Romans 2:1-16: God’s Judgment vs Man’s Judgment

One morning, as Jesus was teaching in the temple courts, a group of scribes and Pharisees dragged a woman before Him. They said she had been caught in the very act of adultery.

According to the Law of Moses, they reminded Jesus, such a woman should be stoned. “What do you say?” they asked, hoping to trap Him into saying something they could use against Him.

Jesus bent down and wrote in the dirt with His finger. Then He stood up and said to them: “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”

Then He stooped again and continued writing on the ground.

One by one, beginning with the oldest, the accusers quietly walked away until only Jesus and the woman remained. Jesus looked up and asked, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”

“No one, sir,” she replied.

“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus said. “Go now and leave your life of sin.” (John 8:1-11).

This true life incident in Jesus’ life vividly illustrates Paul’s point in today’s text. The sin of self-righteous judgment.

After his condemnation of the Gentile world for their sins, Paul turns to his Jewish audience saying they too are guilty. He says you’re “passing judgment on another,” yet “you condemn yourself, because you practice the very same things.”

This attitude is reflected in the observation by one sage who quipped, “We hate our own faults. Especially when we see them in others.”

The challenge for us is to read this chapter and not just interpret it to condemn the 1st century Jews but to apply it to ourselves in the 21st century. There are three major points we need to seriously consider.

(1) God’s Judgment is according to Truth.

God’s judgment is not based on our biased opinions. Tradition. Hearsay. Gossip. Or prejudice.

God’s Word is Truth (Jn 17:17). All of us will be judged equally on the basis of what the Bible says. There is not one standard for Americans and another for the rest of the world. Or one for the church of Christ and another for other churches. Or one for white people and another for black people. Or one for rich people and another for poor people.

(2) God’s Judgment is based on our own deeds.

The Jews thought their status as God’s chosen people in the Old Testament had “punched their ticket” to heaven. However, Paul affirms that God “will render to each one according to his works” (2:6).

Several times in this text we read expressions like these: “every soul.” “Each one.” “Every human being.” “Every man.” These speak to individual accountability and personal responsibility.

You may belong to a really good church that is active in ministry and zealous in evangelism, yet be inactive and indifferent. God will judge you, not as part of a group, but individually. Maybe you come from a deeply devoted, spiritual family. Your Daddy is a preacher. Your Papaw was a pastor. However, you will be judged based on your life and works, not theirs.

(3) God’s Judgment is Impartial.

Contrary to what the Jews thought, God was not partial to the Jews or prejudiced against the Gentiles. Paul clearly enunciated, “there is no partiality with God” (2:11).

This is hard for humans to truly understand. We all have our various prejudices. Some may be more pronounced that others. Some are subtle. Others may be more overt. But it is difficult to be completely impartial. All the time. With everyone. But God is.

When we read the Bible, let’s work to apply it to ourselves. Not others. When we participate in a Bible class, let’s see what it means to those present, not those who are absent. When we hear a sermon, let’s utilize the lesson to improve our lives instead of condemning others.

While there are occasions when it’s appropriate for us to “judge with righteous judgment (Jn. 7:24), Paul’s warning is a sobering reminder that our judgment may be unfair, prejudiced, and even hypocritical. When we read (or write) a blog post like this, we each ought to ask, “Lord, is it I?”

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherman