Calvary
Chapel Bible College
January
27, 2021
Reminder – each week you need to go to your “assignment” section in Populi
– you will have 1) A quick quiz with that week’s “keywords” and a place to
share how you are applying to your life.
These are worth points. You need to take the quiz within two days of
class. 2) Verse memorization – you will be asked to type out the current week’s
verse. 3) Prayer Request – you get real
participation points for sharing one thing you’d like me to pray about. 4) Weekly reading in Romans – let me know if
you’ve completed the reading.
Introduction
The letter of Paul to the Romans is considered Paul’s most important
letter. This is why it is placed in front of all his other writings.
When and Where
The year is around AD 57 or 58
In your Bible, we’d place the writing of this letter around Acts 20:2 –
that’s about when Paul wrote to the Romans from the city of Corinth.
Paul had been in Ephesus for three years, yet when persecution arose, he
makes his way up to Macedonia, writes 2Corinthians at Philippi, and then heads
south to Corinth where he writes his letter to Rome.
What it’s about
We’re going to see the first five chapters dealing with justification,
how a person is made right with God.
The next three chapters will deal with sanctification, the process where we
grow to be more like Jesus.
The next three chapters will unpack the differences between the Jew and
Gentile, and God’s plan for His people.
In the last five chapters, Paul will launch into personal, practical
matters – how do we live as Christians?
What does the Christian life look like?
How do we get along with one another?
Last week we had this description of what happens to man when he chooses
not to acknowledge God as his Creator, things that Paul is seeing on display in
Corinth as he writes,
(Romans 1:28–32
NKJV) —28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their
knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are
not fitting; 29 being filled with all
unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness;
full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are
whisperers, 30 backbiters, haters of God, violent,
proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; 32 who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice
such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of
those who practice them.
Now while he’s pointing his finger at these horrible, pagan Gentiles, the Jewish
person who is reading the letter is nodding his head and saying, “Yes, yes,
they are despicable people!”
2:1-16 God’s Judgment
:1 Therefore you are
inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge
another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.
:1 you are inexcusable…who judge … practice
inexcusable – anapologetos
(“no” + “apology”) – without defense or excuse; that which cannot be defended
judge – krino – to separate, to approve; to be of
opinion, think
It’s a word that has to do with thinking, with forming an opinion, with
making decisions about people.
condemn – katakrino – to give judgment against. This word
is about making an opinion about someone, but the opinion is that they deserve
punishment.
practice – prasso – to exercise, practice, to be busy
with, carry on
Paul is saying that if you are looking at the person doing some of the
things in the list in chapter 1, and you are forming your opinions about those
sinners, yet you yourself do some of the same things, you are going to have a
problem when you meet God.
When we judge other people of things that we’re guilty of ourselves, we are
without a defense. There’s nothing we
can say. When we look down at others, we
are slamming the gavel down upon ourselves and judging ourselves as “GUILTY!”
Lesson
My sin looks worse on you
(Keyword)
We have to be careful when we make judgments or
form opinions about people. Jesus gives an example about a person who is
forming a judgment against another person concerning having something in their
eye:
(Matthew 7:1–5
NKJV) —1 “Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged;
and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not
consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can
you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a
plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank
from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your
brother’s eye.
When I see a splinter in your eye, it’s very likely I have much of the same
material in my own eye. I’ve got a lot of experience with the thing you have problems with.
We become sensitive toward others who struggle with the same things we
do. When we’ve been struggling, and we
see another person doing it, we are tempted to get upset. Yet we’re just as guilty.
Instead we should feel
compassion.
Do you find yourself being critical of others? What are you critical about?
Jesus doesn’t say that we shouldn’t judge at all. He is saying that we need to be careful when
we judge others.
It’s not until you remove the problem from your own life that you become
useful to help other people deal with their problems.
:2 But we know that the
judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things.
judgment – krima – a decree, judgments; based on the
word “judge” (krino)
in verse 1.
:3 And do you think this,
O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you
will escape the judgment of God?
:3 will escape the judgment of God?
think – logizomai – to reckon, compute, calculate
escape – ekpheugo – to flee out of, flee away
If I’m guilty of the very things I accuse others of, I won’t be able to run
fast enough to get away from the judgment of God.
This is what Paul meant by “without excuse” in 2:1. They will not be able
to “flee” from God’s judgment.
Lesson
Slow to judge
When we set ourselves up as judge and jury over people, and yet we too are
guilty, we cannot escape God’s judgment.
Illustration
Listen to these quotes:
“Yes, the president should resign. He has lied to the American people, time
and time again, and betrayed their trust. Since he has admitted guilt, there is
no reason to put the American people through an impeachment. He will serve
absolutely no purpose in finishing out his term, the only possible solution is
for the president to save some dignity and resign.”
From 12th Congressional District Hopeful
William Jefferson Clinton (Bill Clinton) During the Nixon investigations, 1972.
In 1974, a young female attorney helped draw up the rules under which
Richard M. Nixon would be tried by the Congress for impeachment.
“Impeachment,” she wrote, “does not have to be for
criminal offenses, but only for a ‘course of conduct’ that, while not
particularly criminal, might be of such a nature that it destroys trust,
discourages allegiance, and demands action by the Congress.” She wrote that
“The Office of the President is such that it calls for a higher level of
conduct than expected from the average citizen in the United States.”
The young female attorney?
Hillary Rodham Clinton.
Source: LA Times, Sept. 8, 1998
Don’t just think politicians are guilty of this.
Pastors can be the worst.
I’ve seen quite a few pastors over the years, some known for preaching
against immorality and homosexuality, fall to the very things they were so
famous for preaching against.
I hate to say it, but if a preacher is constantly ragging on the same sin
week after week …pray for him.
My point?
Don’t be quick to judge. Be quick to
have mercy.
When you’re caught in your sin, do you want instant judgment or mercy?
:4 Or do you despise the
riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the
goodness of God leads you to repentance?
:4 the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering
goodness – chrestotes – moral goodness, integrity; benignity,
kindness
It comes from the verb chraomai,
to “use” or “make use of”. We might
consider this as being “useful”.
TDNT – on the Septuagint usage,
The χρηστός is thus a man who makes “benevolent”
use of the superior position he enjoys in virtue of rank, standing, power,
wealth etc.[1]
The related adjective is used in:
(Luke 6:35 NKJV) But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in
return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil.
We too are supposed to have this “goodness” or “kindness”:
(Ephesians
4:32 NKJV) And be kind to one another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
It’s not that we’re “superior” to others when we show kindness, or that we
only are “kind” to those who are “lower” than us, but we are being the “bigger”
person when we help others.
forbearance – anoche – toleration, forbearance
The word carries the idea of “holding back”.
I remember hearing once that Spurgeon was sometimes criticized for his use
of humor in his sermons. He responded by
telling the critic, ‘If you only knew how much I held back!”
Here the idea is God “holding back” punishment.
(Lamentations 3:22 NKJV) Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His
compassions fail not.
despise – kataphroneo (“against” + “to think”) – disdain,
think little or nothing of
present active indicative
longsuffering – makrothumia –
patience, forbearance, longsuffering, slowness in avenging wrongs
It’s a word that is always used to describe patience with people, patience
with difficult people, not patience in circumstances.
God is patient with difficult people.
(2 Peter 3:9 NKJV) The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count
slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not
willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.
It’s a word that we’re supposed to connect with as well.
(1
Corinthians 13:4 NKJV) Love suffers long and
is kind…
:4 the goodness of God leads you to repentance
repentance – metanoia – a
change of mind, as it appears to one who repents, of a purpose he has formed or
of something he has done
leads – ago – to lead
present active indicative
Remember the context of judging others’ sins.
Paul is saying that we despise God’s goodness and patience when we start
judging people for their sins and complaining about them getting away with it.
And yet it was God’s patience that led us to repentance.
(Rom 2:4 NLT) Don’t you realize how kind, tolerant,
and patient God is with you? Or don’t you care? Can’t you see how kind he has
been in giving you time to turn from your sin?
Lesson
Don’t be confused with God’s
patience.
We may have a hard time when the wicked seem to do well. We don’t understand why God doesn’t just
smash them. In truth, He’s giving them a
chance to come back to Him.
Illustration
On Jesus’ last night on earth (John 13), He kept reaching out to Judas,
even though He knew Judas would betray Him.
At dinner, Jesus offered Judas a sign of friendship, a piece of bread
dipped in the sauce. Even to the end He
was reaching out to Judas. I think He
was giving Judas a chance to repent.
Don’t be confused with God’s kindness.
It’s not that He’s letting people get away with evil, it’s that He’s giving
them a chance to repent.
(2 Peter 3:9 NLT) The Lord isn’t really being slow
about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake.
He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants
everyone to repent.
“Patient” is makrothumia. God is patient because He desires repentance.
Illustration
An Atheist farmer often taunted and made fun of people who believed in God.
He wrote the following letter to the editor of a local newspaper: “I plowed on
Sunday, planted on Sunday, cultivated on Sunday, and hauled in my crops on
Sunday; but I never went to church on Sunday. Yet I harvested more bushels per
acre than anyone else, even those who are God-fearing and never miss a
service.” The editor printed the man’s letter and then added this remark: “God
doesn’t always settle His accounts in October.”
Lesson
Imitate God – be patient
Perhaps another lesson to learn is for us to do the same. It’s often my own impatience that wants to
bring down the hammer of judgment.
I think there is plenty to learn about the value of patience and kindness.
Lesson
Don’t mistake silence for approval
Sometimes we can get the idea that because we aren’t being “nailed” by God
on something, that it must be okay with Him.
During the early days of the Babylonian exile, before the entire nation was
taken away, the prophet Ezekiel (who was living in Babylon) had a vision of
what was going on back home in Jerusalem.
(Ezekiel 8:6–12
NKJV) —6 Furthermore He said to me, “Son of man, do you see what they are
doing, the great abominations that the house of Israel commits here, to make Me
go far away from My sanctuary? Now turn again, you will see greater
abominations.” 7 So He brought me to the door of the
court; and when I looked, there was a hole in the wall. 8 Then He said
to me, “Son of man, dig into the wall”; and when I dug into the wall, there was
a door. 9 And He said to me, “Go in, and see the wicked abominations which
they are doing there.” 10 So I went in and saw, and
there—every sort of creeping thing, abominable beasts, and all the idols of the
house of Israel, portrayed all around on the walls. 11 And there
stood before them seventy men of the elders of the house of Israel, and in
their midst stood Jaazaniah the son of Shaphan. Each man had a censer in his
hand, and a thick cloud of incense went up. 12 Then He said
to me, “Son of man, have you seen what the elders of the house of Israel do in
the dark, every man in the room of his idols? For they say, ‘The Lord does not see us, the Lord has forsaken the land.’ ”
They told themselves that it didn’t matter what they did
because God wasn’t paying attention anymore.
They thought this despite the fact that
many of their nation was already taken into captivity.
The reason God might be silent could be that He is just being patient with
us, giving us a chance to turn around on our own.
(Isaiah
57:11 NKJV) “And of whom have you been afraid, or feared, That you have
lied And not remembered Me, Nor taken it to your heart? Is it not
because I have held My peace from of old That you do not fear Me?
Isaiah is writing to a rebellious
people.
God is wondering why they have not turned to Him or even
remembered Him.
He wonders if it is because He has kept silent over their
sin.
:5 But in accordance with
your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself
wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
:5 your hardness and your impenitent heart
Remember that Paul is talking to unbelieving, judgmental people.
hardness – sklerotes (“arteriosclerosis” – hardening of the
arteries) – hardness; stubbornness
impenitent – ametanoetos (“not” + “repentant”) – admitting no
change of mind, unrepented, impenitent
treasuring up – thesaurizo – to
gather and lay up, to heap up, store up; to
accumulate riches
It’s like the person who is adding to their IRA each year until they
retire. But here the thing that you are
adding to is the wrath in your account from God. There is such a thing as a “Roth IRA”, this
is a “Wrath IRA”.
When it’s time to cash in the IRA, the person will face all that they’ve
stored up and everyone is going to know that God’s
judgment was well deserved.
On that day of judgment, the angels will proclaim:
(Revelation
19:2 NKJV) For true and righteous are His judgments
:6 who “will render to
each one according to his deeds”:
render – apodidomi – to deliver; to pay off, discharge
what is due
Paul is quoting from the Old Testament:
(Proverbs
24:12 NKJV) If you say, “Surely we did not know this,” Does not He
who weighs the hearts consider it? He who keeps your soul, does He not know it? And will He not
render to each man according to his deeds?
:7 eternal life to those
who by patient continuance in doing good seek for
glory, honor, and immortality;
:8 but to those who are
self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation
and wrath,
:9 tribulation and
anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek;
:10 but glory, honor, and
peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and
also to the Greek.
:7 patient continuance – hupomone (“under”
+ “to remain”) – steadfastness, constancy, endurance; the characteristic of a
man who is not swerved from his deliberate purpose and his loyalty to faith and
piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings
:8 self-seeking – eritheia –
electioneering or intriguing for office; a desire to put one’s
self forward; someone who is willing to stoop to the lowest tactics to
get ahead.
An interesting word considering the current political season we’ve been
through.
Before NT times, this word was only found in Aristotle where it denotes a
self-seeking pursuit of political office by unfair means.
:8 indignation – thumos – passion,
heat, anger boiling up and quickly subsiding again
:8 wrath – orge – anger exhibited in punishment
:9 tribulation – thlipsis – a
pressing together, oppression, affliction, distress
:9 anguish – stenochoria (“narrow” + “place”) – narrowness of
place, a narrow place; it speaks of extreme affliction; think of the walls
closing in.
Tribulation and anguish don’t only come as a result of
our doing evil, in fact they will also affect the faithful
believer as well:
Ro 5:3 And not only [that], but we also glory in tribulations (thlipsis), knowing that tribulation produces perseverance;
2Co 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches,
in needs, in persecutions, in distresses
(stenochoria), for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
But they certainly can be caused by a man doing evil.
:10 glory, honor, and peace to everyone who…
If you pay attention to what Paul is
saying, he is giving you an idea of how judgment works with God.
How does a person get rewarded with eternal life? (be careful with your
answer!)
By choosing to live their life by doing good things all the time,
despite any difficult circumstances.
How does a person end up facing the wrath of God?
By choosing to live their life by doing evil things, being self-seeking and
doing unlawful things.
Lesson
The basis for salvation
If you stop reading Romans at this point, you are going to get the wrong
idea. You might begin to think that
salvation comes from our doing good works.
The problem with stopping too early in the book is that in the next chapter
Paul is going to show us that no one does
these kinds of good works.
When you are sharing Christ with someone and you ask them, “How does a
person get to heaven?” it is not uncommon to hear a person reply, “By being
good” or “by obeying the Ten Commandments”.
We tend to jump all over the person and correct them by telling them that
you are only saved by faith in Christ.
The truth is – there is nothing incorrect about their response. The thing that is incorrect is their
assumption that they qualify.
Paul’s going to make that point pretty clearly in
the next chapter.
(Romans 3:10 NKJV) As it is written: “There is
none righteous, no, not one;
(Romans 3:23 NKJV) for all have sinned and fall short
of the glory of God,
Paul will make this impossible salvation clearer in the next chapter as
well.
(Romans 3:22 NLT) We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ.
And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.
:11 For there is no
partiality with God.
:11 no partiality with God.
Paul is saying that these outcomes, eternal life or eternal hell, will come
to both Jews and Greeks because God does not show partiality.
partiality – prosopolepsia (“the face” + “to receive”) – respect
of persons
It’s making your judgments about people based on what you see on the
outside and not what’s on the inside – by looking at their “face” – so the
pretty, wealthy, and powerful make out better before the person making the
judgment.
Lesson
Impartiality of God
You can count on the fact that when God judges you, He will judge you
solely upon the truth, not upon your ability to impress Him.
When it came time to choose a new king, God sent the prophet Samuel to the
house of a man named Jesse, a man with lots of sons.
(1 Samuel 16:4–13
NKJV) —4 So Samuel did what the Lord
said, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the
town trembled at his coming, and said, “Do you come peaceably?” 5 And he said,
“Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.
Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the
sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice. 6 So it was,
when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him!” 7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at
his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the
Lord does not see as
man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 8 So Jesse
called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And
he said, “Neither has the Lord
chosen this one.” 9 Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And
he said, “Neither has the Lord
chosen this one.” 10 Thus Jesse made seven of his sons
pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen these.” 11 And Samuel
said to Jesse, “Are all the young men here?” Then he said, “There remains yet
the youngest, and there he is, keeping the sheep.” And Samuel
said to Jesse, “Send and bring him. For we will not sit down till he comes
here.” 12 So he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, with bright
eyes, and good-looking. And the Lord
said, “Arise, anoint him; for this is the one!” 13 Then Samuel
took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of
his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord
came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel arose
and went to Ramah.
God knew who He wanted to be king. God wanted David to be king.
But for David to become king, Samuel had to make a choice
as well, and part of the process of Samuel picking out the new king was in
God’s instructions not to look at the “appearance”.
Samuel was learning to make choices, to make judgments the
way that God does.
We need to reflect the impartiality of God.
People will see that God is impartial when they see that we are
impartial.
(James 2:1–4 NKJV)
—1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Lord of glory, with partiality. 2 For if there
should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and
there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, 3 and you pay
attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit here in
a good place,” and say to the poor man, “You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my
footstool,” 4 have you not shown partiality among
yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?
Partiality, judging according to appearance is wrong.
Do you ever see that going on at church? Do you ever see people treated differently
because of their appearance? Watch the next time a homeless person, or perhaps
a person of a different race enters the church – do people treat them
differently?
As leaders in the church, you will be setting an example
for others to follow.
Illustration
John Barrier didn’t like the way a bank manager in Spokane, WA, looked at
him—like he’d “crawled out from under a rock” because of his dirty construction
clothes. So
Barrier, who just wanted a parking slip validated, took his money and left --
$1 million at the time. It began when
Barrier, 59, went to Old National Bank to cash a $100 check. When he tried to validate the slip to save 60
cents, a receptionist refused, saying he hadn’t conducted a transaction. “She said you have to make a deposit,” he
says. “I told her I’m considered a
substantial depositor and she looked at me like...
well.” He asked to see the manager, who
also refused to stamp the ticket.
Barrier went to bank headquarters vowing to withdraw his $2 million plus
unless the manager apologized. No call
came. “So the
next day I went over and the first amount I took out was $1 million.” “But if you have $100 in a bank or $1
million,” he says, “I think they owe you the courtesy of stamping your parking
ticket.” -- Elisa Tinsley, USA Today
:12 For as many as have
sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in
the law will be judged by the law
read thru vs. 16
(Romans 2:13–16
NKJV) —13 (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of
God, but the doers of the law will be justified; 14 for when
Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these,
although not having the law, are a law to themselves, 15 who show the
work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness,
and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them)
16 in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according
to my gospel.
:12 sinned without law will also perish without law
What do we call people who we say are “without law”, without the Law of
Moses? (Gentiles)
The Gentiles are the ones “without” law, without the Law of Moses. But they will still perish when they sin
against the Law.
Let’s say that two people jump off the top of the Empire State
Building. One person completely
understands the law of gravity. The
other person doesn’t understand the law of gravity. Which one will die by transgressing the law
of gravity? Both will.
Robertson: “The heathen who sin are lost, because
they do not keep the law which they have, not because they do not have the
Mosaic Law or Christianity.”
:13 (for not the hearers
of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will
be justified;
:13 but the doers of the law
Lesson
Don’t just listen, obey
This isn’t just a warning for unbelievers, as a Christian, the same
principle applies. Exposure to the
teachings of Jesus isn’t going to help you at all. It’s when you get the teachings of Jesus
translated into real changes in your life that you will see the blessings of
following Him.
Yes, I know that without Jesus we aren’t justified before God, and I’m not
saying we are saved by being “doers”, but we need to pay attention to the
importance of obedience.
(Matthew 7:24–27
NKJV) —24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I
will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and
beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 “But
everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a
foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain
descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it
fell. And great was its fall.”
Illustration
When the Coalinga quake occurred in 1983, a lot of things were discovered.
Houses that were built and were bolted to their foundation withstood the
8.2-on-the-Richter-Scale quake. The structure would sway, but if it was bolted
to the foundation, it withstood. Now on the other hand, the houses that were
built in a period when they did not bolt them to the foundation—again, a
perfectly good house—when the horizontal earth movement occurred, the house
moved maybe six or seven inches off its foundation. And that’s what caused the
house to collapse. And so that was a great discovery made at Coalinga: Houses
should be bolted to their foundation.
It’s your obedience to what Jesus says that bolts you to
the foundation, to Jesus. That’s the
point of Matthew 7:25.
Jesus said,
(John 14:15 NKJV) “If you love Me, keep My commandments.
Don’t be deceived by getting a “good feeling” by going to Bible Study. The real benefits come as we grow in
obedience.
:14 for when Gentiles,
who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although
not having the law, are a law to themselves,
:15 who show the work of
the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and
between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them)
:15 show the work of the law written in their hearts
When an aborigine in Australia has a sense of right and wrong and lives by
that sense, they show that God has written something in their hearts.
They will face judgment from God when they disobey because their own
conscience will show that they knew they were disobeying God.
The unbeliever might think that they will be able to stand before God and
object and say, “But I didn’t know”. And
God will ask the angels to play the “conscience” file, and their own conscience
will declare that they knew they were doing wrong.
This is what Jesus died for – to pay for our sins and cleanse our
conscience.
(Heb 9:13-14 NLT)
Under the old system, the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes
of a young cow could cleanse people’s bodies from ritual defilement. {14} Just
think how much more the blood of Christ will purify our hearts from deeds that
lead to death so that we can worship the living God. For by the power of the
eternal Spirit, Christ offered himself to God as a perfect sacrifice for our
sins.
To the extent that their conscience is not too seared or callused, a pagan
person’s conscience is going to either make them feel good about doing good or
feel guilty about doing wrong.
Paul isn’t saying that it’s possible for a pagan person’s conscience to always be telling them they’re doing the
right thing. For a person to be right
with God, they would have to always do what their conscience says,
and never be condemned by it.
That is impossible. This is what
Jesus died for, to pay the price of our condemnation, to cleanse our
consciences.
:16 in the day when God
will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.
:16 God will judge the secrets of men
judge – krino – to separate, to approve; to be of
opinion, think
We’re back to the word that we started the chapter with.
We started off with Paul talking about us having the nerve to judge other
people.
Here, the only “opinion” that counts, the only “judgment” that counts, is
God’s.
secrets – kruptos – hidden, concealed, secret
Lesson
No secrets with God.
He’s going to judge everything, including the hidden things.
Jesus said,
(Luke 8:17 NKJV) For nothing is secret that will not be revealed, nor anything
hidden that will not be known and come to light.
We would be foolish to think that the things we “hide” are
never going to be found out.
Yet I still do things that I try and hide from others.
I think one measure of my maturity is how much of my life I can live out in
the open, unashamed by anything I do.
Paul wrote to the Ephesians:
(Ephesians 4:15 NKJV) but, speaking the truth in love,
may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—
The word for “truth” is aletheia,
which comes from two words: “not” + “hidden”.
That’s a good definition of what “truth” is – things that aren’t
“hidden”.
When I learn to live and speak “truth”, and not “hide”,
that’s when I find myself growing in maturity in Christ.
As Americans we cry hard when someone interrupts our “privacy”. We don’t want the government spying on us.
Don’t misunderstand me – I’m not advocating “Big Brother” – but shouldn’t
we as Christians have the kinds of lives that if someone knew what we were
doing we’d be unashamed?
Charles Spurgeon wrote,
“Coals of fire cannot be concealed beneath the most sumptuous apparel; they
will betray themselves with smoke and flame. Neither can pet sins be long
hidden beneath the most ostentatious profession of faith; they will sooner or
later discover themselves and burn sad holes in a person’s reputation. Sin
needs quenching in the Savior’s blood, not concealing under the garb of
religion.”
I need to learn to have less and less of my life
hidden in the dark.
Illustration
A son, who had gone to military service, wrote to his father: “I am sending
you all my keys except the front-door key; some day when I get leave, I may
walk in unexpectedly and give you a surprise.” When the parents read the
letter, they thought, “This is a good son. He has no secrets from us, nothing
to hide, no bluebeard chamber that must not be entered, no forgotten corner
where old shameful things lie. He knows himself and he trusts us. He gives us
the run of all his affairs. He sends us all his keys. He knows us, too. He
knows he will always be welcome; that he can always walk in without waiting;
that he has full right of entry into
his father’s house. Our house is open to him, and his heart is open to
us.” Give God all your keys, and He will
always give you access to Himself and all blessing.
• Donald Grey
Barnhouse, Let Me Illustrate (Revell,
1967), p. 16.
Break
2:17-24 Jews guilty too
Paul is going to start a list of the kinds of things that a typical Jewish
person was proud of about their religion.
Keep in mind who is writing this.
Paul was a “Pharisee of the Pharisees”.
Also keep in mind that this is a picture of the mindset of the Pharisees
who challenged Jesus during His ministry.
:17 Indeed you are called
a Jew, and rest on the law, and make your boast in God,
called – eponomazo – to put a name upon, name; to be named
Jew – Ioudaios – Jewish, belonging to the Jewish
nation; religion; comes from the name of the tribe of Judah.
rest – epanapauomai – to cause to rest upon anything; to
settle upon, fix its abode upon
boast – kauchaomai – to glory (whether with reason or
without); to glory on account of a thing; to glory in a thing
The Jewish person “rested” on the law – they counted on the keeping of the
Law to get them into heaven.
They boasted in their nation’s connection with God.
:18 and know His
will, and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the
law,
His will – thelema – what one wishes or has determined
shall be done; will, choice, inclination, desire, pleasure
approve – dokimazo – to test, examine, prove, scrutinize
(to see whether a thing is genuine or not), as metals; to recognize as genuine
after examination, to approve, deem worthy
things that are excellent – diaphero – to bear
or carry through any place; to differ, to test, prove, the good things that
differ,; to distinguish between good and evil, lawful and unlawful, to approve
of things that excel, to differ from one; to excel, surpass one; impersonally,
it makes a difference, it matters, is of importance
Originally, "test the things that differ." The verb was used for
assaying metals. You run all the metals through the test, but only the things
that survive the test are the ones that you accept, the “excellent” ones.
In other words, the Jews knew how to discern right from wrong. They knew
how to say, “This is a good thing”. That’s something we all need help with, as
Paul prayed:
(Phil 1:9-10 NKJV) And this I pray, that your love may abound still
more and more in knowledge and all discernment, {10} that you may approve the things that are
excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of
Christ,
:18 instructed – katecheo (“catechism”)
– to sound towards; to teach orally, to instruct; to inform by word of mouth
Again, part of the pride of the Jews was that they knew God’s will was based
on the Law, they knew how to discern right from wrong, they had found
instruction from the Law.
:19 and are confident
that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in
darkness,
confident – peitho – be persuaded; to trust, have
confidence, be confident
guide – hodegos (“the way” + “to lead”) – a leader of
the way, a guide; a teacher of the ignorant and inexperienced
It had been God’s desire that the nation of Israel to be a “light to the
Gentiles” (Is.42:6; 49:6; 60:3), but rather than being a light that leads
people in the right way, they were just proud that they were “better” than
“those pagan Gentiles”.
:20 an instructor of the foolish, a
teacher of babes, having the form of knowledge and truth in the law.
Some of the terms used here are quite “condescending”. The Jews looked down their noses at everyone
else when it came to the things of God.
Even if a pagan Gentile came to trust in the God of Israel, he was
considered a “babe”.
instructor – paideutes – an instructor, preceptor, teacher; a
chastiser; based on the word for “child” (pais), seems to imply the
teaching or raising of children
foolish – aphron – without reason; senseless, foolish,
stupid; without reflection or intelligence, acting rashly – this is how a Jew
regarded a Gentile.
babes – nepios – an infant, little child; a minor, not
of age; metaph. childish, untaught, unskilled
This was the belittling way that some of the Jews looked down on those who
converted to Judaism. In a way, a new believer is indeed a “babe” in Christ,
but we shouldn’t be looking down at them in any way.
form – morphosis – a
forming, shaping; the mere form, semblance
The Jew has only a shadow, a “form” of the knowledge and truth of God in
the law.
They were settling for part of the truth and not the whole truth.
Real knowledge and truth of God are found in Jesus Christ.
This is all very similar to the things that Jesus said to the Pharisees…
This is a mashup of John 9 and Matt. 23
:20 an instructor of the foolish
Lesson
Spiritual pride
vs. 17 & 23, two times the word “boast” is used – a hint that pride is
at the root of the matter.
Being a “guide” to the “blind”, a “light” to those in “darkness”, being a
teacher of the foolish, a teacher of babes… all speak of looking down the nose
at the poor stupid Gentiles.
May we be careful of that same pride.
Against unbelievers – we are not better than they are, we too are sinners.
We have found grace and we long for them to find it too.
Against other Christians – it’s very easy for one church or denomination to
think they are better than another.
One of the great things about the early years of the Jesus
Movement was when you ran into another believer. We weren’t proud of which church we belonged
to, we belonged to Jesus.
Real maturity as a Christian is not becoming “better” than others. Jesus had another way of measuring maturity.
(Mark 10:42–45
NKJV) —42 But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know
that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and
their great ones exercise authority over them. 43 Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become
great among you shall be your servant. 44 And whoever
of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve,
and to give His life a ransom for many.”
This is the example that Jesus gave. It’s the example we ought to be following.
:21 You, therefore, who
teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not
steal, do you steal?
:22 You who say, “Do not
commit adultery,” do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob
temples?
abhor – bdelusso – to render foul, to cause to be
abhorred; abominable; to turn one’s self away from on
account of the stench
rob temples – hierosuleo (“temple” + “rob or despoil”) – to
commit sacrilege, to rob a temple
:22 do you commit adultery?
The Jews that Paul was addressing were caught in hypocrisy.
They said one thing but did another.
It may be that Paul is talking about them physically stealing and
committing adultery.
He could also be talking about the deeper spiritual truths of these
commandments as Jesus taught them:
(Mat 5:21-22 NKJV) "You have heard that it was said to those
of old, 'You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the
judgment.' {22} "But I say to you that whoever is
angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And
whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But
whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire.
(Matthew 5:27–28
NKJV) —27 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not
commit adultery.’ 28 But I say to you that whoever looks
at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his
heart.
Perhaps the “temples” Jesus was referring to was both the Temple in
Jerusalem as well as the people around them.
:23 You who make your
boast in the law, do you dishonor God through breaking the law?
:23 do you dishonor God
boast – kauchaomai – to glory (whether with reason or
without); to glory on account of a thing; to glory in a thing
This is the second time that “boast” is used by Paul. Perhaps PRIDE is one
of the underlying themes here.
breaking – parabasis – a
going over; metaph. a disregarding, violating; of the Mosaic law; from parabaino – to go by the side of; to go past or
pass over without touching a thing; to overstep, neglect, violate, transgress
It’s not taking the stone tablets and breaking them, it’s walking around
them, going alongside them, passing over without touching them.
dishonor – atimazo – to dishonor, insult, treat with
contempt; whether in word, deed or thought; from time – a valuing by which the price is fixed; honor which belongs
or is shown to one
Lesson
The Heart
The Jewish people Paul was addressing were proud and haughty over the fact
that they were Jews, blessed with the heritage of Judaism, yet they didn’t buy
into the inner heart of Judaism, only the outer trappings.
It’s like the person who has grown up in a church, was baptized as an
infant, and feels like they don’t have to worry about going to heaven because
they were born and raised in the church. Don’t base your hope for eternity upon
anything other than what God says.
God doesn’t say that infant baptism saves you. He says that trusting in
Jesus saves you:
(John 1:12 NKJV) But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become
children of God, to those who believe in His name:
(John 3:16 NKJV) For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that
whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Your hope of spending eternity in heaven should be based only on the fact
that you are trusting Jesus to take you to heaven.
Paul is making the point that it’s not the POSSESSION of the Law that
counts, but the PRACTICE of the Law that counts.
For us – it’s not just going to a church that tells you the truth about how
to go to heaven, but it’s putting your trust in Jesus that gets you to heaven.
:24 For “the name of
God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you,” as it is written.
:24 the name of God is blasphemed
blasphemed – blasphemeo (“injure” + “report or fame”) – to
speak reproachfully, rail at, revile, calumniate, blaspheme; to be evil spoken
of, reviled, railed at
Lesson
People are watching
Paul’s idea isn’t really about just children
watching, though they are as well…
It is thought that Paul is probably quoting:
(Isaiah 52:5 NKJV) Now therefore, what have I here,” says the Lord, “That My people are taken away for nothing? Those who
rule over them Make them
wail,” says the Lord, “And My name
is blasphemed continually every day.
But there’s another parallel in Scripture, where the concept started. It
was when David had committed adultery with Bathsheba. He tried to cover it up
by having her husband come home from the war and trying to get him to make love
to his wife. When that didn’t work, he had the husband killed. When the baby
was born, David was confronted about his sin by the
prophet Nathan:
(2 Samuel 12:13–14
NKJV) —13 So David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord.” And Nathan said to David, “The Lord also has put away your sin; you
shall not die. 14 However, because by this deed you
have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also who is born to you
shall surely die.”
When Paul writes Timothy and gives him a list of what kinds of qualities to
look in a man before making him an elder in the church, he writes,
(1 Timothy
3:7 NKJV) Moreover he must have a good
testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare
of the devil.
Eldership, maturity, is linked with having your walk match your talk, with
being a person who not only talks about doing the right thing but lives it as
well.
2:25-29 The True Jew
:25 For circumcision is
indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law,
your circumcision has become uncircumcision.
circumcision – peritome (“around”
+ “sharp”) – circumcised
profitable – opheleo – to assist, to be useful or
advantageous, to profit
keep – prasso – to exercise, practice, to be busy
with, carry on
breaker – parabates – a transgressor; a lawbreaker; from parabaino – to go by the side of; to go past or
pass over without touching a thing; to overstep, neglect, violate, transgress
(related word to “breaking” in verse 23).
Uncircumcision – akrobustia –
having the foreskin, uncircumcised; it comes from a word used to describe the
foreskin
:25 circumcision is indeed profitable…
Circumcision was one of the great marks of the Law of Moses.
The world to the Jew was divided among those who were circumcised and those
who were uncircumcised.
It began with Abraham (Gen. 17).
Circumcision is removing a man’s foreskin, a “cutting of the flesh”.
It was originally intended to be the symbol of a man who was choosing to
live for God instead of after his own flesh.
Even in Moses’ day, it was clear that circumcision was to affect a man’s
heart, not just his sex organ.
(Deuteronomy
10:16 NKJV) Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer.
Circumcision is a valuable thing to a Jew if he lives a life of real
obedience, having a heart after God. Then the thing that identifies him as a
Jew (circumcision) becomes a testimony of what God’s ways are like.
A Jew who is boasting that he is a circumcised son of Abraham, yet lives
like the devil, is really no better than an
uncircumcised heathen Gentile.
Christians also have rituals that identify us as Christians. Communion and
baptism are like this. They are valuable as a testimony to the world if you are
following Christ and showing people what He is like in your life.
I’ve heard some people say that if you’re going to break the law while
you’re driving, then you shouldn’t have a Christian sticker on the back of your
car. I would like to adjust that a little and say that if you have a Christian
sticker on your car, then drive like a Christian should. Don’t take off the
sticker, change your driving.
:26 Therefore, if an
uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his
uncircumcision be counted as circumcision?
righteous requirements – dikaioma – that
which has been deemed right so as to have force of
law; a righteous act or deed; literally “a work of righteousness”
keeps – phulasso – to guard; to watch, keep watch; to
guard i.e. care for, take care not to violate; to observe
be counted – logizomai – to reckon, count, compute, calculate,
count over
Paul is saying that an uncircumcised Gentile who lives a life that reflects
God’s ways will be counted before God as circumcision.
A circumcised Jew would have a hard time listening to Paul say this.
:27 And will not the
physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even
with your written code and circumcision, are a
transgressor of the law?
judge – krino – to separate; to approve, esteem; to
be of opinion, think; to judge
physically – phusis – nature
fulfills – teleo – to bring to a close,
to finish, to end; to perform, execute, complete, fulfil, (so that the thing
done corresponds to what has been said, the order, command etc.)
written – gramma – a
letter; any writing, a document or record; the sacred writings (of the OT)
transgressor – parabates – a
transgressor; a lawbreaker (related to words used in vs. 23, 25, “breaking”);
the idea of stepping around the law
:27 if he fulfills the law, judge you
Paul is saying that a person who wasn’t a Jew, but obeyed the Law, would
stand in judgment over a Jew who trusted in their circumcision, but didn’t obey
the law.
I think that in practicality, he would have to be talking about us Gentile
Christians.
It’s only through trusting in Jesus that anyone can fulfill the requirement
of the Law.
(2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV) For He made Him who knew no sin to
be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
As we are putting our faith in Jesus, God puts His
righteousness on us by exchanging our sins for Jesus’ righteousness.
:28 For he is not a Jew
who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is
outward in the flesh;
outwardly – phaneros – apparent, manifest, evident, known;
manifest i.e to be plainly recognized or known
:29 but he is a
Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart,
in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from
God.
:29 he is a Jew who is one inwardly
inwardly – kruptos – hidden, concealed, secret
Earlier Paul had taught that God will judge the secrets of a man’s heart
(Rom. 2:16, same word).
Here he clarifies that the issue of what God will be judging will be what
lies at the most secret, inner part of man, the heart.
Paul is talking to Jews about Judaism, but I think we can apply the
principle as well.
Lesson
100% Genuine
Some people know just enough about Christianity to be dangerous.
They go to church like real Christians. They sing songs in church like real
Christians. They learn Bible verses like real Christians.
These things don’t make you a Christian any more than
driving through MacDonalds makes you a hamburger.
God says,
(Isaiah 29:13 NKJV) Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as
these people draw near with their mouths And honor Me with their lips, But have
removed their hearts far from Me, And their fear toward Me is taught by
the commandment of men,
God isn’t looking for a person to just talk the talk,
He’s looking for someone who is going to be open and honest with Him.
The real step of becoming a Christian, of knowing God, comes when you put
your life into God’s hand, ask Jesus to pay for your sins, pledge to follow
Jesus for the rest of your life, and to allow God to make the changes that God
wants to make in your life.
If we’re not careful, we can get quite adept at fooling others about the
state of our spirituality.
It’s very easy to lead a group or teach a Bible Study.
It’s quite another to fool the people at home.
I think this may be one reason why one of Paul’s
qualifications for elders was to have a peek into the person’s homelife (1Tim.
3:4-5)
(1
Timothy 3:4–5 NKJV) —4 one who rules his own house well,
having his children in submission with all reverence 5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he
take care of the church of God?);
Paul wrote,
(2
Corinthians 13:5 NKJV) Examine yourselves as to
whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that
Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are
disqualified.
Have you truly once and for all put your trust in Christ? Let tonight be
the night that you trust in Christ.
(1 John 5:11-13 NKJV) And this is the testimony: that God has given
us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. {12} He who has the Son has life;
he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. {13} These things I
have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may
know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the
name of the Son of God.
Pray – write the date in your Bible.
:29 Jew … whose praise is not from men but from God.
Jew – Ioudaios – Jewish, belonging to the Jewish
nation; from – Y@huwdah – “praised”
Remember how Judah got his name in the first place:
(Genesis
29:35 NKJV) And she conceived again and bore a son, and
said, “Now I will praise the Lord.”
Therefore she called his name Judah.
This meaning of the name is repeated again at the
end of Jacob’s life:
(Genesis
49:8 NKJV) “Judah, you are he whom your brothers
shall praise; Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; Your
father’s children shall bow down before you.
praise – epainos – approbation, commendation, praise
Lesson
Whose praise are you looking for?
(keyword)
In our society, all we care about is what others think. Just like the
Jewish rulers in Jesus’ day:
(John 12:42–43
NKJV) —42 Nevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but
because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be
put out of the synagogue; 43 for they loved the praise of men
more than the praise of God.
Illustration
Our age finds it difficult to come to grips with figures like Winston
Churchill. The political leaders with whom we are familiar generally aspire to
be superstars rather than heroes. The distinction is crucial. Superstars strive
for approbation; heroes walk alone. Superstars crave consensus; heroes define
themselves by the judgment of a future they see it as
their task to bring about. Superstars seek success in a technique for eliciting
support; heroes pursue success as the outgrowth of inner values.
The modern political leader rarely ventures to comment in public without
having tested his views on focus groups, if indeed he does not derive them from
a focus group. To a man like Churchill, the very concept of focus groups would
have been unimaginable. Thus in the space of a
generation, Churchill, the quintessential hero, has been transformed from the
mythic to the nearly incomprehensible.
-- Henry Kissinger in the New York Times Book Review, from his review of Churchill, by Norman Rose (July 16, 1995).
Be careful to not live your life for the applause
of others.
Martin Luther wrote,
If you perhaps look for praise and would sulk or quit what
you are doing if you did not get it--if you are of that stripe, dear
friend--then take yourself by the ears, and if you do this in the right way,
you will find a beautiful pair of big, long, shaggy donkey hears. Affliction is
the best book in my library.
There’s one set of clapping hands we ought to be yearning to hear:
(Matthew
25:21 NKJV) His lord said to him, ‘Well done, good
and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you
ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your
lord.’
For the person who chooses to trust in Christ, who chooses
to look for God’s approval instead of man’s – these are the words they will
indeed hear.
Pericope Project
Let’s title the paragraphs and chapter
Homework
Reading in NIV
Memorize Romans 3:23
(Romans 3:23 NKJV) for all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Take your quick quiz.
Share a prayer request.
Quick Quiz
1) My sin looks worse on you
2) Whose praise are you looking for?
3) What can you apply to your life from Romans 2?