks he takes a moment to point out that though those who have been turned over to the way of the beast. We cannot judge them, because we to are as guilty of sins. We cannot Judge other.

Judge others this is a great word example of how we read the scripture and put our thoughts back on it an say that is what it means. We use this word very different than it is used here.

For us whenever we talk about judge we talk about making a ruling of is this right or wrong. You can even be called out for judging people if you tell someone “it sounds like you are having a bad day”. You are being judgmental. If you have a point of view, usually a critical as in to criticizes, then you are seen as being judging.

That is not what this word here means. Yes, Paul is offering a critical point of view, but he is not judging here. When Paul uses the word judgment it is as if you are making the final ruling in a trial. Here is what the guilty party (insentient until proven guilty new thing) did, what is going to happen to them because of it. That is Judgment. We have just seen the gentiles be turned over to the way of the beast, the temptation is to say they can’t, won’t accept the way of Christ and differently don’t deserve it. They are not going to Paradise. Or your going to hell. Or damn you.

But don’t judge them guilty because you to are guilty. Don’t turn your back on them, because you too, Jews (religious people, Church) are guilty to.

Paul will describe three ways in which God judges, for both the gentiles and the Jew, for both the human race and his chosen people.

He judges according to truth (2:2–4), works (2:5–11), and light received (2:12–16). Interesting enough as we are judged by these things only Jesus saves us. God does not play favorites with people. We could say God does not look at who is being measured, but how truth, works and light have been honored among his creation and judges accordingly or righteously.

Truth (2:2–4)

God is love, God is also truth not truthful but truth

John 14:6 CSB

Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

God being truth bases his judgment on truth, it would be hypocritical for anyone to think that God’s true judgment would apply partially than impartially. If God judges the Gentiles, he will also judge the Jews the same way. So as we may wonder why is God so tolerant with the non Christians, the truth is he is tolerant with us as well.

Works (2:5–11)

Psalm 62:12 CSB

and faithful love belongs to you, Lord. For you repay each according to his works.

God will judge based on what we have done. This is not a question of salvation. We must keep that in mind.

Ephesians 2:8–9 CSB

For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast.

Salvation is always by faith, not works. Paul is not contradicting himself. We are judged by what we do. those who bring honor are honored, those who bring shame are shamed.

Once again the focus is God does not Show favoritism.

Light

God will Judge according to the light a person has received. God’s righteousness will not allow him to hold anyone responsible for what they never possessed. Paul has already told us that every person possesses knowledge of God, “since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them” (1:19). Specifically, “his eternal power and divine nature” have been made known to every person, “so that men are without excuse” (1:20). Therefore, everyone will be held accountable for the knowledge of God that exists in the created world.

Paul began this section warning Jewish moralists not to view themselves as less likely to be judged than wicked Gentiles. Paul tells them now that a Gentile—a heathen barbarian who does not have the law, who has no personal relationship with God, who is ignorant of God’s statutes—could be judged less harshly than a Jew! The reason for this goes to the very heart of why the Jews were confused: they tended toward the view that judgment was on the basis of possession (of the law, of privilege, etc.), whereas God says that judgment is on the basis of practice—how faithful we are to what we possess.

A Jew (or any person) with great access to the word and will of God, but who practices none of it, will be held far more accountable than a Gentile (any person) who possesses a minimal amount of information about God but who practiced faithfully what he or she knew.

This was one of the new realities of the kingdom of God, of the mystery of the uniting of Jew and Gentile into one body, that the Jewish believers in Rome were going to have to get used to. God’s chosen people were no longer “chosen” to be treated differently than Gentiles.

Where do we fit in this story?

We are gentiles. Praise the Lord that the kingdom of God was not restricted to just Jews. Praise the Lord that we too can have the life of Christ in us.

But as we read this letter. We find ourselves, a thousand years later, to have more in common with the Jewish people in this story than the Gentiles. We the people of God, believers in Jesus Christ, find ourselves in the position that we are the moralizers, the ones who say look at them, aren’t you glad you aren’t them.

They should know better

Really, why should they know better? Christ said so, but they don’t know Christ. They know maybe your judgement, condemnation. But do they know Christ.

Why are we surprised when the world acts like the world.

Instead of Judging them and condemning them for acting like the way they are going to act.

What should we be doing?

Gospel For All

Instead of focusing on Judging and what they are doing wrong. We should be focusing on do they know who Jesus is and growing in his truth.

Do you know that: Estimates suggest that approximately 7,400 people groups are still considered unreached.

Even hear in the united states, growing up I always assumed that here of all places everyone had at least heard of him. I know that 63% of USA claim some form of Christianity. down from 77% in early 2000’s. But hear in the US everyone has heard. Until I was talking a student in my High School, lets call him Tim. Who began sitting with my group of friends because we shared food with him. I sat with the “Christians” not to say that we were the only Christians, just the most vocal.

Tim didn’t have a lot. But we shared what little we had, and we were safe, we were friendly and he found a place. Tim wasn’t a Christian. The moment I had an aha from Tim was when I was talking about Jesus and he worked up the courage to ask who is Jesus? I assumed everyone had heard, and if you weren’t part of the whatever then you had rejected him. You may not have behaved like a Christian but ....

Then I realized that not everyone has had that choice. He didn’t know.

Next steps

Stop Judging and Start Loving

Don’t condone to hell but lift up to heaven and show the Gospel

Gospel for all

Bibliography

Kenneth Boa and William Kruidenier, Romans, vol. 6, Holman New Testament Commentary (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2000).

https://joshuaproject.net/resources/articles/has_everyone_heard

https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2019/10/17/in-u-s-decline-of-christianity-continues-at-rapid-pace/