Romans Chapter Two                                       Lesson   25

 

 

The Sin of the moral man and God’s Righteous judgment  2:1-16

 

Intro:

As we begin to examine this section we need to recognize I believe that mankind in general does not accept God’s assessment of human sin and the imperative of divine judgment.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Problem is that most people do not take God’s word about sin and judgment seriously, but rather reject it and replace it with their own ad-hominem reasoning.  [appealing to emotion and prejudice]

 

 

 

 

Man at some point must come to the conclusion that God does mean what He says and clearly says what He means.  

 

 

Outline: 

     1. Moral man’s guilt is established.  2:1-4

     2. Moral man’s judgment described. 2:5-16

     3. The religious man’s sin and guilt established. 2:17-3:8

 

 

*** What this chapter is going to demonstrate is that even the moral person and the religious person are also without excuse before God just as the flagrantly sinful idolaters of Rom. 1.

 

 

 

1. Moral man’s guilt is established.  2:1-4

a. His indictment 2:1-2

 

In the next section it is the religious man who sins against the light of God’s revelation in Scripture.

 

 

Who is the focus?? you are without excuse, every man (of you) who passes judgment,” 

 

 

The ones addressed here are those who when observing the overtly lascivious lives of those in chapter 1 will say to themselves; how absolutely gross; am I glad I don’t do any of those things.

 

 

How would you describe them?  They are self-righteous moralists;

 

 

So we can conclude that they have knowledge of right and wrong; they have a functioning conscience with standards; as a result they therefore condemn them self; 

 

 

 

Point is that they’re not doing the identical sins, but that the result is the same; they also are sinning against the light that they have.

 

 

 

The delusion of the moralist that they are above the condemnation of the heathen must be broken down and destroyed before they will respond to the gospel of God’s grace. 

 

 

 

 

Paul’s logic runs this way: When we condemn others, we condemn ourselves.  How so?

 

Who among those who condemn others has always lived up to the standard of his own conscience?

 

 

Ø       One of the key subjects that Paul focuses on here is judgment;

 

In verse 1 man is condemned by his own judgment;

In verses 2-16 man is condemned by God’s righteous judgment.  Verse 16 speaks of a day when “God will judge the secrets, the hidden things of men through Christ Jesus.”

 

In v.2  Read! “the judgment of God  refers to not the act of judging but to the content of judgment; the basis of the judgment of God, could even extend to the sentence.

 

The words rightly falls translate some important words that refer to the first of 4 standards given in the context to describe the standards by which God will judge men.

 

#1. vs:2   in accordance with the truth     

#2. vs:5   in accordance with your heart  

#3. vs:6   in accordance with your works

#4. vs.16  in accordance with my gospel

 

 

The plural verb we know  that begins vs:2;  [puts the stress on the reality of present knowledge]

 

vs:2  But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things.

 

When he says it is according to the standard truth;  alhqeia no definite article with truth; not then according to the truth as we normally think, BD;

What this emphasizes is that the judgment is according to reality, according to the facts as they stand.

 

 

This whole context down to 3:9 is designed to separate man from any false notions and conclusions about God and His judgment and to motivate man to pursue the only solution to their situation, faith in Christ; to recognize that He has borne the wrath of God in our place on the cross.

 

The emphasis here is on truth; to judge according to the facts of the case, according to what is reality.

 

This is the major feature of God’s judgment, truth, reality;  but then knowing that omniscience and veracity are part of God’s character; He is the only one qualified in the final analysis to hold court this court;

He becomes the witness, the jury and the judge!

 

2:2 expanded translation

And we know that the judgment of God, the judgment of a  righteous, omniscient, God of truth;  a judgment that is according to a standard of His righteousness; is upon those who practice such things.