As Romans 3:20 says, “by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight.” Paul’s argument in Romans 1:18-3:20 is that all have sinned and thus all need God’s saving grace through the gift of His Son, who died to redeem sinners who trust in Him. Delete. But their judgment will be lighter than that of the people of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, who witnessed Jesus’ miracles, but still rejected Him. The basis of God's judgment will be their relationship to Christ. Before examining pertinent passages in answer to the question Is God Judging America Today, it is important to first understand God’s attribute of judgment and the Selected Answer: True • Question 8 2 out of 2 points What is the basis for which God will judge? The Bible points out . The book of Romans chapter 1 verse 18 -23 explains how God has made it obvious to everyone since the beginning of time that he exists, and his authority (power) … God has always existed as judge over His creation. Sometimes they do what they know to be right. To sum up, Paul is saying: Since God will impartially judge everyone for sinning against what they know to be right, everyone is guilty and thus everyone needs the gospel. https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-11-god-s-impartial-judgment-romans-212-16 But no one is able to do it, so no one can be justified by keeping God’s Law (Rom. Also, this means that if you have a picture in your mind of Jesus as being all-loving and never judgmental, then you do not have the biblical picture of Jesus. The connection between verses 15 & 16 is not obvious, which has led some to put either verses 13-15 (KJV) or 14-15 (NIV) in parenthesis. Some argue that Paul is referring here to saved Gentiles who obey the Law and thus are justified. Sep28. He knows every click of the mouse on your computer, even late at night when no one else is around. Nevertheless I say to you that it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for you.”. . What is brain-boggling is that Jesus knew how the pagans in those cities would have responded if they had witnessed His miracles. We would be like a surgeon who didn’t want to tell his patient that he is ill. Why is it important to emphasize that God will judge our secrets (2:16)? It is also called the law of liberty because we can only be free of our sinful habits when we follow that law. ; Schreiner, The Law and Its Fulfillment [Baker], pp. And I’m not a millionaire!” So our conscience and our thoughts go back and forth, either condemning us or trying to defend us. Even as believing Christians, we must not take the outcome of God's final judgment for granted. We can impress them with our knowledge of the Bible or our prayers or religiosity. However, this is the same idea expressed by Jesus Himself (Matthew 16:27). 17ff.] Psalm 96:13. Quantity: Delete Move to Wishlist. No firmer historical anchor exists! What will be the basis for God judging lost humanity at the Great White Throne? They heard it read every week in their synagogues. Copyright © 2021 The Gospel Coalition, INC. All Rights Reserved. First, there will be a certain day of judgment. In the power of the Holy Spirit, here’s Paul declaring, “God has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a Man whom He has appointed and of this He has given assurance to all by raising Him from the dead.” Rather, he is describing those who will be justified by God on judgment day. Justification is only through faith in Christ, apart from works (Rom. He is describing Gentiles who have been saved by faith and now demonstrate their faith by obedience to God’s Word. I’ve done the best that I could with what I knew. . So Paul shows that God will impartially judge everyone for sinning against the light that they were given. From 1977-1992 he was the pastor of Lake Gregory Community Church in Crestline, California. Again, many commentators understand Paul here to be speaking hypothetically, in that no one is able to keep God’s Law perfectly or to earn salvation by good works. Verse Concepts. “I know that I treated him wrongly, but he had it coming!” “I know that I shouldn’t cheat on my taxes, but everyone else does it. Paul seems to indicate that God judges all people on the basis of their behavior. Also, there are biblical examples of those who are doers of the Law (or, God’s Word). 14 . “He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty” (19:15). Paul is referring to the fact that almost all cultures believe that murder, stealing, rape, assault, etc. But, if there is no judgment for all sin, then there is no need for a Savior and thus no good news (Morris, p. 129; Spurgeon, p. 383). They will spend eternity in hell for their sins. Those who are doers of God’s Word will be acquitted and go to heaven. The works and faith in one's life determine how one relationship with God. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood. God does, and he … C. S. Lewis opens his argument in Mere Christianity [Macmillan, pp. So God can’t be accused of partiality. But whatever they may think of themselves, the day is coming when God will judge not only outward deeds, but also the secrets of men through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the gospel (2:16). As Spurgeon put it (ibid. So he flatters him that he is well and the man refuses the cure. In his speech to the Athenians, Paul declared that God has appointed a dayin which he will judge the world. For it is You who possesses all the nations. He “will render to each person according to his deeds” (Rom. All-new Ask the Pastor LIVE will be airing LIVE every weekday at 4pm ET, and a host of pastors will answer some of your toughest questions! Mormon then revealed how to judge the opposite influence: “But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do evil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil” (Moroni 7:17). At first glance, this doesn’t sound like good news! . We have to wait until verses 14 & 15 to answer the question, “How could the Gentiles be guilty of sin if they didn’t have the standard of God’s Law to live by?” But the point of verse 12 is that God will judge every person, Gentile or Jew, according to their response to the light that they were given. That’s what Paul is describing. And you, Capernaum, will not be exalted to heaven, will you? 179-204; and, John Piper, “There is no Partiality with God” [part 2], on desiringgod.org.). (Crossway, 1985), pp. They instinctively know what is right and wrong and they all have violated what they know to be right, as their consciences affirm. 16:27; John 5:22, 24-29). That is a scary thought! Sodom did not repent and was judged on the basis of the light they rejected. Nobody could deny it. 2:8-10). In Romans 8:4, Paul says that through the cross (8:3), “the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” In other words, those who have trusted in Christ’s death now walk by the Holy Spirit and thus fulfill God’s Law. For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us will give an account of himself to God. But, while that is clear, there are reasons to argue that Paul is not talking here about hypothetical perfect obedience, which no one can do, but rather about a direction of obedience, which those who have been born of God’s Spirit do practice consistently. Paul is not saying that a person earns justification by obedience. Jesus is saying that there will be degrees of punishment in hell, based on the amount of light that a person has rejected. Arise, O God, judge the earth! God doesn’t just look at our outward deeds. Affiliate disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, we may earn commissions from qualifying purchases on Amazon.com. Because (as we saw last week) this is the consistent teaching of all of Scripture, Paul is not talking here about something hypothetical. Verse Concepts. Did Paul in this scripture have the truest hope of God while in prison? So if that isn’t your image of Jesus, you need to change your thinking! Judgment on the basis of works is not opposed to justification on the basis of faith.” He also explains how “not all verdicts will be comforting” because “the believer may ‘suffer loss’ (I Cor. God is completely just. So when you judge them, you are really condemning yourself. . Does One Have To Be Baptized And Commit Themselves To A Discipleship Program In Order To Be Saved? You too are guilty of sin. When we do, we justify it by various arguments. For if the miracles had occurred in Tyre and Sidon which occurred in you, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. The Gospel Coalition supports the church by providing resources that are trusted and timely, winsome and wise, and centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ. . 2 So do you think that you can judge those other people? God Arising. Eventually each person comes to that great moment when he stands before God as judge. Paul is saying that the gospel he preached was in complete harmony with the solemn truth that God will judge the secrets of men. God will judge everyone as you already know. But Paul’s point is that every culture has standards of right and wrong that often coincide with God’s Law. Rise up, O Judge of the earth, Render recompense to the proud. The apostle affirmed that the assurance of that coming day is guaranteed by the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus from the dead (Acts 17:31). 31:33; Heb. Third, when God judges the secrets of men, it will be through Christ Jesus. View Wishlist Cart. He graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary (Th.M., 1976 in Bible exposition) and Califo... More, The Net Pastor’s Journal, Eng Ed, Issue 39 Spring 2021. Thus verse 13 (as also 2:7 & 10) is not talking about sinless perfection, but rather about direction. 49-50. 8:10). A man is judged and found wanting on the same basis on which he has tried to bind others. He goes on (2:28-29) to specify that he is not talking about outward observance of the Law only, but rather, obedience from the heart. 3:15) by forfeiting Christ’s praise or losing a reward that might have been his.” “For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, …”. (4) As de facto ruler of the universe (through His perfect nature) and de jure ruler of the universe (through His perfect character), God possesses the … Join Dr. Ron Archer and our wonderful panel of pastors as we ask these questions and more LIVE as you call them in! Let God Be the Judge. God will judge you by the same measuring stick that you judge others by. "Eternal judgment" follows the "resurrection from the dead" in the listing of six major biblical doctrines that lay a … Verse 16. You are wrong. For Christ to sit in judgment on the secrets of all men, He must have infinite knowledge, which only God can have (Charles Hodge, Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans [Eerdmans], p. 58). You can follow him on Twitter. Douay-Rheims Bible For we know that the judgment of God is, according to truth, against them that do such things. True, says the other camp, but genuine saving faith always results in a life of obedience to God’s Word (Eph. What arguments support that 2:13 is not hypothetical, but rather describes the direction of life of those who are saved? . Nothing will escape His penetrating gaze on judgment day. They are doers of the Law. The connection is that the present work of the conscience in either accusing or defending the sinner will reach its climax on the final day of judgment, when God will judge even the secrets of men by His righteous standards. We sin one kind as though we trip off the curb, and it overtakes us by surprise. But, note carefully: Both groups have sinned and both groups will be judged for their sin. Product Subtotal: Donation: Subject to Import Tax. Such a doctor would be a murderer. There are two main views, going back into the verses that we covered in 2:6-11. Does this take time over years? 49-50. He could hear it going on for years—thousands and thousands of moral judgments made against other men, not aesthetic judgments, but moral judgments. Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2010, All Rights Reserved. In Romans 2:26-27, Paul mentions the physically uncircumcised man who keeps the requirements of God’s Law. Although the Gentiles did not have God’s Law, they all have an inner sense of right and wrong (2:14). They obey God’s Word as a way of life. As a married couple, how can we glorify God as one? However, we are called to judge the sin of believers inside the church. 2 God judges all who do such things, and we know his judgment is right. . God will judge us based on our faith and KNOWLEDGE. Why is the conscience not a totally reliable guide? Besides, the government wastes so much money. Spurgeon rightly argues (p. 384) that if we do not preach the coming judgment and wrath of God, we do not preach the gospel at all. If every little baby that was ever born anywhere in the world had a tape recorder hung about its neck, and if this tape recorder only recorded the moral judgments with which this child as he grew bound other men, the moral precepts might be much lower than the biblical law, but they would still be moral judgments. Rather, because they had trusted in God and received His mercy, they became consistent doers of the Law. 3:8). Paul is not saying that the Gentiles instinctively know all of the stipulations of the Mosaic Law. When a christian says, you are going to hell, they are making a judgment call … In other words, as verse 6 stated, God “will render to each person according to his deeds.” Hearing the Law isn’t good enough; you must be a doer of the Law (2:13). Hearing the Law is not enough; it is the doers of the Law who will be justified. But that is not necessary. Please be aware that these items are sent out from our office in the UK. But Paul says, “Hearing it is not enough. God won’t judge me, will He?”. When Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. The issue is, doing it. Finally, “… on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Jesus Christ.”. 2:8-10). Unleashing God’s Truth, One Verse at a Time Since 1969. Paul calls it “my gospel” both because he had personally owned it and to defend it against critics who accused him of preaching grace to the neglect of good works (Rom. Why/why not? (In defending this interpretation, I have relied on Frederic Godet, Commentary on Romans [Kregel], pp. Their conscience was not reliable. But we need to understand how He judges, when He judges and why He judges. A person’s works reveal the reality of his faith. For Christians, God’s revelation found in the Bible is the standard by which they make such judgments. that every voice would be stilled. Good News Translation 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Paul is anticipating a Jewish objection, “But surely God will treat us more favorably than the pagan Gentiles. God has fixed the day (Acts 17:31). Second, on that day, God will judge the secrets of everyone. For one thing, this agrees with the uniform teaching of the Bible, that God will judge everyone impartially by his works (see last week’s sermon). Jesus taught the same thing in a passage that boggles your brain as you try to grasp it. I have heard of new Christians, for example, who were so influenced by our godless culture, that they had no inner sense that it is wrong for a couple who love one another to have sexual relations outside of marriage. 2:6). English Revised Version And we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against them that practise such things. Thus they tie verse 16 back either to verse 12 or verse 13. Judgment is a major part of that divine plan. The law of Ten Commandments is the standard of judgment. Acts 20:24; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Romans 2:16 ‘in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.’ In every Divine Liturgy Orthodox Christians pray, "For a good defence before the dread Judgment Seat of Christ, let us pray to the Lord: Lord have mercy," Romans 2:2-16 describes God's righteous judgment, showing how we can prepare ourselves for it. Their deeds proved that they would be justified on judgment day. Our actions do not merit eternal life, but they do provide an index of what is in your heart. At this point Paul is not looking at how a person enters into a life of obedience, but rather at the results of it. Paul’s comment is not just theoretical and abstract, but addressed to the individual—“O man”—any man without the Bible, as well as the man with the Bible. How would you answer the objection, “What about the heathen who have never heard about Jesus?”. And every person has a conscience that condemns him when he violates what he knows to be wrong. The gospel of the grace of God. Psalm 94:2. Jesus made the astounding claim (John 5:22-23), “For not even the Father judges anyone, but He has given all judgment to the Son, so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father.” There couldn’t be a clearer claim to deity than that! And so are we, if we do not warn people about God’s impartial, certain judgment of our every secret, and then point them to the good news that Christ offers forgiveness to repentant sinners as their only hope. The Gentiles who sinned without the Law will perish, which refers to eternal condemnation. A man is judged and found wanting on the same basis on which he has tried to bind others. . “… for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.”, Paul again uses “for” (see also, 2:11, 12, and 14) to show that he is explaining or proving what he has just said.