Check Yourself
Read This Week: Romans 2
You, 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. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?
– Romans 2:1-3 NIV
At the end of Romans 1, Paul writes the most detailed, ominous, and graphic description of what happens to human beings when we continuously and willingly deny God and His truth. It is a sobering picture of lostness and man’s potential for evil when there is blatant defiance toward the Lord and no fear of consequences. He also notes that rebellion against God does not come from being unaware of Him, but being aware and choosing still to refuse and oppose Him.
Paul begins the second chapter talking about another form of lostness and unawareness that has a religious appearance. He turns his attention from culture and people far from Jesus to his Jewish people and those claiming a relationship with God. He noticed that the Jews were judging and condemning the Gentiles for their behavior and lifestyles. But Paul is not about to let this go without addressing the hypocritical and damaging nature of it. He writes in verse 1:
“You, 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.”
Here, the Scriptures warn those living in the 1st century and modern believers that expecting God to look the other way at our sin but punish the sins of others is to invite God’s judgment on us. Paul asserts that we are all subject to God’s perfect judgment and that He is the only worthy and righteous judge.
Therefore, those who know God should share the truth and hope of Christ with the lost while alerting them to the consequences of sin. What we are not to do is replace God as the adjudicator of people and pretend our sins are not under the same judgment. Essentially Paul is saying to check yourself before you feel tempted to elevate yourself above other people. Just because you agree with God’s law doesn’t mean you don’t also have to obey it. No one will escape God’s judgment.
This is a great checkpoint for us who claim a relationship with Jesus, especially in these troubled times. May the Holy Spirit empower us in obedience to His truth and law and not the judgment of others. May our hearts break for our sin as much as it does for the visible sin in our culture. May we not expect God to condone our unrepentant sin while punishing the same in the world. May our salvation from God’s wrath propel us to see others rescued and not condemned. Let’s check ourselves daily.
God gave me a word from Romans 2 verse 7 and it said this: Eternal life is a gift. We must continue walking in the salvation that Jesus has provided for us.
What that means to me is that we all must continue walking in the light. We all must be doing God’s word and not just hearing God’s Word. Eternal life is a kind of life, the holy life that the eternal God has given to us as believers.
God also spoke to me through Romans 2 verse 11 and He was saying to me, “I am not impressed with worldly wealth, influence, or appearance. You are what you are because I chose it to be that way. You shouldn’t be jealous of someone’s wealth or place in society. Everything happens for a reason and it might be for your good.
What that means to me is that God chooses who raises us and He arranged it that way. The only wealth that really amounts to anything, is what we have stored up in heaven.
I love how these two verses and your insight on them correlate to a greater truth. If we walk in the way of eternal life and in the light of God, we will not be focused on, preoccupied with or desirous of worldly wealth, influence, or appearance.
We will be filled with joy rather than resentment toward what we don’t have. We’ll feel hope instead of regret for what we haven’t been given. We’ll know and express peace instead of jealousy toward others that we think have it better than us. We will have a kingdom, eternal mindset instead of a temporal and earthly one.
This is a word that God gave me from the Wednesday ladies’ Bible study. God was saying to me, through our pastors teaching and guiding us to live God’s way, God wants our love and obedience.
What that means to me is that the light of God is something you can’t turn on and off like a light switch. If we have the light, it shines in our life continually and not just once a week. To live God’s way should be the desire of our heart. To go to church and learn God’s way should also be our desire.
I love this, Jeri. May we always be filled with the Spirit so that the light inside of us can shine continuously. That should be the desire of our hearts individually and collectively as the Body of Christ. We need to let it shine.
God gave me a song this week from Romans chapter 2 called “God’s Love Forever”:
We are children, children, children of God
Where no one is different
We all are one
Believe and trust in Him
His love is forever and ever
He is never unfair or unjust
His love is forever and ever
Trust and believe in His power
We are all one, one
We are children of God. Amen.
To God, we are his children, and he sees us all the same. He loves us and is waiting for us to respond, listen, and share His love with others.
This is a wonderful song of unity in our times, Alma. We are all created in the image of God and we should recognize and value that in others that don’t look like us. We are all one and God loves us all the same. No one should be regarded more than another.
Romans 2 verse 7 says, “Some people patiently continue to do what is right. They desire *glory, honor, and life that never ends. And God will give them *eternal life.”
When you give your life and your whole heart to Jesus, you enjoy spending time with Him daily. You desire to live the way God wants you to. You seek Him and you grow in the ways of the Lord, and that’s how your heart changes. It’s daily going from glory to glory and you’re honoring the Father. He loves it and it blesses His heart and you are blessed.
I believe God is saying to you and me, “All it takes is a commitment to seek Me with your whole heart, love to listen and respond continuing to choose right ways right choices more and more. You will feel My peace and you will be blessed with my joy. I love you.”
I appreciate your commentary as always, Heidi. I love the part of verse 7 that says, “patiently continue to do what is right.” That sticks out to me that we are to continue to do what is right over a lifetime. This is a marathon, not a sprint. It is not how you start, it’s how you finish. It is not enough to do what is right for a short period of time with great fanfare but to patiently do what is right over a long period of time.
It reminds me of the word picture captured by the pastor and author, Eugene Peterson when he said our lives with Christ should be a long obedience in the same direction.
Having good Godly judgment is totally different then being Judgy. We are meant to determine good from evil, while looking for the good in people and being an encourager. No one likes a list of things that others think they are doing wrong, it’s better to catch them doing something right and make a big deal about it.