Romans 2:1-16 The Gospel - Gods provision for righteous judgement

Romans 2:1-16 The Gospel - God's Provision for Righteous Judgment

Theological Proposition/Focus: God's righteous judgment calls us to live authentically in faith, embracing His mercy while recognizing the seriousness of moral accountability. In Romans 2:1-16, Paul discusses God's righteous judgment, emphasizing that everyone will be held accountable for their actions, and underscores the importance of living in accordance with God's law and the universal human tendency to sin. God's judgment is fair and impartial. Everyone, regardless of their background, will face accountability. However, God's kindness should lead us to repentance. True righteousness comes from faith expressed in works.

Christ Focus: In the context of Scripture, Christ embodies the fulfillment of God's righteousness and the ultimate answer to judgment. Through His sacrifice, believers are offered grace and the opportunity to escape the impending judgment, hence bridging the gap between judgment and mercy.

Homiletical Proposition/Application: Christians must understand the seriousness of their actions and the necessity of repentance and faith. While we face judgment for our sins, there is grace available through Christ, encouraging us to live righteously and share this message of hope with others.

Introduction: Memory Verse: Romans 1:16

I feel I need a better image, but this is what I have right now.

In graduate school, one of the classes that many students find particularly challenging is a course called Ring Theory. In the second semester of my PhD, I remember sitting in class and listening to the teacher. The teacher had identified a problem: many students were not turning in their homework. When the teacher asked why, several of my classmates told him it was because they could not figure out how to solve the problems. My teacher responded, "You are not necessarily supposed to know how to solve every problem. I am purposefully giving you incredibly hard problems and don't expect you to get full results. What I expect is that you have made an effort to solve the problems, and I want to see your work. You need to turn in what you have."

Setting the Stage

Paul's main argument throughout the book of Romans is that God's grace is for everyone. In order to make this argument, Paul needs to first show that everyone is in need of God's grace. Specifically, this will come down to an argument that every individual is under, and subject to, just condemnation for sin. In chapter 1, Paul spent a lot of time presenting the reality that Gentiles are unrighteous and without excuse. In Romans 2, Paul moves from the Gentiles to an argument that Jews are in no better position. In the end, the statement of Romans 3:23—"for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God"—will hold ultimate sway, but here we are building to that statement.

In order to construct the argument that all are under sin, Paul presents a sort of fictional debate partner and proceeds to engage in debate with this partner. Paul's argument in this debate forms a sort of logical syllogism. First, Paul argues that one who elevates his righteousness above others is in danger of judgment because God is an impartial righteous judge and has a moral mandate that is clearly revealed.

Body

Realistic Reflection — We are often quick to judge when we should instead be grateful (1-4).

These verses reveal the human tendency to judge others while ignoring our own faults. This sets the stage for understanding God's impartial judgment. Acknowledging our own failings and repenting is crucial. The kindness of God, as shown through Christ, should lead us to repentance.

We must acknowledge that in addition to death and taxes, sin must be added to the list of sure things we each experience (1).

Paul's hypothetical opponent is depending on his personal heritage to save himself.

Paul's tone changes in chapter 2. In chapter 1, Paul used a lot of third person and a lot of plural. Now Paul changes and uses second-person singular present tense verbs to reinforce his argument. So who is this person that Paul is addressing? By looking at verses 12, 17, 23, and 25, we can assemble a puzzle to see that the "you" Paul is addressing is a Jew who possesses the Mosaic Law but, because of his heritage, seems to believe that God will view him differently than others.

Most of us are not Jews, but many have a Christian heritage, a generational heritage of Christian morality, and can fall into moral arrogance.

Here is where the text intersects with our lives. Few, if any, of us have Jewish heritage. We have the Mosaic Law, but we do not keep it as the source of blessing. However, we should take this seriously. Many of us have a long Christian heritage, many of us have a generational heritage of Christian morality, and sometimes we all fall guilty of what I would call moral arrogance. We assume that because of our Christian heritage or Christian culture, our views, actions, and culture are morally superior and somehow earn us extra favor with God.

Sometimes Christians even slip into the mistake of believing their family history with church is their testimony.

I remember sitting in a service at a Bible-believing church and hearing one gentleman get up to give his testimony—that is, how he came to know Jesus. This man stood in front of the church and proclaimed that he had been born to parents attending the church, grew up in the church, had a dad who served in the church, and now was himself serving in the church. He was a morally upright individual who lived his life in a manner that reflected the teaching of the church. Where so many others had failed, he had stayed in church. He spoke for a solid 15 minutes and never once talked about Jesus dying for his own sin. This man's testimony was all about his Christian heritage, and I walked out that day very bothered.

But the reality is that each and every one of us is a sinner.

You see, Paul's argument right here in verse 1 is that every one of us is a sinner.

If you think God will be more lenient on you because you didn't do any of the major sins, you are sorely mistaken.

Paul holds no punches in round 1—all are sinners. People like to talk about death and taxes as being sure things, but sin belongs on that list too, for we each have sinned.

One of God's attributes is truth, and that truth demands that God justly deal with sin (2-3).

You will not please God by feigning that you are on God's side in judging others.

Have you ever watched a guilty individual join together with the judge in order to avoid bearing responsibility for their own guilt? In the world, this sometimes works. Politicians and fair-weather sports fans are two really good examples of this. I'll admit, I am guilty.

Cheering on God's judgment reveals a naivety that God knows better.

The picture we have in verse 2 is the picture of an individual who is cheering for God's judgment on someone other than themselves, acting as if their cheering for God's judgment of others will somehow obfuscate God's judgment of themselves. This is the person driving 80 down the interstate cheering for the officer who pulled someone over going 85.

God sees the heart and judges based on the heart.

What Paul draws out here is that God knows the truth. God sees the human heart, God knows what is done in secret, and God can pierce through to see hypocrisy. God knows the truth. Moreover, God is just, and so the individual who thinks they can suppress the truth and hide behind God's judgment of another will find that God is just as capable and, in fact, will judge them too.

Unlike the State Patrolman clocking cars, God can deal with more than one problem at a time.

To take my speeding ticket analogy just a little further: in real life, it might be the case that the officer can only deal with one speeder at a time, and so you can get away with speeding as long as there is someone else speeding more. But in God's justice, there is no hiding. The truth will reveal all.

God's kindness should beckon us to repentance (4).

God is patient, kind, and longsuffering, but there is purpose behind that.

In verse 4, Paul deals with the apparent lack of judgment we experience. Paul's fictional opponent argues, "Well, that is all fine and good, Paul, but look, I have not been judged yet, so I think I am all good." God is rich in kindness, forbears with us, and has an incredible level of patience, but there is purpose behind God's kindness. God's kindness is intended to lead the sinner into repentance.

The grammar of verse 4 reveals God's purpose: to ἄγει (lead) to μετάνοιαν (repentance), a complete change of mind.

The grammar at the end of verse 4 is interesting. The Greek verb ἄγει (lead) is a present tense verb, but in this particular usage, the verb is what is called a Conative Present. That is, the verb carries the idea of attempting to do something, but that something has not been completed yet. God is seeking to lead the individual into μετάνοιαν (repentance), a complete change of mind.

The idea is that God is giving time for the individual to realize their error and completely turn from it.

Image: A student once tried to cheat by turning in photos of their supposed homework.

I once caught a student cheating on their homework. We were using an online system, and the student asked for their grade to be changed because they had done the assignment but supposedly the computer failed to record their answers. They even produced photographs of their supposed answers. What they didn't realize was that every student was given different problems, I had server logs of every submission, and the photographs contained metadata like where the picture was taken. So I did my homework, collected all the data, figured out which student had actually taken the photographs, and then called the student into my office.

My giving the student the opportunity to confess was not because I didn't know what had happened.

We talked through the homework, and I asked some specific questions like, "Are you sure these pictures are of your answers?" The student assured me they were. I then explained that the answers in the photographs were not the right answers (after all, they were answers to different questions than this student's). The student told me they didn't know how they managed to miss every question but insisted they were pictures of their work. Then I proceeded to show the student that I had detailed server logs and knew they were lying to me. I desperately wanted the student to take ownership for their lie earlier—it would have saved me a lot of work, angst, and paperwork—but they never did, and so the university came crashing down on them.

The student mistook my kindness and patience for ignorance, and where they could have walked away with a slap on the wrist, they instead walked away from the university.

Generous Grace — Apart from the Gospel, we all face the certainty of God's judgment (5-11).

God will repay each person according to what they have done. This impartial approach reminds us that all are equal before God. Jesus Christ exemplifies perfect righteousness and calls us to reflect His character in our deeds, pointing us to authentic faith lived out in action.

Apart from grace, we go through life acquiring more sin debt (5).

As you go through life, you are acquiring more and more reason for God to place you under His wrath.

To understand verses 5 and 6, we need to recognize that Paul is speaking to a hypothetical opponent arguing that their pedigree or heritage earns them God's blessings and salvation. This person rejects the idea that all have sinned and fall short of God's standard and need salvation through Christ's death and resurrection. Paul reminds this person that, by rejecting Christ, they are accumulating an ever-growing debt of sin, warranting God's wrath.

It might sound like works save you, but that is the wrong direction in the logic. Salvation is by grace through faith.

Let me be clear: you cannot earn your salvation. Salvation is only and always by grace through faith—accepting Christ’s payment for our sins. However, works come into play, not in earning salvation but in accumulating wrath. When God's final judgment comes, those who refuse Christ's righteousness will face the full burden of their debt.

There is a sharp contrast between those who seek God and those who reject truth (6-8).

The Greek word ἀποδώσει, translated as "will repay" in verse 6, does not mean that salvation is earned through human effort.

The Greek word ἀποδώσει, translated as "will repay" in verse 6 and as "give" in the NIV translation of verse 7, can imply repayment for something earned but also carries broader meanings. For instance, it can describe plants yielding crops. This metaphor suggests that salvation is not earned by human action but is given by God's divine generosity.

A person's consistent behavior, whether characterized by goodness or sinfulness, reveals the true condition of their heart. Eternal life is not granted as a reward for moral living, as Scripture repeatedly emphasizes that salvation is a gift of grace, not something earned through human effort (e.g., Rom. 6:23; 10:9-10; 11:6; Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:5). Good actions are evidence of a transformed and renewed heart, signifying a life redeemed by God and assured of eternal life. Conversely, a pattern of persistent wrongdoing and rejection of the truth indicates an unregenerate heart, destined to experience God's judgment .

God's grace, available to all, is the source of glory, honor, and peace (9-11).

The emphasis is that God's grace is available to all. By bringing up again the Jew and the Gentile, Paul emphasizes that God is working to bring all to salvation.

God does not show favorites. However, there is even more to note here. In verses 7 and 8, the text emphasizes plural recipients using the word "those." Now, in verse 9, the words Jew and Gentile are singular nouns. Paul's emphasis is on every distinct individual. Each and every person individually needs God's grace.

Why does this distinction matter so much? Because Paul is calling attention to an important fact: No matter who you are, no matter what your pedigree, no matter your heritage, if you don't have God's grace through Jesus Christ, you will find yourself subject to God's wrath! God does not show partiality!

Image: Being a PK and having a dad who was very careful. When Jake got us all in trouble in the mountains.

Not playing favorites is hard, but my dad did a really good job of it. A lot of times, pastor's kids have a bad reputation because their fathers play favorites or refuse to discipline them. My dad knew this and wanted to make sure that we were not the prototypical pastor's kids.

I remember one time up in the mountains during a hymn sing, a friend of mine from church had a bright idea—though, in retrospect, I probably gave him the idea but just didn't implement it.

My dad asked people to choose their favorite songs, and we would sing them. We had a piano and a piano player, so it was going pretty well. Well… my friend and I started thumbing through the hymnal, finding songs with the hardest key signatures. My friend would raise his hand and ask if we could sing number 324 or something like that. Often, he had no idea what the song was about or the tune, but he still chose it.

The next day, I got quite the lecture, to which I said, "But I didn't do anything wrong!" My dad proceeded to tell me that he would not be raising a typical pastor's kid and so would not be playing favorites. I was part of it, and so I was in trouble.

Here is the reality: God does not play favorites. It is only by the grace of God that He does not drop the hammer on us.

Moral Mandate — Each person is accountable for their actions (12-16).

These verses deal with the law and how it relates to both Jews and Gentiles. God's universal standard of righteousness was fulfilled in Christ. We must understand our role in living out God's law through love and faith in Christ, who grants mercy and grace beyond human judgment.

Rules are not the means to salvation (12-13).

Rules do matter but following the rules does not bring you eternal life.

Here is what seems to be the hardest part of faith to balance: rules do matter, but following the rules does not bring you eternal life. Paul, in verses 12 and 13, constructs an incredibly important argument.

Perfect obedience would result in God's declaration of righteousness, but none of us are capable.

Now, as an aside, you might be looking at verse 13 and thinking, doesn't this say I can earn my salvation by obeying the law? I want us to be very careful here. Paul is setting up an argument, and so the answer is sort of a yes. In theory, if someone was completely obedient, Paul says that God will declare them righteous. But here is the kicker: nobody is completely obedient! You cannot earn your salvation, and this is not what the verses teach. These verses teach that God's standard is complete obedience.

Rules cannot lead to salvation because nobody can follow the rules, and God is impartial in His judgment.

This is the reason rules are not the means to salvation—because nobody can follow all the rules. This is also part of the significance of Jesus. Jesus did follow the law completely. Jesus did obey completely!

But if God is impartial, you might ask, why did He give some people the law and not give it to others? Paul deals with exactly this question next in verses 14-15.

In fact, people should know better (14-15).

The reminder is important. You may not be responsible for all the details of the Mosaic Law, but you do know right from wrong!

This is the idea. Someone argues with Paul, stating, "Well, God never personally told me right from wrong." Paul responds, "Then why do you not do wrong all the time?" "Well," they say, "I know that is a bad idea." And so the argument falls flat. The problem we have is not that we don't know how to behave. The problem we have is that no matter how little we know, we still know a little and break even the little we do know.

Image: Legal Whack-A-Mole

Have you ever played Whac-A-Mole? You know the game where players use a mallet to hit moles that pop up from holes, earning points for each successful hit. Sometimes our legal codes are a lot like Whac-A-Mole. Someone does X stupid thing, and so we make a law against X. One of the things that I learned in seminary was how to read a set of church bylaws. When you read the bylaws for a church, you learn the church's history. No, seriously, you will read bylaw 3.4.2 and think, well, I wonder what happened in the church in the past that resulted in them writing a bylaw that all decisions to use tie-dye in carpeted areas must be run by the church council at least 30 days prior to the event... Don't worry, that is not in our bylaws... yet.

Here is the thing: God's Law was not a game of Whac-A-Mole, and God's Law for Israel was not the "know it or perish" law that people were making it out to be. Being a Jew and having heard the Law every Sabbath read in the Synagogue would not guarantee the salvation of an individual.

The point Paul is making is the point that each individual is responsible for their own actions and that in every case, we are found lacking.

Paul is saving the good news for later. For now, he wants us to know we are not ourselves righteous (16).

I'm a sinner, now what? The good news is that judgment is "κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιόν μου διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ" (according to my Gospel through Christ Jesus).

Paul ends this section with a reference to God's judgment. What Paul has argued is that no matter who you are, you are accountable for your actions, and those actions have fallen short of God's righteous standard. Yet, there is hope! Paul concludes by stating that God will judge even the secret things, but that this judgment will occur through Jesus Christ. In fact, in the Greek Paul writes, "κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιόν μου διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ" (according to my Gospel through Christ Jesus). Paul is going to explain the Good News he is bringing later, but for now, he alludes to some hope.

We know that hope! What we have failed to do—live the perfect life that God declares as righteous—Jesus did. Jesus obeyed completely, and so by inheriting Christ's righteousness, we can be declared righteous ourselves. We are not ourselves righteous, and we don't have to be, because Jesus did that for us.