FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

Scripture Reference: Romans 2:1-16

Jesus Christ – Continued

Please review Romans 2:12-16 for background to this section.

Conscience is an important part of human nature, but it is not an absolutely trustworthy indicator of what is right. One’s conscience can be “good” (Acts 23:1; 1 Timothy 1:5, 19; Hebrews 13:18) and “pure” (Acts 24:16; 1 Timothy 3:9; 2 Timothy 1:3), but it can also be “evil or guilty” (Hebrews 10:22), “defiled or corrupted” (Titus 1:15), “weak” (1 Corinthians 8:7, 10, 12), and “seared” (1 Timothy 4:2). All people need to trust the Lord Jesus Christ so that “the blood of Christ” might “cleanse your [their] consciences” (Hebrews 9:14).

The Greek text of this verse begins with the phrase “in the day.” The certainty of divine judgment is emphasized by the words God will judge. The Agent of divine judgment is Jesus Christ (see John 5:22, 27; Acts 17:31). This judgment will deal with the secrets of men, or literally, the hidden things of men, and will reveal those things and prove God’s judgment right (compare 1 Corinthians 4:5). Paul’s gospel is not the standard of God’s judgment. The idea is that the righteous judgment of God is an essential ingredient of the gospel Paul preached and a reason for trusting Jesus’ finished redemption.

In this section we are studying, God is seen as the Creator-Sovereign of the universe conducting the moral government of His human creatures. God’s absolute standards are known. God punishes the wicked and rewards the righteous impartially according to their works, which reveal their hearts. Since no human being, Jesus Christ excepted, can be declared justified or righteous by God on the basis of his own merit, every human is condemned by God. At this point in Paul’s argument the way a person can secure a righteous standing before God has not yet been presented by the Apostle. The emphasis of this study is on the justice of God’s judgment, leading to the conclusion that nobody on his own can be declared righteous by God.

As believers, we know that our redemption and justification is in Jesus Christ and Him alone. Again, remember what Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Yet before that grace is applied, we must realize and recognize that we are all condemned by God’s just judgment. Only through the Blood of Christ Jesus may we obtain, in the sight of God, justification and salvation, from condemnation. Jesus is the only way!

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture Reference: Romans 2:1-16

Jesus Christ

Please review Romans 2:12-16 for background to this section.

God’s impartiality in judgment is also seen in the fact that He will deal with people in accordance with the dispensation in which they live. “The law was given through Moses” (John 1:17), which marks the beginning of the dispensation of Law. The Law was provided for God’s Chosen People Israel, and the Gentiles were considered outside the Law. Therefore Paul declared, as many as have sinned without [apart] law will also perish without [apart] law. Gentiles who sin will perish, but the Law of Moses will not be used as a standard of judgment against them. On the other hand the Jews who have sinned in [under] the law will be judged by the law [hearers and doers of the law . . . in the sight of God]. The Gentiles are not excused from God’s judgment, but they will not be judged according to the standard (the Mosaic Law) that was not given to them.

Reading the Mosaic Law was a regular part of each synagogue service, so that Jews were those who hear the Law. However, being recognized as righteous was not an automatic assumption of being a Jew and hearing the law. Those who will be declared justified are those who are literally, the doers of the law, not just the hearers only. James made the same point (James 1:22-25). Again God does not give eternal life or justification to those who only perform good works, but to those who believe (trust) in Him and whose conduct reveals their regenerate hearts.

The Jews looked down on the Gentiles partly because they did not have the revelation of God’s will in the Mosaic Law. But, as Paul pointed out, there are moral Gentiles who by nature do the things in the law. Such persons show that the law is not to be found only on tablets of stone and included in the writings of Moses; it is also inscribed in their hearts and is reflected in their actions, consciences, and thoughts. The Law given to Israel is in reality only a specific statement of God’s moral and spiritual requirements for everyone. Moral Gentiles by their actions show the work of the law written in their hearts. This is confirmed by their conscience, the faculty within human beings that evaluates their actions, along with their thoughts that either accuse or excuse them of sin. This is why Paul called such Gentiles a law to themselves.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture Reference: Romans 2:1-16

Impartiality

Please review Romans 2:5-11 for background to this section.

Why are people so ignorant of God’s intention to show goodness? Why do they so blatantly despise it? It is because of their hardness [stubbornness] and their impenitent heart[s] [unrepentant]. So God’s wrath against people’s sins is being stored up like a great reservoir until the day when it will all be poured forth in His righteous judgment. On that day God “will render to each one according to his deeds [works]” (compare Psalm 62:12, and Proverbs 24:12). God’s judging will be based on the standard of truth and there will be no partiality, it will be totally impartial.

God will bestow eternal life on those who through patient continuance [persistence] in doing good seek (simply put, continue on seeking”) glory, honor, and immortality. On the other hand wrath and anger will be the portion of the self-seeking and do not obey the truth, in other words, who reject and keep on disobeying  the truth, and follow after, or, who keep on obey[ing] unrighteousness, and evil (see again Romans 1:18). Each one who keeps on producing evil and unrighteousness will receive indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, whereas each one who keeps on working toward good, will have glory, honor, and peace. This just recompense by God is without regard to ethnic background or any other consideration except what each person has done.

A person’s habitual conduct, whether good or evil, reveals the condition of his heart. Eternal life is not rewarded for good living; that would contradict many other Scriptures which clearly state that salvation is not by works, but is all about God’s grace to those who believe (for example, Romans 6:23; 10:9-10; 11:6; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). A person’s doing good shows that his heart is regenerate. Such a person, redeemed by God, has eternal life. Conversely a person who continually does evil and rejects the truth shows that he is unregenerate, and therefore will be an object of God’s wrath.

The statement, the Jew first and also to the Greek [or Gentile] does not imply special consideration for Jews. Instead, in the light of the divine standard of impartiality; in other words, there is no partiality with God, or favoritism. Rather, it is truly emphasizing that the entire human race is dealt with by God.

The phrase the day of wrath, [or the day of God’s judgment] as stated in Romans 2:5, taken by itself may seem to lend support to the idea of a single general judgment of all humanity. However, the Scriptures do not support such a concept. This phrase must be interpreted in conjunction with passages which clearly indicate that several judgments of different groups occur at different times (for instance, compare the judgment of Israel at Christ’s Second Coming, Ezekiel 20:32-38; the judgment of Gentiles at Christ’s Second Coming, Matthew 25:31-46; and the great white throne judgment, Revelation 20:11-15). We need to realize and remember, the focus of this passage is on the fact that God will judge all peoples, not on the details of who will be judged when.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture Reference: Romans 2:1-16

Truthfulness

Please review Romans 2:1-4 for background to this section.

In any generalization such as the preceding blanket indictment of pagan humanity (see Paul’s comments in Romans 1:18-32) exceptions to the rule always exist. Obviously some pagans had high ethical standards and moral lifestyles and condemned the widespread moral corruption of their contemporaries. In addition the Jews morally stood in sharp contrast with the pagan world around them and freely condemned the Gentiles. Both groups of moralists might conclude that God’s condemnation did not apply to them because of their higher planes of living. But Paul insisted that they also stood condemned because they were doing the same things for which they judged others.

Therefore, Paul declared, at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself. Everyone in the entire human race has turned away from God and commits sins even though there are differences of frequency, extent, and degree. In addition, the entire human race, especially moral pagans and the Jews, stood condemned before God (therefore, have no excuse; compare Romans 1:20) because God’s judgment is based on three divine standards—truth, impartiality, and Jesus Christ Himself—which are absolute and infinite, condemning every person.

The first divine standard of judgment is truth. Nowhere in Scripture is God identified as “Truth” as He is “Spirit” (John 4:24), “Light” (1 John 1:5), and “Love” (1 John 4:8, 16), though Jesus did call Himself “the Truth” (John 14:6). But God is called “the God of truth” (Psalm 31:5; Isaiah 65:16). Truth—absolute, infinite truth—is unquestionably one of God’s essential attributes. As a result when God’s judgment of people is declared to be based on or literally, according to “truth,” no escape from that judgment is possible for anyone. All are inexcusable and condemn[ed]. One may be moral and he may even judge his contemporaries as totally enmeshed in a depraved lifestyle, but still he is judged by God because according to the first verse, he practice[s] the same things.

By not exacting His divine penalty on sinful humanity immediately, God is displaying the riches of His goodness [kindness, His benevolence in action], which is also used of God (compare  Romans 11:22; Ephesians 2:7; and Titus 3:4), along with His forbearance, [tolerance] and longsuffering [patience], (compare Acts 14:16; 17:30; and Romans 3:25). God’s purpose is to lead people toward repentance, in other words, a return to Him, through His goodness. Not knowing, realizing or being ignorant of God’s purpose, people despise[d], or showed contempt for God’s attributes and actions; in other words, they suppressed the truth in unrighteousness (see Romans 1:18). People knew of God’s Being through natural revelation (see Romans 1:19-21, 28), but did not know the purpose of His goodness, that it leads you to repentance.

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the New King James Version®, NKJV © 1982 by Thomas Nelson.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.