God’s Just Judgment
Notes
Transcript
PRAY
INTRO: [image and explanation of the scales of justice, & of Lady Justice] Have you seen this symbol of our justice system, the scales of justice representing a fair weighing of evidence, and lady justice representing impartiality?
Note: The scales of justice are not weighing good verses bad, but evidence presented to prove the case, from both sides, before a decision is made. Lady justice wears a blindfold to represent impartiality, that justice is not pre-judging before evidence is presented. She also bears a sword, representing authority and power to enforce the law, according to justice.
And in this version, which I particularly like, she stands on a book, which is not just any law but the Bible, that codifies the standard God has revealed about right and wrong.
Today in our study of Romans Paul emphasizes a couple of key points about God’s judgment being truly just.
In the first five verses of chapter 2, Paul began a warning to the self-righteous, who sit in judgment over the Gentile pagans for the sinful degradation of chapter 1, verses 24-32. Rather than just leaving it at the obvious, that such pagan idolatry is rightly judged by God, Paul continues in order that the self-righteous don’t think that they can escape God’s perfect justice.
1 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.
Although the one judging others may sin in more subtle ways, his judgment of others is only self-condemnation because God justly judges all sinners.
2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things.
So Paul’s warning is that any ongoing lack of repentance for our own sin is storing up wrath for judgment day.
5 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.
Paul now continues in the middle section of chapter 2, our emphasis for today, departing from the singular “you” he began with, but to which he will return at Romans 2:17, where he says, “But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God….” (He’s getting everyone to this place: If you think you are not under God’s just judgment, you are not understanding the perfect and impartial justice of God.)
So these verses 6-16 insert an explanation of God’s perfect justice and impartial judgment. My summary of this middle explanation is the following:
The self-righteous are warned that God’s justice is perfect and his judgment impartial, according to the truth of our works, whether Jew or Greek, and according to the revelation we have, whether the Mosaic law or only natural law.
The self-righteous are warned that God’s justice is perfect and his judgment impartial, according to the truth of our works, whether Jew or Greek, and according to the revelation we have, whether the Mosaic law or only natural law.
God judges people by the truth of their works, whether Jew or Greek. And God’s impartiality in judging is further explained by judging people justly according to the revelation they have received, whether they have the Mosaic law or only natural law. [or general revelation]
First, verses 6-11 emphasize both God’s perfect justice and his impartiality in judgment, according to our works, whether Jew or Greek.
6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality.
God judges justly and impartially according to works. (vv. 6-11)
God judges justly and impartially according to works. (vv. 6-11)
Let me say at the outset of these verses that since the reward for patience or persistence in well-doing (literally “good work”) is eternal life (the eschatological fulfillment of spiritual life with God), it can be argued (by some who still agree with us that Paul teaches justification by faith alone, based on the work of Christ alone) that here Paul speaks of those who live by faith in God (Rom 1:17 he quoted that “the righteous shall live by faith”). The one who lives by faith, their good works are evidence—the outworking—of their faith in God. This is a plausible explanation because it can be understood as also consistent with later parts of Paul’s argument, that their lives are patterned from a justification that is by faith. The idea in v. 7 (as well as v. 10) would then be that glory and honor and peace (immortality, v. 7) are indeed the reward of those who do good, a goodness that results from their faith in God.
- What would be inconsistent with Paul’s teaching in Romans and the Bible overall is that any man can truly merit justification by his works. What we merit is judgment (understood as condemnation when we use it this way, Ro 2:2-3). Again, what Paul is leading to is Romans 3:10–11 “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.”
So Paul’s whole point is that meriting eternal life by works is impossible, even good works according to the law. The way he presents this is such that Jews in particular will understand, Romans 3:20 “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.” Paul’s argument in Romans is specifically that we need the righteousness of God in order to be justified (declared righteous), a righteousness which God has now manifested apart from the law, a righteousness that is through faith in the work of Christ Jesus, leading to our justification (being declared righteous) by God’s grace as a gift…
22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Since that is the point to which Paul is heading, then he can’t be arguing that anyone will earn justification for salvation based on their good deeds. But as we said, one might still argue for these ones in 2:7&10 being believers whom God has justified by faith.
But what I think is most likely that Paul is doing back here in 2:6-11, based on his overall argument of justification by faith in the work of Christ, and especially based on the immediate context in vv. 1-5, is that Paul is confirming the principle that God will judge justly, that his justice is perfect.
The principle of God’s righteous judgment according to works: God will render justly and impartially according to one’s works, good or evil, whether Jew or Greek.
The principle of God’s righteous judgment according to works: God will render justly and impartially according to one’s works, good or evil, whether Jew or Greek.
That does not mean that we will live up to it; in fact, we are proving that we do not.
Let me draw our attention once more to the way that verse 6 follows verse 5, which states, (Romans 2:5) “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.” As I said, I therefore understand verses 6-11 to be Paul’s defense of God’s righteous judgment, that his justice will be truly just.
Let me show you another element of these verses that causes me to lean this direction. The text here is in the form of a chiasm, which is a kind of crisscross parallelism of thoughts, done deliberately by the writer. The NIV Theology Study Bible illustrates this nicely, so let me show you that paraphrased example of how the parallel thoughts are arranged in a chiastic structure.
a God judges everyone the same (v. 6)
b Life is the reward for doing good (v. 7)
c Wrath is the penalty for evil (v. 8)
c´ Wrath for doing evil (v. 9)
b´ Life for doing good (v. 10)
a´ God shows no favoritism (v. 11)
Sometimes the central point is at the middle of the chiasm, but here the overarching parallel principles are at the beginning and end: God renders reward or punishment in complete fairness, and God’s justice is impartial (there is no favoritism in his justice). But there is still a key emphasis in the center of the chiasm that matches the harsh reality set forth in verse 5 about storing up wrath (because of hard and impenitent hearts). The center of the chiasm is that by our unrighteousness, our disobedience of the truth, we demonstrate that we deserve wrath and fury (or tribulation and distress for doing evil, v. 9).
What I think is most consistent with the immediate and overall context then is that Paul is setting forth the principle of God’s perfect justice.
The question for Paul’s reader, and for us, becomes…
(Will our lives prove before God that we are indeed good and deserving of eternal life as reward, or do our lives prove by our sin that we deserve condemnation? Paul will answer emphatically that we have all earned God’s just condemnation.)
(Will our lives prove before God that we are indeed good and deserving of eternal life as reward, or do our lives prove by our sin that we deserve condemnation? Paul will answer emphatically that we have all earned God’s just condemnation.)
The verses that follow further explain God’s justice as impartial and fair according to the revelation received—the knowledge we have, whether we have the Mosaic law or only general revelation. Either way, God’s judgment of us is just.
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. 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. 14 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. 15 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 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
God judges justly and impartially according to knowledge. (vv. 12-15)
God judges justly and impartially according to knowledge. (vv. 12-15)
(so we are all without excuse)
Notice that again in v. 12 the emphasis is on sin more specifically (and remember, all sin is sinning against God). This too reinforces my view that Paul is moving us toward the conclusion that when God judges us according to our works, our idolatrous hearts and behaviors will be our downfall. Secondly, verse 12 has an emphasis on the law, which is undoubtedly a reference to the Mosaic law given to Israel. Not only did Paul just mention Jews in the previous verses, but he keeps this going in verse 17 [Rom 2:17 As we saw there there, “but if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law…” the Mosaic law given to Israel].
So what Paul adds is that those who don’t have the Mosaic law will still justly perish without it, and that those who have the Mosaic law will be judged by God according to that law. If you’re inclined to say, “wait, that’s not fair,” one way or the other… Paul is way ahead of you. He proved Gentile accountability to God for sin in chapter one and he’ll defend that again here. And he will continue at vv. 17ff to include Jewish accountability to God’s moral standard, completely and perfectly, from the heart.
But first he introduces a principle of God’s just judgment that applies to both groups, in v. 13. The principle is this, and it builds on the principle from vv. 6-11:
Whether one has the Mosaic law or only natural law, righteousness before God depends on living up to what he “hears.”
Whether one has the Mosaic law or only natural law, righteousness before God depends on living up to what he “hears.”
Romans 2:13 “For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.” Here is Paul’s first use of the word justified, and he means being judicially declared right. Will those who hear only be judicially declared right, or must they live up to that law to prove themselves righteous before God?
We can ask another question: Why isn’t hearing good enough? We know the answer to this intuitively and experientially.
Let’s just say you ask your son to clean up his toys, and he answers, “yes, dad.” But to make sure he really is listening, being pretty busy with a buddy who’s over playing with him, so you also say, “Son, can you repeat my request?” … “Yeah, Dad, you asked me to clean all this up.” Now, you’re glad he heard and understood, but the main issue still is whether or not he actually obeys, which remains to be seen.
That’s exactly Paul’s point. We’re accountable to God for not just hearing the revelation, but for doing it. That seems super obvious concerning the law God gave to the Jews. It’s a bit less obvious what knowledge the Gentiles have, what they have received to make us all accountable to God, so Paul takes some effort to explain this in vv. 14-16.
In chapter 1 Paul has already laid the foundation that God has in fact revealed himself sufficiently to all mankind for accountability to such knowledge: Rom 1:19-20
19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.
Paul then proceeded to show their rejection of God that led to idolatry and the degradation of their individual humanity and collective society.
But here in chapter 2 Paul adds further explanation that…
Our innate sense of morality is itself proof that we know we should not be sinning.
Our innate sense of morality is itself proof that we know we should not be sinning.
V. 14 is relatively straightforward: Romans 2:14 “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.” The fact that we have any sense of rightness and justice is evidence of not only God’s existence but of the Imago Dei (the image of God) imprinted on the humanity he created “in his image and likeness.” Even in the pervasiveness of our sin, we still sometimes do good and honor good things (such as the sacrifice of those who give their lives in war to protect what is right and the people they love). Paul says that in so doing, we are, in a very broad sense, evidence of God’s own moral law (which is based on his character).
Paul explains further in v. 15 that “they,” speaking of Gentiles, because he is a Jew: Romans 2:15 “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…”
By doing any good things ever, we demonstrate that the work of the law is written on our hearts… which I do not take Paul to be a alluding to Jeremiah 31:33 in this case, although some think that he is, which would mean these Gentile in this verse are believers. The prophecy there concerning the new covenant is as follows:
33 For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Again, as it was with the earlier section, this too is a plausible argument, IF Paul is referring to Gentiles who have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus, who obviously didn’t have the law but are now living up to it by the Spirit. - But again here as well, what Paul cannot be saying, which is inconsistent with his later argument, is that Gentiles can be saved without Christ. Paul is clear in this letter that everyone must hear the proclamation of the gospel concerning Jesus Christ, and respond in faith to God through that gospel. (Rom 10:14-17, especially v. 17 summarizes: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.”)
Although it is possible that Paul refers to the new covenant here, and that might be defended, I think it is slightly more likely that, because the context is accountability to God for sin, this is intended to be a more general reference to the moral law being in our DNA in a sense, just as by “species” (by nature, v. 14) we sometimes “do” the work of the law that we don’t have in written form.
Paul also says that our “conscience,” a term he borrows here from Greek philosophy that is the conscious faculty of reflecting on whether or not what we are doing conforms to what is morally right. So we not only “do” moral things sometimes, but we also have an awareness of morality and immorality, such that we have thoughts that go back and forth between accusing and defending our behaviors.
Paul isn’t arguing that our hearts or our conscience have the final say, as if we should “follow our hearts,” or “always let your conscience be your guide.” (Thanks for that, Jiminy Cricket.) Our consciences can be seared (1 Tim 4:2), can be corrupted by evil, and the human heart has wickedness and deceit bound up in it (Jer 17:9). No, Paul proves that God has the final say; God is judge. But our conscience, and the fact that we sometimes do moral things, is evidence that we are accountable to God having revealed himself in what he has made, including our very selves reflecting on what is right and wrong.
The transition from v. 15 to 16 is a bit awkward, but Paul wraps up this specific section with this thought to show that our ultimate judgment isn’t based on those conflicting judgments about our own morality, but on God’s judgment in the last day, a judgment which includes our secrets (what is hidden in our hearts). Paul says…
It is essential to the gospel that through Christ Jesus God will judge even secret sins. (v. 16)
It is essential to the gospel that through Christ Jesus God will judge even secret sins. (v. 16)
When Paul says “my gospel,” of course, he simply means the gospel he is proclaiming, not that it is different from anyone else who preaches the true gospel.
God will pass judgment on the secrets of all men - emphasizing again God’s perfect justice and his impartiality. The fact that we are now judged according to Christ Jesus is because God sent his Son, born of a woman and born under the law, who lived a perfect life and became the perfect Lamb to atone for sin and satisfy God’s perfect justice. And he rose again to prove that it was indeed finished, and that he is Lord, and that through him we can be declared right and have everlasting life with God.
This is THE theme of Paul letter to the Romans. From this section of the text though, here is our conclusion for this morning.
The Bottom Line: “Pretty good person,” you are accountable to the perfect and impartial justice of God for any and every sin committed against his righteous requirement.
The Bottom Line: “Pretty good person,” you are accountable to the perfect and impartial justice of God for any and every sin committed against his righteous requirement.
God is a just judge who will judge justly.
Remember that the scales of justice do not represent weighing good deeds versus bad deeds and seeing which is heavier. No, the scales represent weighing the evidence. Paul’s argument is that the evidence in our own lives is that we know God’s perfect standard and we do not live up to it. We are therefore not earning eternal life but incurring wrath and just judgment of our sin.
And lady justice is blindfolded to represent a system that aims to weigh the evidence impartially. But the judge is not blindfolded, especially not a God who judges justly. No, God sees even the secret intentions of our hearts and judges justly.
That leads to every single one of us being under God’s just condemnation for continually transgressing against God’s righteous requirement that we should glorify him as God and give him thanks (v. 21) in all things and in all ways at all times (which he rightly deserves).
Who can resolve the problem of the condemnation I deserve?
Who can resolve the problem of the condemnation I deserve?
This is why we need Jesus. We need God’s own righteousness on our behalf through the person and work of Jesus Christ.
[CROSS IMAGE]
The perfect justice of God produces great fear in us when we begin to recognize our sinfulness. But the perfect justice of God is also a great comfort when we know God’s perfect provision for his perfect justice through the Lord Jesus, in whom we trust and to whom we commit and submit ourselves.
Through Christ Jesus, we have comfort and find joy even and especially in a God who judges justly.
PRAY
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