“God’s Righteous Judgment!”

“Therefore…” - Chapter one concludes with sinful humanity being “…without excuse” (1:20) and knowing that they “…deserve to die” (1:32).

Our passage picks up with an equally damning summation: (2:1a) - “Therefore, every one of you who judges is without excuse.”

The QUESTION is, “Who is the imaginary character (in the long-standing tradition of the Greek ‘diatribe’) Paul addressing?”

Is he, as tradition holds, speaking to Jews, as addressed specifically in (2:17)?

Or is (2:1-16) speaking to a larger audience of critical moralizers, both Jew and Gentile?

I believe he is addressing BOTH, for at least a few reasons:

FIRST, not all members of the Gentile world engaged in depraved behavior! There were many who considered themselves, “moral” in their conduct (through they fall short of God’s righteous standard)!

SECOND, Jews and Gentiles are referred to throughout the passage—both groups sitting in judgment on others, while they engage in the same behaviors!

Let’s begin by reading our passage: (Romans 2:1-16) - PRAYER

I am indebted to the Exegetical Guide to the Greek New Testament (EGGNT) by John Harvey and Robert Yarbrough for the GENERAL OUTLINE of today’s message.

I. God’s Judgment is Deserved - (2:1–5)

A. By Those Who PRACTICE What They Judge - (vv.1–3)

1. Judging others condemns the one who judges - (v.1)

Three statements jump out:

“…every one of you who judges” - There are NO exceptions!

“…is without excuse” - From ἀναπολόγητος - a combination of the negative prefix an and apologia which means ‘answer, defense.’ There is literally, “no answer; no defense” (cf. 1:20)!

“…you condemn yourself” - ‘judge down’ because you are engaged in the very things you condemn others for doing!

2. God’s judgement is based on truth - (v.2)

Psalm 98:9 CSB

9 before the Lord, for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world righteously and the peoples fairly.

3. Those who practice what they judge will not escape God’s judgment - (v.3)

Paul’s appeal is for them to think this through! In fact, the verse starts with the Greek word, λογίζῃ - ‘reckon, calculate, take inventory, count, consider’

Romans 2:3 KJV 1900

3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?

NEXT, God’s Judgment is Deserved…

B. By those who DESPISE God’s goodness - (vv.4–5)

1. God intends his kindness to lead to repentance! - (v.4)

“…riches” is best understood as ‘abundance!’ - It’s more than we need!

Three things they were despising:

“…his kindness” - ‘goodness’ - It is the means by which God displays His grace!

Ephesians 2:7 CSB

7 so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

“…restraint” - (NASB - ‘tolerance’, NKJV - ‘forbearance’)

Thoralf Gilbrant writes, “Only God is in a position to declare a truce or to provide clemency for mankind.”

This word is only used here and in (Romans 3:25)

Romans 3:25 CSB

25 God presented him as the mercy seat by his blood, through faith, to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his restraint God passed over the sins previously committed.

Judgment that is deserved is withheld!

“…patience” - from μακροθυμίας - ‘long-suffering’

Similar to “restraint,” God uses His “patience” to demonstrate His character!

1 Timothy 1:16 CSB

16 But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life.

The “riches” of these three attributes is “…intended to lead you to repentance.”

μετάνοιάν - ‘a change of mind’ - It may be understood as a, “reconsideration of direction!” Which is foundational to the GOSPEL!

Mark 1:4 CSB

4 John came baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.

Mark 1:14–15 CSB

14 After John was arrested, Jesus went to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God: 15 “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

2. Rejecting his kindness stores up wrath! - (v.5)

“…hardened” - there is a ‘resistance to change’, a ‘stubbornness’, related to the noun meaning, ‘dry, hard, rough’!

“…unrepentant” - ‘impenitent, admitting to no change of mind.’

“…storing up” - lit., ‘treasure up’ wrath for

Romans 2:5 NKJV

5 But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,

“…wrath for yourself in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed.”

Matthew 16:27 CSB

27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will reward each according to what he has done.

1 Corinthians 3:13 CSB

13 each one’s work will become obvious. For the day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire; the fire will test the quality of each one’s work.

1 Corinthians 4:5 CSB

5 So don’t judge anything prematurely, before the Lord comes, who will both bring to light what is hidden in darkness and reveal the intentions of the hearts. And then praise will come to each one from God.

This passage makes clear that the “day of wrath” is when “the Lord comes!”

II. God’s Judgment is Based on Works - (2:6–11)

I would like to make something clear about the following verses: They are DESCRIPTIVE, not PRESCRIPTIVE!

In other words, these verses are not telling us how to be saved by works, but rather they demonstrate our complete INABILITY (because of sin) to be saved by our works!

Galatians 3:11 CSB

11 Now it is clear that no one is justified before God by the law, because the righteous will live by faith.

Galatians 3:21–22 CSB

21 Is the law therefore contrary to God’s promises? Absolutely not! For if the law had been granted with the ability to give life, then righteousness would certainly be on the basis of the law. 22 But the Scripture imprisoned everything under sin’s power, so that the promise might be given on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ to those who believe.

A. Premise: The Criterion for Judgment is Works - (v.6)

Romans 2:6 CSB

6 He will repay each one according to his works:

1. Eternal life to those who seek good - (v.7)

2. Wrath and anger to those who pursue evil - (v.8)

3. Affliction and distress for every human being who does evil - (v.9)

4. Glory, honor, and peace to both Jews and Greeks who do good - (v.10)

B. Conclusion: God’s Judgment is Impartial - (v.11)

Romans 2:11 CSB

11 For there is no favoritism with God.

III. God’s Judgment is Impartially Applied - (2:12–16)

A. To Those Who Have the Law - (vv.12–13)

1. They are judged for sinning, without the law or with the law - (2:12)

Neither group (Jews or Gentiles) are in the clear! They are BOTH sinning!

Gentiles will “…perish” and Jews will be “…judged by the law” (and perish)!

2. They are not justified for hearing the law but for doing the law - (2:13)

Ezekiel 20:11 CSB

11 Then I gave them my statutes and explained my ordinances to them—the person who does them will live by them.

Luke 8:21 CSB

21 But he replied to them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear and do the word of God.”

B. To Those Who Do Not Have the Law - (vv.14–16)

1. They affirm the validity of the law when they do it - (v.14)

Have you ever heard (or used) the excuse, “I didn’t know!” Yeah, you kind of did!

2. They show the law written on their hearts when they listen to their consciences - (vv.15–16)

Have you ever struggled with those, “…competing thoughts either accuse or even excuse them”?