Romans Lesson 4

Introduction

Very pleasant good day, and welcome to Let the Bible Speak. We’ve been studying from the book of Romans, and we’re going to begin today with Romans, the second chapter. I hope you will take a New Testament and turn to that passage and be reading right along with us. As we’ve introduced the book, we pointed out that the major theme is introduced in chapter 1, verses 16 and 17, where for the apostle Paul says, For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. For it is the power of God the salvation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, the just shall live by faith.

After making that grand entrance and statement to enter this book, he then begins to point out why man needs the gospel. In fact, chapter 1 and verse 18 speaks about the wrath of God that’s going to be revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness. And then he proceeds to show that man has brought upon himself a depraved condition by his rejection of God. Man is without excuse in this because God made himself known to man. But when man refused to glorify God and refused to give thanks unto God, God gave man up. And as we studied in our last lesson, the last few verses of Romans chapter 1, it talked about the sexual immorality, even the evil emotions, vile passions, and the reprobate mind. He gets to the point that he really cannot even distinguish right from wrong.

What a depraved condition man gets into when he turns his back on God. But then after showing basically the condition of the Gentile or the heathen world, the Roman world really at that time, the apostle in Romans chapter 2 begins to look at the Jew. Now you know, here’s the Jew who prided himself that he was the child of God. He was of that chosen nation. He was in a special relationship with God. And while he might at this point say, Amen, Paul, preach, preach it to those Gentiles, they really need that. He then turns and says, Well, really, you’re no better. In chapter 2, he really talks about the Jew in particular that even when they uh were hypocrites and they failed to practice what they preached, they stood condemned themselves.

1. We Must Practice What We Preach

You have a text open in Romans chapter 2. Let’s read together, verses 1 through 5, and you’ll begin to see the flow of this to say that the Jews are sinners just as well as Gentiles. Thou therefore, therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest. For when thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself. For thou that judges doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this old man that judges them which do such things and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

But after thy hardness and impenitent heart, treasures up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. In this text, he now turns specifically and says, Who are you to be condemning another when you’re doing the same thing? You know, you ought to always recognize when one finger is pointing to the other person, there are three that are coming back toward yourself. And what he’s saying in this passage is by doing the same things, you’re just serving as a hypocrite. You may think yourself righteous, and in effect what you become is self righteous, but but you have no right to point your finger at the heathen over here and talk about how wicked they are if you yourself are not living by the standard of God’s will.

And that’s really the point of this text. You know when he says in this verse, Whosoever you that judges another. Sometimes it seems very similar to a passage that’s quite familiar to many of us, found in Matthew chapter seven. You remember Jesus made the statement, Judge not that you be not judged. That’s found in Matthew seven, verses one through five. Unfortunately, it while it’s a great text, it’s often misunderstood and really abused. In Matthew seven, for example, Jesus said, Judge not that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged. It shall be measured to you again. Why beholdest thou the moat that is in thy brother’s eye? But consider us not the beam that is in thy moon’s eye. Or how would thou say to thy brother, let me pull out the moat out of thine eye, and behold a beam is in thine own eye.

Thou hypocrite, first cast out the moat out of uh first cast out the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the moat out of thy brother’s eye. What’s he saying here? In effect, what he’s really saying is that we ought to practice what we preach. Really, he is not saying what many have have taken from this passage. He is not saying don’t uh ever say anything about uh what is false doctrine. He’s not saying do not correct uh the doctrine that others have. Sometimes we hear people say, Well, you know, if you ever talk about what somebody else may believe or what somebody else may be doing, you’re judging, and Jesus said, Judge not that you be not judged.

How many are aware that in this same text of Matthew chapter seven, just a few verses later in verses fifteen through twenty, Jesus says, Beware of false prophets. How can you know a false teacher if you’re not to ever examine and try and test what he’s preaching? Jesus said in verse twenty, By their fruits you shall know them. Now, both in Matthew seven as well as in our text of Romans chapter two, it does not mean do not correct false doctrine. Neither does it mean never say anything to a sinner. You know, again, there are people who may be doing wrong and and in love you may go and try to help that individual correct his life to repent of his sin, and sometimes you get people who are rebellious and they say, Now you just mind your own business.

You have no right to judge. You know, Jesus said, Judge not that you be not judged. And again they fail to understand. The passage does not mean do not correct a sinner. In Galatians chapter six, for example, verses one and two, the scripture says, Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, you who are spiritual, restore such a one. In a spirit of meekness, considering thyself lest thou also be tempted. Then in verse 2, he says, Bear one another burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. There is a responsibility that we have toward others. And there may come a time where we have to correct, even to reprove one another. So when Jesus said in Matthew seven, judge not that you be not judged, what he was really saying is, you practice what you preach.

In other words, you get the beam out of your eye, then you’ll see clearly to get the moat out of your brother’s eye. There is a standard God has established, and we let that be the standard by which we we deal with false doctrine or true doctrine. Or men and women who may be in sin or who are not in sin. What do they need to do? Read it from the Word of God. And that keeps individuals from being the judge. It simply says God and His Word is the standard by which judgment shall come. Not only in Matthew chapter 7, but also in this text of Romans chapter 2, what is really being said is is the lesson that we must practice what we preach.

What it does mean is we condemn ourselves if we stand accusing the other, and then we are doing the same things. You see, this text is really addressed to a self-righteous hypocrite. In fact, later on in the text and over in down in verse 17, you’re going to see where he says, Behold, thou art called a Jew, and you rest in the law and make your boast of God, and you know his will, that are more excellent being instructed out of the law, and you’re confident that you are a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, you’re an instructor of the food. He sees really, you can see all these uh descriptions of what a Jew thought about himself. And then he said in verses 21 through 24, he said, You teach another, you need to teach yourself.

2. Self-Righteous Hypocrisy Has a False Sense of Security

The very things that you tell another that they should or should not do, and you violate what you’re saying, you’re causing others to blaspheme the very name of God. People see hypocrisy, and no one likes a hypocrite. So he says, practice what you preach. You know what self righteous hypocrisy really has a has a false sense of security. Sometimes that’s established because of a well, a place and position. And I really think that’s the text here saying here. Say. Here’s the Jew who thinks, Well, we are we are the family of God. You know that’s an application of day. There are people who say, Well, I’m a I’m a member of a church. Well, the church I’m a member of, it has many hundreds of people who go there.

We we sometimes say, you know, it’s a large church, therefore it must be right. Or I’ve been a Christian for so many years. How many years that’s really must. I’m a charter member, some would even say, as though that’s what makes them saved or in a right position with God. But that isn’t of itself what makes one right. In fact, in verse 2, he says in Romans 2 and 2, we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth. It’s not according to your place or your position. It’s not because of some physical heritage, it’s not because you may be a church member of a certain of a certain church. It’s are you doing the will of God? That’s the standard by which to determine right and wrong.

In fact, that uh self-righteous hypocrite really has a way of not only thinking about his place and position. See, in verse uh three, he says, Do you think that you can escape the judgment of God? You point your finger at others, but you’re not guilty because of who you are, a Jew. Or in verse 4, do you despise the riches of God’s goodness and his forbearance? You see, another reason why some get to thinking themselves of who they are, they think, look how good God’s been to me. Look at the blessings that I share. And you know, there are many who who may say, Well, God hasn’t brought any wrath against me. I think they’re going well for himself on the back of it. They must be gods.

They must be in favor with the Lord. And what he says here is, God has blessed you. Certainly, as the Jew, he can look at his national history and say, Look how has brought us along as a nation. He’s preserved us, because out of Israel came the birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. So they can say, Look at who we are and what God’s done to us. And the point is this don’t you know that God’s goodness and his long suffering or forbearance should bring you to repentance? But by your very resistance to that, by your unyielding attitude to his will, he says, You’re treasuring up wrath. Have you ever done a favor for someone and they just acted like they deserved it? You know, they didn’t really stop to give you thanks, they didn’t really appreciate what you were doing.

You sort of got to a point, didn’t you, that uh you didn’t want to do that person a favor anymore. In fact, he said, if that’s their attitude, I’ll just let them go their way. You’d leave them alone, wouldn’t you? And you imagine how God must feel when he’s poured out numberless blessings upon people today, certainly in this land and country. And yet people are resisting God by their apathy and indifference to the gospel. We’re treasuring up, we’re storing up God’s wrath. Our sins will be lost, and by our rejection of Jesus as the Son of God, the wrath of God will come upon us. Don’t you know that his goodness and forbearance should bring us to repentance, not to apathy and indifference. Or we need to leave learn from even Second Peter chapter 3, where the scripture indeed speaks in verses 8 through 10, how that years God doesn’t measure time like we do, but he says the Lord is not slack concerning his promise as men count slackness.

But he’s long suffering to us for not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. And then he warns. In 2 Peter 3 and verse 10, the day of the Lord will come, as a thief in the night, into which the heavens shall pass away with fervent heat, the earth also, and the works of the therein shall be burned up. There’s a judgment day coming. Don’t wait till that day and have the wrath of God upon you. Turn in a simple obedience to him and to his will. We’re going to pause for a moment, and when we come back, we’re going to continue this study in second in Romans chapter 2, and we’re going to see how that indeed men are condemned because of sin, but God is going to be fair with us all.

3. God Will Render to Every Man According to His Deeds

He’ll render to all according to their works. You stay with us, we’ll be back in just one moment. As we continue our study in Romans chapter 2, verses 6 to 11 is certainly a very sobering section of the scriptures. While he’s trying to point out to this self-righteous uh Jew how that he has no business pointing his finger and condemning the Gentile when the Jew may be doing the same thing, for he condemned himself.

As verses 6 to 11 reads, God, of course, is the idea, who will render to every man according to them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life. But unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation, wrath, tribulation, and anguish. Upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first and also of the Gentile. For glory, honor, and peace to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first and also to the Gentile, for there is no respect of persons with God. You see, God is going to be fair and just. Really, what this says is that judgment is not going to be according to what man imagines himself to be, but what he actually is.

We have a tendency sometimes to look around and we think ourselves, well, we’re not really so bad, you know, I’m as good as the other fellow. And we we tend to judge ourselves by ourselves. We’re sort of like a little boy who told his dad he was as tall as his father. His father was six foot. He said, How did you get to that? Well, he said, I found a stick as tall as I was, and I cut it into six equal pieces. And I’d I’d measured every one of those pieces and said it’s a foot long. There’s six six of those pieces. I must be as tall as you are, dead. I’m six foot tall. Well, we may be amused at that kind of uh reasoning of the lad, but sometimes we’re just about as guilty of that when it matters with God’s word.

We tend to measure ourselves by our standard, of what we want sin to be, or what we want good to be, rather than coming to the Word of God and saying, Well, according to the deeds, as God has, you see, that’s the measure of judgment. It’ll be according to truth, as we’ve just studied earlier in verse 2 and 3. So it is that he says, here, whether he be a Jew or a Gentile, every man is going to be judged according to his deeds. Now, that within itself is also an alarming passage to many who have taken the book of Romans and really misused it. You know, there are some who who from this book of Romans have determined that God has elected certain specific individuals, and we’re going to be getting into that in some of the later texts.

But they’ve concluded that God has chosen certain specific individuals, and they alone are going to be saved. That if in fact you weren’t elected by God, no matter what you did, you couldn’t free yourself from sin. That’s the doctrine that says man is born in total depravity, and he cannot save himself. He has to be saved by God’s choice. But the scriptures here speak how that God has us in his own image. He’s given us free moral agency. You see, salvation is not by grace only. That’s a doctrine some teach. But the scripture does not say it’s God’s part only. That’s what grace is about. Grace is about what God has done. Salvation is by grace, without any question. But my beloved, it is by grace through faith.

And faith is man’s response to the gift of God. God has provided the means of salvation by grace only, not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2 and verse 9. That is, man did nothing to deserve it. But man’s part is faith. By grace through faith are you saved. Ephesians 2 and verse 8 says. By grace through faith. Well, what does that mean? Probably the best illustration of it is in found in the book of Titus. In Titus chapter 2 and verses 11 and 12, listen to the scripture as it says, For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men. Teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should and godly in this present world. Now you think about that passage.

4. Whether We’re Lost or Saved Is Our Choice

It says the grace of God is for all men, not just certain specific individuals. Furthermore, it teaches us to do something. Now here is man’s response of faith. Man can have the will to resist if he wants to. He doesn’t have to follow what God said. God won’t force him to. He’ll judge us according to what we do, according to our deeds, to our response to it. And there are those who may reject. But on the other hand, faith obeys. Saving faith does. For it teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lust. That’s repentance. It teaches us on the positive side to live. That’s obeying God’s will in God’s way. You know whether we’re lost or saved is our choice. You ever thought about that? There are people who sometimes think, oh, you know, God will send you to hell or God will send you to heaven.

Well, that’s the reward God. Our choice, whether we’re saved or not. As in Acts chapter 10, verses 34 and 35, even when the apostle Peter and realized here is the first Gentile converted to Christianity. And Peter had to be shown a vision himself to even go to this heart. After he understood that God had also appeared to Cornelius through through a vision, he then said of a truth, I perceive that God is no responsible persons. But in every nation, he that feareth him and work in righteousness is accepted with him. He that feareth God and worketh righteousness, man’s making that. You realize that whether you’re saved or lost is your choice. You may be lost. In fact, in these verses of our text in Romans chapter 2, in seven and eight, he talks about the attitude, first of all.

And then verses 9 and 10 talk about really the reward, sort of in inverted way. In verse 7 and 8, he says, here’s the attitude of those who are going to be saved. Patience continuance and well doing. They seek for glory, honor, and immortality. Here are people who are trying to do God’s will. And what do they receive? Eternal life. But on the other hand, they’re those who, verse 8, their attitude is they’re contentious. They do not obey the truth. They obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish. That’s what they have as a result of their rejection of God. We choose. It’ll be because you’ve rejected the gospel of Jesus Christ. Second Thessalonians, the scripture speaks how, in chapter 1, verses 7 through 9, how that the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels.

Notice the scripture says, in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power. Revelation chapter 14, verses 9 through 11 also describe how the wrath of God will be poured out without mixture upon those who’ve rejected the Lord, who really in that passage talks about those who are the mark of the beast, and they’re really serving Satan’s cause. Lost? What a terrible end. Revelation 14 says, The smoke of their torment sendeth up. They’re night and day, their sorrow. It’s eternal. The Bible speaks about those who serve the Lord. And in Revelation chapter 7, for example, verses 6 and 7 talks about the saved.

5. All Who Have Sinned Will Perish

They shall hunger no more, neither thirst anymore, neither shall the sun light on them, nor in the sits of the throne shall feed them, shall lead them into living fountains of waters, and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes. What a beautiful place heaven will be. What in your life demonstrates that you love the Lord rather than rejecting the Lord? Indeed, what this text is showing in Romans 2 is that all who’ve sinned will perish, because the Jews who’ve rejected God will be lost. The Gentiles who’ve rejected God will also be lost. I’m reading verses 12 through 16, where he says, Or as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law. And as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law.

For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. Or when the Gentiles which have not the law do by nature the things contained in the law, these having not the law are a law unto themselves, which show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another, in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel. Well, the whole line of thought, as we’ve already illustrated, is that men have sinned and men are worthy of condemnation because of that sin, and all have sin, really. But just as the Jew has sinned, so is the Gentile.

And he says really in verses twelve through fourteen, though they didn’t have the law, that is, they didn’t have the law of Moses throughout the book of Romans, the law generally stands for the law of Moses. And the law of Moses had been given to Jews. Now the Jews who had the law, even Deuteronomy chapter 5, 1 through 3 describes how it had been given to them, not to their fathers, but to them, even those who’d come out of Egyptian bondage. And as we’ve read from chapter 2 here in verses 17 to 29, the Jew rested in the law. Well, the Gentile didn’t have that written law. But the Gentile had knowledge of God’s law, a moral law. At least the very point in verses 13 and 14 is that the Gentiles, though they didn’t have the written law, in their native condition, born as a Gentile, not given the written law, yet they proved by their consciences even, accusing and excusing, showing that they had a understanding right from wrong.

And there is a sense in which, therefore, that they stood condemned because they violated what they knew to be right. The Gentiles. In this passage, sometimes we use it and talk about how the Gentiles are saved. Really, it’s not trying to show us how they’re saved. The context is showing how the Gentiles are lost. Though they didn’t have the written law, they stood condemned as well. Indeed, man will be judged according to his deeds. The Gentiles who went out of the law of Moses, when they kept even the moral standard that they understood to be God’s law, then they were judged as righteous people. The Jew who had the law of Moses, when he kept the law of Moses, and they kept the law, he was judged to be a righteous.

Conclusion

Men must live by faith. But the point of this context is not how they’re saved, but rather how and why they’re lost. So it is, but the real point is, as in verse 16, in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel. All who have sinned will perish. You ever thought about the fact that God shall judge the secrets of your heart? You may hold it from other men what you really are like, and you may imagine yourself compared to other men. You’re like that little boy who cut that stick in the six equal pieces and said you’re just as tall as the next man, or you’re just as righteous as the next person. What you really are.

As Hebrews chapter 4 and verse thirteen, God even knows the thought of our heart, the intent and purpose of our heart. All were made manifest before Him. How do you stand before the Lord? Have you been an individual who said, Lord, show me the way and I’ll keep it? The gospel is God’s power to save. Let us come to the Word of God and learn His will and in our own heart sincerely keep it, even to the end. God will judge us according to our deeds. Until our next study, we bid the grace and peace of the Lord be with you.