Sermon: Sunday, 22nd September, 2024
Speaker: John Johnstone
Scripture: Romans 2:1-16
The judgment of God is not an easy thing for us to think about. It’s an extremely unpopular topic today, especially for those who are not Christians but even for some who are, but who genuinely struggle with the concept of Hell and are more than a little uncomfortable with it. We cannot think of a more serious topic than God’s judgment. We need to be careful to stick closely to the contours of the Bible and not go beyond them. When we think of God’s anger at evil, I think it is helpful to think about our own anger towards evil.
When I visited Auschwitz, I felt great anger at what happened there in the gas chambers. We feel anger at injustice and evil because we care about people. Gavin Ortlund says: ‘Anger is how goodness responds to evil.’ So, when we see women or children exploited, or countries where the politicians syphon off all the money to line their own pockets while their own people starve, righteous anger is the best response. It’s hard for us to imagine just how angry our perfect God must be, at the sin in the world, including the sin in our hearts.
If God were to ignore sin, there would be no justice in the world. Even this week, with multiple accusations about the former owner of Harrods, it seems like he abused his power to exploit his employees. Now he is dead, and we might think he got away with it. And what about the countless others in positions of power down through the centuries who lived comfortable lives at the expense of others? Did they get away with it too? The fact is no one will get away with their evil deeds. God clearly states in this passage that there is a day of ‘God’s wrath’ (verse 5) when all wrongs shall be put right. Verse 16 speaks of a day when God will ‘judge people’s secrets through Jesus Christ’. We can sometimes manage to hide our sins from others, but we cannot hide them from a God who sees and knows all things. One day, or secrets will be brought into the open.
I’m glad that it is Jesus who will judge everyone. Why? Because he knows exactly what we have done, including what our motives have been and any mitigating circumstances. He will judge fairly. He will not make any mistakes in his judgments. It might seem from a human point of view that Christ will judge in a way that is too severe, and to our limited minds, sometimes it might seem that way. Abraham is quite right when he says to the LORD in Genesis: ‘Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?’ (Genesis 18:25)
‘The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead, he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.’ (2 Peter 3:9) Here, Peter shows us God’s heart for the people he has created: he wants them all to be saved, but he will not force them all to be saved.
Last week, we considered God’s attitude to pagan people, whose sins are obvious and who worship idols. We saw how even those who have no Bible of their own have no excuse in the rejection of God, because the creation around us is evidence of both his existence and his goodness. To take his good gifts throughout our lives whilst failing to praise and thank him for them is a serious business. People actively suppress the truth about God because they want to be the boss of their own lives, and so they reject God’s rightful authority over us. We act as if we were God rather than letting God have the first place in our lives, which he alone deserves. As a result of this rebellion, God removes his hand of restraint, and leaves people to their own wrong desires and behaviours.
This week, we come to consider another group of people, the respectable people in society, who seem good on the outside. But all is not what it seems. They might pay their taxes, climb the career ladder, raise their children, give to the foodbank and donate blood four times a year; however, they too fail spectacularly to keep God’s good and holy laws and they too, just like the pagans, are in need of a Saviour, to save them from God’s just judgments. Morally, they are in the same boat. They fall short of God’s standards, and even their own standards.
1. The respectable judge others, but God will judge them.
I have a friend who likes to talk about the evil in the world and in other people. He is a respectable man in the community. He speaks about racists, and corrupt politicians. However, he will not accept that he himself has a problem with sin. And I think most people in Scotland are like that. They live respectable lives, and as they read the newspapers and read of Putin and Fayed and drunk drivers and shoplifters they avoid their own guilt, by putting others down and lifting themselves up. Most people do this. But God is having none of it (verse 1). He calls it hypocrisy, because they too do the same things!
Yes, people can see the overt sins of murder and adultery in others, but we too break those commands through the murderous anger and lustful thoughts in our hearts. Jesus clearly teaches that adultery can be committed in our thoughts as well as our actions. We desire to cheat on our spouse.
Such people take the place of God by judging the lives of others (as if we ourselves were God) but at the same time, we break the exact same commands ourselves, but are too blind to see it: ‘…at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.’ (Romans 2:1)
Have you fallen into this trap? You often tut-tut at the wrongs of others, and disapprove of the ills in society. But do you see your own faults and failings? Do you consider how you covet better cars or holidays or houses? Do you consider how you might give to a good cause once in a while, but the truth is that you have far more than most people in the world, but have very little interest in sharing what you have with others? Moral, respectable people often think they have nothing to be judged by God for. God begs to differ: ‘… do you think you will escape God’s judgment?’ (Romans 2:3)
2. When I am not judged immediately, it is because God is giving me time to repent.
Just because your life, your family and career, are going well, does not mean that God is pleased with you. Many presume they are good people, and that God must be pleased with them because their lives are relatively smooth. They wrongly assume that God will not judge people like them. What do we read in verse 4? Why is God being kind to them? ‘Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realising that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?’ (Romans 2:4) God’s patience is not a sign of your goodness, but rather his patience is to give you every chance to confess your sin to God, and put your trust in Christ, rather than in yourself.
And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, ‘The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished…’ (Exodus 34:6-7)
If you are not yet a believer, God’s patience with you is not a sign that he isn’t bothered by your sin. It is not a sign that he doesn’t notice what you are doing – he does. He is holding back judgement in order to give you an opportunity to repent. The question is: are you responding positively to God’s patience with you? The only right response is to change direction, away from our sin and towards Jesus.
3. God will judge us fairly, based on our actions.
If God’s patience with us is designed to bring us to a place of humility and confession of sin, but we fail to do that, and carry on judging others, then we build up more and more moral debt with God. Verse 5 We are storing up wrath for ourselves. The fairness of God’s judgements is seen in the fact that it is based upon the actions of our lives.
Those who are Christians are justified by faith, and not works. However, the evidence that we have come to trust in Christ is that we show forth the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. If we are attached to Christ the vine by faith, then of course, we must bear fruit. ‘To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honour and immortality, he will give eternal life.’ (Romans 2:7) In other words, the hallmark of a true Christian is one who seeks God’s glory and honour in their actions. It is to such that eternal life will be given.
Sadly, there is another category of person, one who refuses to seek God’s glory, but rather rejects God and his truth and is self-seeking. Their eternal destination will be one without the goodness of God. All of us here must stand before our Maker one day, and our lives will be evaluated based upon our deeds. Our lives will not be evaluated based on what others think of us, or on if we are church members, or have been baptised, but rather based on the level of our obedience.
Verse 11 states that God does not show favouritism. You could be highly respected in your community or be a member of the Free Church, PCA, COS, or another church, but God will still judge you with total fairness based on how you have lived. There are 2 destinies mentioned here: eternal life, and a place of wrath and anger. I would urge you not to live for yourself, ignoring your Maker and the truth he has revealed in the Bible. Instead, place your trust in Christ alone, and then your life will be lived out for God’s glory, and be marked by good works.
God’s patience does not go on forever. Remember the days of Noah. God’s patience with human wickedness came to an end and a flood of judgement eventually came. God asked Noah to build an ark. What was so special about the ark? It was the only place to be safe from the judgement which was deserved. What is the equivalent of the ark for us? It is to be safe in the arms of Jesus. That involves turning from sin and asking God for forgiveness.
4. Even those without Bibles have knowledge of God’s commands in their hearts.
The Jews, of course, were privileged to have been given the 10 commandments and other laws in the Bible. However, some wrongly thought just by possessing these commandments, they were right with God. Paul says ‘No’, the commands need to be obeyed by those to whom they have been given.
What about non-Jews? What about those Gentiles who have never read the Bible? How can they be expected to know God’s rules? God tells us here that even those without Bibles have an inbuilt sense of right and wrong. You can go around the world, and there is agreement that murder is wrong. Most cultures understand that stealing is wrong, and that we must respect the property of others. These things are self-evident. Why? ‘They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts…’ (Romans 2:15) This is an amazing teaching, reminding us that all human beings have an at least some understanding of right and wrong. Sometimes this is referred to as ‘natural law’.
This passage also speaks of the human conscience. Those who are not Christians can still feel guilty about things they have done because their own consciences accuse them.
Many people like to put God ‘in the dock’. We say his judgement of the people he has made is unfair. Friends, we are reminded here that God has made himself plain to the world through the creation and by giving them a sense of right and wrong and consciences to make them aware of wrongdoing. So let us be clear: God will not judge people unfairly but based on the knowledge they have been given and based on their actions. The truth is that we are all accountable to God for our actions. He will make no mistakes in his judgements, because he knows all about us. He even knows our secrets. ‘This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.’ (Romans 2:16) There will be no miscarriages of justice on that Day. The Post Office scandal, where 900 sub-postmasters were wrongly prosecuted for stealing, reminds us that human judgements are imperfect at best. God will make no errors in his dealings with us. He knows all the information, including the secrets no one else knows.
Why is the gospel such good news? Why should Romans 1:17 cause us to do cartwheels, and sing for joy? Because all people need to be saved. None of us is righteous. Pagans aren’t righteous and respectable and moral people aren’t righteous. How much we all need God’s righteousness! Why then will you not come to Jesus and ask for it?
‘For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed – a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: ‘The righteous will live by faith.’ (Romans 1:17)