Sermon 11/13/05-Romans 2:1-5-Here comes the Judge
Turn to Romans 2
Hook: Lot of talk about judges.
Pray
Read
Romans 2:1-5 (NIV) “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. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 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? Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance? 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.”
Marks shift from last half of chapter 1 from third person plural (they knew God, they exchanged, they did not think) to 2nd person singular. Addressing different group of people, most likely shifting from establishing the Gentiles need for the Gospel to establishing that the Jews need the Gospel as well.
Historical background: Jews attitude of superiority.
parallels w/ passage from book of Wisdom (NIV App. pg. 76), clear through chapter 1 Jews would have been nodding in agreement, you tell ‘em Paul. After 22 years in ministry Paul was setting them up for Chapter 2 major shift-You are guilty too, Jews. You are guilty of the same things you judge them for.
contrast the two things today-mans judgment vs. God’s judgment
I. Man’s judgment 2 diff. words used for judge in this passage (krino-kree-no: verb-something we do-when we choose-def. lit-to separate, put asunder, to pick out, select, choose
to approve, esteem, to prefer
to be of opinion, deem, think,
to determine, resolve, decree
to judge
-When we do this we put ourselves in the place of God-
-To pass judgment is to take up a position of superiority, whatever the verdict. It implies that the judge is in the clear.
-“Behind all of the sins of 1:29ff lies the sin of idolatry, which reveals man’s ambition to put himself in the place of God and so to be his own Lord. But this is precisely what the judge does when he assumes the right to condemn his fellow creatures.”(Barrett) Goes back to the original sin in the Garden, what was Satan’s temptation of Eve “You will be like God”, from the beginning man has wanted to assume the role that should only be God’s –That is how Paul can say that the Jew, who felt he was superior and morally righteous, because he was part of God’s chosen people and followed the law, was guilty of the same things as the Gentile, the root of their sin was the same even if the specific act may not be. And so Paul can say that
A. We are all without excuse (2:1)
-have no excuse”-often used in a legal sense. Means “without reasoned defense”, same phrase used in 1:20- Jews and Gentiles are in the same position before a holy and pure God. Here Paul is picking up the universal indictment in 1:18-20: Jews are without excuse because they are, along with all people, guilty of suppressing the truth. Uses same word as in 1:20.
B. We judge from wrong motives (2:1,3)
-There is a natural tendency to justify ourselves for the wrong we do by condemning people who do other evils that we think are much worse. (Morris)
-(the Jew) regarded himself as on a different level from any Gentile with whom he happened to be confronted, and indulged in the luxury of despising him
Only God has the right, because of who He is and His holiness and righteousness to judge.
II. God’s judgment-second word used for judgment is kirma (kree-mah) used of God’s judgment-noun
1. a decree, judgments
2. judgment
a. condemnation of wrong, the decision (whether severe or mild) which one passes on the faults of others
b. in a forensic sense
1. the sentence of a judge
2. the punishment with which one is sentenced
3. condemnatory sentence, penal judgment, sentence
God’s judgments are:
A. All based on truth (2:2)
-“according to the truth” means “in accordance with the facts of the case” and points to that which is stated in vs. 11 that “there is no respect of persons with God” (Murray)
-“according to the truth”-without errors, without respect of persons (Hodge)
-The whole hope of the Jews was founded on the assumption that the judgment of God regarding them would be guided by some other rule than the truth. He was not to judge them according to their real merits, but according to their national and ecclesiastical relations, just as men now hope to be saved because they belong to the true church. (Hodge)
B. Are postponed to bring about repentance (2:4)
-An important part of the teaching of this epistle is that God is a merciful God; his pruposes are always purposes of mercy….even God’s judgments must be seen in the context of mercy; they are meant to lead people to repentance and forgiveness. God never punishes for the sake of punishment. And if this is the case with punishment, it is much more so with forbearance. (Morris)
-“kindness” difficult word to translate exactly. Basic thought is that of goodness (same word translated as “good” in 3:12), but it is the goodness that is goodness of heart, not that which is austerely correct….Paul is thinking of God’s goodness, which is seen in the kindness he shows his people. (Morris)
“kindness” in 11:22 is the opposite of God’s sternness. (Moo)
-“Tolerance”term found only twice in the NT, both in Romans. In Greek it generally denotes the stopping of hostilities (armistice, truce). God does not punish the sinner immediately after he sins. He holds back his final judgment and thus gives the sinner an interval in which he can repent and turn to God…points to a truce, not peace. It is temporary…implies a limit. If the sinner does nothing but sin, if he rejects the invitation to repent, then in due course he must face God with all his sin about him. God’s forbearance is wonderful, and eloquent of his deep concern for people, but it is not forgiveness. (Moriss)
-“repentance” term means a change of mind, specifically a change of mind about sin. It refers to that change which comes over a sinner when he sees his wrongdoing no longer as attractive but as damnable. He turns away from it. This means abandoning the security of the old way; God’s demand for repentance is a demand that we trust Him, even though that means forsaking our human securities…this is not simply negative, it means turning to a new life in Christ, a life of active service to God. (Morris)
This is different from remorse, which is a deep sorrow for our sin, but lacks the positive note in repentance.
Our Response (vs. 5)
Continue on or turn to God.
-“But this now stands in stark contrast to the previous verse. Instead of repentance Paul sees a hardness, refusal to change.
-“Stubbornness” translates a word found only here in the NT, the original meaning seems to have been what is hard to touch or rough. But it came to be used metaphorically of hardness of heart, which of course is the meaning here. (Morris)
-“Unrepentant” is another word found only in this passage in the NT, as far as we know this is the first usage of the word in Greek literature. NIV translates it correctly “refusing to turn from your sin” (Morris)
-“heart” the whole inner life (Morris)
-“Storing up” connected with the idea of treasure and means to “lay up as a treasure” the person that Paul has in mind is laying up for his treasure-the wrath of God! (Morris)
-same word as in Matt. 6:20 “Store up your treasures in heaven” thesaurizo (thay-sow-rid-zo)
-“day of wrath” obviously refers to the Day of Judgment
App. unbeliever-repent-turn to God-Don’t store up God’s wrath for yourself, but begin to store up treasures in heaven.
Believer-reflect on God’s kindness, tolerance, patience & thank Him,
Repent of known sin
Don’t judge
Repent of known sin, look on others not in judgment (look how good I am because I don’t do that) but in love and mercy.
