Why are Church People Under Condemnation?
1You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.
Romans 2:1 (NIV)
Chapter 2 of Romans starts with this word, “therefore”, which reminds us that it is connected with what Paul has been laying out so far. In Romans 1:16 he introduced the theme of the whole letter: the ‘Gospel’, this ‘Good News’ is ‘the power of God to save everyone who believes; first to the Jews, and also to the Gentiles non-Jews’. Then in Romans 1:18, he tells us why this is needed: ‘because the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of humankind’! This is a universal statement.
In the remainder of chapter 1, the Apostle expounds this truth regarding the Gentiles with many terrible descriptions of their condition. God, he says, has manifested His wrath against all ungodliness and unrighteousness in the case of the Gentiles, in that He has abandoned them; He has given them up; He has given them over to a ‘depraved mind’ in deeper and deeper sins with each other. That is the proof of the wrath of God against ungodliness and sin for the Gentiles.
Paul’s critique of the pagan world and lifestyle would have been roundly supported by any Jewish person listening to him. They would have assumed that they were exempt from his condemnation because they were Bible-studying Jews. And that is exactly how religious people today would listen to Romans 1:18–32. We would say: ‘Yes, of course, God’s wrath lies on the immoral, the pagan, the one who lives a life of debauchery. But we have the word of God and live by that. We are not condemned.’ We would agree with Paul about the terrible sinners in Romans 1:18–32 and forget that we will be judged when we judge people (Mat.7:2).
So Romans 2:1 comes as a bucket of cold water to the religious person. It is an absolute masterstroke. Paul turns to the person who has been sitting and listening to his exposé of pagan lifestyles in chapter 1, and feeling pleased that they are not like “them.” Paul says: ‘You do the same things! Whenever you judge a non-religious person, you are judging yourself!‘
But how could Paul say that the religious people ‘do the same thing‘ the pagans did? It’s because Paul’s teaching lines up with Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, where the Lord says: “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment” (Matthew 5:21–22). For most of us, it is not too hard to get to the end of the day and say: Well, I haven’t murdered anyone. It is rarer for us honestly to be able to say: I have not been angry with anyone; I have not treated anyone as though they were not worthy of love.
Paul confronts religious complacency, reminding believers that sin isn’t just action, but also the condition of the heart.
Have you ever found yourself judging others for their sins while overlooking your own shortcomings? How does Paul’s message in Romans 2:1 challenge this attitude?
[The ideas for this week’s materials on Romans 2:1-16 were drawn from Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones’ commentary “Romans: Exposition of Chapter 2:1-3:20 The Righteous Judgment of God” and Tim Keller’s book “Romans 1-7 for You“]
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I thought it was much harder for me, as a pastor and preacher, to answer the question. On the one hand, I am exposed much more to what God requires, and I would need to proclaim it faithfully. On the other hand, I would be aware of my own hypocrisy since I cannot live up to that standard. And so just like Paul, who claimed that he was the ‘chief of sinners’ (1 Tim. 1:5), I don’t have nowhere to turn but constantly find myself in repentance and cast myself in God’s mercy. Truly, I would have no excuse when facing God or anyone else. Without Jesus’ righteousness, I am a wretched soul, a filthy rag blown by the wind.
Unfortunately, yes, I have certainly found myself judging others for their sins while overlooking my own shortcomings😔 In AA, we call it “taking other people’s inventory.” I didn’t notice it in myself early on as a believer or in early recovery. It can come about in very subtle forms, but is something I have found myself to be highly susceptible to up unto this day. What I have come to learn is that if I am living under God’s grace, with the state of my own depraved heart being what it is, I have no choice but to show that same grace to others. I have come to recognize that I am in far worse condition than I once thought I was, and there is nothing that anyone else can say or do that is any worse than what I have said or done, (even if it only be within my heart.) Paul’s message challenges this attitude even further, when he says “you condemn yourself,” showing that we must hold ourselves accountable to the same standard by which we judge others. Further, that standard is to be held up against more than just our outward behavior, but even against the motivation of our hearts, in which case I often times fall very, very short. Anything good in me is only by God’s grace and through Christ in me- no more or less.
I am absolutely guilty of judging others without reason. Science has said that prejudice is a way for human to quickly group things based on past experience. Its a safety mechanism for survival. If you saw an animal with stripes and it hunted you in the past, it is safer to just stay away for all strips animals in the future just in case. We don’t have the ability to see into a person heart and we don’t take the time to get to know each person to know who they are before we judge them. I am recently guilty of this sin and I have experience these kind of prejudice myself and yet I still commit it. I wish I can say that I won’t do this in the future but it has become a habit now so I do it without thinking. But maybe if I keep an eye on Jesus example and pray that the Spirit will keep reminding me of this pitfall, I might be able to catch these behaviors in the future and try to do less of it.