God’s Righteous Judgement - Romans 2:1-16

Written By Lemuel Ayudtud

The Gospel | Romans 1:18–32

TEXT

“You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. And we know that God, in his justice, will punish anyone who does such things. Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things? Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. He will judge everyone according to what they have done. He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism. When the Gentiles sin, they will be destroyed, even though they never had God’s written law. And the Jews, who do have God’s law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it. For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight. Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life.”

1. Why are those who pass judgment on others actually condemning themselves? What do they not understand about sin and judgment?

2. Why else should we avoid judging others?

Matthew 7:1-5 Romans 14:4; James 4:12

3. Paul states that eternal life will be given to those who seek it by "persistence in doing good" (v. 7). How can this be reconciled with his teaching later in Romans (3:20-24, 3:28; 6:23) that salvation is a free gift and comes through faith, not works? (see Matthew 7:15-23, Galatians 5:6; James 2:26).

Topical Study: Judgment.

3. In this passage Paul refers to "the day" of God's judgment twice (vv. 5, 16), and uses the word "judgment" or "judge" nine times. The purpose of this topical study is to gain a deeper understanding of God's judgment by examining other passages which discuss it.

Who will be the judge? (Rom. 2:16; see John 5:22-27)

Who will be judged? (see 2 Cor. 5:9-10) Rom. 2:6

What will be judged? (see the Notes on vv. 6-10) Matthew 12:36

Matthew 25:31-46 Romans 2:16

Rom. 14:10-12

Romans 2:6-10 (see Matthew 16:27)

1 Cor. 4:5

What will be the outcome for believers? (see John 3:18; 1 Cor. 3:8; Eph. 6:8)

Matthew 25:46 Romans 2:7, 10

What will be the outcome for unbelievers? Matthew 13:40-43

Matthew 25:41, 46

Romans 8:1

1 Corinthians 3:10-15

Romans 2:8-9

4. Will those who have never heard of the Ten Commandments be condemned for breaking them? Why or why not? (vv. 14-16)

Apply

□ Just as the Jew addressed in this passage relied on his ethnic identity to gain God's favor, people today rely on many things other than Christ to make them acceptable to God. What are some of those things?

□ What effect has God's "kindness, forbearance, and patience" apparently had in the lives of the Jews whom Paul is addressing here?

□ What effect have these things had in your own life?

□ Did any of the passages listed under question 2 hit home—make you go "ouch"?

□ How does it make you feel to know that God will judge men's "secrets" through Christ?

Commentary

Whereas Paul in the previous section was describing non-Jews, here he speaks directly to Jews. The Jews prided themselves on being morally superior to Gentiles, due mainly to the fact that they possessed God's Law. But Paul here tells them that merely possessing the Law is not enough; what God requires is obedience. And by that standard, all men, both Jew and Gentile, fall short.

This verse could be likened to a sudden cymbal crash after a long, slow musical passage. The Jew reading 1:18-32 would be silently agreeing with Paul, condemning the Gentiles for their many sins. And then...

“have no excuse” By using the same phrase to describe Jews which he used to describe people in general (vs. 1:20), Paul emphasizes that both Jews and Gentiles are guilty before God.

“you who pass judgment” By condemning others for failing to obey God's law, the Jew was admitting that those who disobey the law ought to be condemned. And this sealed his own doom, because the Jew did not obey the Law perfectly himself. He was guilty of the same things.

“God's judgment . . . is based on truth” God's judgment is not based on the face we present to the world, or on the opinion that others have of us. Although we may be able to deceive other people, we cannot deceive God. He knows our hearts and our hidden sins (see vs. 16; also Luke 12:2-3).

v. 4

“do you show contempt” Those who judge others, while considering themselves exempt from judgment, demonstrate that they have contempt for God's patience. They do not realize that their own lives hang by a thread, and that the only thing which prevents God from utterly destroying them is that He is "patient...not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9; see also Psalm 86:15).

Tragically, many people misinterpret God's patience as a reprieve. They think that God will never judge their sin and they scoff at warnings of judgment. "They . . . say, 'Where is this "coming" he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.'" (2 Pet. 3:4). But the phrase “forbearance and patience” implies a temporary halt to hostilities. God has delayed his judgment, not cancelled it.

“repentance” This word means "turning" and implies a change of heart, a turning away from sin and toward God. It involves a recognition that our former way of life was wrong and an acceptance of God's authority over our lives. It is not the same as remorse, or sorrow for sin, which may precede repentance (see 2 Cor. 7:10).

“storing up wrath against yourself”

All men are storing up something for future judgment; the godly are storing up treasures (Matt. 6:20), the ungodly are storing up wrath.

vv. 6-10 “God ‘will repay each person according to what they have done’ ” Paul uses a quote from Psalm 62:12 to introduce his point that judgment and reward are based on actions rather than ethnic identity. The first of these— judgment—presents no problem. It is the clear teaching of the Scriptures that judgment is based on works; those who die apart from Christ will get what they justly deserve (see Matt. 12:47-48). But the second statement, that God will give eternal life, and "glory, honor, and peace" to those who do good, is more difficult. We know that Paul is not saying salvation comes by good works; he denies that in very clear terms (Rom. 3:20-24, 28; Gal. 2:16, 3:11).

What then does he mean? It seems most likely that Paul is speaking here of good works as bringing eternal life in the sense that those works are an expression of

faith. The faith is what saves, and the works are the fruit of faith. This is consistent with other New Testament passages which speak of works as the natural expression of faith (Matt. 7:15-23; Gal. 5:6; James 2:26).

v. 11 “God does not show favoritism” Before God, all men are equal. No one will receive special treatment due to birth, social status, wealth, skill or achievement, or any other factor. The only thing which matters is whether we possess the righteousness which comes from faith in Christ (Rom. 1:17).

vv. 12-13 With regards to sin and judgment, it matters little whether one has God's revealed Law, as the Jews did, or not. When Gentiles sin, they will perish even though they do not have the special revelation contained in the Mosaic Law (the legal statutes contained in the first five books of our Old Testament). When Jews sin, they will be judged by that Law. It is not enough for the Jew to possess the Law; he must also obey it. And this he does not do (see 3:9-12, 19-20). The statement that "those who obey the law...will be declared righteous" is hypothetical, because no one obeys the law perfectly, as is required (James 2:10).

vv. 14-15 This passage answers the question raised by verse 12: How can a person who does not have God's revealed Law be held accountable for his actions? The answer is that all people, being created in the image of God, have an innate sense of right and wrong. They have a conscience which tells them what the "requirements of the law" are, and this conscience is constantly evaluating their actions, either accusing them or defending them. People may not know that God's law forbids stealing, but they know that stealing is wrong. Although they may attempt to convince themselves otherwise, they know deep down when their actions are wrong. Even their good actions serve to condemn them, because the fact that they do good things shows that they know the difference between right and wrong, so that when they do wrong, they have no excuse.

v. 16

“This will take place” This (the judgment referred to in verse 12) will take place on Judgment Day, and Jesus Christ will be the Judge. For Christians, this will be a time of rejoicing, because their judge is also their savior.

Lemuel Ayudtud https://ljaministries.com
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