God's Righteous Judgement - God's Goodness

APRIL 2, 2023 STUDY NOTES ROMANS 2:1-4 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES GOD’S RIGHTEOUS JUDGMENT—GOD’S GOODNESS INTRODUCTION Some scholars say that Paul is speaking strictly to the Jews in chapter two Others say that he is speaking to the Gentiles The question to be answered is not who does Paul have in mind But who would be left out of what Paul presents as the way of sinful man What Paul has to say includes all sinners, Jew, and Gentile alike, you and I alike So, Paul is speaking to our day as well as his day, Paul speaks to sinners of today Paul presented a true, but dark picture of the sinful nature of man in Romans chapter one He was not saying that every sinner will commit every sin that he identified There are people who are without Christ in their life that live by a high moral standard They would not consider themselves to be among those who commit such sins as Paul described Many people today do not want to see themselves in Romans 1, but they can see others People who read Paul’s list of sins will be quick to claim their innocence to most of those sins And some will be quick to condemn those who are involved in that which is most evil People will compare themselves with others and come away with a self-righteous attitude Separating themselves from sinners, in Paul’s day Jews separated themselves from the Gentiles The Jews considered themselves as righteous and the Gentiles as heathens According to the Jews the Gentiles were unclean and they called them “dogs” (not lap-dogs) People today who live what they identify as a clean, moral life feel secure before God They do not believe that they stand condemned before God, they are “self-righteous” They think that God’s judgment of sin does not apply to good people, it only applies to the evil Paul says that even those of a clean moral life stand condemned before God because of sin SELF CONDEMNATION--Rom 2:1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. “Therefore,” Paul begins by taking us back to the previous picture of sinful man in chapter one Paul knew that some would apply what he had said to others but not to themselves Like those who tell the preacher that was a good sermon preacher, “they” needed that It is easy to say “Amen” when you think that the preacher is preaching “to them” The “Self-Righteous” find it easy to apply God’s Word to someone else instead of self But listen to Paul, “thou art inexcusable, O man” Paul has already said that sinful man is without excuse--Rom 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: They are without excuse because they rejected the revelation of God through creation They are without excuse because they suppressed the truth about God Those who claim to believe in God but do not read the Bible suppress the truth concerning God Paul says that sinful man has no excuse, literally he has no defense, he has nothing to stand upon Man cannot excuse himself because his sin is not to the same degree as the sins of others He cannot excuse himself because his sins are not as open and frequent as the sins of others Jews have no excuse, Gentiles have no excuse, Americans have no excuse for their sinful lifestyle Page 1 of 6 The whole world stands condemned before God because of their sin nature No one who points out the sins of others stands innocent, “whosoever thou art that judgest” Judging here is the expression of an unfavorable opinion of others, which is common in our day A criticism of others, passing judgment on the character of others, refusing to look in the mirror The one who does that is claiming to know the difference between right and wrong Which means that they claim to know when you are wrong, and they are right “For wherein thou judgest another,” which is easy to do, or agree with others when they do it “Thou” refers to each and every person who is guilty of judging others A self-righteous attitude will pass judgment upon others and condemn them for their sins It goes like this, “How could “you” do such a thing?” As if to say, “I would never do anything like that” The self-righteous judge others and compare them to their own personal standard of life That which is accepted or rejected in life is according to their way of life Which means that there will be sins that are overlooked because they are self-righteous Sins that they and their friends are guilty of but see no wrong and sense no guilt People don’t want to admit that their way of life is a sinful life according to God So, they practice a hypocritical judging of others which Jesus refers to in, Mat 7:1 Judge not, that ye be not judged. Jesus was not teaching that Christians should never voice an opposition to sin in others Jesus does not teach that judgments of sin should never be made, there must be the right motive Our government today has a different standard of right and wrong than Christians do Different from that of the Christian who accepts God’s Word and God’s standard of life So, we have the right to voice our opinion based upon the truth of God’s Word (we must do that) Jesus speaks of taking a bitter and unkind view of others based upon personal opinion Judging the wrong that you think you see in others, but you cannot see it in yourself Judgment of others must begin with judgment of self, look in the mirror of God’s Word first Criticism of others is like a boomerang, it will come right back to you Jesus said, you will sow and reap, Mat 7:2 For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. Jesus speaks of criticizing others with eyes that cannot see self, Mat 7:3 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Jesus said that is like trying to remove a speck of dust from the eye of another person Which is difficult to do when you have a large beam in your own eye Paul agrees with Jesus and says you are only condemning yourself, “Thou condemnest thyself” You cannot selfishly condemn others without bringing condemnation upon yourself Sinful man will condemn sin in the life of others and justify sin in his own life It is easy to find some excuse for our sins or to blame others for our own sins But scripture shows us that we are guilty of our own sins, Rom 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: We stand accountable before God for every unconfessed wrong committed (sins of commission) We also stand accountable before God for every failed opportunity to be right (sins of omission) Christians are accountable for what we know is true and the opportunities that we have to share it We know the truth of God, we know the truth of sin, we know the truth of salvation We know the truth of righteousness and the truth of a life of obedience toward God When we know that we have sinned we must judge ourselves as guilty We stand guilty when we judge others of their sins without seeing our own sins “For thou that judgest doest the same things” Paul does not mean that everyone would be involved in all of the sins listed in chapter one Paul does not say that their sinful actions were identical, but their nature of sin was the same Page 2 of 6 People do not have to be involved outwardly in sin to be guilty of the same sins The thinking of an inward lust of sin makes one guilty before God The inner thoughts and desires of man are as accountable toward God as the outward acts of sin Jesus said that you don’t have to physically commit adultery to be guilty, Mat 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: You are guilty of adultery in the sight of God if there is a desire in the heart to commit adultery, Mat 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. Lust in the heart is saying, “I would if I had the opportunity” Men and women today clothe, or go with a lack of clothes, desiring that others lust after them Therefore, heart committed adultery is a common sin of today, it is an advertised sin of today Jesus gave us a list of “heart committed sins,” Mar 7:21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Including some of our sins that we don’t want to put in the same category that Jesus does, Mar 7:22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: (Foolishness because a sinful mind cannot think properly and is capable of any sin) All sin is found within the heart, Mar 7:23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man. (The heart’s desire of evil is why America is now an unclean and polluted nation) The desire of the heart to sin will seek a way and an excuse to sin, even making it the right way When people want to sin like others their excuse is, “everyone else is doing it” Or “nobody’s perfect;” or “it won’t hurt just this one time;” or “it’s not that big of a sin” But the truth is, sin is sin, and a sinful heart is accountable before God Paul is telling us to be careful of judging others because you may be guilty of the same sin THE TRUTH HURTS--Rom 2:2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. Paul tells us what he knows that we are “sure” of, that which is known, and that which is obvious That which cannot be denied, “that the judgment of God is according to truth” First of all, notice that it is “the judgment of God” Paul is not speaking of the opinion of man concerning the subject of sin and evil Look at what Paul has to say about God’s judgment: It will be according to “truth” (vs. 2) According to “deeds” (vs. 6) Without “respect of persons” (vs. 11) “According to my Gospel” (vs. 16) God’s judgment “is according to truth,” it could be no other way for the God of Truth God is the God of Truth, Psa 31:5 Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth. All will be judged according “to truth,” both Jew and Gentile Judgment will be the same for all past ages, this present age, and all that is yet in the future God’s judgment is based upon truth and God knows the truth of every person Jesus has been appointed by God to judge the world with justice, Act 17:31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. Every detail of our life will be judged “according to truth” by the “Living Lord Jesus” Judgment that will be “against them which commit such things” God knows that we commit “such things,” referring to the things that we condemn in others “Such things” in our life that we think no one else knows about, our so-called “hidden sins” “Such things” that we allow to enter into our mind, but we don’t tell others about them We have looked at what Jesus says comes from our heart, but there can also be simple things Like seeing something that belongs to another person, and they are nowhere around Page 3 of 6 And thinking, “I ought to get that before someone steals it” Like the times we “stretch the truth” and quickly say, “I am not lying” (which is a clue) Paul’s point is, God knows the truth and will judge in truth, nothing will be hidden What do you think that you have done that God doesn’t know about? God sees what you think is hidden from the preacher, deacons, and neighbors God remembers what we think all others have forgotten God’s judgment is based upon “who “you” are” and “what “you” have done” THERE IS NO ESCAPE FROM THE TRUTH--Rom 2:3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? It is amazing how sinful man “thinks,” how he reasons about himself How he evaluates his own life and how he compares his life with others One commentary explained such thinking this way, “You dummy” “O man, that judgest them which do such things” We often ask, “why hasn’t God judged those ungodly sinners?” Those doing “such things?” The answer is, for the same reason He hasn’t judged us for our sins It is easy to look at others and judge their sins and not look at our sins, “and doest the same” Not necessarily outwardly as described in chapter one, but from within the heart When you point one finger at someone else, count how many are pointing back at you So, Paul’s question is, “Do you really think that you are going to escape God’s judgment? “That thou shalt escape the judgment of God?” Do you think that you will get by with the sins that God is going to judge in others? “You dummy,” do you really think that you will escape “the judgment of God?” What makes you think that you will be exempt from God’s judgment? Not what will be your excuse, but what will be your “escape?” Our life is an open book before the eyes of God, Heb 4:13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do. Nothing in all of creation, ever at any time, is unknown unto God What or where can you hide from God? Jer 23:24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD. What did you do yesterday that God didn’t see? What did you say that God didn’t hear? Before we open our mouth to speak, God knows what is going to be said What do you think is in your life that God doesn’t know about? Everything is uncovered and open to His sight, the Lord knows all about His people, Psa 139:1 O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. (It is time for you to search your life) God knows every detail of our life, even our thoughts, Psa 139:2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. He knows our outward conduct, Psa 139:3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. He knows our words before they are spoken, Psa 139:4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. There are no dark corners to hide in, Psa 139:12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. We all stand accountable before Him, we will all answer to Him for all of our thoughts and deeds We are accountable for every thought, every motive, and every deed, Mat 12:36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. Page 4 of 6 In the next verse Paul tells us more about ourselves and more about God who will judge us He tells us about things that we too often find so easy to forget SO EASY TO FORGET--Rom 2:4 Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? “Despisest” has the thought of giving little attention to something When you don’t pay attention to something because you underestimate the value of it Therefore, you ultimately disregard it, you go through a day without thinking about it Or if you think about it, you can easily forget it because of other things you are thinking about So, what is it that Paul claims we can “so easily forget?” “The riches of his goodness” refers to the abundance of His blessings upon us every day God daily blesses us with a wealth of His “kindness” that we don’t deserve A daily song in our heart should be “count your many blessings, name them one by one” If you will do that you will be “surprised at what the Lord hath done” Every breath of air we breathe, every bite of food we take is a result of God’s “goodness” “Goodness” comes from God the Father, Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. (God does not give that which is evil, sin does not come “from above”) God’s original creation reveals the goodness of God, Gen 1:31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day. God’s creation is still good, it is good to see the sun and the rain, Mat 5:45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. God has been “good” to America, the past years of American history prove it Probably no generation upon the earth ever had life so easy as our last 75 years But according to this passage and other scripture that could quickly change One reason that it will change is because America has forgotten “the goodness of God” Paul will now identify and tell us the most important reason for “God’s goodness” God’s “forbearance,” which is God’s willingness to tolerate the intolerance of sinful man God has been holding back His wrath upon sinful man, especially in America God’s mercy is willing to hold back the punishment of sin for the time being God’s “forbearance” is not forgiveness, forgiveness does not come through God’s waiting But “forbearance” does allow time for repentance which will result in forgiveness The “longsuffering” of God refers to His “Patience with people,” sinful mankind His “longsuffering” is delaying the judgment of God upon sinful man Why? Because God is patiently waiting for sinners to repent of their sins The “longsuffering” of God is delaying the wrath of God upon a sinful world Thank God He has not been quick to wrath, America is a testimony to God’s “longsuffering” But sinful man is not paying attention to the “forbearance” and “longsuffering” of God And if he does think about it, he easily forgets it because he continues to live in his sin America is guilty of “not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance” “Not knowing” is a lack of understanding or to be in ignorance of something But Paul is speaking of something that should be known, God’s goodness is easy to identify Yet sinful man is ignorant of it, but the point is that they ought to know So, what should they know? They should know the very purpose of the “goodness of God” The “goodness of God” is His daily kindness that we all benefit from His forbearance is His holding back the judgment that sinful man deserves Page 5 of 6 His longsuffering is God continuing to hold back judgment and continuing to bless us Man comes up with many questions concerning “the goodness of God” Such as, why does God allow bad things to happen to good people? We should ask, why does God allow good things to happen to bad people? The question is not why do people suffer and die? The question is, why does God allow us to live as-long as He does in our sins? The question is not why does God allow lost sinners to go to Hell? The question is why does God allow saved sinners to go to Heaven? There are many reasons that can be stated for the “goodness of God” But Paul gives us the most important one, God’s goodness leads to “repentance” Instead of the approval of sin there should be the “repentance” of sin So, what is “repentance?” “Repentance” means that the sinner changes his mind and direction The change that comes over a sinner when he sees the truth of God and the truth of his sin And he sees that he will face the wrath of God because of his sin unless he “repents” “Repentance” is turning to God and turning from sin, which is the correct order, 1Th 1:9 For they themselves shew of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God; The lost must turn to Christ and repent of sin for the forgiveness of sin The saved need to repent of unconfessed sin and return to a right relationship with God When we sin, we need to repent and confess our sins, 1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Many regular churchgoers today do not see the need of repentance of sins Paul tells us to look at “God’s Goodness, consider God’s forbearance and His longsuffering God’s will is for “all” to come to “repentance,” 2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Thank God for His “Goodness” Watch the screen and sing with the song Page 6 of 6