God's Impartial Judgement

Intro

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Today’s message will be back in Romans. It will be Romans 2:12-29. Before I reread the passage, I would like to speak about what is happening in this part of Scripture. Doing so helps us to get a better idea of what the text means. Before I do that, I will explain why knowing is essential. There was a Presbyterian preacher named R.C. Sproul, who recently went to be with the Lord, and he was a relatively well-known theologian and former seminary professor. He also did his sermons without notes. Recently, I listened to a former ministry partner of R.C. explain that he would prepare his sermons by finding and telling the story within the text. Knowing the story helps us understand and remember the text better. A story is easier to remember than memorizing events. That is why reading a book is more accessible than studying for a history exam.

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The story of the Book of Romans is that Paul is writing a letter to the church in Rome. I would highly suggest reading the book of Romans in one sitting. It is a letter, and you tend to read letters all at once, not bit by bit.

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Moving on, why was Paul writing the letter? We see in the first chapter that he is writing to encourage them and to let them know that he has been attempting to visit, but this doesn’t seem to be all. This is the longest epistle from Paul in the Bible. Why? In 1:16, there appears to be a hint that Paul is seeking to remind the Jews that the Gospel is for both Jews and Gentiles. The first four chapters address this distinction. But with that comes a lot of questions. Do the Gentiles need to be circumcised? Are they children of Abraham? What was the point of the traditions of the Old Covenant? Are Jews judged differently than Gentiles? This passage shows that in the new covenant, we are all equal in Christ and equal apart from Him. Equal in Christ and equal apart from Him. Now let us reread the passage with this story in mind: Romans 2:12–29

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Romans 2:12–29

ESV

For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law. For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

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This is the Word of God.

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As we go through the meaning of the text, I want us to get three points in our minds to remind us of our equality under God’s impartial judgment. These points are:

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Equally Judged

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Equally Hypocritical

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Equally Redeemed

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Equally Judged

Equally Hypocritical

Equally Redeemed

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Equally Judged

Romans 2:12 “For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.”

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You’ll notice here that the verse starts with the preposition “for,” except for those of you who use the NIV. The Greek has the preposition, but NIV is one of the few versions that doesn’t. However, if your NIV uses headings, they will combine this verse through 16 with the first part of chapter 2. Why does this matter? To understand this verse, we must put it in context with the previous verse beforehand, and even that verse begins with the same preposition, so we will begin in the sentence before that, starting in verse 9. Romans 2:9–12 “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. For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.”

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The context given here shows that God does not put up with evil. When your life comes to an end, your works will be judged. It doesn’t matter if you have the law and were taught the law or if you were a gentile who did not have the law. We see in chapter 1 of Romans in verse 20 that the natural revelation of God and how His work on creation is evident of a Creator. Functionally, there are no Atheists, just deniers. Some do want to know that Christianity is a reasonable faith, but many state that it doesn’t matter if God is real if He disagrees with me. I’ve heard men who say, “If God wrote in the sky “I am God, repent and believe,” I would think it is Aliens trying to deceive me.” I have heard a woman say, “If the God of heaven came down, I would not worship Him, for He is not worthy of my worship.” For many, it isn’t about evidence; it is simply rebellion.

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But before we get on our high horse and say like the Pharisees, “God, thank you, I’m not a sinner like them,” we must look at the text closer. “All who have sinned” is used for both those with and without the law as those who will perish. Who has sinned? More accurately, who has not sinned? We are as much in danger of perishing in eternal damnation as those who deny God’s existence. For if we say we believe, but we live as though we functionally as Atheists, that God has no power in our lives, what is the difference?

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Verse 13: “For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.”

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What is the law? The ten commandments would be the moral law, and Jesus sums it up with the two greatest commandments in Matthew 22:36–40 don’t need to turn there, I’ll be quick, write it down to read it later, Matthew 22:36-40 ““Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.””

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Love God and love people.

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I wouldn't say I like this simplified version of that verse. Why? It gives a false equivalency. It makes it seem that you can love people, and it is equal to loving God, but the text calls you to love God with all you are: soul, heart, and mind. Some versions even add the word strength for extra emphasis. If we love ourselves like that, which is what the second commandment in the text says, “to love your neighbor as yourself,” we’d be insufferable narcissists! Am I saying that we shouldn’t love people? Of course not, but we need to love God in such a way that our love for others should look like hate in comparison. Even how we love others should be through the lens of loving God, and we can only do that through the Spirit’s work on our lives in sanctification and regeneration. If you want a simplified version, I recommend “Love God with everything you have and love people as you love yourself.”

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In verse 14, we see that the Gentiles can be justified by doing the works of the law. Does this mean that people who have never heard the gospel can live a moral life and be justified? No, that’s not what the text means. We just reviewed the greatest commandment to love God with everything you have. How can you love someone you don’t know with everything you have? Remember, this letter is written to a church or a body of at least mostly, if not entirely, believing people. This is talking to those like the Eunuch in Acts where he was not given the law, but he came to believe by Phillip’s explanation and the power of God. They do not have the law, but by the new nature that God has given them, through the Spirit of God, they become a law to themselves. Verse 15 shows that the law is written on their hearts, pointing back to the promises made in Jeremiah 31:33, which points to the new covenant where the law of God will be written on our hearts. We now can have the law of God within us to guide our actions through Christ's atoning sacrifice, through the work of the Holy Spirit, sent by the Father through the Son, and given to us.

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A quick note: the word conscience here is not how the Stoics would describe it. They would say that our conscience is the voice of God, but a biblical view is that our conscience is a mental compass that guides us to what is right and wrong. If you have a compass alone, you might get to where you need to if it is calibrated correctly. However, it is usually better to have a map to make sure your compass is on the mark. Your conscience is a tool that needs to be checked and calibrated by the map of God’s Word. You can accuse yourself of something not against God’s desire and excuse things God would not permit. Christ Jesus will judge all of these accusations and excuses.

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We need to remember that Jesus, while exceptional in who He is and what He has done, according to the law, is not exceptional. Jesus is the standard of the law. Jesus did not surpass the law but fulfilled the law. We fall short of that infinitely high bar. Jesus did this to save us from ourselves because He knows how short we fall. He did this because we are so unbelievably wretched that there was no way we could save ourselves and that if we submit our lives to Him, repent, and believe, we will be saved on that day of judgment. This is the gospel of Christ that Paul holds to and that we are called to hold to.

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Equally Hypocritical

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Romans 2:17-21a “But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God and know his will and approve what is excellent, because you are instructed from the law; and if you are sure that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of children, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself?”

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This reading starts with another conjunction, connecting it back to the judgment on the day of Christ Jesus, but instead of using for, which connects similar ideas, Paul uses the word “but.” This is to show contrast or “strikingly different” than the previous thought. This indicates that you cannot trust in Jesus’s finished work on the cross and trust in your works against the law. It is as if the text is saying, “If you think you’ve got it all together, do you practice what you preach?” Remember, these are the people who the Pharisees taught. These teachers said, “You know what the ten commandments weren’t enough. We have to create hundreds of more laws to ensure you don’t even come close to breaking the commandments, even when these new laws contradict the commandments in the Old Testament.” The text calls out specific teachings that the Pharisees were teaching. Their strict adherence to tithing laws ate up widows’ houses and homes. They had low views of marriage and adultery according to Christ, who stated that looking at a woman with lust is adultery in the heart, and finally called out those who hold back their sacrifices or offerings for material gain. Don’t misunderstand; these laws are so that you can give faithfully unto God, but you should give with a cheerful heart, not out of obligation. Though it may start from obligation and obedience, you should give because you love the Lord and trust Him with your provision, but not to the point that you will have trouble fulfilling your commitments.

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Old habits and traditions die hard, but we aren't so different in the modern era. I think about the stories of the Old Testament, such as the Exodus, where after all the plagues against Egypt, after all the miracles performed for the Hebrew's provision, they got to the Promised Land, and only two people believed that God would give them that land! They even complained during the trip that they were better off in Egypt! But aren’t we the same? We go to church and maybe even pray to God and say, “Jesus is Lord,” but we have a terrible day at work, someone cuts us off in traffic, or somebody wrongs us how quickly our lips betray us. How quickly do our minds wish evil things on those people? We are quick to gossip, curse, and slander those who wronged us. This was not the cry of our Lord.

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In the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18, the servant owed his master 10,000 talents, which about each talent was about 600 days' wages or almost two years of wages. The servant owed the king more than he could ever earn in his lifetime, and after being forgiven by the king, he could not forgive someone who owed him three months of wages. Three months of wages is no small thing, but compared to what he was forgiven, it is so miniscule. I see men forgive their daughter’s murderers. Did they deserve it? No, but neither do you or I deserve Christ’s forgiveness. Please do not hear what I’m not saying. We are not to justify their actions or prevent justice using our governing authorities, but we are to pray that they would repent and believe because we are just as undeserving as they are.

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The Jews here are like us, who have been raised in the church. We can think we are saved by our traditions, attendance, and lack of participation in worldly things, but we are wrong. We are saved by Christ alone. We are to do the works that He has commanded us for His glory, not our own. If we trust in our works, we will be judged by the law on judgment day. Our works are dirty rags that can make nothing clean, but if anything, we make dirty the things we try to clean because of our selfish intentions. If we boast in our works, we bring shame to the name of the Lord, for who gave us the ability to do the works of our hands? “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

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The world will hate us because we are of Christ, and we may be hypocrites because we seek to live the life Jesus lived and fall short; however, are we truly seeking God? Are we truly living for Him, or do we use His name to glorify ourselves and even excuse ourselves of our sins? We will struggle against sin but cannot stop fighting against it. If we live with sin with ease, then we show that we are not of God because those who are with Him cannot live peacefully with sin. But if we see the fruits of the Spirit, if we are enjoying God’s Word more and more, if we see that sin is becoming more distant from us, then we can know that God is working within us.

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Equally Redeemed

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Romans 2:25–29

ESV

For circumcision indeed is of value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision becomes uncircumcision. So, if a man who is uncircumcised keeps the precepts of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? Then he who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the law will condemn you who have the written code and circumcision but break the law. For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God.

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Circumcision was an outward reflection of being part of the people of God. It was done on the eighth day to show that they were part of the covenant of Abraham. This was a symbol of what was to come. Circumcision for Abraham was an outward reflection of an inward change, similar to baptism. Abraham trusted God, and by faith, he was circumcised. What Paul is saying here is, what good is circumcision if you don’t seek to do what God says? If you are circumcised but don’t do what God says, what kind of faith is that? As the book of James tells us, “Faith without works is dead,” as in it cannot save you. Circumcision, like baptism, is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. What does this mean? Circumcision is not a command, but it is to point us to God.

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Our works do not redeem us, but God will work in us to create a heart that produces works.

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It is not by our effort that we will make it into heaven but by the finished work of Christ on the cross in our place.

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It is God’s work to change our will to match His. In his first letter to the Corinthian church, Paul follows up with, after talking about working harder than any other apostle, “Yet not I, but Christ in me.”

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Traditions, church attendance, and Bible reading do not save; it is only the work of God through repentance and faith that you will be saved. These things are meant to spur us on in the love of Christ, for He loves us more deeply than we could know. God's judgment, like His kindness, is to bring us to repentance.

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We in America need to remember that we hold a faith that is both radically inclusive and radically exclusive. It is radically inclusive in the fact that it doesn’t matter where you came from, it doesn’t matter about what you did, it doesn’t matter your status or birth, if you acknowledge that you fall short, you repent, and give your life to Christ you will be saved. Still, it is radically exclusive because that is the only way to be saved, not of your works, but of the finished work of Christ.

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Let us pray.