01-30-2022 Is God Right to Judge?

Romans 2:1–11 ESV

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. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 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? 4 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? 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. 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.

thanks again Quincy

Last week we looked at the collectives being judged by God. This week we find that individuals who make up the collective are NEVER off the hook nor anonymous in God’s site...

We Stated last week, Good News Includes the Wrath of God, Now we learn that God will Judge the Secrets of men BY JESUS CHRIST - according to my gospel… (Rom 2:16)

Wrath Is Extended to the SELF-RIGHTEOUS (vv. 1-3)

Is this simply a moral gentile? Or is this a Jew? - v. 17 makes it clear that this portion address was intended for the collective of Religious Jews - “indeed you are called a Jew, and rest on the law and make your boast in God...”

None-the-less this can also EQUALLY apply to church-goers of today who depend on their own moral and theological purity for their salvation

Judging the Sins of Others Without Acknowledging our Sin is a Problem (v. 1)

God’s Judgment is according to TRUTH - HE SEES EVERYTHING - and is AGAINST THOSE WHO PRACTICE SUCH THINGS

Thus the collectives are being ACTIVELY JUDGED… The Collectives who Suppress God’s Truth in Unrighteousness in 1:18-32

AND The Religious Collectives who turn their finger outward instead of coming before God with a broken and contrite heart.

THIS IS HAPPENING NOW and in EVERY AGE - this particular portion of Paul’s address is not attempting to point us to some FUTURE EVENT (v. 2)

Will those who judge, yet sin, escape?

So is our self-appointed role as arbiter and judge of the other wrong-doers going to absolve us? (v. 3)

Clearly the Words of Christ during the Beatitudes is in mind here, “Judge not, lest ye be judged...”

When we who still carry sin in our lives turn in judgment rather than the self-judgment mentioned in the communion passage of 1 Corinthians 11 we are IN DANGER

In Light of our Self-Righteousness, Why is God Kind? (v. 4)

To LEAD US TO REPENTANCE - This is not causal determinism, but it IS GOD ACTIVELY DEMONSTRATING KINDNESS to WOO US TO HIMSELF - Look at those words: riches of His Goodness, Forbearance [clemency, tolerance], longsuffering [bearing up under provocation, state of tranquility amidst turmoil]

Why is the Self-Righteous Person Judged? (v. 5)

Hardness (Sin/Self, Satan, Divine)

According to Ephesians 4:18-20 Hebrews 3:8 - We can harden our hearts

Ephesians 4:18–20 ESV

18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. 19 They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity. 20 But that is not the way you learned Christ!—

Hebrews 3:8 ESV

8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness,

Satan can also blind/harden

2 Corinthians 4:3–4 ESV

3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

nrepentant - NO CHANGE OF MIND/THINKING

Now comes the FUTURE view of judgment - storing up wrath for yourself (banking it away) for THAT DAY

For WHAT are we Judged (vv. 6-9)

Judged According to Righteousness (the WHO is Righteous is coming in Romans 5:21-25) - but also already demonstrated in 1:17 - The Just shall Live by Faith (The Just are ALIVE due to FAITH)

Judged According to our Works (For those who are “already condemned”) See Rev 20:11-15

Revelation 20:11–15 ESV

11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

Thus the OUTCOME for JEW or GENTILE? - tribulation and distress for EVERY HUMAN WHO DOES EVIL (v. 9)

Thus the OUTCOME for the RIGHTEOUS (The Just shall LIVE BY FAITH) is glory and honor and peace for everyone who does right (v. 10)

Why Does God Judge ALL (v. 11)

For God shows NO PARTIALITY (literally: for there is not respect of persons with THE GOD)

We are SIMPLY The JUST who LIVE by FAITH

or the UNJUST who are NOT OF FAITH (unconvinced, thus unconverted)