The Need For Salvation And The Way

Please open your Bibles to Romans 2:12-16 which we will read in a few minutes.

The Lord God, who created the heavens and the earth also created humanity.

In the beginning two people, Adam and Eve, made up the totality of humanity and they had one law, one command; “You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” – Genesis 2:17

That was it. That was the law. There was only one law, only one command.

Obeying that one command kept them in right standing with God.

This was a position of righteousness.

Disobeying that one command was an act of rebellion resulting in an unrighteous standing with God.

This is important; when they rebelled by sinning God did not reject them, they rejected and moved away from God resulting in a broken relationship with God and a loss of innocence which then resulted in feelings of guilt and shame.

How did they know not to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil?

God told them and He also told them the consequences of such an action.

With that in mind let’s go ahead and read: Romans 2:12-16

OK. So, let’s take this apart verse by verse and try to understand what the Lord is telling us here …

Romans 2:12 NIV

“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.”

Now, what is this law that is being talked about?

The most basic set of laws for the Jews was the Ten Commandments.

No other God

No idols

Do not take the name of the LORD in vain

Remember the Sabbath

Honor your father and mother

No murdering

No stealing

No adultery

No false testimony

No coveting

We as Christians have two overarching commands that not only include the ten commandments but they also define our motivation for keeping all of the commandments and these commands (quote Matthew 22:37-40)

But … what is this perishing thing?

Eternal separation from God in a place the Bible refers to as hell.

With that understanding let’s return to verse 12 …

Now, we can understand why someone having the law would be judged by the law.

Right?

If the speed limit sign says 30 and you’re going 60 you’ll probably get at ticket but if you go 30 you’ll be fine.

If the “law” at work says that you will get fired if you’re late to work more than twice a month and you come to work late five days in a row, you’ll probably get fired.

If your wife says to put your dirty underwear in the hamper and instead you leave them on the floor you’ll probably be wearing dirty underwear that you find on the floor.

That’s being judged by the law. But what about being judged apart from the law?

That doesn’t seem fair does it? And, no, it’s not. But, the Lord is not unfair; He is just.

Look at verses 14 and 15

Romans 2:14-15 NIV

“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.

“They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.”

The Lord is faithful! Even to those not having the Law of Moses He has written the law on the hearts of everyone so that they are without excuse.

Where do we see this in Scripture?

When Adam and Eve started having children there was no law, no Ten Commandments.

Even so, do you think that Cain knew it was wrong to murder Abel his brother?

Of course he did.

Do you think that the man who murdered 59 people in Las Vegas last Sunday knew that what he was doing was wrong? Of course he did.

But if you harden your heart against the Lord and pour your life into evil and hatred that is where it will take you.

Instinctively everyone knows it is wrong to commit murder, robbery, adultery and deception; that is why they try to hide it!

Now, why are we looking at this? It is to establish that there is such a thing as sin and that sin moves us away from God.

Sin separates us from God and that is a terrible thing.

The Bible says that everyone has sinned. Romans 3:23

And the Bible says that the wages of sin is death. Romans 6:23

That’s the BAD NEWS!

Do you want to hear some GOOD NEWS; some GREAT NEWS???