THE GOSPEL OF GOD
Meditations in the Epistle to the Romans
THE TRUTH ABOUT JUDGING
Romans 2:1-4
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WE NEED to hold firmly in our minds the purpose of Paul in this first part of his letter to the Romans. His purpose is to bring home to everyone their desperate need of Jesus Christ as Saviour. Paul knows that unless people see their need of Christ, all the glory of the Gospel will be lost, and often will be totally meaningless. To this end Paul is showing how all of us are sinners before God who can't in any way atone for our sin. He has shown what a terrible virulent disease sin is, breaking out into all sorts of vile manifestations in our lives. He has emphasised that all who sin are under the just wrath of God, and if we are to escape God's wrath we need to be saved from it.

So far Paul has dealt with the general condition of humanity as fallen human beings corrupted by sin and with a fatal love of sinning. Now in chapter two he addresses his words to the Jews. The Jews relied on their special status as Jews, the nation whom God had specially chosen to bless. They did not enquire as to why God had chosen their nation, but simply imagined that they were permanently in God's favour and accepted. In this elitism they looked down on Gentiles and judged them as great sinners and worthy of God's wrath, and in their minds and attitudes cast them out as worthless. Paul now seeks to show them that Jews also have a desperate need for a Saviour, and are just as much under the wrath of God as the Gentile.

Paul addresses a prominent characteristic of the Jew. This was their judging of others and specially of the Gentiles. Though Paul has the Jew in mind he does not particularly mention them by name, but addresses them as those who judge others. This makes Paul’s words of much wider application than just the Jewish nation. He is addressing all religious people who pride themselves in their religiousness and morality, and look down on others and make judgements on others. His words here speak very powerfully to the church, and specially to large elements in the evangelical constituency in the church, who are prone to judging others.

The first thing that a judging attitude shows is that, in spite of all protestations of knowing and believing the Gospel, the Gospel is not really properly understood by those who have this judging attitude, neither is it really practically and experimentally applied to the life. Judging is impossible if we really see ourselves as sinners saved only by the grace of God. This reality is illustrated in the parable of the two sons. In the son who stayed at home we see this judgmental spirit. He thought he merited great favour and deserved special attention and consideration because he had 'been good' and stayed at home. He was angry when his prodigal brother received so much on his return, and judged that he himself was being treated unjustly, and that his prodigal brother did not deserve the gracious welcome he received. He did not see that he was accepted by grace and favour just as the prodigal son and also was accepted by grace alone by his father. So often Christians start with reliance on the grace of God in Christ, and later, although paying lip service to grace, begin to depend on their goodness and service for their acceptance before God.

How directly Paul puts this point. He says to the ones who judge that they are really condemning themselves. The reason is that they show they know the reality of sin and what sin is. They condemn themselves because they are sinners like the one who they are judging. Paul says 'they do the same things'. Paul is not saying necessarily that those who judge commit the same sin as they are judging in others, though this may be the case. Paul is saying that those who judge do the same sort of things, i.e. they sin like everyone else.

The one who judges shows by judging that there is understanding that sin is deserving of condemnation, and that sin deserves the wrath of God upon it. Because they understand this, they are saying that they deserve to be judged, because they also sin and do what deserves God's wrath. Because they have this moral understanding, those who judge others are more culpable for their own sins. Their judging shows they know clearly the nature and deserving of sin, and so their sin is that much more heinous.

In this way Paul shows the Jew, and all who judge others, how much more they need the Saviour and salvation than the Gentiles, and those who do not pretend to be religious. They need to be saved from their sin, and also from the deserving of knowing what sin is and still doing it. They need saving from the sin of judging others when they have no right to judge because of their own sinning.

Jesus indicates the danger in which those who judge place themselves. In the words of the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5-7 Jesus says "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged". (Matthew 7:1,2). The truth is that none of us have the right to judge others. God says, "Judgement is mine, I will repay." God is the only one who has the right to judge, for he alone is holy. God is the only one able to judge, because he alone has the wisdom and knowledge to judge justly.

Without doubt everyone, whatever their religious condition or even if they are not religious, knows that God has a right to judge sin, and that his judgement is based on truth (v.2). Deep in our mind and heart we know the truth that God is able to know everything we do, and everything we think. We know he can interpret correctly our motives and feelings. Indeed we know that he knows more perfectly than we do ourselves all that is behind every sin that we commit. We know also that God's wisdom is infinitely just as is his knowledge. He is able to evaluate exactly the just desert of every sin we commit. Human justice is far from perfect. The judicial system we have, with trial by jury, is perhaps the best and fairest there is in the world, yet we all know, and have had demonstrated through the media, that our justice system gets things wrong form time to time. We also feel the punishment meted out, at least in our opinion, does not always meet the crime. Sometimes we may feel the sentence is too severe. Other times we may feel the punishment is too lenient. Human justice is fallible. God's justice is according to truth.

Paul argues, correctly and compelingly, in verse 3 that all sin must be judged and no one can escape this. Judgement can't be escaped. So those who judge, and in judging imagine themselves purer than those they judge, must not imagine that they will escape God's judgement. They will be judged for their sins like everyone else. They will also be judged for the sin of judging others. Scripture suggests that their judgement will be more severe because by judging others they show they have no excuse for their sin. By judging they show they know the nature and deserving of sin, and so by sinning are more culpable than one who sins in ignorance.

Paul expresses the sin in judging by referring to the person who judges as 'mere man' or woman as the case may be. Paul uses the word 'man' in the generic sense of 'human being'. The expression 'mere man' speaks of the folly and arrogance of judging. As 'mere man' a person who judges is judging on totally insufficient evidence, without all the facts. As 'mere man' a person is judging with a finite mind and understanding which is corrupted by sin. So Paul points out the awful sin of judging others, and how it places the one who does this judging under such serious condemnation from God.

The Jew, and all who like the Jew, look down on others and judge them, need the Saviour and salvation by grace alone, as much as any other. In a sense they need the Saviour even more.

It was a facet of the Jews in the time of Jesus that they still felt that they were in the favour of God in spite of their wrong attitudes and the way they looked down on others. They felt themselves to be in God's favour because they had a stable spiritual life and worship, and they appeared to be prosperous in it. Things were outwardly well with them. However, Jesus wept for them, because he saw the awful judgement that was to come in AD 70. We hear him saying in the Gospels as he looked out over Jerusalem "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, How I would have gathered you as a hen gathers her chicks, but you would not, etc.

The Jews did not realise the truth of the words of Paul in verse 4 of our passage. "Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realising that God's kindness leads you towards repentance?" The truth was that the apparent peace and stability of the Jewish life in Jesus' day was because of God's mercy and kindness, giving them time to repent and receive the Messiah whom God had sent among them.

It seems to be a facet of those who judge that they do not realise their own failings, nor do they realise the awful sin of judging others. They seem secure in an assurance that they are in God's favour and all is right with themselves. No doubt they argue that as they stand high in religious society and their lives are highly moral and they fulfil religious duties above most others, that their peaceful and quiet life experience is a sign of God's approval of the way they are and live. Yet the truth is that the peace and stability they enjoy is really God's mercy, and that this peace is simply God giving them time to come to their senses and repent of their self-righteousness and judgmental spirit. They do not understand that they are in great danger and storing up wrath from God in the day of his wrath.

In fact those who judge, in spite of the pain and misery they bring upon others by their judging, are really to be pitied. They are in great danger and they are blind to this danger because of the spiritual pride that is in them. Like Jesus we should weep for them and pray for them, and if we can, in love seek to help them to appreciate the truth about their judgmental attitude.

The attitude of those who judge, as Paul points out in verse 4, is really showing contempt for God. They show contempt for God's kindness and patience. They presume on that great characteristic of God that he does not desire any should perish but all should come to repentance, and so waits patiently, and strives continually, to give people all the chance possible to listen and repent and turn and be saved. There is nothing so serious as to presume on the mercy of God. It compounds all other sin.

In drawing together all that we have considered in these verses we come to the central point that judging others is a most serious condition, and places the one who judges in great danger. Paul seeks to bring this home to us. Firstly to the one who judges, so that he or she may turn before it is too late, and return to the only place of acceptance with God, and that is on the mercy of God in Christ, and upon the work of Christ in grace for them. It is a tragedy that there are so many in the church, who like the Jew, believe that they are alright because of their high moral and religious standing. Yet by their attitude they seek to work out their own righteousness, and do not rely only on the righteousness of Christ offered freely in the Gospel, and so remain under the just wrath of God upon them for their sin.

Secondly Paul speaks so that all who are on the receiving end of this judgmental spirit may, in spite of the hurt they receive, pity the judger, seeing the awful danger of their condition. Paul's words should convict us of ever judging others, and calls us to pray earnestly for those who judge that they may be saved from this great sin.

Lastly the Gospel of God’s free grace in Christ covers every sin, even the one of judging others. All have sinned and come short of the glory of God whatever their sinning may be. All deserve God’s judgement. The wonder of the Gospel is that God in love and mercy has visited the judgement we deserve on his sinless Son, so that all who believe may never be condemned or judged, but know His everlasting love.