Romans Week 7, August 28, 2022

Introduction

Welcome back to the book of Romans. As we get started let's take a look at a quote by the early church father Origen:

Romans Romans 2:1–3:20: Even Jews Need the Gospel

“Indeed, I think that even if it were possible, nobody should try to escape God’s judgment, for not to come to God’s judgment is not to come to improvement, to health or to a cure.”

Origen

Romans I. Introduction: From Cannibals to Polynesians—The Law of the Heart

Missionary-anthropologist Don Richardson was hardly ready for the story that his Yali friend Erariek was about to tell him, a story that provided yet another example of the truth of Scripture. Erariek, a member of a Stone Age tribe in central New Guinea, related how his brother, Sunahan, and a friend were attacked by a neighboring tribe while they were harvesting food in their garden. Sunahan’s friend was hit by arrows as the two tried to flee the attacking cannibals. Their mission that morning had been to harvest food for a meal, not become the meal!

Instead of running back on the trail that led to their village on a ridge above the garden, Sunahan and his friend made a dash across the garden area toward a low stone wall. Just before they reached the wall, more arrows killed Sunahan’s friend. Sunahan, on the other hand, leaped over the wall and stood behind it, baring his chest and laughing at his attackers. Not a single arrow was fired at Sunahan as he stood behind the low wall, and his attackers fled as members of the Yali tribe rushed from the village to avenge the death of their friend.

Amazed that Sunahan was not killed, Richardson asked Erariek why the marauders did not fire arrows at him when he stood there brazenly tempting them. “Sunahan was standing inside the stone wall,” Erariek explained. “The ground inside that stone wall is what we Yali call an Osuwa—a place of refuge. If the raiders had shed one drop of Sunahan’s blood while he stood within that wall, their own people would have punished them with death when they reached home. Likewise, although Sunahan held weapons in his hand, he dared not release an arrow at the enemy while standing within that wall. For whoever stands within that wall is bound to work violence against no man!”

Richardson shifts the scene to the Polynesian paradise of Hawaii. A sacred precinct called Pu’uhonua-o-honaunau is believed to have been built around A.D. 1500 by King Keawe-ku-i-ke-kàai. It originally was a temple with a ten-foot-high stone wall around it, much of which still stands today on the western shore of Hawaii about six miles south of the monument commemorating the death of English explorer Captain James Cook. But Pu’uhonua-o-honaunau was no ordinary temple. It was a place of refuge for “defeated warriors, noncombatants, or taboo breakers” who reached its safety ahead of their pursuers. Getting inside King Kiawe-ku-i-ke-kàai’s ancient wall was no game of hide-and-seek. It meant saving one’s life! Any fugitive who entered found a shelter provided for him. A garden and grove of coconut palms provided food, and a spring bubbled with fresh water. Amazingly, Pu’uhonua-o-honaunau was only one of a network of twenty such “cities of refuge” scattered throughout the Hawaiian island chain.

Anyone who knows the Old Testament has to wonder what's the connection between the Indians in New Guinea and the natives of Hawaii and the cities of refuge in Israel? Many people have argued that these similarities between cultures that don't know the Bible whatsoever and what God declares for the nation of Israel is yet another example that as Paul says here the requirements of the law are written on their conscience is bearing witness.

Romans 2:15 ESV

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

If you remember in the Old Testament God commanded the Israelites to set aside cities of refuge so that if you accidentally killed someone you could run there and not be killed until you were proven innocent or guilty. Much of the ancient culture was a very quick form of retribution that did not always result in justice. God designated these cities of refuge so that a system of justice could prevail.

Here in this next chapter Paul is going to demonstrate that God has continuously revealed his righteousness against the backdrop of human unrighteousness. In this last chapter we saw that all humankind has suppressed the knowledge of God and they moved from idolatry to immorality.

This section points out that God's judgment is the foundation of salvation for the Israelites. It should be a wake up call. In a sense the Jews have God's law written on paper and in documents and the gentiles have it written in their hearts and God's presence visible around them. Around us.

And so as Paul makes the point that we all have God's law he calls our attention in a sense to what James wrote:

James 4:17 ESV

17 So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.

Gentiles are without excuse because God's law is written on their hearts and God's presence is revealed in nature. Jews are without excuse because God law is written down on paper and God's presence is revealed all around them. If you simply stop at the end of chapter two you will see the vast need for the gospel of Jesus Christ for every human being on earth.

How the judgement of God looks.

Romans 2:1 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.

At this point Paul is pivoting from talking to gentiles in general in chapter one to talking to Jews. The tempting thing for them was to judge other people for the sins that they had committed. The tempting thing for them was too assume they got off the hook because there were better.

In fact looking later we see the Jews faced the temptation and had the temptation to brag about their relationship with God.

Romans 2:17 ESV

17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God

In order to really understand this passage lets take a look at a parable Jesus told.

Luke 18:9–14 ESV

9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”

I love how one commentator compares Jesus’ parable with Paul’s argument.

What’s important is not just external righteousness, it’s a heart change.

So what Paul intends to do in this first verse of chapter 2 is to challenge anyone who's tempted to look down on others 2 look at their own hearts first.

So who exactly is Paul addressing in this passage?

He is addressing Gentiles in the end of last chapter.

And in verse 17 of this passage he specifically refers to Jews.

Romans 2:17 ESV

17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law and boast in God

In Paul’s eyes there are two classes of people or categories of people : Jews and Not Jews.....so Paul really is directing this passage to anyone who is tempted to judge someone else.

Warnings against Judging another person.

Romans 1:2–4 ESV

2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, 3 concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh 4 and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

First of all as you get to the end of the first verse you see that people that Paul is referring to are reacting with judgment in a sense of hypocrisy. They are doing the very things that they are looking down on others for doing. And as we look at these verses that we just read we see Paul saying that you can't expect God to play favorites.

God’s judgment is defined by truth.

A fundamental part of God’s character is truth.

John 16:13 ESV

13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

John 17:17 ESV

17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.

So truth is an essential part of who God is therefore it makes no sense for us to assume that God will play favorites and not judge us if we also act in sin. That's the warning that Paul is sharing here to the Jews.

God makes a big deal out of us dealing with our own sin before challenging someone in theirs.

Remember how Jesus routinely challenged the Hypicrosy of the pharisees?

Matthew 7:1–5 ESV

1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. 3 Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? 5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Jesus starts out with a simple warning that our culture today misunderstands. He's not saying that you shouldn't act with judgment. And he's not saying that you shouldn't point out a problem in your neighbor. But he challenges them to first deal with their own sins before they attempt to deal with the sins of someone else.

How many times are we tempted to judge someone else when we have a log in our own eye.

The Confrontation of Nathan and David

2 Samuel 12:1 ESV

1 And the Lord sent Nathan to David. He came to him and said to him, “There were two men in a certain city, the one rich and the other poor.

Perhaps others in Paul's audience might not have caught the connection to the teachings of Jesus but they certainly would have thought about the story of David and Bathsheba. Remember how after David committed the sin of adultery and murder and more God sends the prophet Nathan to him to confront him. And Nathan tells a story about a poor manner and and a rich man. And in short the rich man steals from the poor man. And Nathan questions David what should be done. David responds with anger and says the rich man should be judged for what he has done.

So God sends Nathan to confront David for his sin.

David responds rightly in anger to the story that Nathan tells.

2 Samuel 12:5 ESV

5 Then David’s anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, “As the Lord lives, the man who has done this deserves to die,

So David is right in judging the sin of the fictitious rich man but he is wrong in that he failed to see his own sin in the story.

The Pharisees were right many times in seeing sin in the lives of men and women around them. But they failed to see sin in their own hearts first

Paul wants us to see that it's OK to judge the sins listed in the vice lists at the end of chapter one. Those sins are worthy of us seeing and condemning them.

Romans 1:18 ESV

18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

But we cannot speak with condemnation against other sins in less we deal with our own sins first.

What is wrong is tolerating sin in our own lives.

God’s kindness is not careless

Romans 2:4 ESV

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?

We need to remember that God's kindness in not judging sin immediately is not carelessness but it's instead it's giving us an opportunity to turn to him in repentance. One of the great questions that people struggle with in terms of faith is to ask whether or rather why God allows sin in the world. Why does God allow great evils in the world? Part of the answer is found in this verse. Part of the answer is that God kindness is meant to lead people to repentance. If God immediately snuffed out the life of anyone who sinned against him that no one would have an opportunity to repent. God's kindness is meant to lead towards repentance.

God judges people for the sins they chose to do.

Romans 2:5–11 ESV

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.

Romans A. Prologue: How God Judges (2:1–16)

The issue here is not salvation—it is how God evaluates all people: on the basis of truth, works, and light. The point he is making here is that God shows no partiality or favoritism when he judges the human race. Salvation is always by faith, not by works (Eph. 2:8–9).

It's helpful in this section to think of a spectrum of good and evil. It can be argued that no one has truly lived on either end of the spectrum between good and evil. Everyone is somewhere on some point between the two. And everyone comes to God in faith.

What's more Paul is showing in this passage that no one falls into sin. We choose our sin. But we can also choose to trust in the righteousness that God provides.

An early church father wrote this passage:

Romans A. Prologue: How God Judges (2:1–16)

“Paul deprives those who live in wickedness of any excuse and shows that it is from factiousness and carelessness that they fall into unrighteousness [see 2:8].… Their fall is voluntary; their crime is not of necessity.”

Chrysostom

Paul wants us to see that the “crime” of our sins is not of necessity but where it persists, God Judges.

I would make a mistake if I did not also point out then many times in this passage it refers to the wrath of God. It talks about God pouring out his wrath and fury and tribulation and distress. God will judge sin and deal with the sins of the world in his time. We must be relentless in dealing with the sin in our own lives and in presenting the gospel to the world around us. God's judgment truly is coming for the sins of the world.

Conclusion

God judges according to truth

Deal with your own sins first before challenging the sins of someone else.

God judges according to what we have chosen to do.

This passage isn’t about salvation. It’s about God’s judgment