Romans 2
Despite our additions of chapter and verse, the original bible was written in a continuous, flowing format. In this case, Romans 2 continues immediately
where Romans 1 left off. If we were writing a letter, we could even include Romans 2:1 in the same paragraph as Romans 1:32, as they are so closely linked.
So we continue with Paul’s train of thought as though we were still in chapter one.
Romans 2
1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.
2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth.
3 So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?
As we discussed last week, Romans 1 is not a reason for us to judge sinners, as we all fall in the same category. Paul has made it very clear that all have sinned, so here, he shows that no one has the right to judge. We know that Jesus said that if we judge, we will be judged, in the same manner, using the same measuring rod. Paul here, sums this thought up by declaring that at whatever point you pass judgement, you will be condemned.
This is such an important fact for us too. It is easy for us to pass judgement on others, when they say or do things that we know are not right. This (judging others) was a favourite pastime of the Pharisees and religious leaders in the time of Jesus too. We must remember that, according to Scripture, if we keep the whole law, except one point, we are law-breakers just as surely as if we had broken the whole law. Although we ‘grade’ sin, God does not. Sin is sin, is sin! No matter what sin I have committed, the moment I have sinned, I have no right to judge another person. Let us leave the judging to God, for He alone has the wisdom to do it well anyway.
4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realising that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?
5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.
God is interested in bringing each of us to repentance. This word is not truly understood today, and is often misused. We use ‘repent’ to indicate a state of regret or sorrow for our sin. We come to God and declare, “Lord I repent of my sin…”, then go out the next day and do it again. We then come back to God, crying, “Lord, I repent of my sin…”
In actual fact, the word “Repent” is more truly described as a change of direction (similar to a “U-Turn” when driving a car). So, to be able to say, “I repent!” we would have to turn from our sin and do it no more. In this context, we have not truly repented if we continue to sin. Therefore, if the bible tells us that we must “repent of our sin” to be saved, can we even presume salvation if our lives do not bear the fruit of Jesus living in us? If no one can tell you are any different to the unsaved people around you, have you truly repented? (Let us think carefully on these things, as we only have one life to live. Let us live it to the glory of God, and be sure of our salvation).
6 God “will give to each person according to what he has done.”
7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honour and immortality, he will give eternal life.
8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.
9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile;
10 but glory, honour and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
11 For God does not show favouritism.
Paul reiterates the same theme, of our actions supplementing the faith by which we were saved. Because we believe that we are saved by grace, not works, it is easy for us to then neglect the equally important aspect of the way we live our lives. Every person’s life ‘bears fruit’, just as a tree bears fruit. It is by this fruit that we recognise the true state of a person’s life and their heart. The bible tells us this time and again. So, while it is true that we were saved the moment we accepted Jesus and repented of our sin, we then enter a covenant with God, by which our part of the bargain is to bear fruit through the works that we do.
Although this seems to be a paradox, both can be equally true. Good Works are not REQUIRED to be saved, but they certainly are required from us once we ARE saved, as they show the state of our heart. In this way, our good works bear evidence of the salvation we have already received.
The following analogy may make it a little easier for us to comprehend the paradox outlined above. Imagine a student has just finished school (or college in the USA) and been accepted to university to study Medicine. At the moment of acceptance, the student probably knows little or nothing about surgery, anatomy, or any other fundamentals of Medicine. They are accepted purely on the basis of the potential they have for success. This means that, even though they have not done anything in the field of Medicine, the University decides that this person has the ability to fulfil the requirements of the course. With no actual ‘fruit’, being medical knowledge and excellence, the person is accepted to start the course. In the same way, Jesus accepts us, with no ‘fruit’ of goodness or godliness, but as He sees the potential in us to succeed in following Him. Upon our repentance, (just as the student’s application to the University), we are accepted just as we are.
When the student starts the course, he is given everything he requires to succeed. The training, the knowledge, the availability of reference material and the best professors are provided, so that he will grow in knowledge and excellence in the field of Medicine. Similarly, God provides us with all that we need; His Word, fellowship with believers and a direct line of communication with Him, so that we may grow in the knowledge of Jesus, and our lives may bear the fruit of following Him.
If the student chooses not to study, or not to apply himself, he may be asked to repeat a subject, and ultimately, if he does not apply himself, or he shows no aptitude or ability in the field of Medicine, he may be asked to withdraw from the course altogether. Likewise, if the Christian chooses not to follow the Moral Will of God, and makes the same mistakes over and again, God will allow him to repeat the same lessons over and over, until he is able to stand in that particular area. Ultimately, if his life shows no ‘fruit’ that Jesus is living in Him, he may indeed lose salvation. As John says in his first Epistle, if we have no ‘fruit’ in our lives, were we ever really saved in the first place?
In this way, our salvation IS absolute the moment we believe, but this is not the end of the story, merely the beginning of the course. We have now been charged to complete the ‘course’ of Christian Life, and need to ensure that we are progressing in faith, wisdom, knowledge, and the love of Jesus. So we see both statements are true; “We ARE saved by faith, not works”, and yet, “faith without works is dead.”
12 All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law.
13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.
14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law,
15 since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)
16 This will take place on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
Paul now enters the delicate area of “The Law”, meaning the Law of Moses. The Jews thought that, through the very fact that God had given the Law to them, they were automatically saved. They conveniently forgot that none of them had ever kept it to the letter. Paul reminds them that only those who keep the whole law, always, can rely on the Law to save them. In other words, he says that they should not even try to put their faith in the Law, as none of them had ever fulfilled the requirements of the Law.
Indeed, he continues, when Gentiles fulfil the aspects of the Law through their conscience, they are more righteous than those who know the Law and have not fulfilled it. In actual fact, those who had been born under the Law were in a greater predicament than those who did not have the Law, as the Law served no purpose except to burden people with expectations they could not fulfil in themselves. We will find out more in this regard in chapter 3. Paul’s message here reflects the message of Jesus, when he told the Pharisees that God looked at the inward observance of the ‘Spirit of the Law’, and not at the outward observance of the “letter of the Law”.
As we see from verse 12, whether a person has the Law or not, they will perish, for none are righteous. The Law, of itself, cannot possibly save anyone.
Although these verses seem fairly negative, keep in mind that Paul is still laying the foundation for his message of the grace of God, in offering salvation to all people, even though we are unable to fulfil the requirements of the Law, or righteousness.
17 Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and brag about your relationship to God;
18 if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law;
19 if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark,
20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth–
21 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?
22 You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?
23 You who brag about the law, do you dishonour God by breaking the law?
24 As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
Here we see Paul tackle the issue of Religious Pride head-on. As we already know, the Jews held themselves as somehow ‘better then’ the Gentiles, merely because they were Jews. They felt that the Law of Moses, and the covenant of circumcision, made them more special in the eyes of God. Indeed, in some cities, the Jewish Christians insisted that the Gentile Christians become Jews, by being circumcised, in order to worship Jesus. They saw themselves as ‘spiritually superior’ to the Gentiles, and acted accordingly.
Paul, however, shows the hypocrisy of this by pointing out that they could not even keep the law they were bragging about. I can imagine his frustration at the way the people were acting, considering the way this type of Religious Pride had caused the religious leaders to crucify Jesus.
We can never afford to forget that pride is one of the greatest killers of anointing in the church. No matter how great our ministry; no matter how wonderful our gifts, the moment we begin to consider ourselves better than others, we are walking on very dangerous ground, and are actively working against the Holy Spirit of God. Knowing that we are less then perfect, it is irrelevant whether we are good, bad or indifferent – we are still sinners. As such, we will NEVER have reason to boast in ourselves, so let’s get that though out of our heads right now, and never let it return. For the moment it does, we stand in grave danger of throwing away everything we hold dear in the faith.
25 Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised.
26 If those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised?
27 The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker.
28 A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical.
29 No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man’s praise is not from men, but from God.
Paul continues, by making it clear that the state of our heart, not the place of our birth, is what is important to God. If someone is not under the Law, yet obeys the Law, is he not more righteous than a person under the Law who breaks that Law? It therefore stands that obedience is the only important factor in the Law.
This mirrors the teachings of Jesus, who was never impressed with mere outward observance of the Law. He often broke the outward observance of Jewish tradition, but always kept the spirit of the law, in his heart, by honouring God and his fellow man at all times. More than once, he vigorously condemned the Religious leaders for the way they obeyed the letter of the law, yet their hearts were far from God. So Paul says to the Jews.
Circumcision in the bible was used by many in the same way “Infant Baptism” is used by some people today. In some churches, a baby is baptised (or “christened”), and can thereby call themselves a member of that particular church until the day they die. For instance, I was baptised in the Catholic church when I was a baby. My father still considers me Catholic, even though I have been part of other denominations since I was about 12. To this day, he even considers himself Catholic, though he has not attended any church for over 20 years, Weddings, Funerals and Christenings excepted. Looking at it this way, we can better understand why both Jesus and Paul were so vehemently against the pride that set in amongst the Jews, when the Gentiles often showed a greater righteousness through their actions than the Jews did through their claims of ‘circumcision’.
As we ponder these things, rather than judging the Jews for this pride, let us purge our own hearts, and ensure no spot of pride is polluting our own relationship with God. Let us always remember that we are sinners saved by grace. If this is foremost in our minds, we will be much less likely to start believing the lies from the pit of hell, that we are somehow better then those around us. It is enough that God sees us worthy of His love; let’s follow Him in humility and wisdom all the days of our life.
God bless you all.
Dave
