We are not saved by being better than other people

Introduction

Have you ever judged someone only to find out you were guilty as well?

Example: Listening to a sermon about judging someone else and thinking, “you know who should REALLY hear this sermon...”

Have you ever judged someone else and then later did the same thing you judged them for?

Notice the change in language from to

In , Paul’s language is all about “them”

But in Chapter 2, Paul shifts his language from “them” to “you”

Lest we only ever think about sin in terms of what “they” do

The worst thing we can do with sin is pretend that only other people actually struggle with it

The New American Commentary: Romans (1) God’s Righteous Judgment (2:1–16)

Nothing blinds a person more than the certainty that only others are guilty of moral faults.

With that being said, let’s dive into the text.

Romans 2:1–11 ESV

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. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 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. He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 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.

I. We have no excuse when we judge others

A. Definition of “judge” - from A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature.

Judge = κρίνω = krino

κρίνω

To make a selection, select, prefer

Romans 14:5 ESV

One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.

Preferences and opinions - days of the year, matters of conscience, preference

Warning: Do not mistake preference for moral or spiritual issues

ii. To come to a conclusion after a cognitive process, think, consider, decide, propose, intend

1 Corinthians 10:15 ESV

I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say.

Critical thinking, logical sense of things

Evaluating worldviews, ideas, philosophies, and teachings on whether or not they line up with scripture

Evaluating the morality of actions against Scriptures

Using wisdom and discernment to decide upon a course of action

Evaluating whether or not the lifestyle of a Christian lines up with Scripture

iii. To judge, pass judgment on, express an opinion about

Typically in a more formal legal setting

- Moses tells the people of Israel to set up judges to settle disputes between the people and interpret the law in the issues of everyday life

Deuteronomy 16:18 ESV

“You shall appoint judges and officers in all your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, according to your tribes, and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.

This is supposed to be done with justice and fairness, but often wasn’t because of corruption and bribery, and because of favoring the rich and powerful over the poor

iv. To pass an unfavorable judgment upon, criticize, find fault with, condemn

To pass an unfavorable judgment upon, criticize, find fault with, condemn

Character judgments - you are stupid because..., you are immoral because...

Identity judgments - you are a sinner because you... - defining people by their sin

Value judgments - I am better than you because..., you have less value because...

Final judgment - You are destined for hell and judgment because...

We are ill equipped to make these kind of judgments because our perspective on true justice is completely skewed

Bent toward ourselves or our own tribe, people like us

Woefully ill informed

Marred by our own sin and corruption

Summary - we are supposed to judge with justice and fairness, but we don’t because we are broken, which means when we judge others, we stand condemned ourselves.

B. We have no excuse when we judge others because we practice the same things we judge others for

Romans 2:1–2 ESV

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. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things.

Romans

i. “Excuse” - same word used in Romans 1:20

Romans 1:20 ESV

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.

We can’t claim to be excused from the just wrath of God because we are ignorant - he has revealed himself in creation

Paul is now making the statement that we also can’t claim to be excused from the just wrath of God because of how we compare to someone else, because we all practice the same things

ii. Our judgment of other people implies that we know that a moral standard exists

We have an inner moral compass, and though it may differ somewhat between one person to another, everyone does on some level believe there is an objective moral standard

The person who does not believe this only needs to be punched in the face to come to grips with it

iii. We know that God will rightly judge these things, yet we also practice the same things

What things?

Romans 1:29–31 ESV

They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.

2. We don’t necessarily have the same sin struggles as other people, but we do have the same root problem

a. an idolatrous heart that loves created things more than God

b. a tendency to be bent away from God and in on ourselves

3. We

C. We have no excuse because we will all stand before God’s judgment

Romans 2:3–5 ESV

Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 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.

i. When we judge others, we are supposing that we ourselves will escape the judgment of God - three steps for a sure fire way to avoid the judgment of God by comparing ourselves to others

a. Because we think that we are “good people” compared to others

Step One: Compare ourselves to others in a way that is to their disadvantage

It makes us feel better about our own status to compare ourselves to others to their disadvantage

“At least I didn’t do THAT”

Step Two: Frame their sins as worse than ours

Because they have a more tangibly visible consequence

Because our sin is more socially acceptable

Step Three: Blissfully pretend that they may face judgment, but we will not

ii. The problem is, the more we judge the sin of others, the less aware we are of ours

Our hearts are hardened

We become increasingly unrepentant of our own sin

We fail to understand that God’s kindness, forbearance, and patience are supposed to lead us to repentance

Forbearance = truce, cease fire

Patience = God doesn’t immediately punish us with the full consequence of our sin

Contrary to popular belief, God is not holding a lightning bolt in his hand ready to smite you at any moment

But a cease fire is not the same as forgiveness - his patience is his love meant to give us time to repent. If we don’t because we are too busy judgiing the sin of

We store up wrath for ourselves for the day of God’s judgment

Because we don’t understand that God’s kindness is actually meant to lead us to repentance

Forbearance= truce, cease fire

Patience = God doesn’t immediately punish us with the full consequence of our sin

II. God judges with perfect justice

Romans 2:6–11 ESV

He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 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.

Romans 2:6-

A. First, a basic principle of divine judgment: God will give to each person according to what he has done

This is totally fair - you get what you deserve

To those who are patient in well-doing, God gives eternal life

This phrase means someone who consistently, always, reliably does good

This

To those who are self seeking and obey unrighteousness, God gives wrath and fury

This should trouble us, because as we have seen, none of us are perfect.

If we stand before God in our own deeds, we will all be deeply ashamed

Like Nora after she has done something wrong

B. So does this mean we have to earn our salvation?

We hope not, because if so we are hopelessly lost

Paul also believed that no one seeks God on their own ()

Paul is describing the heart of a person who loves and pursues God

Paul already said righteousness was by faith ()

This presents a very real problem to us - if we cannot live up to this standard, what are we to do?

First, this is only possible by the grace of God

This person is one who has by faith in Christ been declared righteous

C. So what are we striving for, if not to merit God’s love?

Paul is describing the heart and character of a person who loves and pursues God

The person who has by faith in Christ been declared righteous (spoiler - by faith in Christ, God judges us not by our works but by his)

The person who has been transformed to love God

The person who lives out that faith in genuine repentance - our works do matter, not to earn our salvation, but to actually show the reality of our faith

The New American Commentary: Romans (1) God’s Righteous Judgment (2:1–16)

Faith is not an abstract quality that can be validated by some spiritual test unrelated to life. God judges faith by the difference it makes in how a person actually lives.

The New American Commentary: Romans (1) God’s Righteous Judgment (2:1–16)

Paul was not teaching how we are made right with God but how God judges the reality of our faith. Faith is not an abstract quality that can be validated by some spiritual test unrelated to life. God judges faith by the difference it makes in how a person actually lives.

Application

Respond to the gospel with trust and faith

The only way we are going to be able to stand up to the righteous judgment of God is by the sacrifice of Jesus where his obedience is counted as ours

Consider my own need for repentance before I look at other people’s sin

Both on an individual and corporate level

God’s kindness is meant to bring you to repentance

Why blame the dark for being dark? It is far more helpful to ask why the light isn’t as bright as it could be

Repentance requires confession

Confession involves an awareness of my sin and the willingness to name it

I can’t repent for something I don’t actually believe is wrong

I can’t repent for something I don’t actually believe I have done

True confession is humble and specific

Confession involves naming my sin to God as well as to others for encouragement and accountability

Repentance requires action

Repentance means turning from something as well as turning to God in obedience

Carefully evaluate with humility, self awareness, and grace.

The unrighteous look for good in themselves and for evil in others, while the righteous try to see their own faults and overlook those of others.

We want to be people who honestly see our own faults, practice patience grace with the faults of others, and trust Jesus for the work he has done to forgive us