The Divine Courtroom
Introduction: The Accuser in the Mirror
After the devastating indictment of paganism that Paul lays out in the first chapter of Romans, it is a safe bet that every respectable, church-going, morally-upright person in the Roman congregation was nodding along vigorously. "Yes, those idolaters, those sexual deviants, those God-haters. They are truly without excuse. Give it to them, Paul." We have a natural human tendency to enjoy a good sermon, provided it is about someone else.
But the apostle Paul is a master strategist, guided by the Holy Spirit. He has just finished describing the inexcusable rebellion of the Gentiles, and as the respectable man, the moralist, the religious Jew, is puffing out his chest in agreement, Paul pivots sharply and drives the sword of the Word right into his heart. The entire point of chapter one was to set the stage for chapter two. The point was to get the moralist to climb up onto the judge's bench, pick up the gavel, and then, right when he is about to bring it down on the pagan, Paul tells him to look at the nameplate on the bench. It is God's bench. And then he tells him to look at the defendant in the dock. It is himself.
This passage is a frontal assault on the most respectable and damnable of all sins: self-righteousness. It is the sin of the Pharisee, the sin of the moralist, the sin of anyone who thinks that their external conformity to a moral code, or their intellectual agreement with the truth, somehow puts them in a different category than the profligate sinner. Paul is here to demolish that refuge of lies. He is establishing a fundamental principle of divine justice: God's judgment is not based on a curve. It is not based on comparing yourself to the person in the next cubicle or the reprobate down the street. It is based on God's perfect, absolute, and impartial standard of righteousness. And before that standard, every mouth is stopped, and the whole world becomes accountable to God.
The Text
Therefore you are without excuse, O man, everyone who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. But do you presume this, O man, who passes judgment on those who practice such things and does the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who WILL REPAY TO EACH ACCORDING TO HIS WORKS: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and anger. There will be affliction and turmoil for every soul of man who works out evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who works good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.
(Romans 2:1-11 LSB)
The Boomerang of Judgment (vv. 1-3)
Paul begins by turning the tables on the moral critic.
"Therefore you are without excuse, O man, everyone who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things." (Romans 2:1)
The word "Therefore" connects this thought directly to the catalogue of sins in chapter one. Because the wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness, and because the standard of righteousness is known, therefore your judgment of others is a self-indictment. The logic is airtight. The very act of judging someone else for a particular sin demonstrates that you know that sin is wrong. You are acknowledging the existence of a moral law. When you point your finger at the thief, you are testifying that you know theft is a violation of God's standard. The problem is that your other three fingers are pointing back at yourself. Paul says "you who judge practice the same things." This does not necessarily mean you commit the very same sins in the same way. The respectable man might not be engaged in a drunken orgy, but his heart can be just as filled with lust. He may not embezzle from his company, but he is consumed with covetousness. The root sin is the same: rebellion against the Creator. By judging the external fruit on another's tree, you condemn yourself for the corrupt root in your own.
Paul continues to press the point, leaving no room for escape.
"And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. But do you presume this, O man... that you will escape the judgment of God?" (Romans 2:2-3)
We all have an innate knowledge, a "we know," that God's judgment is according to truth. It is not fickle or misinformed like human judgment. God sees the heart. So, Paul asks the devastating question: Do you really think you are the exception? Do you imagine that God will condemn the pagan for his brand of sin but give you a pass for your more refined, respectable brand of the very same rebellion? This is the great presumption of the moralist. He thinks God grades on a curve, and that as long as he is better than the worst guy in the room, he is safe. Paul says this is a fatal miscalculation. You are not being judged against the pagan; you are being judged against the perfect law of God.
Abusing Mercy (vv. 4-5)
The moralist might object, "But look, my life is going well. God is clearly not judging me. I am blessed." Paul anticipates this and turns it into another reason for condemnation.
"Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?" (Romans 2:4)
Here is a central truth about the character of God. The fact that you are not struck by lightning the moment you sin is not a sign of God's approval. It is a sign of His kindness, His forbearance, and His patience. But this kindness has a purpose. It is a divine summons. God's patience is a long rope let down into the pit of your sin. It is not there for you to braid a hammock and get comfortable. It is there for you to climb out. The kindness of God is meant to lead you to repentance, to break your heart with gratitude and shame, causing you to turn from your sin and flee to Him.
But the hard-hearted man misinterprets this mercy. He sees God's patience as God's permission. He sees the lack of immediate judgment as evidence of his own righteousness. And in doing so, he commits a terrible sin.
"But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath..." (Romans 2:5)
This is one of the most terrifying images in all of Scripture. Sin is not something that just evaporates. Unrepented sin accumulates. Paul pictures the unrepentant man as diligently making daily deposits into a treasury of wrath. Every proud thought, every lustful glance, every self-righteous judgment is another coin dropped into the account. He thinks he is getting away with it, but all he is doing is increasing the balance that will come due on the great day of accounting, the "day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God." On that day, the books will be opened, and the full, terrifying, accumulated weight of his sin will be revealed and judged.
The Two Destinies (vv. 6-10)
Paul then lays out the unbending principle of this final judgment.
"...who WILL REPAY TO EACH ACCORDING TO HIS WORKS:" (Romans 2:6)
Now, this is a verse that makes some Protestants nervous. It sounds like salvation by works. But we must read it in the context of the entire book of Romans and all of Scripture. Paul is not teaching that a man can earn his way to heaven by doing good deeds. He will spend the next several chapters proving that is impossible. The principle here is that works are the infallible evidence of the state of the heart. Judgment is according to works, not on the basis of works. A good tree produces good fruit, not in order to become a good tree, but because it is a good tree. Works are the litmus test. They reveal what you truly love and who you truly serve.
Paul then describes the two kinds of people, revealed by their two kinds of works.
"to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and anger." (Romans 2:7-8)
Notice the descriptions. The first group is characterized by "perseverance." This is not about achieving sinless perfection, but about the settled direction of a life, empowered by grace. Their aim is not earthly reward, but "glory and honor and immortality." This is the description of a regenerate heart, a heart that has been turned by God to seek the things of God. The outcome is eternal life.
The second group is described as "selfishly ambitious." The Greek word is eritheia, which refers to a self-seeking, partisan spirit. It is the heart that says, "My will be done." This heart does not "obey the truth" but instead chooses to "obey unrighteousness." The outcome for this life is "wrath and anger." There are only two paths. You are either obeying the truth of God or you are obeying the lie of your own autonomy. There is no third way.
Paul summarizes the two destinies, emphasizing their universal application.
"There will be affliction and turmoil for every soul of man who works out evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who works good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek." (Romans 2:9-10)
The judgment and the blessing are applied to all, but notice the order: "to the Jew first." This is a principle of responsibility. To whom much is given, much is required. The Jew had the law, the prophets, the covenants. He had more light, and therefore his rejection of that light brought a greater accountability. But the standard is the same for all. The Greek, who did not have the written law, is still under the same divine expectation of righteousness.
God Plays No Favorites (v. 11)
Paul concludes this section with the foundational reason for all of this.
"For there is no partiality with God." (Romans 2:11)
This is the great leveler. God does not have different standards for different people. He does not grade on a curve. He is not impressed with your religious pedigree, your ethnicity, your wealth, or your moral resume. His scales are perfectly balanced. He is an utterly impartial judge. This is terrifying news for the self-righteous man who believes his external identity gives him a special advantage with God. It demolishes his every defense.
But it is the beginning of the gospel. Because God is impartial, His solution to sin must also be impartial. Because He demands perfect righteousness from everyone, and because no one can produce it, He must provide that perfect righteousness for everyone who will receive it by faith. The impartial judge is also the impartial savior.
Conclusion: Fleeing to the Impartial Savior
So where does this leave us? It leaves every one of us, the moralist and the pagan alike, standing before the bar of God's justice without excuse. Our attempts to justify ourselves by comparing ourselves to others are revealed as foolish and suicidal. Our presumption upon God's kindness is shown to be nothing more than the storing up of wrath.
The law, as revealed in this passage, acts like a divine MRI. It shows us the cancer of sin that riddles our hearts, a cancer that our external morality can never cure. The purpose of this diagnosis is not to leave us in despair, but to make us desperate. It is to make us cry out for a physician.
The good news is that the one who will be our Judge is also offered to us as our righteousness. Jesus Christ is the only man who ever lived a life that perfectly fits the description in verse 7. He, by perseverance in doing good, sought for glory and honor, and for our sakes, He secured it. He obeyed the truth perfectly. And on the cross, the full, accumulated treasury of wrath that we have stored up was poured out upon Him. The impartial justice of God was fully satisfied in the death of His Son.
Therefore, the only way to escape the righteous judgment of God is to abandon all of your own works, all of your own righteousness, and to hide yourself in Christ. You must stop judging others and begin to judge yourself in light of God's law. Let the kindness of God lead you, this very day, to repentance. Confess that you are the man without excuse, and cling by faith to the one who is your only excuse, your only hope, and your only righteousness: Jesus Christ the Lord.