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.
*** 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.