Romans 2:1-3
by:
Dan Hill, PhD
Pastor, Southwood Bible Church
7655 South Sheridan Avenue
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74113
E-Mail: hill918@aol.com
INTRODUCTION
In his book of illustrations of Bible Truth, H.A. Ironside pointed out the
folly of judging others. He related an incident in the life of a man called
Bishop Potter. "He was sailing for Europe on one of the great transatlantic
ocean liners. When he went on board, he found that another passenger was
to share the cabin with him. After going to see the accommodations, he came
up to the purser's desk and inquired if he could leave his gold watch and
other valuables in the ship's safe. He explained that ordinarily he never
availed himself of that privilege, but he had been to his cabin and had
met the man who was to occupy the other berth. Judging from his appearance,
he was afraid that he might not be a very trustworthy person. The purser
accepted the responsibility for the valuables and remarked, It's all right,
Bishop, I'll be very glad to take care of them for you. The other man has
been up here and left his for the same reason!
Paul now shifts the focuse from the pagan man and his rejection of God to
the moral man and his self-righteous judgment of others.
In both cases we are dealing with a problem of faith.
Remember Romans 1:17 which sets the theme for this entire book: "For
in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is
written, But the righteous man shall live by faith."
The pagan man rejects the object of faith which is God. The moral man rejects
the function of faith which is to put faith or trust in God.
Romans 2:1
Therefore you are without excuse, every man of you who passes judgment,
for in that you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice
the same things.
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Paul uses the inferential particle DIO to connect the sinner of the previous
context with the man who judges another.
THEREFORE: You are without excuse.
The scene set for us is one in which Paul has been critical of the one who
is an overt sinner. While he has said the things of chapter one a group
stands off to the side agreeing with Paul, nodding their heads, condemning
those whom he is criticizing.
But then Paul turns to them and announces condemnation upon their act of
judgment.
They are the ones who are without excuse . . .
He uses a vocative for the singular use of MAN. A bit rare in the Greek
New Testament, but it is used to grab the attention of the ones who think
Paul is on their side.
He wants to rouse them from their self-assuredness, to shock them into seeing
that their sin of judgment is just as bad as the overt sin of the pagan
man.
This condemnation upon the moral man allows us to understand some of the
mental attitude and verbal sins he mentioned in the list of Romans 1:28-31.
The ones who judge others who do the overt sins are practicing sins also
. . . they are full of malice, they are gossips, arrogant, boastful, unloving,
and without mercy.
They judge others, thinking they are doing God's work; but God needs no
help from morality.
Morality is beneficial to society; but morality without spirituality leads
to legalism, and legalism leads to the judging others.
Paul tells the moralist that by judging others he condemns himself because
he too practices sin:
PRINCIPLES ON MORALITY AND IMMORALITY:
1. Neither morality or immorality directly affect God.
2. Morality and immorality do effect the human race, although I wonder if
some people are affected by anything.
Job 35:4-8, ELIHU'S DISCOURSE
"I will answer thee, and thy companions with thee.
"Look unto the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds which are higher
than thou.
"If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him or if thy transgressions
be multiplied, what doest thou unto him?
"If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of
thine hand?
"Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art; and thy righteousness may
profit the son of man."
3. God will punish immorality and apply divinely discipline when immorality
is found among his people. This is the entire doctrine of chastisement (divind
discipline).
4. God will also punish morality when it is hypocrisy.
5. Morality is related to the human race and does directly affect the human
race, and it is always a part of God's plan for you. Eph. 2:10.
6. However, morality without a relationship and walk with Christ will lead
to self-righteousness, arrogance, and moral degeneracy.
7. Therefore, the emphasis in God's plan is on our relationship with Him
and a dependence upon Him which comes from a personal love for God. This
is the first result of the link up of Spirit and Truth.
8. Personal love from God, which comes from knowing and using His Word,
comes first; the result of this is that we will have impersonal love for
all mankind, loving others as Christ has loved us.
ILLUSTRATION: The rich young ruler who came to Jesus was operating in moral
arrogance. He claimed to have done everything for salvation. Jesus tested
his virtue. He was moral but for him the test came down to whether or not
he would do as Jesus instructed him, give his money to the poor. He would
not. He had no virtue.
9. A personal relationship and walk with the Lord protects morality from
becoming self- righteousness, arrogance, and moral degeneracy.
10. Morality comes from volitional decision while virtue comes from the
F/HS and the application of Bible Doctrine as resident in the soul.
THE BELIEVERS RESPONSIBILITY TO MORALITY:
1. Morality is for the entire human race including Christians
2. Morality is essential for orderly function in society and includes Divine
Institutions as well as Divine establishment principles relating to authority.
3. In Romans 8:2 the Apostle Paul calls the believer to live according to
a rule higher than morality:
"For the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus hath made me free
from the law of sin and death."
4. James 2:8 directly relates this higher law to the Scriptures and sees
the results in our attitude towards others, both believers and unbelievers:
"If indeed ye fulfill the royal law according to the Scriptures, thou
shall love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well."
5. A Christian living according to this higher law of the Spirit of Life,
the Royal Law of the Royal family of God will encompass morality yet without
making morality a standard for living the Christian Way of Life and without
making it a standard for others.
6. When the believer ignores the Royal law of the Spirit of Life and makes
morality the standard, he falls into moral degeneracy and moral arrogance.
7. When the believer ignores the Royal law of the Scriptures and also rationalizes
morality, he falls into immoral degeneracy . . . as with the believers of
I Corinthians 5.
Romans 2:2
And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice
such things.
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This verse refers directly to the one who practices overt sins, but it also
implicates those who judge them.
"we know" - This is evident truth that can be determined by the
very character of God. A lot of doctrine is not needed to understand that
God alone is the righteous judge.
The word JUDGMENT, which occurs nine times in this chapter, is the key to
the context:
This section begins in verse 1 with man in the seat of judgment and end
in verse 16 with God on the throne of judgment.
In verse 1 man is condemned by his own judgment; in verses 2-16 he is condemned
by God's judgment.
This JUDGMENT of God is evident by who He is, is according to a divine standard
that is set forth in this section. The English fails us because it fails
to consistently translate the preposition KATA. But finding it in the Greek
text allows us to see the four standards of God's judgment and man's morality
is not one of them:
Verse 2, Judgment is according to truth.
Verse 5, Judgment will be in accordance with your heart. God looks beyond
the actions to the heart of man.
Verse 6, Judgment will be according to your deeds. Since God alone knows
the heart of man He alone can correctly judge the deeds of man.
Verse 16, This judgment will be according to Paul's Gospel. This brings
Paul as the inspired messenger of God into the picture. He brings to them
and to us God's words.
While the thrust of this verse goes towards the overt sinner the one who
judges him is also restricted by this verse.
"And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who
practice such things."
If we understand this, we will leave judgment in the hands of God and not
interfere with what is His divine prerogative.
Part of the faith by which we live is faith in God as the sovereign judge.
Judging people is part of His divine work, that is His job. Do we put our
trust in Him to judge or do we lack the faith that He will judge correctly.
Every time we are judgmental, we are not trusting in God.
SO THE PROBLEM FACED by the moral man who judges is a problem of faith.
Topic: JUDGMENT, JUSTICE, and JUDGING
This problem of faith is a result of personal delusion.
Romans 2:3
And do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment upon those who practice
such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment
of God?
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The fact that Paul presents this as a possibility indicates that the answer
is YES, they do suppose this. Paul is reading the thoughts of the moral
man who judges.
The word "suppose" is LOGIZOMAI and means "to compute, to
consider, to calculate, to deliberate". The judgmental man has come
to a carefully thought out conclusion.
AND PAUL TEARS THIS CONCLUSION away by tearing away the deceptive security
and smugness of the one who judges.
Now the moral man may judge the one who is untrustworthy, a cheat, the one
who steals, the one who murders. But at the same time he gossips, he maligns,
he is arrogant. He condemns the one who is involved in deceit while at the
same time being unloving and without mercy.
He is critical of the one who lacks understanding while at the same time
he is insolent and arrogant with the understanding he has.
PRINCIPLE: The most moral man in all of Rome cannot escape the judgment
of God . . . all are under sin.
End Lesson 7
Warren Doud [ Grace Notes ]
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