Scripture: Romans 2:1-11
Last week, we saw that Paul always took his trust in
scriptural truth to heart, when we read that he “was not ashamed of the
gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who
believes:” But there obviously are
many for whom the gospel is shameful!
While they may never actually say that, the evidence is very clear. There has been, for several years now, a
movement that refuses to use the name Father in referring to the First Person
of the Trinity, or any other masculine pronoun for that matter – including
Lord, King, Prince, etc. They want to
revise the teaching of Jesus, as well as all scripture, to reflect cultural
norms, instead of heavenly truths. And
the list goes on.
God’s word and His truth are eternal and appropriate
for our lives – always has been and always will be – and will never need
updating. But the excuses for aberrant
thoughts and actions never seem to end, always being centered on either a misunderstanding
of the truth and the intent of the word, or an out and out disagreement with
what the Lord is trying to teach us. But
just because we don’t understand or have some contradictory thought is no
excuse for not believing and accepting God’s way! His way and word is all about changing us
into Godly people, and never about bringing God into compliance with human approaches
to life.
In today’s look at Paul’s letter to the Romans (the
2nd in our series), we will discover that failure to follow the
Lord’s word is nothing new for this world.
Read Romans 2:1-4
Is our Almighty God unique when compared to what we
know, and believe, and live? Without
question - He absolutely and undeniably is!
In our passage for today, Paul wanted the Church to know – specifically
in Rome, but more generally, throughout the world and throughout the
ages – that God alone has the right to judge people, and that we don’t. Now, we have to be careful not to confuse
discernment with judgment.
We are to be discerning between what is God’s
truth and our worldly opinions, and when we see that someone is caught up in
ways contradictory to the Lord’s will, the believer is called to lead them back
to the eternal truth of God. But the
problem comes when we choose to be the one who determines that a person’s
actions prove that they are only worthy of condemnation. That’s judgment, and only the One with
flawless understanding and perfect motives has the ability to perfectly judge.
Paul asks two questions of us.
The first is this - how can those who are sinners
judge others in their sin? It would
appear that he is suggesting that it would clearly involve a conflict of
interest on the part of the one who is judging!
And he goes on to say that any person who judges, especially since they
are also guilty of sin, will, themselves, also be judged. It would seem that the apostle is reminding
us that judgement involves a point of view that must come from an unbiased and
completely dependable source, which, I believe, rules every person on the face
of the earth as unqualified!
The second question is one that is almost
self-condemning! Do you show contempt to
the Lord by denying that God’s kindness is offered to the sinner, in order that
they might be led to repent of their sin?
If your answer is “Yes”, you are admitting that you are refusing the
richness of an eternal life with Christ.
If you answer “No”, and yet judge the sinfulness of another, you deny
the grace and mercy that a repentant life in Jesus will bring.
In the parable of the Unmerciful Servant (Matthew 18:21-35), Jesus teaches us about the Father’s mercy with
the question “Shouldn’t you have had mercy on your fellow servant
just as I had on you?” Our repentant
heart’s desire for God’s mercy is not going to be offered if we refuse mercy to
another by failing to show them the way to the Lord’s mercy that is available
to all.
There is no excuse, in any way shape or form, for
our judgement of others
Read Romans 2:5-11
For Israel, they had always been taught that
whatever sin they committed, sacrifice at the temple would set all things right
again in the heart of their One and Great Jehovah God. Unfortunately, they offered no such hope for
the Gentiles! Psalm 62:11-12 tells us that Judgement is dependent on what
we have done, implying that it is our actions that will reveal whether we are
living the life that God has ordained for us or not. This is the same works that James spoke of
when he wrote. “what good is it if someone claims to have faith but has no
deeds? Can such faith save him?”(James 2:14)
Faith without the proof that our actions reveal, is no faith at all.
Be aware though, that verses 7 through 9 that we
just read are not a check list of what determines the outcome of our time at
the Judgment. But they are indicators of
whether our faith is being lived out or not!
What might “perseverant in doing good” imply? It means that we aren’t just merciful and
loving of others, but that we are intentional in all that we do for their
benefit. Micah 6:8
gives us the full truth of what the Lord is looking for in those who follow
Him -“ He has shown you, O mortal,
what is good. And what does
the Lord require of you? To
act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Justice, in God’s eyes, means to do what is right,
and it doesn’t mean to talk about righteousness, while at the same time being
judgmental of others.
Being merciful is nice, but to love the mercy
that God has shown to each of us, and to offer that same gift to others, is the
loving gift that each of us is called to live and give.
And humility is the overriding attitude that we are
to show in our life – that it has absolutely nothing to do with who and what we
are, but rather who our God is for all who will keep none of this life’s
choices and honors for themselves, but instead give them all over to our Lord
and Redeeming Savior.
And no one has any excuse for not doing what
God “requires”. For the last
sentence of today’s passage should set everyone on the alert to be sure to
live, and act, and love in the way that God has done for each and every person
on the face of this earth. No one gets a
“by”, no one gets a “get out of jail free” card, no one will be able to
convince the Lord that they are worthy when He knows that we aren’t. In Luke 6:47
we read “As for everyone who comes to me and hears my words and puts them
into practice, I will show you what they are like.”
God knows the truth about each and every one of us -
He has already examined the depth of our faith, He understands the purpose and
commitment in all that we do, and He will never show “favoritism” to anyone. The truth of our life is whether our faith
and works match all that He has already given us.
