The Fairness Of God Series

The Fairness of God

Text: Rom. 2:12-16

Introduction

1. Illustration: "God never excuses sin. And he is always consistent with that ethic. Whenever we begin to question whether God really hates sin, we have only to think of the cross, where His Son was tortured, mocked, and beaten because of sin. Our sin!" (Francis Chan).

2. One of the great truths of the Gospel is that God is fair, in fact, He is more than fair. If truth be told, He is only unfair to Himself.

3. He gives us what we do not deserve and doesn't give us what we do deserve.

4. Paul makes it clear in our text that God is fair to...

A. Those With The Law

B. Those Without The Law

5. Let's stand together as we read Rom. 2:12-16.

Proposition: On the day of judgement we can be assured that we will all be judged both fairly and justly.

Transition: God will be fair to...

I. Those With The Law (12-13).

A. Merely Listening Doesn't Make Us Right

1. Life is not fair, and if you think it is obviously you have never watched a professional football game!

2. The good thing for us is that God is fair, you know, unlike referees!

3. That is the point of this portion of Paul's letter to the Romans. God is fair and just and no one has an advantage over another.

4. In v. 12 Paul says, "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."

A. The Gentiles and the Jews are separated here in this verse as those with the Law of Moses and those without it.

B. Those who are outside will be destroyed without it and those with it will be judged by it.

C. The first part was something the Jews always used against the Gentiles and was a part of their feeling of superiority towards them.

D. Kind of like kids on a playground..."we have the Law and you don't, nanna nanna boo boo!"

E. However, the second part of the verse serves to remind the Jews that the Law was actually a detriment to them because they were never able to keep it, and for that reason they would be judged.

F. The key point to this verse is that both the Jews and the Gentiles sinned equally, one outside the Law and the other with it, and as a result they would both have to pay the consequences.

G. The Gentiles have sinned outside of the Law and would be judged accordingly, because they have sinned against God.

H. But the Jews have sinned too, from inside the Law, so they would be judged by it.

I. One group are destroyed and the other are judged. So there is really no advantage for Jews in having the Law.

J. There is a strong message in there for the church today because many church goers who think that merely by being active in church gives them a distinct advantage before God.

K. Unfortunately, there will be some church people who will have a rude awakening as did those in Matthew 7:23 (Osborne, 67-68).

L. Matthew 7:22-23 (NLT2)

22 On judgment day many will say to me, "Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name."

23 But I will reply, "I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God's laws.

5. Paul then further strengthens his argument by saying in v. 13, "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."

A. This verse tells us why the Jews will be judged for not keeping the Law.

B. You cannot be just a hearer of the Word, you also have to be a doer of the Word in order to be declared right before God.

C. James 1:22-24 (NLT2)

22 But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

23 For if you listen to the word and don't obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror.

24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like.

D. Here Paul introduces a verb that we will see frequently in Romans, rendered in the NLT as "make us right."

E. It is a legal term meaning that God makes a legal decision, declaring the repentant sinner righteous or innocent because of the sacrifice of Christ for them.

F. No one could be truly justified by keeping the Law, but Jews are held accountable for their actions (Osborne, 68).