October 5, 2011
God's Standards
Romans 2: 1-29
I.) God's Judgment is Inescapable 2:1-4
II.) God's Judgment is Impartial 2: 5-11
III.) God's Judgement is Universal 2: 12-16
IV.) God's Judgment Fulfills the Law 2: 17-29
"John Wesley, one of the founders of the Methodist Church, told of a man, in his congregation who seemed to be greedy and stingy. The man had a good job and a nice home, but he didn't contribute to the charities of the church, in the way that the leaders would have expected him to. He gave every year, but what he gave, was a much less sum, than it looked like he could give. John Wesley even criticized him once from the pulpit for his stinginess, without calling his name.
Afterward, the man went up to Wesley in private and said, "I know that you think I've been holding back from the church, but the truth is that I've been living on nothing but parsnips and water for weeks. You see, before I came to know Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, I lived irresponsibly and ran up a great number of debts. Now, however, I'm trying to live within my means. I'm skimping on expenses for myself, and I'm paying off my debts, one by one. Within a year, I hope to be debt-free. In the meantime, with all of these bills to pay, I can only give a little more than my tithe, to the church. But once I've settled up with the people I owe, I intend to give much more of what I have, to the Lord's work.
John Wesley felt like a dog! With a heavy heart, he apologized to the man for misjudging him. That day, John Wesley learned the lesson that we all need to understand-----its the same lesson that Paul wants to teach us in the 2nd Chapter of Romans----which is, that we all misjudge other people, because we can't even begin to know what is going on inside of their hearts. Only God, who knows all things, and is Sovereign over all things, has the authority and the wisdom, to judge people righteously.
After reading Paul's severe condemnation of people who have turned away from God and plummeted into the awful lifestyles of sin, that were mentioned in last week's lesson, we can't help but wonder how God is going to deal with the morally upright "religious" people, who have their sense of right and wrong in tact and are leading an outwardly godly life------but on the inside, are no better than the worse sinner, that they can point their fingers at.
Well, in this 2nd chapter of Romans, Paul tells us how God will deal with hypocrites, and he doesn't mince words-------most theologians agree that he is speaking directly to the Jews that are in the congregation, and I agree, but I also know in my heart, that he's speaking to me too. There is a lot of what he said, that applies to the church today, and to us as individuals, who make up the church.
Paul is, at this point in his letter, is still laying out, for the Roman church, his understanding of mankind's need for the Gospel, so that they will 1.) completely trust his authority and 2.)so that they will be pulled up short, if they find themselves, veering away from any part of the truth! No one is without excuse------- Paul wants the Jews and the Gentiles, godly and ungodly, to see that they are guilty before a Holy God and that all of mankind, no matter who he is, are what he's done, good and bad, is in need of a Savior. Then, in the 2nd part of chapter 3, once he's established, that there is nobody, who is good enough to save themselves, he will spend the rest of the letter teaching us how to live in and through and by the Gospel, in a sin-filled world.
I.) God's Judgment is Inescapable: 2:1-4
If we are honest with ourselves, most of us, last week, probably left here, secretly patting ourselves on the back, because a lot of the sins that Paul talked about don't apply to us. But this week it's another story. In confronting the religious Jews, he also forces us to see the truth about ourselves-----and we can see that we aren't as innocent as we would like to believe that we are or that we would like for people to think that we are.
It all boils down to one question for us, How do we decide, in our minds, who is "good" and who is "bad"? Most people, me included, unconsciously, have at least 3 moral categories, that we assign people to. Some are unquestionably "bad"-------like Judas Iscariot, Adolph Hitler and Charles Manson and I think there are, undeniably, a few people that we would consider to be good, or at least, the world would label them as"good"-------the apostle Paul, Mother Theresa and Billy Graham. And then, there's a broad middle category, that contains the rest of the people, in the world, who are sometimes good and sometimes bad---------and that's where we usually place ourselves. And within that category, we mentally rank people according to their observable behavior, that we have either seen ourselves, or heard about from someone else.
Unfortunately, the problem is, that way too often, we try to do God's job for Him. Because we know right from wrong we think that that gives us the authority to sit in judgment of other people and their behavior---------but the truth is, only God has the right to judge us----- first of all, because He created us and 2nd, because He created the standards that He wants us to live by. That doesn't mean that we can't hold each other accountable for our behavior, we can and we should--------but it means that we can't condemn another person for that behavior, because we have no idea whats going on in their hearts or what their motivation is. We have to remember that we are called to love the sinner, even while we're hating the sin. That's what Jesus did: that's what took Him to the cross and that's what kept him there and that's what raised Him from the dead and that is what is going to bring Him back again!
Paul makes several important points about our presuming to judge another person:
1.) people who judge others, clearly know the difference between right and wrong, they understand moral standards-----or they wouldn't see a reason to judge. But if we condemn another person for doing the exact things that we do, (even if we don't realize it) then by our condemning them, we are showing just how aware we are, of the wrongness of certain things, and then, we are actually condemning ourselves.
2.) people who judge others may be guilty of doing the same evil things. We often are blind to our own faults. We have a tendency to pick out faults in everybody else and not even look for them in ourselves. There are things that I have casually and thoughtlessly done or said to someone else and not given it a second thought, often smug in my self confidence, and if those same things were done to me, I would be outraged and offended.
3.) Sometimes, we may be aware of our own sins and faults, but for some reason, we think that God's going to let us slide by, without any judgment. We are quick to forgive ourselves and to forget our faults----so as our own sin fades from our memory, we assume that it will fade from God's too. But God doesn't forget. He has a perfect memory. One area where most of us are prone to do this is in our thought-life. In the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:1-12) Jesus told us that God looks at the heart and judges our attitudes and intentions. God knows that if we are full of hate and resentment toward another person, then we have committed murder in our hearts. And He knows that if our thoughts are full of self-righteous arrogance and pride, then our relationship with HIm, is not what it should be. When we allow ourselves to think about them at all, we think that these hidden sins, will go unnoticed, we forget that nothing is hidden from God, He remembers everything that we forget. He knows when we speak spitefully toward someone. He knows when we cheat somebody out of something. He knows when we destroy someone's reputation by gossiping about them. he knows when we behave stubbornly or arrogantly or vindictively toward someone. He sees it when we are quick to judge someone else's behavior but slow to judge our own.
4.) We assign labels to people's behavior and then compare them to the labels that we assign to ourselves. We accuse people of lying-----but when we compare ourselves to them---- we change the name to "stretching the truth" or "telling a fib" or saying that its just a little "white lie". We may accuse somebody of stealing, but if we do it, we call it "borrowing". We say that people are biased or prejudiced or judgmental, but we say that we have "convictions". None of this can fool God, He sees to the very core of our hearts.
5.) We foolishly think that God will harshly judge other people, but that He won't judge us. Scripture tell us that He sees the innermost thoughts and intentions of people, but we , for some reason, expect Him to overlook our sins while He punished the sins of others.
People often ask the question, "How can a good and loving God permit so much evil and suffering in the world?"Why doesn't God immediately judge the sins of the people who kill and rape and abuse and oppress the innocent. But if we're honest with ourselves, the question we truly ought to ask is, "Why don't God cut out my tongue yesterday, when I said that harsh, hateful word to my spouse?" or Why didn't God shrivel my hand when I signed my name to the credit card slip last week, when I spent money we didn't have this month? or Why didn't God make my ears fall off when I listened to that gossip, on the phone this morning?"
We all agree that the "judgment of God falls rightly upon those who practice evil." (Romans 2:2) but Paul reminds us that that same judgment that we call down on others, falls on us too. That's the part that makes us squirm. We all want justice in the world, but that justice is skewed because, unfortunately, we perceive it, based on our own goodness. (and we aren't good). (A good friend and I were just talking about this just last week--her daughter had gone to California for 2 years, to do Teach for America, in an inner city high school in Los Angeles--and this child has really struggled with justifying in her mind, a God, that she loves, who could allow all the hateful, senseless tragedy of gang violence.) When we feel resentment toward God for not eradicating the evil in the world, we forget, that eliminating all the evil, would mean the end of us too. Because, with God, there is no degree of sin---it is all level at the cross. So, what we really mean to say, is "Lord, please get rid of all the sin that worse than the sin that's inside of me."
We blame God for not judging the evil of others but we think its perfectly natural for Him to indulge our sins and hurtful behavior. The deepest hope in the hearts of a sinful humanity is that we will somehow escape. We honestly believe that there is going to be a loophole, of some kind, that our omniscient, holy and righteous and loving God, is going to allow mankind to escape through, at the last minute. But there is no way to escape the judgment, except through the way, that the Holy God has given to the world, which is the way of the cross. Paul asked the Jews and essentially us, "Do you take the goodness of God lightly? Do you take it for granted? Do you assume that because God is good that He won't judge the hearts of men?" This is the biggest lie that satan has ever perpetuated-----it started with Eve in the Garden when he told her that she wouldn't die if she disobeyed God, and she believed him.
A judge who doesn't punish evil, is not a very good judge, he would be an unjust judge, a corrupt judge. But God, in His goodness, who always does what is right and keeps His promises, will judge evil. And He will judge it, according to His truth---because He created truth.
In His patience, God is long-suffering; He puts up with mankind's rebellion and sin. He knows every sin that we've ever committed, but He hasn't exposed them all, and He hasn't punished us for them. Strangely, most people don't really believe that God is totally good, its beyond their comprehension. Instead of recognizing His gracious provision and His mercy, they accuse Him of being insensitive and unloving, when bad things happen to good people. But this is judging God from an incomplete and distorted human perspective, failing to acknowledge, that if it weren't for God's gracious goodness and patience, no human being would be alive. Every day we live, we should thank the Lord for being so patient and merciful with us and for overlooking the many sins, for which, we,even as His children, deserve His just punishment. We tend to take God's kindness toward us, for granted. But God warns us to respond to His kindness, with gratitude. He knows that our hears are blind and filled with denial. He urges us to open up our eyes and receive His grace and kindness toward us, as an opportunity for repentance and change. William Barclay says "That the mercy and love of God are not meant to make us feel like we can sin and get away with it, they are meant, to break our hearts so that we will never sin again.."
III.) God's Judgment is Impartial 2:5-11
At the end of time, as we know it, there will be a terrifying courtroom scene that involves every human being who ever took a breath on the earth. And the deeds of each man and woman will be laid on a scale and will weighed against the Holy character of our righteous God. Wealth, power, position, race, color, religion, nationality, heritage, education, philosophy-------none of these things will matter. They won't count at all.There is no favoritism with God. Everyone will have an equal opportunity to stand up and present evidence of their own righteousness before Him.The standard measurement will be the same thing, for everyone-----whether they have had access to the law the way the Jews did, in Paul's day or professing Christians in our day----or whether they have not. God will judge each and every person according to their deeds or their works. Paul is not saying that a person's works will save them. He is just saying that they will be judged by them. At the end of days, each person will lay their deeds up on the scale and they will all be found wanting. No amount of good deeds could ever balance the righteousness of God that is the measurement on the other side------not even close. God considers every sin we commit in thought and word and deed. Each one is exposed to God's perfect judgment, according to the truth. In explaining our sin in relation to God's wrath, Paul uses a banking metaphor. If we begin to save our money, taking a small portion of each paycheck and putting it into the bank, we are building up slowly but surely, a treasure; we are saving up for a later day. It's the same way every time we sin, we add an indictment against ourselves, treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath. Every day we sin without repenting, we are depositing future wrath into the account of God's judgment.
God's impartial judgment will be meted out according to what people have done with the truth that was available to them. The moment when the scales tip in God's favor, and all doubt about the truth of the Gospel is blown away, will be the moment when receiving faith from God will no longer be possible. There will be no last minute negotiations. All men will be without excuse-------God has revealed Himself, through the person of Jesus and through the presence of the Holy Spirit and through the printing of His written word and through the beauty and glory that He fills nature with and through the God-shaped space, He has created inside the heart of every person. When we know what God desires, we are held responsible for how well we obey Him. That is why the day of salvation is now-----for us--------and for those around us that we know are not saved.
Real faith generates good works in a believer's life. Good works are the proper response to God's grace. We aren't saved by good works, but when we commit our lives fully to the Lord, we want to please Him and we want to know what His will is and we want to do it. It shows our gratitude to God for what He's done for us.
We will be rewarded for our persistence and hope in the Lord, with glory and honor and eternal life with Him. In the end, people will receive what they really want. If we desire to be with God, He will gladly fulfill our wish here and now and for all eternity, but if we choose to walk away from Him, He will fulfill that wish too and we will not only be separated from here and now, but we will also be separated from Him, forever.
God doesn't care if a person is a Jew or a Gentile, a Baptist or a Methodist, a Catholic or an Episcopalian, when it comes to judgment for sin, no matter what the Jews thought in the 1st century and no matter what the Jew thinks now-----no matter what anybody thinks who adopts the mindset that religious heritage, or church membership can guarantee salvation. It doesn't. You can't get into heaven on the coattails of those who have gone before you-----only a personal relationship with the Lord Jesus, can guarantee heaven for us. God does not play favorites! Too many people have the perception that God will judge mankind on a curve----that everyone's goodness will be graded in comparison with each other. Somewhere in the middle of the grading scale is the passing line. Everybody below the line fails and everybody above the line passes.
There is no passing line! Instead, sin has created a moral canyon that is so wide and so deep, that no one can get across it. Jesus and the Gospel offer us a way to get across it-----and it's the only way that our sin will not be held against us.
People that imagine the judgment curve to be the truth, will tell you that they hope they are going to be in heaven,or they will tell you that they are so bad that they're afraid they will be in hell----- they desperately hope that God will show favoritism------the sad thing is, they could know for certain, if they would just reach out and take the free gift of salvation that God offers them.
III.) God's Judgment is Universal 2:12-16
Gentiles will be judged on the basis of the knowledge available to them. They won't be condemned for failing to conform to the 10 Commandments and they won't perish because they didn't have the Jewish law, they will perish because they've sinned.
Jews will be judged by God's written laws because they've been trained in it. Because they know the law so well, they will be judged for sinning against it. The Jews are not more secure because they have God's law, they are going to be held to a greater accountability because of it. All people will be condemned not because of what they know, but because of what they do with what they know. Anybody who knows God's written word and His law will be judged by them. And because God has created all people with a conscience, even people without a bible know right from wrong----and so they will be judged guilty, because they didn't keep even their own moral standards. There is o way that any human would be able to fulfill the law perfectly. That is as far beyond our reach as the east is from the west
There are faithful Jews who attend synagogue every Sabbath and who hear God's law read over and over again who may consider themselves righteous. But just hearing the Law is not enough---what God wants from us, is obedience to the Law. For some people, familiarity with the scriptures has led to contempt. The word of God has been heard but it isn't always obeyed. In some places the Gospel has been present for generations, but the life-changing message has been buried under the weight of traditions and ceremony. These people will be judged, just like the Jewish people of Paul's day. People today often substitute church size and numbers and the preachers popularity and the numbers of bible studies and mission trips and style of worship, in place of their relationship and personal accountability before the Lord.
Paul says that there are some Gentiles who didn't know Gods law but they had a moral sensitivity it and they lived like they were following it to the letter. The knowledge of God's character was available to them, because they knew the difference between right and wrong.
(Tell the story of the girl who knew better and used profanity in the church and the girl at FCA who used profanity and my reaction to each…) Paul doesn't even try to prove that people are capable or incapable of doing good. His point is, that it doesn't matter what we know or don't know-----there is no one who is capable of perfect goodness. We all behave more or less, in line with the standards of our society and we ignore God's standards. Righteousness is not determined by what most people do, or even by what most people think might be possible, for somebody, who tries very hard. Righteousness is God's standard-----ultimately, only the blood of Jesus can meet God's standard and if we aren't covered by it, then we're doomed.
The only way to truly judge a person is to judge the secrets of their heart------ their conscience and their thoughts. Some actions that appear good, may be wrongly motivated and other less visible actions, may be done with good intentions and a pure heart. In the end, only God can see the secrets of a person's heart and can judge them fairly. Nothing will have to be explained to God. His judgment will be perfect, based on His perfect knowledge of every action and every motive.
Man is without excuse because, in every culture and every people group God has deposited the hope for redemption. Most people believe in a Supreme being and they try and reach God in what ever way they can.
(Some years ago, a missionary named Don Richardson wrote a book called Peace Child------it is the story of his encounter with the Sawis, a society of cannibals in New Guinea. When Richardson and other missionaries arrived there in 1962, they discovered a tribe that had been so degraded and immoral that they actually idolized treachery. They admired the man who could win somebody's trust, and then betray and murder that person. Richardson was shocked to find that when he told the gospel story to the Sawi people, they thought the hero of the story was Judas, not Jesus.
Because of a lack of a common understanding of morality, the Christian missionaries despaired of ever reaching the Sawi tribes for Christ. It seemed impossible to appeal to a society whose moral standards were completely inverted. But as the missionaries lived among the Sawi people, they discovered one area of life in which these tribal people were bound to a recognizable moral standard: the peace child. If one Sawi tribe gave a gift f a baby to another Sawi tribe, then that other tribe was bound to keep its agreements and honor its treaties. If the tribe did not honor the gift of the peace child and keep its agreements, that tribe would lose face and be utterly disgraced.
That gave Richardson and the other missionaries an idea for a way to introduce the Gspel. They told the Sawi people that God had given them a peace child, the baby Jesus. AS a result the Sawis were bound to honor God. God had already provided for the evangelization of these people by means of a redemptive analogy in their own culture. The missionaries were able to use the peace child as a stepping stone to biblical truth and bring Jesus to the Sawis. Many of the Sawi people became Christians and the Sawi society was transformed.
God has prepared every single person to recognize the truth, by building into every culture and every heart, a concept of Him, that is ready and waiting to be explained and filled, when the Gospel comes and is presented to them. All people have an inner sense of right and wrong. The Sawi people were living according to the rule of conscience-----a conscience that was so twisted that right seemed wrong and wrong seemed right and good seemed bad to them. The human conscience can't produce inner peace, and it can't produce peace with God. But the innate God-created moral sense of the human conscience, can sometimes provide a pathway for the Gospel to enter a person's heart. That's why we have to go and tell!"
IV.) God's Judgment Fulfills the Law 2:17-29
In the last part of this passage, Paul deals directly the religious Jew of his day, who gave lip service to following God but didn't follow up his words with his walk. It can speak just as clearly to us, if we substitute the title "church member" for the title "Jew".
The Jews of Paul's day prided themselves on what they thought were 4 advantages, that they possessed, which would make them righteous before God.
1.) They prided themselves on possessing the Law of Moses and being able to interpret it down to the most minute detail. Many Christians today take pride in possessing the Bible, claiming to have correct, orthodox doctrine, while putting down anyone who has a different view of first one and then the other doctrinal points.
2.) They prided themselves on having a special, unique relationship with God. They were God's chosen people. Today, we often hear Christians talk about their special relationship with the Lord, as they put down other denominations and religions, by their words and their attitudes, at the same time.
3.) They bragged about knowing the will of God. They had the scriptures, the law of Moses and the Prophets. Many Christians today claim to have a similar knowledge of God's will, not that you can't believe that you are following the Lord's will but it shouldn't be with a self-righteous arrogance that sometime is seen in relation to baptism, worship, communion, Bible prophecy and bible study and prayer.
4.) They prided themselves on their moral superiority. There were certain things that no self-respecting Jew would ever do------just as many Christians today, pride themselves in the long list of "thou shalt nots" that they observe. They think that the moral observance of these restrictions makes them morally superior to everyone else. The truth is though, there are more "thou shalls" in the Bible than there are "thou shalt nots."
Then Paul goes on to list 4 privileges that the Jews claimed that were theirs because of these advantages.
1.) They felt that they were the guides to the spiritually blind. Today, many Christians feel entitled to correct everyone and anyone around them and it is not with humility it is with an arrogant holier-than-thou attitude. They make it their mission in life to impart the truth of God to their poor, ignorant brethren.
2.) They felt like they were a light to those who were walking in darkness. Their Christian counterparts, today try to dazzle us with their Bible knowledge and their use of church language. They have it all figured out: when the Lord's coming back, the identity of the
antiChrist, the winner of the national election and who to blame if he doesn't---and they can quote the main precepts of every "book du jour" that is out on the market today.
3.) They felt like they were the instructors of the foolish. Many Christians today take the same position. Without any consideration for the feelings of others, these sharp-tongued saints never miss an opportunity to set everyone else straight.
4.) They felt privileged to be the teachers of children. There are many Christians today who are of the same mind. Its wonderful when people volunteer to teach Sunday School or to be youth advisors. Unfortunately, many people volunteer, not because they've been gifted in these areas or called by God to teach the young, but because they have the need for ego gratification from being in charge and helping to straighten out the next generation.
Paul pronounces a judgment against these kinds of people. He basically tells them that, "you are outwardly righteous, but inwardly you are doing the wrong thing. You religious zealots are dangerous people to the cause of Christ. You are envious, proud covetous, lustful and bitter. You preach against stealing, but do you steal? you condemn adultery, but do you commit adultery?" Paul takes then to task for their blatant hypocrisy.
Then he delivers the most devastating judgment of all. He says, "You brag about God's law yet your own behavior brings dishonor upon God's name. The Gentiles blaspheme God because of you." That was the ultimate judgment upon the Jews. To them blasphemy was the worst of sins. But the truth was and Paul, called them out for it, that people had turned away from God and dishonored His name because of the actions and attitude of the so-called religious Jews.
Blatant examples from American Christianity instantly leap to our minds. We have seen pastors of prominent churches caught in sex scandals; televangelists caught abusing their prominence to gain sex and money ad power; so-called "faith-healers" who gt rich by exploiting the pain and desperation of the faithful; and church members who seem holy and pious on Sunday, but Monday through Friday, they use whatever language they want to, they stir up discord in their homes, they turn a cold shoulder to their husbands and they pick a fight with their mother and they lie to their friends about what's really happening in their marriage or with the behavior of their children at school and at home. They consider themselves guides to the blind, lights to those in darkness, instructors to the foolish and teachers of the young------but they are actively hurting the cause of Christ.
When we as Christians try to share the Gospel or invite a non-Christian friend to church, we're told,"Are you kidding me? I don't need Jesus and I don't need church. Churches are full of hypocrites." Some Christians keep records of how many people they win to the Lord, but they don't have any idea how many people they have driven away from Him, because of their spiritual arrogance and their unkind words and their unrighteous example. We have to be careful that we are kind and winsome, gentle and sensitive when we are trying to draw someone to the Lord. (Page 71---sproul)
First century Jews prided themselves on the rite of circumcision, the outward symbol that they were God's chosen people. Many Christians today derive a similar pride from baptism or church membership. But if they are not outward symbols of a person's inner convictions they are worthless.
Paul's very quick to tell them that outward signs are meaningless if there is not a circumcision of the heart. There is nothing that can be seen or done outwardly that can make a person a true Jew. You become a Jew by the transformation of your heart. You become a true Jew when you believe that Jesus is God's son----Authentic Jewishness is not your culture, your ancestry or the rites and rituals that you observe. It is the fact that you have come to know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior. That's what makes you a true Jew and thats what makes you a Christian. In Galations 3:29-----Paul says that if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise."
The privileges enjoyed by the Hebrew nation are now the privileges of the Christian and we should cherish them and respect them and give God the glory for them:
1.) Our title--We should wear the label "Christian" with honor. To declare ourselves Christians is to publicly affirm a code of conduct that other people can trust and it invites our peers to hold us accountable.
2.) Possession of divine truth--The responsibility to protect and steward and to teach God's written word, belongs to all believers. We have been chosen by God to bear His message to the rest of the world. This is an unbelievable privilege. We should treat it with respect and humility and trust its inerrancy.
3.) Our unique relationship with God-- As believers, we have peace with God, by His grace through faith in the Lord Jesus. Plus, we have the Holy Spirit. living within us, a privilege that is more wonderful than the saints of the Old Testament could have imagined.
4.) Our Knowledge of God's will--Scripture has revealed that God's will is to reclaim His creation from evil and fill it with His righteous.
5.) Our Responsibility to Instruct the Nations-- Jesus commanded His followers to go and make disciples of all nations. Printing and distributing and carrying copies of the Scriptures is an honorable undertaking, but it can't be a substitute for allowing the word of God to be seen even more clearly in our actions and attitudes.
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