Beloved, I am pleased to share with you today the above theme from Rom 2:2-3. Indeed, as low as a man has fallen, he will always find someone more miserable than him to whom he can compare himself to his own advantage! Whoever has a passion for the game will despise the poor drinker and he will look at a malefactor with superiority. In reality, all vices are germinating in our own hearts. When we judge others, we give proof that we know very well how to recognize evil; so we show that we have a conscience: “O man, whoever you are, you who judge, are therefore inexcusable; for, in judging others, you condemn yourself, since you who judge do the same things. (Rom 2:1). And this condemns us ourselves when, in turn, we commit similar acts.
For all men have a conscience (Gen 3:22-24). And in His goodness, God uses it to urge them to repentance (Rom 2:4), but in no way authorizes them to use Him to judge their neighbors. Only one has the right to judge, and that is Jesus Christ: This is what will appear on the day when, according to my Gospel, God will judge by Jesus Christ the secret actions of men. Tribulation and anguish on every soul of a man who does evil, on the Jew first, then on the Greek! Glory, honor and peace for anyone who does good, for the Jew first, then for the Greek! For before God there is no acceptance of persons. (Rom 2:9-11). The apostle adds: “You who give you the name of Jew, who rest on the law, who glorify you of God, who know his will, who appreciate the difference of things, being taught by the law; you who flatter you for being the conductor of the blind, the light of those who are in darkness, the doctor of the foolish, the master of the ignorant, because you have in the law the rule of science and truth; you, therefore, who teach others, do not teach yourself! You who preach not to steal, you steal!” (Rom 2:16-21).
That is why the Lord God will one day bring to light “the secrets of men,” all their unspeakable deeds and intentions, so carefully hidden (Matt. 10:26 mt 10:24-28). Confess to Him without delay your most shameful secrets. Your conscience is not a hostile voice but a friend who comes to tell you: speak of this to the Lord Jesus; He will know how to take care of it (Jn 5:21-24; Acts 10:34-43). But what does the Supreme Magistrate say to him? I will judge you not by your titles, by your knowledge, or by your words, but by your deeds. “So you who teach others… you who preach… you who say…”, what interests me is what you do… and also what you don’t do (Mat 23:1-7).
Indeed, God judges things according to their true moral character, and according to the advantages that the culprit has enjoyed. Those who have sinned without law will perish without law; and those who have sinned under the law will be judged according to the law, on the day when God judges the secrets of men according to the gospel preached by Paul. The character attributed here to judgment is very important: It is not the government of the world by an earthly and external judgment, as the Jew understood, but the judgment of the individual according to God’s knowledge of the heart. God also wants realities. The Gentile who fulfilled the law was better than a Jew who violated it. If someone called himself a Jew, and acted badly (Rom 2:17), he was only dishonoring God and surrendering His name to the blasphemy of the Gentiles, while boasting of his own privileges (Rom 2:24).
Then the apostle insists on what God wants moral reality: a Gentile who accomplishes what the law requires, is better than a Jew who disobeys him; the true Jew is the one who has the law in his heart, who not only has an outward circumcision, but is spiritually circumcised. It is a state that God can praise, not just man. Far from apologizing, your privileges make your guilt worse. For the sin of the Gentiles is called iniquity (Rom 1:16-19): a lawless and unbraked march according to the whims of one’s own will (1 John 3:4-8). The sin of the Jews is called transgression (Rom 2:23), in other words, disobedience to known divine commandments. And how much more responsible Christians are today; for they possess all the Word of God!
The following verses have been compiled for your edification and grouped together for your better understanding.
- The Universality of Universal Sin
Gen 6:5 Jehovah saw that the wickedness of men was great on earth, and that all thoughts of their hearts were directed every day only toward evil. 1 Kings 8:46 When they sin against you, for there is no man who sins, when you are irritated against them and deliver them to the enemy, who will take them captive to an enemy land, distant or close; Ps 53:4 All are misplaced, all are perverted; There is none who does good, not even one. Pr 20:9 Who will say: I have purified my heart, I am clean of my sin? Isa 53:6 We were all wandering like sheep, each one following his own way; And Jehovah has brought upon Himself the iniquity of all of us.
- Inexcusable sin
John 15:22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have had no sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Rom 1:20 Indeed, God’s invisible perfections, his eternal power and divinity, have been seen as if by eye, since the creation of the world, when considered in his works. They are therefore inexcusable; Rom 2:1 O man, whoever you are, you who judge, are therefore inexcusable; for, in judging others, you condemn yourself, since you who judge do the same things.
- Own condemnation
Jb 9:20 Am I righteous, my mouth will condemn me; Am I innocent, he will convict me. Lek 19:22 He said to him: I judge you on your words, wicked servant; you knew that I am a stern man, taking what I have not deposited, and reaping what I have not sown; John 8:9 When they heard this, accused by their conscience, they withdrew one by one, from the oldest to the last; and Jesus remained alone with the woman who was there in the middle. Rom 2:1
O man, whoever you are, you who judge, are therefore inexcusable; for, in judging others, you condemn yourself, since you who judge do the same things. 1 Jn 3:20, for if our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts, and He knows all things.
- Punishment of sin, inevitable
Pr 11:21 Certainly, the wicked will not go unpunished, but the seed of the righteous will be saved. Jer 11:11 This is why the Lord speaks: Behold, I am going to bring upon them misfortunes from which they cannot be delivered. They will shout at me, and I will not listen to them. Am 5:18-19 Woe to those who desire the day of the Lord! What do you expect from the day of The Lord? It will be darkness and not light.19 You will be like a man who flees before a lion and meets a bear, Who wins his home, presses his hand on the wall, and bites a snake. Am 9:2 If they enter the sojourn of the dead, My hand will tear them away; If they ascend to heaven, I will bring them down. 1 Thess 5:3 When men say, “Peace and security!” then a sudden ruin will surprise them, as the pains of childishness surprise the pregnant woman, and they will not escape. He 2:3 how shall we escape by neglecting such a great salvation, which, first announced by the Lord, has been confirmed to us by those who have heard it.
From all the above, we note that two things are presented with regard to the Lord God: First, his judgment against evil, the one who does evil will not escape. For the real difference between good and evil will be maintained by judgment. Then his mercy, his patience and his long wait for the man who does evil, his goodness inviting him to repentance. For he who continues to do evil is mistaken in seeking to forget God’s certain judgment, and in despising his goodness. On the one hand, the consequences of a life opposed to God and his truth; on the other hand, those of the search for what is pleasing to God, and hence of eternal life, are certain: for anguish and tribulation are for the first; glory and honor for the second; and this without taking into account the Jew more than the Gentile. Because, one after the other, the accused appear before the Sovereign Judge. After the condemnation of the people of the nations, after that of the moral and civilized man, it is the Jew who is called to the bar. He presents himself with his head held high. His name as a Jew, the Law on which he rests, the true God he claims to know and serve, all this will certainly establish his superiority over the other defendants and have him acquitted. Our prayers accompany you all in your efforts to do only good.
PRAYER OF ACCEPTANCE OF JESUS CHRIST AS LORD AND PERSONAL SAVIOR
I now invite every person who wants to become a new creation by walking in the truth, to pray with me the following prayer:
Lord Jesus, I have long walked in the lusts of the world ignoring your love for humans. I admit to having sinned against you and ask your forgiveness for all my sins, because today I have decided to give you my life by taking you as Lord and personal Savior. I recognize that you died on the cross of Calvary and rose from the dead for me.
I am now saved and born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. Lead me every day to the eternal life that you give to all who obey your Word. Reveal yourself to me and strengthen my heart and faith, so that your light may be shining in my life right now.
Thank you Lord Jesus for accepting me into your divine family, so that I may also contemplate the wonders of your kingdom.
I will now choose a nearby watering point to baptize myself by immersion, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All adoration, power and glory are yours, now and forever and ever. Amen!
I would be happy to respond to any questions and comments you may have, before sharing with you tomorrow about ” God’s justice and justification of sinner.”
May the Lord Jesus Christ bless you abundantly.
David Feze, Servant of the Almighty God.