How Dare You Judge
Romans • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Last week we looked at the depravity of man.
Today, hold on tight. You may feel like a punching bag after this, but you we will see by the end, Paul is making his case of what he says in Romans 1:16
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
1 Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.
2 And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things.
3 But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?
4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?
5 But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
6 who will render to each person according to his deeds:
7 to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life;
8 but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.
It is always important that we take this in the context of which it was written.
Last week we ended on quite a somber realization of the world we live in.
If the righteousness of God is from faith to faith, then unrighteousness is summed up in unbelief
We see in ch.1:18-32 the progression of unbelief, which leads to:
Suppression of truth in unrighteousness
They don’t honor God, so He gave them over in the lusts of their heart
Then God gave them over to degrading passions
Then they did not see fit to even acknowledge God anymore, so God gave them over to a depraved mind. Then they were filled with
Unrighteousness
Wickedness
Greed
Evil
Filled with envy
Murder
Strife
Deceit
Malice
Gossiping
Slanderers
Haters of God
Insolent
Arrogant
Boastful
Inventors of evil
Disobedient to parents
Without understanding
Untrustworthy
Unloving
Unmerciful
All because they chose not to believe God
Paul was talking about people who have become depraved. But now he gets personal… he says “YOU have no excuse.”
That means he is talking to the church here in Rome
You have no excuse. We often like to look at the entirety of ch.1 as an insight into our culture and our world, which it is, and Paul knew that, but that is why he is now pointing the finger more directly.
Why?
Because the tendency we have is to view this as a moral issue, but Paul isn’t teaching us morality, he is teaching us theology.
That means today, we aren’t learning about judging others, we are learning why even today, as believers, some of us for over 30 years plus, still need the gospel in our lives… why we need to hold onto the truth of Jesus Christ even more diligently.
Romans 2 (NASB95)
1 Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.
The Roman church is NOT being called out for judging, what they are being called out for is that they are hypocrites!! Why?
You do the same!!
This is a hard pill to swallow. Why? Because he is also talking to us.
The question is, do we really do the same thing?
Paul says in Colossians 3:5-11
5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
6 For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience,
7 and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.
8 But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.
9 Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices,
10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him—
11 a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.
So if that is the reality we live in, putting off the old self and putting on the new, leaving those things behind, what is Paul talking about?
Here is what I see:
we saw how the righteous shall live by faith, so righteousness equals faith, and that would mean that unrighteousness would equal unbelief.
Here is what Paul is saying… You judge them for their unbelief, when you yourselves practice unbelief as well.
Here lies the problem, that you haven’t believed God. Just like those in the world, you have done things the way that you always have. You call upon the name of the Lord, but you live your life as if Christ has no power or authority in your life.
This is the warning we get from Hebrews 3:12
12 Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God.
This happens in life all the time, and we think little of it.
When Paul tells us to pray without ceasing, we usually run the other way. We fill stadiums full of people for conferences and worship experiences, but when we get together to pray, people are all of a sudden too busy, or even worse, they say “That’s not my thing.”
We will spend hours at the gym, thousands on diets, and are rigid with our routine for health, but we take 2 minutes to read our Bible if at all. Paul tells Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:6-8
6 In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.
7 But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness;
8 for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
We pursue these diets and exercise more diligently than being nourished by the Word.
We are told in James 5:14-15
14 Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;
15 and the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him.
But instead, we do what King Asa did in 2 Chronicles 16:12
12 In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa became diseased in his feet. His disease was severe, yet even in his disease he did not seek the Lord, but the physicians.
Don’t misunderstand, God isn’t telling us not to see the doctor, because God works through them. But when we put our faith and trust in them, in medicine, in created things, then it goes right back to Romans 1:25
25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.
The thing is, we all suffer from this evil, unbelieving heart. We judge the world and those who are so corrupt and evil, all while we do the same things they do… Not believing God.
Then he goes on and look what he says next:
2 And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things.
The first man to ever experience this reality was cain. Remember what we read in Genesis 4:6-7
6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
7 “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”
Cain didn’t believe God, he thought he knew better, and ended up killing his brother. And we know that the judgement of God rightfully fell on him.
3 But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?
Do you think we will escape?
The thing is, YOUR sin looks way worse when it is on somebody else, but when it is on us, we want mercy and forgiveness. When it is on someone else, we want judgement and correction.
But Paul is saying, don’t think you will escape the judgement, you too will be judged for these things.
4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?
It wasn’t God looking down on us in shame that brought repentance. It was His kindness, it was His grace.
We see this very heart that God has in John 3:16
16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.
That is His kindness, that is His love.
Even David recognized the goodness of God, when he took the census of Israel out of disobedience, the Lord gave him the option of famine, run from his enemies, or be struck by the Lord. David said in 2 Samuel 24:14
14 Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us now fall into the hand of the Lord for His mercies are great, but do not let me fall into the hand of man.”
Us men can be so harsh and brutal to one another, but that is not a reflection on who God is. That is a misrepresentation of Him, for it is His kindness that leads us to repentance.
5 But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
Its as if Paul truly knows us, because he says because of your stubbornness.
This is too close to home. I know I am stubborn, but I hate it when people call me out for it. But look where our stubborn heart leads us, to an unrepentant heart.
James has the cure for this. We read in James 5:16
16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
But we are too stubborn to even do that, and we become unrepentive. The fact is, you aren’t as good as you think you are and you are too stubborn to admit it.
6 who will render to each person according to his deeds:
7 to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life;
This is faith. Hebrews 11:6
6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
Those who seek Him, He rewards.
8 but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.
Those who just are concerned with themselves, and their desires. Paul will later say about them in Romans 16:18
18 For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting.
9 There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek,
10 but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
11 For there is no partiality with God.
If you do well, you will reap good. If you do bad, you will be distressed.
You ever notice how those who are promoting evil and godlessness are the most disturbed people? You ever wonder why the people who preach tolerance become irate when you have a different view? Because when you do evil, its distressing to you.
And God isn’t partial, this is true for the Jews as well as the Gentiles.
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;
With or without the law, you are without an excuse.
You can’t say, “I didn’t know,” nor can you say “But I know the law,” for we will all be judged.
13 for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.
We know this also from James. He tells us in James 1:22-24
But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;
for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.
It isn’t just good enough to know, we must be doers of the Word, or, obedient to God and the
14 For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves,
15 in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them,
16 on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.
The law, being written on men’s hearts!!!
Not only is the existence of God made evident to us, but His law is written on our hearts.
How can people, who don’t know the Lord, instinctively know what is right and wrong? Because God has written it on their hearts.
When people say that murder is wrong, they are admitting to knowing the law of God.
When people condemn a cheating partner, they are agreeing with the law of God.
When a person is robbed, they know that they have been wronged because God’s law is written on their hearts.
These aren’t just simply social constructs that were created for law and order, this is the law of God being displayed through people instinctively.
Therefore, their conscience will bear witness of them. They will either know that they misbehaved or they will think that their works were good enough. But we know already what God says about that. We read in Isaiah 64:6-7
6 For all of us have become like one who is unclean, And all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.
7 There is no one who calls on Your name, Who arouses himself to take hold of You; For You have hidden Your face from us And have delivered us into the power of our iniquities.
This is what men will be judged by, the fact that they already knew, but either they ignored God’s law or they were never able to live up to the standard anyway.
17 But if you bear the name “Jew” and rely upon the Law and boast in God,
18 and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law,
19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness,
20 a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth,
This is what God wanted for His people, to be a light.
God speaks again to His people, the Jews in Isaiah 42:6-7
6 “I am the Lord, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations,
7 To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who dwell in darkness from the prison.
This is God’s heart for His people, to be that light. And this didn’t end with Jesus, because even Jesus says in Matthew 5:14-16
14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;
15 nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.
16 “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
God’s people have always meant to be a light to the world, and here Paul is using this to describe every last one of us. Not only people who don’t have the law, but people who do and have followed it.
21 you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal?
22 You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?
23 You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?
24 For “the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” just as it is written.
One of the most common excuses for people to not come to church… because there are too many hypocrites.
And unfortunately, it is true. And because of that, the name of God is blasphemed, just as it was with the Jews.
This is a horrible reality that all of us have to deal with.
How do we dishonor God?
Maybe you aren’t stealing, maybe you aren’t committing adultery, but when you are so proud of being a Christian, talking about how God provides, what do you think you are doing when you complain about your finances?
You are now telling the world that God, in fact, does not provide for you. You say he does, but your complaining tells people otherwise. People now look at God and say, “Look, He can’t even provide for His own.” God is blasphemed because of you.
We tell the world that God is Love, yet, we complain about the people we go to church with.
You are telling the world that the love of God is superficial and not real. God is blasphemed because of you.
When we cry out to our government to put prayer back in school, yet we don’t even pray at our churches, the World sees that and God is blasphemed because of you.
I don’t want us to miss what Paul is saying here. Paul is talking about the Jews here and not trying to put the law under a good light. Paul will explain later in Galatians 3:10-12
10 For as many as are of the works of the Law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, to perform them.”
11 Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, “The righteous man shall live by faith.”
12 However, the Law is not of faith; on the contrary, “He who practices them shall live by them.”
Those trying to live by the works of the law are under a curse. Why? Because they cannot abide by the whole thing. Look at this next part that he is saying:
25 For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.
26 So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?
27 And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law?
We know circumcision was a big issue to the Jews, but Paul is saying it is worthless if you don’t keep the requirements of the law.
What are the requirements of the law? Jesus says in Matthew 22:37-40
37 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.’
38 “This is the great and foremost commandment.
39 “The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
40 “On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
To love the Lord, first and foremost, then to love others. This is what the whole law and prophets hang on, not on circumcision nor the Sabbath nor any other works of the law. Those things mean nothing, if you do not fulfill this requirement.
28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.
29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.
Your outward displays are of no value if you don’t actually obey what the Lord says.
We will see this more later on, but it is not man we are trying to please, it is God.
Don’t forget why Paul is taking us through these things. He is trying to show us, that no matter who we are, where we are from, what we know, how well we have done, we are still in desperate need of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
We see here that the greatest thing that we need in our lives does not come from the works of the Law, but from the Spirit.
So many people try to find change and transformation in their lives by following the law, by doing an outward ritual that will bring inner change. But that is not how it works. Paul says here that it is from the Spirit, not the letter. This is explained best in Ezekiel 36:26-27
26 “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
27 “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.
This circumcision of the heart, it comes from Him, not us. It comes from the Spirit, not the letter of the law. As Paul would say in 2 Corinthians 3:5-6
2 Corinthians 3:5–6 (NASB95)
5 … but our adequacy is from God, 6 who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
The letter kills, but the Spirit gives life!!!
This can be hard and difficult to understand because we often want to know what WE have to do.
But to me it is clear… to simply believe. Believe in the work of Jesus Christ. Believe in the work of the Holy Spirit. Believe God when he says what the best thing is for you. Believe Him. Trust Him. Not turning to your own understanding, not turning to the World and what they say, but to Him.
Where people stumble is how this is put into practice.
But you see, this Bible, it isn’t a rule book. It is a book that contains God’s revelation to us. We read Hebrews 4:12
12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
That Word is living because the Spirit of God. When we seek Him, we will hear from Him from His word. It isn’t the letter that saves us, it is His Spirit. It isn’t the letter of the law that will remove the stone from our hearts, it is His Spirit, often times, through His word to bring about a radical change in our lives. We just have to believe Him, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Next week, we will see that Paul reaffirms this stance, whether Jew or Greek, we are still in need of the Gospel.
