Lesson 7 – Romans Chapter 2:8-25
In the beginning of chapter two, Paul has shown us that we should be quick to judge others… that this is God’s job. It’s okay to judge in that we discern between right and wrong. Also that there is a Day of Judgment coming, for the un-believer… the White Throne Judgment, for the believer… the Judgment Seat of Christ (or the Bema Seat Judgment).
Rom. 2:8-9
“But to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek;
“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.” (NLT)
• If God’s word is true (And it is), why does it seem like evil people in this world prosper much of the time?
In verses 8and 9 we see a deference, a contrast between those who do good deeds for God’s glory and those who do all things for selfish ambition.
Regardless as to whether or not they’re Jew or Gentile, those who live only for themselves, judgment awaits them, nothing gets past God.
Paul points out three characteristics of the unrighteous;
Selfish ambition, do not obey the truth, and obey unrighteousness.
The question for us then becomes; what will you follow and obey?
Matt. 6:24 Jesus said,
“No one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”
It is my testimony that, serving God is the wisest choice.
So, to the self-righteous moralist who says, “But I’m a good person,” what a shock it will be for them when all the books are opened up, and the depth of their sin is revealed in the light.
Whether Jew or Gentile, all unrighteousness will be judged.
Rom. 2:10-11
“But glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.”
Here we have the flipside of the characteristics of the unrighteous, and self-serving person… Now, to the person who wants their life to glorify God in every way.
It says, they will receive; glory, honor, and peace from God, regardless of who they are. Yes, the Jews are God’s chosen people, but, now, by God’s grace and mercy Gentiles are in the mix as well.
Partiality; (pros-o-pol-ape-see’-ah) it means having a respect of persons, to be partial. The fault of one who when called on to give judgment has respect of the outward circumstances of man and not to their intrinsic merits, and so prefers, as the more worthy, one who is rich, high born, or powerful.
If God showed partiality in His kingdom, then only the rich, intelligent, and physically fit would make it into heaven.
With God, this never comes into play when He looks at each one of us! The only qualifier that God looks for is; “Have you made My Son Jesus… Lord of your life?”
I think it’s safe to say that, once we belong to God and are considered adopted into His family, then He shows great partiality toward us, in that, we are His and will be with him forever.
For the Jews, the fact that God shows no partiality, probably came as a shock to them… in their minds, they’ve always rested on that they are God’s chosen people.
For the Gentile believer, this tells them that they are on a level playing field when it comes to How God treats all people.
Rom. 2:12-13
“For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified;”
“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.” (NLT)
God’s impartiality does not exclude His taking into account the different understanding that people have. We have two different people groups here, those who have never had the opportunity to know God’s law and those who know the law given by Moses.
The first group is the Gentiles and the second one is the Jews.
We’ve learned in Romans 1:20, that no one has an excuse…
“For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.” (NLT)
The Gentiles will be judged according to their more limited knowledge of God.
We cannot forget that everyone is guilty… Rom 3:23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”
(13)“For not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified;”
The upshot here in what Paul is saying to the self-righteous, to the Jew, or to the biblical scholar (really to all of us)… “It’s not what you hear or know, it’s what you do that will affect you.”
The more a person hears God’s truth, the more he is responsible for believing and obeying it.
“It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight” (NLT)
James 1:23-25
“For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.”
The law here refers to the law of “love,” love God & your neighbor.
It is the Holy Spirit that will lead us into His truth, He also teaches us… and once we learn His precepts, we are then held accountable.
Rom. 2:14-15
“For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them.”
“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.” (NLT)
Again, this brings us back to Romans 1:20, that man instinctively knows in his heart, that God is real, that His creation is all around us, and His laws are written in our heart.
We see in different cultures that don’t worship the true and living God, that they know it is wrong to steal, it’s wrong to murder, or to commit adultery… they know all this instinctively.
So we might ask, what about the sociopath, a person with a personality disorder that manifests itself in extreme harmful attitudes and behavior and has a lack of conscience, numb to the evil that they do?
In today’s criminal and psychological literature, a sociopath or psychopath is identified as one who is characterized by extreme self-centeredness and immaturity, shallow emotions (including reduced fear, a lack of empathy and remorse, low tolerance for stress, and little response to positive motivations), cold-heartedness, superficial charm, irresponsibility, impulsivity, criminality, a parasitic lifestyle and a desire to manipulate others. A psychopath is one who compulsively performs criminally selfish acts with no apparent conscience or concern about the welfare of his victims.
• What should God do with such a person?
In my personal opinion, sin is sin, and everyone is responsible for their own actions. Perhaps a person that falls into the category of a sociopath, has a demon within them… I believe only Jesus can free them from this.
Mark 7:20-23
“And He was saying, “That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”
While today’s world labels people and make all kinds of excuses for them… everyone needs to come to repentance. Of course, there are some medical exceptions that come into play… I’ll let God sort them out.
Nothing is impossible for God.
(15) “their conscience also bearing witness…”
Conscience; (soon-i’-day-sis) it means, the soul as distinguishing between what is morally good and bad, prompting to do the former and shun the latter. It literally means “knowledge with,” or “co-knowledge.” People have a naturally built-in sense of what is right and wrong, and when they do something wrong the conscience triggers guilt.
Here’s an interesting fact; it is reported that a tribe in Africa had an unusual but effective way to test the guilt of an accused person. A group of suspects would be lined up and the tongue of each person would be touched with a hot knife. If saliva was on the tongue the blade would sizzle but cause little pain. But if the tongue was dry, the blade would stick and create a vicious, searing burn. The tribe knew that a sense of guilt tends to make a person’s mouth dry, and a seared tongue therefore was taken as proof of guilt… an example of a guilty conscience.
For the believer, it is the Holy Spirit that speaks to our conscience… when you hear Him, the wise choice is to listen to Him.
Rom. 2:16
“On the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.”
Deep within the very core of who we are stands the truth, and each one of us will have to give an answer to God for the sins they have committed… that is unless, you’re washed in the blood of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, then your sin is as far as the east is from the west. (Ps. 103:12)
I Cor. 4:5
“So don’t make judgments about anyone ahead of time—before the Lord returns. For he will bring our darkest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. Then God will give to each one whatever praise is due.” (NLT)
God will judge our actions and our motives as well.
Warren Wiersbe; “God judges according to “the secrets of the heart,” so that He is not impressed with mere outward formalities. An obedient Gentile with no circumcision would be more acceptable than a disobedient Jew with circumcision. In fact, a disobedient Jew turns his circumcision into uncircumcision in God’s sight, for God looks at the heart.”
Rom. 2:17-20
“But if you bear the name “Jew” and rely upon the Law and boast in God, and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth,”
“You who call yourselves Jews are relying on God’s law, and you boast about your special relationship with him. You know what he wants; you know what is right because you have been taught his law. You are convinced that you are a guide for the blind and a light for people who are lost in darkness. You think you can instruct the ignorant and teach children the ways of God. For you are certain that God’s law gives you complete knowledge and truth.” (NLT)
Paul’s focus now turns to the Jews.
For the Jews they had an incredible strong heritage on which they hung their hats, from Abraham to Moses, along with all the prophets. This gave them a solid sense of security. After all, the Jews were God’s chosen people… God had given them His written Law, and God had given them circumcision to show His covenant with them.
While all these things are true, the Jews missed the “big” picture, Jesus!
“But if you bear the name “Jew”
Before the term Jew was used, they were known as Hebrews and Israelites. Jew came from Judah, one of the names of the twelve tribes of Israel. The root meaning of Judah, and therefore of Jew, is praised, and the Jews of Paul’s day considered that to be a well-deserved title and description of themselves. Ironically, Jesus came from the tribe of Judah… Jesus is called the Lion of Judah.
“Rely upon the Law and boast in God (or rest on the law)”
This is speaking of how the Jews felt, that they had a special relationship with God, and they did. We will see in the coming verses that as God had given them special things (like the law), but with that, comes responsibility.
Luke 12:48b
“From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”
(18b-20) “Being instructed out of the Law, and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth.”
The Jews that Paul is speaking to were not only confident before God, but they felt superior to everyone else and considered themselves to be guides, lights, instructors, and teachers.
In reading this, I’m sensing a bit of pride coming from the Jews. Jesus recognized this in them…
Mat 23:24-28
“Blind guides! You strain your water so you won’t accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel! What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish, and then the outside will become clean, too. What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs—beautiful on the outside but filled on the inside with dead people’s bones and all sorts of impurity. Outwardly you look like righteous people, but inwardly your hearts are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.”
Every time I read this I wonder, imagine how it would feel if you were face to face with Jesus, and He called you a hypocrite?
Rom. 2:21-24
“You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? For “THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,” just as it is written.”
Paul is essentially calling the Jews out “on the carpet”, as they say. By asking these questions to the Jews, Paul is basically calling them hypocrites, just as Jesus did.
• Why doesn’t God approve of people being hypocrites?
From John MacArthur; “The principle applies even more strongly to Christians, because they not only have greater spiritual light through the New Testament but have greater spiritual resources to obey that light through the indwelling Holy Spirit. When a believer falls into sin, his witness is ruined and the name of his Lord is sullied before the world. Those who claim to be Christians but persistently live in sin give evidence that they carry the name of Christ in vain. And because there is no difference between their standard of living and that of the world, the Lord’s name is blasphemed.”
It is important for us as Christians, to keep our reputation in tack, otherwise we will be seen as nothing more than just hypocrites. And when the world around us sees these actions, why would any of them ever consider Jesus Christ.
Rom. 2:25
“For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.”
“Circumcision, the surgical ritual that marks you as a Jew, is great if you live in accord with God’s law. But if you don’t, it’s worse than not being circumcised.” (The Message)
Circumcision becomes an empty ritual unless the person has an obedient heart toward God… completely devoted to Him.
I Sam. 15:22
“But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.”
God is teaching us that, He cares about our heart of hearts. What’s going on inside of us? Does God have the number one position in our life, or is He playing second fiddle to someone or something else?
Matt. 22:37
“Jesus replied, “You must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.”
Quite simply, God wants all of us, not the left overs… God hates leftovers!
Rom. 12:1
“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you (or, is this too much to ask). Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.” (NLT)
For the Jews, it was all about performance and rituals, everything having to do with the outside, when their insides stunk with sin. By Paul exposing this, it left them with the realism that the Law wasn’t enough because they couldn’t follow it completely. The Law cannot save, it only points out our sin.
As Christians, let’s have our outside be a reflection of our inside, and may it all bring glory to God.