Stand Strong in the Word
Stand Strong in the Word is a weekly bible study that teaches through the Bible verse by verse in chronological order. For more information, visit www.standstrongministries.org.
Stand Strong in the Word
#318 "God Judges the Secrets of Men" (Romans 2:1-4)
Have you ever wondered what God truly knows about you—the things no one else can see, even the secrets buried deep in your heart? In Romans 2:1–4, Paul reminds us that one day God will judge the hidden motives of people. In today’s teaching episode, we’ll explore why His judgment is perfectly fair, how it shows our need for grace, and what it means to live honestly before Him.
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Have you ever wondered what God truly knows about you, the things no one else can see, even the secrets buried deep in your heart? In Romans, chapter 2, 1 through 16, paul reminds us that one day, god will judge the hidden motives of people. In today's teaching episode, we'll explore why his judgment is perfectly fair, how it shows our need for grace and what it means to live honestly before Him. Well, hey there, my friends, welcome to Stand Strong in the Word podcast. Jason Heman is with you, as always, blessed to be with you guys, as we continue our study here in the book of Romans. We are now entering chapter two, so we completed Romans one. So if you've missed any previous podcasts, I encourage you guys to check those things out, download them, share them with your friends. If you have questions on the biblical text or an apologetic issue theological, whatever the case may be info at standstrongministriesorg is how you can reach out to us, and I do my best each week to look at the emails and answer your guys' questions and also your prayer requests, as we ask for you guys to continue to pray for this ministry so we can reach people around the world, so other believers just like you can stand strong in God's word.
Speaker 1:So now we are transitioning into Romans, chapter two, verses one through 16,. Specifically today, and as I stated in the opening, we're going to be looking at God's judgment, and what does that mean? So we have a lot to cover. So if you notice right here in verse one, where he says therefore, you have no excuse, oh man, every one of you who judges for a passing judgment on another, you condemn yourself because you, the judge, practice the very same things. Now, every time we have, therefore, we have to go back and ask ourselves the question, right Contextually, what's it there for? And so let's look back at the last few verses that Paul had mentioned in chapter one, and in verse 28, he says and since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, god gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them, but give approval to those who practice them. Therefore, you have no excuse, o man, every one of you who judges.
Speaker 1:So notice right off the bat, in chapter one, the Jews. When we go back to the Jews in Romans one, they were probably looking at that, thinking that we're living in Rome. Man Paul's arguments about God's wrath, about God's obviously presence, the evidence that God exists, and how his wrath is going to fall upon the ungodly, they were right there with him. That drew their attention. And you remember, paul is going to be transitioning, as he kind of stated a little bit in Romans one, but definitely in Romans two. And then he'll change gears in Romans three by presenting an objector like kind of like a, a make-believe person that he's debating with, posing these certain questions. But here in chapter two you're gonna start seeing this form that's known as the diatribe device, and this is how he's going to build the case that god shows no partiality when it comes to judgment of sin. So the jews are saying, yes, you get those gentiles, but then he's going to transition and he's going to start calling out the Jews.
Speaker 1:Now, before I read any further, just so we understand the context, this chapter, as we go through it in a few episodes, is broken into two halves. So we're looking at the first half right now and that is talking about basically this no matter how moral you think you are, whether you're a Jew or you're a Gentile, what Paul's going to be making the case here and remember my title is God Judges the Secrets of Men. So you may know some things about someone, but you don't really know them. Only God really knows who we are and knows everything about us. So, no matter who you are, no matter how moral you think you are, you're condemned by your sin. That's what we're going to be looking at. The second half, as you look from verses 17 through 29, is the Jews are at a stricter judgment for rejecting the prophetic fulfillment of Jesus as Messiah. In fact, when you start getting into chapter 3, paul's going to be talking about the privileges, the benefit of being Jewish, in particular, that you receive the oracles of God. This is something that Moses had mentioned in Deuteronomy.
Speaker 1:Chapter four this is something that Paul will go in greater detail in Romans. Chapter nine through 11, to unpack that. So the Jews are in fact, guilty, and so what Paul's going to do is he's going to present this indictment of God into three stages, these first five verses, which is the first stage, outlines the charge against the Jews, showing they are not innocent. The second stage, in verses 6 through 11, he's going to defend God's wrath, that it's impartial. So remember, the Jews think that God is partial. We're Jews. God's not going to punish us. We have his law, we're in his covenant. He's just going to go after those wicked Gentiles and so they're not seeing the sin in their own life. But God's wrath is impartial, that his judgment is just and righteous. And then the last and final stage, the third stage, in verses 12 through 16, accuses the Jews of failing to live up to God's standards by the law. So Paul just doesn't make these outlandish statements, he actually points it out to them, condemning them for not obeying the Lord. So now let's continue.
Speaker 1:Now in verse 2. It says we know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose a man, you, who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance, but because of your hard and impotent heart. You are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.
Speaker 1:Now there's something that I want to point out. When you go back to verse one, when he says that every one of you who judges the Greek word there is krino, which simply means what we see rendered here in English, to judge. He uses it in verse 1, verse 3, verse 12 and verse 16, and paul uses this term and this is important for us to understand, because what he's actually pointing out is, when you do judge to the jews, you're judging hypocritically. Because here's the thing youists, you people who think you're superior or better that's the Greek term here when you're judging like the person who thinks they're better judges is krenon in Greek you are engaging in this action. That's actually portraying condemnation. That's that whole focus. So, even though you may be calling somebody out or recognizing something they're doing that is falling short to the glory of God, but the way in which you do it is you are leading it through self-condemnation that you are condemning someone for what they're doing, but in that you're thinking you're better. And what Paul's going to be pointing out when he says you're passing judgment on another.
Speaker 1:Every human being who's ever lived has turned away from God at one point in their life, and we, as sinners, we sin. Sadly, we have abused what God has given us, and so God doesn't judge us based on our morality, but on whether or not we live according to his ultimate moral standard and we call that grace. And this is something that Paul is going to be really unpacking when he gets into Romans, chapter 6. And then he personalizes it in Romans, chapter 7, uses marriage as an example of those who are under the law. So we can't achieve that status and it's not just a status, my friends, it's a condition, and it's actually, when you look at it ontologically is we cannot be fully in our being renewed from the fallenness. So, again in your mind, or you can have, you can achieve a certain status, but it's not the status that we achieve in this world that cleanses or removes the sin. There has to be an atonement that's only achieved through Jesus Christ.
Speaker 1:Remember, james argues that if you break one commandment, you're guilty of breaking them all. In James, chapter two, verse 10. So even if you say, well, I no longer break those commandments, I actually now uphold it. So let's say, for example, I used to have other gods before me. The first commandment of you know that Moses laid down for us in Deuteronomy 5. But now I believe in the one true God Great. But when you broke them once, that doesn't mean that you couldn't be atoned for that. You may have right thinking now, but there's other things that you're breaking in the process and the moment you're prideful, thinking moralistically that your achievement has given you a greater status, therefore you have greater favor with God.
Speaker 1:That in itself is wrong and the sad reality, many of you guys, if you live somewhere in the West, that evangelicalism of nicety has become a doctrine that we have implemented. That is not biblical. So what we have to understand in this context is that Paul describes a hypocritical and partial nature of humans as a way to contrast it with God's perfection and guess what? His impartiality. So there's a huge distinction, if you will, that we have to understand. So when you look at verse two and I want to give you, guys, the amplified Bible translation it says but we know that the judgment, that means the adverse verdict, the sentence of God, falls justly and in accordance with truth upon those who practice such things.
Speaker 1:So Paul discusses God's temporal judgment, to highlight that the moralist serves as living proof of recognizing God's standards and should follow them. So the Greek word here for know is a doi or oida, and it speaks to possessing positive knowledge. It means to know without a shadow of a doubt. And so, notice, he says, when God's judgment rightly falls, the first thing that Paul reinforces, going back to chapter 18 verses and to all the way to verse 32 in chapter 1, is that God's judgments are based on truth, that they're absolute, that they're infinite. So we, when it says that we know just like when he goes back, when we go back to chapter 1, that they plainly know, they have certainty, they have gnosco. There's a personal experience that God exists and knowing that God exists when he judges us in accordance to our fallenness, meaning when we do wrong acts or even good ones.
Speaker 1:But he's particularly talking about God's judgment falling upon us when we do something that's unjustly, we know, we know that it's coming. And when unjustly, we know, we know that it's coming. And when it does come, we know that it is just because those who reject god's truth, his judgments, they will be justly punished. Remember, this is what abraham. We clearly see this member in genesis, chapter 8, 25b. This actually will then feed into chapter 3 as well. But when Abraham was interceding for Sodom, he said deep in his heart he says Shall not the judge, that is God of the heavens and the earth will not the judge of all the earth do what is just?
Speaker 1:Psalm 145, verse 17, says the Lord is righteous in all of his ways, in kind, in all of his deeds. So we know that the Lord is righteous and so when we do something wrong or when we judge unjustly, hypocritically, god is impartial in his judgment and he will correct those things. So when you get into verse three and he's posing this question here, this is another truth that we have to understand about God's temporal judgment, that it's unavoidoidable you might be able to identify someone's sin, like we that we've been discussing right now and and again judge it correctly. You shouldn't lie, but that doesn't free you from your guilt. Maybe you and we all are. We're all liars ourselves, and this goes back to what Jesus was preaching on the Sermon on the Mount, looking at the speck in your own eye, when in fact it's a log because we're coming hypocritically. So, in fact, when we do judge and this is important and this is something I was really praying through myself when I was studying my friends is that when we judge others in a way that boasts our own status, what that does is it draws more judgment from God on ourselves, and we're looking for God to punish that person and I use the word punishment, and that is wrong when we think that God should act a certain way. And the irony, or I would say even the contradiction in the moralist reasoning that we oftentimes, in our fallenness, struggle with, is that the the forefront of how paul's presenting this question is like you guys, you are so arrogant in your judgment, and this is why he uses this word suppose, and this is actually the greek word logizomai, where we get the word obviously, logic, logic. So he says do you suppose? Oh, man, you who judge those who practice such things? What he's getting at is that you have this, you have enough information that you can draw a conclusion, and so the moralist might believe his reasoning and judgment is correct and fair. However and this is important for us to understand, my friends, I pray that you get this he or she misjudges themselves because of their own pride, and you can't escape the judgment of God If you go back to the Old Testament, in Jeremiah 7, and you look in the New Testament, in Matthew 3, in the ministry of John the Baptist, notice it rejects the notion that the Jews are protected from God's judgment because of the Abrahamic covenant.
Speaker 1:You're actually at a stricter judgment because you know better. So, albert Moeller, I like what he said in response and this is going to lead into verse five in a minute. He says Paul is no longer talking about the judgment of God, that is already active in the world. His mind has now shifted to the end, into God's future judgment, the day of God's wrath. So get ready so that again.
Speaker 1:So when he's saying in verse four or do you presume on the richness of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? So, instead of trying to depict God as this raffle, vengeful, you know, hierarchical kind of deity, the Jews became blinded in this covenant relationship with God that they're abusing. Remember, many times, you see, in the old Testament, through the prophets, god divorces Judah and Israel because of their sin by turning to other gods. Just because they had Abraham, isaac and Jacob the patriarchs doesn't mean that God was going to protect him of the coming wrath that he mentioned in chapter 1, verse 18. So this word presume is not just talking about procrastination, but also the questioning of it. So they're questioning god's judgment, which in chapter three, that's when paul starts playing this, this, he starts presenting this, this, you know, made up um objector, if you will, jewish objector. Like you think that you're going to get away with the stuff that you're doing and everybody else is wrong. And you're right because you're, you're a jew, you're, you're in to get away with the stuff that you're doing and everybody else is wrong. And you're right because you're, you're a Jew, you're, you're in the covenant.
Speaker 1:And we're actually seeing a lot of this debate recently in politics, and a lot of people in America who are followers of Jesus Christ are looking at Israel, thinking so when you say support Israel, does that mean that no matter what Israel does, god just supports it as well? Therefore, we do, and so notice how this has caused a lot of controversy. Now, we don't want to just like pull away completely, but we do have to process this, and this is the element where you have a Jew like Paul the apostle, filled and inspired by the Holy spirit to rebuke this superiority complex that the Jews have. That's what I would tell you today. When I see that in the state of Israel, whether it be through some dignitaries or the president, prime minister, when they're superior, when they think that they're entitled because they're jewish, I don't support that. That's and it's biblical. Notice.
Speaker 1:What he's saying, this word presume is basically putting it like this you cannot repent because you don't think you need to repent. It's like this idea is like why do I need to repent? I think you need to repent. It's like this idea is like why do I need to repent? I don't need to repent, I didn't do anything wrong. And then, before you know, it's too late. And so when what Paul's saying is he's like you guys, you're missing his kindness, you're missing his forbearance, you're missing his patience, the word kindness here is it actually is Christotitos, where we get Christos, where Christ the name comes from about this benevolent one, and here the term that's used is his kindness, to describe who God is. It's also revealing his character in action. So God is benevolent, so like he's extending benevolence in action.
Speaker 1:So what Paul is saying is that God gives a sinful person what he or she needs to repent. So the language here is very personal. So you guys think that you have an intimate relationship with God, but you put him on this pedestal where he becomes remote and distant. But God is more personal to you as well as to the Gentiles. Not only that, but this term also carries the idea of being suitable or fitting the size of someone. This is what's amazing, my friends.
Speaker 1:God's kindness is what you need personally, right when you need it. That's what it means. Not only that, but he says God's forbearance and his patience, remember, leads us to repentance. So, as God is kind and gives you what you need, he's patient. And notice, when we judge people, we're not being kind to repentance. So as God is kind and gives you what you need, he's patient and notice, when we judge people, we're not being kind to them, we're not being patient to them. And so if we have a misconstrued idea of God, we then start taking that to the next level. That is actually not biblical, and so it's God forgiving us that can lead us to this repentance.
Speaker 1:And when he says not knowing, he's literally saying okay. So when you presume arrogantly, you ignore what is really true, and so you become a person who's ignorant. Remember, we're talking about the futility of the mind when you go back to verse 19 through 21 in chapter one. What's so fascinating? Remember, they knew God. However, they were actually unaware of who God really is, that he is kind, that he is loving. Why? Because they suppress the truth. So notice, in context of scripture that makes sense and I like to.
Speaker 1:When I oftentimes look at verse four here I like to refer to people, to Titus, chapter 3, verses 5 through 7, when it says but when the goodness and the loving kindness of God, our Savior, appeared guess what? Verse 5, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to His own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ, our Savior, so that, being justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Isn't that a powerful, powerful passage of scripture? That's, in essence, what Paul is telling Titus there. He's trying to convey here to the Romans and the Gentiles in chapter two. So when you and I receive God's kindness, when you receive his forgiveness and I receive his forgiveness, guess what? You and I will be far more gracious and forgiving to others right. And let me just encourage all of my faithful listeners out there instead of judging, try showing the same grace you've been given by God. If God instantly punished every mistake, none of us would have a chance to grow or change. So it's important that, my friend, that you avoid rushing to harsh judgments, and I have to do the same. We have to allow time, you know, for God to work in us. Sometimes, maybe, maybe, just don't jump right back into that relationship or jump right back into the situation. Allow others also the time to develop, just like sometimes we need to develop, and we need to emphasize that showing kindness and patience to others is what we need to be focusing on daily.
Speaker 1:Dr Mu in his book the Epistle to the Romans interprets Paul's rhetoric as exposing Jewish presumption about covenant privileges, and I like this because, theologically, what it emphasizes is that God's kindness here aims for repentance, not exemption, and this highlights God's transformative power that can only come through his grace. And again, this is something that Paul mentions when you look at chapter 3, verses 24 and 26,. And he says you are justified by his grace and it's a gift. It's a gift through the redemption that is in christ jesus, and he just keeps building on the atonement of christ, because in verse 25 he says whom god put forward as the atonement by his blood to be received by faith. This was to show's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. So that's the first part that I mentioned to you guys In this first section, where Paul outlines the charge against the Jews, showing them that they're not innocent.
Speaker 1:But when you think that you're better, you will definitely have a misconstrued idea of who God is. And you know, and as I'm actually looking at this context and talking about God's kindness and talking about his forbearance and talking about his patience, I'm actually going to hold off and we'll get into in the next episode, looking at the second stage, beginning in verse five, where Paul says but because of your hard and impotent heart. And so as we close today's episode, let me challenge you guys in a few particular areas. One is I want you to evaluate and examine how patient and kind you are to people, especially people who are difficult. You know, I'm reminded even as I jumped into studio to record this episode, I had received a text from an individual who is very difficult.
Speaker 1:To be honest, there's pride in this person's heart. They're not very teachable and I don't really necessarily like to interact with them and I don't usually but usually when you do, you know, it's always kind of the same. You know kind of the same thing, and I can, you know, get irritated. And the last thing that I want to do and this is something I'm confessing to you guys, because I love our community as we stand strong in God's word together and we grow but God's put this person in my life, you know, and I know sometimes you say, oh, my thorn in the flesh, or whatever, and I wouldn't go that far. But I would just say is, am I being patient with this person? And have I ever struggled, maybe thinking that I'm better than this person, and does that come off sometimes where I could be superior? That's the sensitivity I have to be reminded, as all of us be kind, be patient. It's God's kindness that is meant, it says, to lead you and I to repentance.
Speaker 1:So oftentimes, when people expect for you to retaliate and I was just showing my 16 year old son a recent clip of Charlie Kirk. You know, as we mourn his loss but know that he's in the presence of the Lord, and we pray for the team and my friends who are just leading the charge in that great ministry and pray for us as well as we look to partner and do some ministry, to preach the gospel, to do some apologetics on college campuses, to come. But when you look at the way charlie responded, oftentimes you know he was very kind and you know, obviously, when you have that much content day in and day out with people and I look back at the people that I've interacted with in the process of my sanctification I wasn't always kind and patient, and so certainly there's times where you know Charlie, you know, made the bad call and said maybe something that was offensive, but that wasn't necessarily maybe his heart or maybe got so impatient or irritable, but we all have done that and we have to remember, though, if somebody walks in grace and you're seeing that ultimately though, in the end, they're trying to be kind and they're trying to be like their savior, that's what matters, and we walk in grace and we extend grace as we've been forgiven. We forgive as people are kind to us or they're not kind, we have to say, oh well, you're kind to me, I'll be kind to you, you're not kind to me, I won't be kind to you. No, just be kind, just be patient.
Speaker 1:And so I pray that that's been an encouragement to you guys. So I encourage you guys, though, as you are about to, you know, go off to do whatever you're going to do for the day listening to this podcast. I encourage you guys to go to stanstrawministriesorg. Check out all the resources that we have to continue to help you guys walk faithfully before the Lord with wise thinking and bold living. Share this with your friends. Leave us a review if you've not done that so far, because that really helps us build this platform with the word of God. That we believe is the infallible word of God, and we know that his word does not return to him void, and may we be a part of that as we advance his kingdom. Thank you guys for listening. Until next time, keep standing strong in the word of God.