Lessons From Romans – Lesson 4
Many will ague against the Righteous judgment of God with an argument something like this.
How could a righteous God throw an American Indian into hell in 800 A.D. After all they will say if accepting Jesus is the only way to heaven, how could God be righteous in throwing someone into hell who in no way had any opportunity to hear the gospel. That is why they like to pick out the American Indian hundreds of years before America was discovered.
They had zero witness about Christ. No Churches, no bibles, nothing. These verses show us that it does not make any difference if someone has the law or not. Someone who does not have the law will not be judged by the law. They will be judged according to another standard. A standard that they do have. God will not judge them by the law in the Old Testament and they will still be guilty of transgressions because they have been given a standard.
All men are sinners regardless of how much knowledge they have. The excuse of not knowing will not hold up in God’s court.
A look at these few verses will clearly show that these excuses will not work with God.
Rom 2:12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
Rom 2:13 (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
Anyone who sins without the law will perish even though they were without the law. And anyone who has the law will be judged by the law. Sin is the transgression of God’s rule of conduct regardless of how it was made known to man. For those who had the law, speaking of the Bible, God’s rule of conduct was made known by God’s revealed word. This is what is referred to as special revelation. But there is another kind of revelation called general revelation. This general revelation is what vs. 14 and 15 are referring to.
Rom 2:14 For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:
Rom 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
There is a lot in these two verses. So let’s take it one part at a time. Vs 14 “which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law”. Let’s take an example. Say a group of people have never heard the Bible, they do not know about God’s law saying Thou shall not kill. And then someone in their village kills his neighbor. The leaders of the village take and kill the murderer.
Now they have just done something that was contained in the law, but they did not have the law to know what to do. They did not have God’s word to tell them that murder was wrong let alone how to punish it. So how did they know? It says “do by nature the things contained in the law”. By Nature. They just naturally know that murder is wrong. Because they naturally know right from wrong they are a law unto themselves.
And they will be judged not by the revealed word of God because they do not have it. Instead they will be judged by the law that was written in their hearts. They do not get off the hook. They will still be judged. They will not be judged by a law that they do not have. They will not be tried and condemned by the revelation that the Jews had. They will be judged according to the knowledge and the law which they actually possess.
This is the equitable rule on which God will judge the world. And even with the limited law that they have written in their hearts they will be found guilty. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Verse 15 gives more evidence that God’s law is written in their hearts.
Rom 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness
Their actions of doing the things contained in the law shows that God has written His law into their hearts. Not only does their actions show it, but their conscience also bears witness that they know right from wrong.
They don’t know every single thing that God says is wrong because they do not have a Bible. But they know enough to know that they do wrong things. They have enough revelation to know that there is a God with whom they have to do. That is why you can go to the back jungle somewhere where they have never seen another human and they will be worshipping something. It might be a rock or a waterfall or the sun. They don’t know who God is but they are trying to appease him because they have a law written into their hearts and a conscience that tells them that they are guilty.
and [their] thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)
Their very act of accusing one another shows that they know that they know that there is a difference between right and wrong.
Now lets go back and look at vs 13.
Rom 2:13 (For not the hearers of the law [are] just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
The Jews prided themselves so much at being in possession of the law of God. Paul is conducting this argument to show that having the law is not enough. Hearing the law is not enough. Paul was conducting this argument to show that the Jews were also under condemnation and needed a savior just like the Gentiles.
The Jews expected to be saved by the law. They thought that the Gentiles were all going to hell because they did not have the law. Possession of the law is not enough, Hearing the law is not enough, loving the law is not enough.
The law required something more than that. The law demanded perfect obedience. Paul has already shown that none can keep the law. He has also shown how man will be judged regardless of how much knowledge he has. All men have been given enough written in their hearts to be judged.
Praise God that he did not just give us the law and stop there. That would leave us hopeless. The law was not given to save man. The law was given to show us our sin and our need for a savior.
Rom 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
If you look at your Bible you will see that verses 13 14 and 15 are in parentheses. That means that they contain additional information about the topic at hand. Very important information. Now that we have looked at that information you can now read this section of scripture without the parentheses.
Rom 2:12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;
Rom 2:16 In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.
We see that all men, those with the law and those without will be judged by Jesus according to the gospel. The gospel is the death the burial and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Paul has just finished stating the general principles on how God will judge the world. He has shown how God will judge the gentiles that do not have God’s law. He has shown that the gentiles are all sinners and will be judged according to the gospel.
Now he changes course in his argument from the Gentiles to the Jews.
Our text starts out with the word Behold. Thus calling attention to what he is about to say. First he is going to state their privileges which is where they were putting their confidence in for salvation instead of Jesus, then he is going to show them how their confidence is misplaced.
The Jews were putting their confidence that they were saved in the wrong places. This is not unique to them. Most people today put their confidence for salvation in the wrong place. They will put it in Church membership, baptism, works or a variety of other things instead of putting their faith in Jesus.
In these verses we will see 4 wrong places where the Jews were putting their confidence
1 They put their confidence in being called a Jew, and in having been given God’s law
Rom 2:17 Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,
They were God’s chosen people and they boasted about it. God chose them over all other nations to give His law to. God choose them over all the people of the earth to give His law to and to bring about the birth of the Messiah.
But this was not to be a source of pride. He did not choose them because of anything special in them.
Deu 4:37 And because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them, and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt;
God chose them to be his peculiar people because He loved them. They were not to put their confidence in a name, in a people, in a group. And the same goes for us today.
Jam 4:6 But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
Many people will put their confidence of going to heaven in being associated with a group. And they will be very proud about it. But God resists the proud. For example the Catholics and many others, teach that you must be in their church to go to heaven. This is putting confidence in a group and not in what Jesus did for you on the cross.
Jesus said “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” If it was the church that saved, then the verse would read no man cometh unto the Father, but by the church. The only way to heaven is thru Jesus.
A club cannot save you, a group cannot save you, a church cannot save you. Only Jesus can save.
Rom 2:17 Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,
Rom 2:18 And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;
2 They put their confidence in being a teacher. In how much knowledge they had.
Rom 2:19 And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,
The Jews felt with assurance that they were superior in knowledge to all other people in regard to the one God, his will, and the way He was to be worshiped. The gentiles were considered blind spiritually by the Jews. And they esteemed themselves qualified to instruct the heathen world.
Rom 2:20 An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.
So far a Jew reading these last few verses would be saying Amen. I am a Jew. Amen I guide the blind. Amen. I am a light to them in darkness. Amen. I am an instructor of the foolish. Amen. Now that Paul has their attention, he now is going to convict them of their depravity in sinning against the superior light and privileges that God had given them.
Rom 2:21 Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?
Rom 2:22 Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?
The Amens have now turned to O My’s. They were teaching the law, but they were not keeping the law. They told others not to steal, but they were stealing. This is evident in Mal 3:8 Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.
Mal 3:9 Ye [are] cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, [even] this whole nation.
So they were guilty of stealing. And we know that they were guilty in new testament times from
Mat 21:12 And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,
Mat 21:13 And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
By boasting in the law they had in effect proclaimed their conviction that the law was from God. In breaking the law, they were in effect denying the law.
The Jews were boasting in the law but not being obedient to it. That is why they had learned a lot of head knowledge but they did not really learn what the law was trying to teach. The law was to teach us that we are all sinners in need of a savior because no one can keep God’s Holy Law.
Rom 2:19 And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,
Rom 2:20 An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.
Rom 2:21 Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?
Rom 2:22 Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?
3 They put their confidence in the law and boasted of it.
Rom 2:23 Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?
Paul states this in the form of a question. Questions have great power to convict. And many times in the Bible questions have implied answers and such is the case here. The implied answer is by boasting in the law and breaking it that they were dishonoring God. And this was having an effect on others.
Rom 2:24 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.
They boasted that they were keeping the law and thus working their way to heaven. But they were actually not keeping the law. This had an effect on those who were watching. The affect was that God’s name was blasphemed among the Gentiles. Their behavior was causing others to blaspheme God.
This is an everyday occurrence today. Many Christians will get an attitude that they are above the sinner. Not stopping to think that they are sinners to. The only difference is that they have turned to the grace of God to save them and the lost person has not. The lost people around you will notice your hypocrisy in a heartbeat. And it will cause them to disbelieve the gospel. It will cause them to blaspheme God’s name.
Rom 2:23 Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?
Rom 2:24 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.
I do not tell too many stories but this one really fits.
A certain hog farmer refused to have anything to do with the church because all he ever saw was a bunch of hypocrites who belonged to it. He always named two or three.
One day the pastor of the church came by to buy a hog from him. After looking over the farmer’s entire swine herd, the pastor pointed to a scrawny, sickly, ugly little runt and said, “I want that one.”
The farmer said vigorously, “Why, Preacher, you don’t want that one. He’s the scrawniest runt I ever saw. Look, here are some fine hogs over here.” “That’s all right,” said the preacher, “I want that one.”
After the purchase was completed, the pastor said, “Now I am going to haul this pig all over the country and tell everyone that this is the kind of hog you raise!”
“Hey, Preacher, that’s not fair,” the farmer protested. “I raise fine hogs. An occasional runt doesn’t ruin my whole stock.”
“I am only following your example of condemning a whole church because of the stunted spirituality of a few of its members,” explained the pastor. The farmer got the point!
4 They put their confidence in circumcision
Rom 2:25 For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.
What Paul is saying is basically that circumcision only counts if they keep the law. And to keep the law you have to keep all of it. If they broke the law then their circumcision does not count. It would be the same in God’s eyes as if they were uncircumcised.
Rom 2:26 Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?
The Jews were putting their confidence in an outward symbol like circumcision and Paul is telling them that God is not impressed with your outward symbols.
Rom 2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither [is that] circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29 But he [is] a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision [is that] of the heart, in the spirit, [and] not in the letter; whose praise [is] not of men, but of God.
Did you catch that? “is that of the heart” “in the spirit” not in the letter of the law and not in being praised by men. But of God. It is God that we have to please and not men.
And God says that the only way to heaven is thru Jesus.
Rom 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
I have said it many times. It is a heart matter.
Paul is methodically showing that you can’t trust in any other thing, all other beliefs will not work. There is only one way.
Belief with a repentant heart in Jesus is the only way.