The Book Of ROMANS.....A Systematic Teaching

[Major]

Romans 2:2..........
"But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things."
In simple country boy terms....."We know that the judgment of God is according to reality!"
Many people today live in a world un unreality, including church members. By that I mean that they do not want to hear the truth of the Word of God.

All of my ministry I have heard well meaning church members say........."I want to study the Bible and be involved in God's Word"!

But it is just like John when he wrote the Revelation. It was "sweet in his mouth" because it was thrilling and exciting, but then it "became bitter in his belly".

WHY???? Because they saw that there are JUDGMENTS from God just as there is LOVE that comes from God.

That, unfortunitly is the case with a lot of church members today. They simply do not wantt the truth.!!!They say they want Bible Study but they do not want REALITY!

It reminds me of what the prophet Isaih said in 30:10-11...........
"Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us."

In other words.........."Tell us easy things, lies and deceit"

Now look at the verse in front of you.........."But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things."
Please keep in mind that these things are principles of judgment, not principles of salvation.

May I say to you that man has an inherent knowledge that he must be judged by a HIGHER POWER! The coming judgment of God is something every man out side of Christ either dreads or denies.

The holy Scriptures are very clear on judgment.

Acts 17:31.........
"Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead."

The judgment of God stands in contrast to the judgment of man. Man does not have all the facts and his judgment is always partial and prejudiced. God's judgment however takes in ALL the facts and God know the actual state of any man,,,just as he is. And on that basis He will judge ALL men!

Now most of you will not relate to this because you are not country boys. There was a day when I as a young boys used to pick cotton in North Alabama.....THE PROMISED LAND! Now when you did that you picked the cotton from the plant and put it a bag you drug behind you. When your bag weighed so much that you could no longer drag it, you had the man at the cotton gin weigh it.
Now that man never asked anyone where the cotton came from. He never asked how I got it in the bag. He never asked the feild from which I got the cotton. He just weighed it and then paid me for it.
As I stood there then I am reminded of Daniel 5:27...."Thou are WEIGHED in the balances".

Do you yet realize how that speaks to YOU and Me today??????
It speaks to every human being who boasts of his morality and piotry. IMHO, the great delusion of the cultured person who believes he is in good standing before God is that he will escape the judgment of God because HE is different than everyone else.

Many, most...a great number of people including church members believe that Hitler and Stalin, and Jefery Dammer , and the great murderers and child rapist should be judged by God, but not them. They should escape because they are GOOD and they have never killed anyone or rapped anyone and have never stole a dime or told a lie. You see.........I AM IN GOOD STANDING WITH GOD.

NO friends we are not. We all have been weighed in the balances of God and NONE of us meet God's standard of approval.

WHAT IS GOD'S STANDARD OF APPROVAL???..............RIGHTEOUSNESS!!!!!
What then is the meaning of RIGHTEOUSNESS???.......IT IS PERFECTION WHEN TEMPTED.

Is that YOU? It certainly is not ME!. Perfection means..... never having made a moral, injustice, virtue, or broken any of God's laws.
The Bible’s standard of human righteousness is God’s own perfection in every attribute, every attitude, every behavior, and every word.

Are YOU beginning to understand what the PRINCIPLE for the judgment of God will be for man????

 

[Major]

Romans 2:3............
" And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?"

Now you will probably be able to post more than FOUR, but I thought of FOUR ways that a man can escape the judgement from the law when he breaks the law of man..........

1. What he did will not be discovered.
2. He can escape beyond the jurisdiction of the court.
3. He can escape through a technicality during the legal action.
4. He can escape from prison after conviction and stay under cover.

NONE of those are open to man when it comes to divine judgment. Your offences will be found out.
You can not go beyond Gods eyes.
There can never be a technicality of any kind.
There can be no escape from prison.

Hebrews 2:3........
"How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation"?

 

[crossnote]

What will be the Standard by which God judges the world?
His Law or Gospel?

 

[Major]

What will be the Standard by which God judges the world?
His Law or Gospel?

Excellent question brother. Thanks for reading the thread and asking educated questions.

Allow me to say that we know that Christ is the judge. So then, what tool will He use as a standard of judgment?

James 2:10-12 says..............
"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak, ye and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty".

So then, the standard of judgment is the law of God because “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is transgression of the law” which is stated in 1 John 3:4.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14...........
"Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil".

The law of Ten Commandments is the standard of judgment. It is also called the law of liberty because we can only be free of our sinful habits when we follow that law. God has appointed a day for judgment and Jesus Himself will judge using this law.

Also, Romans 2:2 which we just posted says.....“Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth”.

SO........would you then agree that The BASIS for God's judgment would then be the gospel and the STANDARD the Law.

 

[crossnote]

I may be wrong but I would believe the Christian's sin has already been judged at Calvary in Jesus, but as far as the unbeliever goes...

Romans 2:6 ESV
He will render to each one according to his works:

Revelation 20:12 ESV
And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.

I suppose 'what they had done' was in comparison to the law.

 

[Major]

I may be wrong but I would believe the Christian's sin has already been judged at Calvary in Jesus, but as far as the unbeliever goes...

Romans 2:6 ESV
He will render to each one according to his works:

Revelation 20:12 ESV
And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.

I suppose 'what they had done' was in comparison to the law.

Of course that is the case. I did not know you were thinking any other way. When I am teaching through Romans, I am always referring the Judgment of God when applied to the lost man. The Christian's sin was paid for by Christ and he stands justified by his faith in Jesus.

The Rev. 20:12 reference you used is of course the Great White Throne Judgment and EVERY ONE there is lost. It is the judgment day for the lost for all the ages.

Because they rejected Chrit, then as a result, rather than being judged on the basis of Christ's work, they face the record of their sins when the books are opened. They must pay for their sins with their works and The record shows they sinned and failed to repent. So the STANDARD of that Judgment is the LAW, which means----"ALL have sinned and come short of the glory of God".

 

[Major]

Romans 2:4...........
"Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?'
We should understand that the GOODNESS of God is something that should bring us to our knees before Him in thanks!

If you will recall, David was disturbed by the way the wicked lost could prosper. In Psalms 73:3-5.........
" For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm.
They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men.".

Now consider verse #9 when he talks about those people as .......
"They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth."

Then in verse #17 he says..........."Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end."

He understood that in the end those people would face the judgment and wrath of God.

Now, IF you are a lost man reading this, PLEASE DO NOT LISTEN TO THOSE AROUND YOU WHO SAY THAT YOU MUST GIVE UP EVERYTHING TO BE A CHRISTIAN!!! God does not make you give up anything. However, the Holy Spirit IN YOU will convince you that the SIN you love is no longer something to be loved. "Greater is He that is in you than he who is in the world (Satan)!"

If you have not trusted Christ and your hope is in this life, then brother, you had better suck this earth dry like it was an orange soda on a hot Florida summer day and get out of it all that you can now. You see, you will not have anything in the next life.
EAT DRINK AND BE MERRY, for tomorrow we die is the biggest lie every told!

 

[Major]

Romans 2:5...........
" But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God".

I wanted to take this opportunity to explain to you that the reason for going through this book of Romans is to show the value of this book in that in it is found in the fact that it is an in-depth explanation of the gospel by the converted rabbi, Saul of Tarsus, called to be an apostle to the Gentiles. Most of Paul's letters are strongly colored by a local situation, but not Romans.
It is a systematic presentation of an Apostle's faith.

Now, how many of you fellow Christians, know that most of the technical terms used today to describe "faith", "justification," "imputation," "adoption," and "sanctification" come from Romans ? It is the theological development of the truths of Galatians. Pray for God to open to you this marvelous letter as we continue to search together for His will for our lives today!

Friend, if you have stumbled across this production and you are lost, let me say to you what you actually already know...........
"GOD HAS BEEN GOOD TO YOU!" YOU are still alive. YOU can read. YOU can understand! YOU are on a computer!

God has blessed YOU! Think of the multitudes around YOU tahat have nothing. No home, no income, no food no family and no hope.

Then here you are, lost and ignoring God and doing what YOU want to do. You are loving at the top of the food chain.
You are probably saying...."You are a real judgmental preacher"!!

NO friend I am not. I am nothing but an old fashioned country boy who had the opportunity to learn the Word of God.

Now, do YOU think God is not going to judge YOU? Do YOU really think that YOU will escape the judgment of God on sin, YOUR SIN?

In reality, the goodness of God toward YOU ought to lead YOU to repent and come to God's point of view. What is God's point of view you ask? EASY!!! YOU are a sinner! YOU need the Lord Jesus Christ to save you from God's judgment!

You see my dear friend, you and me can sin, and sin and sin and get away with it and be happy as a pig in fresh mud. BUT in reality........
there is a payday someday! God demands that the sin penalty be paid. Either YOU will pay it or you can allow Jesus to pay it for you. But either way........IT WILL BE PAID FOR!

 

[Major]

Romans 2:6..........

HERE THEN IS THE SECOND GREAT PRINCIPLE OF THE BIBLE FOUND IN THE WORD OF GOD.

"Who will render to every man according to his deeds"!

"WHO" is the subject of verse #5........"GOD!

God will reward every man according to his works. Absolute justice is the criterion of the judgment or reward.

Man's works stand before God in light of His holiness. No man in his right mind wants to be judged on this basis.

WHY????..........Because we all know that there is not one single person who can stand in front of God in this position.

There are somethings we know that we do not have to look in the Bible for the answer. WE just know because God gave all humans a "consciousness"!

 

[crossnote]

Man's works stand before God in light of His holiness. No man in his right mind wants to be judged on this basis.

This touches on my earlier question about 'what basis will we be judged, law or Gospel?'
So here it seems you are saying, "In the light of His holiness.

 

[Major]

This touches on my earlier question about 'what basis will we be judged, law or Gospel?'
So here it seems you are saying, "In the light of His holiness.

There is NO contradiction here.

You asked...........
"What will be the Standard by which God judges the world?"

Then I said what God said..........

James 2:10-12 says..............
"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak, ye and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty".

So then, the standard of judgment is the law of God because “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is transgression of the law” which is stated in 1 John 3:4.

Now the Scripture in view is about the WORKS of man and when the perfection and Holiness of God is shined upon them......
They will vaporize in His presence. So the Standard (Tool) IMHO is still the LAW.

The BASIS is the gospel!

Now is His Law perfect? Jesus wrote the LAW and since He is perfect, what He gave has to be perfect.

Is the gospel perfect? Jesus is the gospel and He is perfect in that He is God in the flesh.

 

[crossnote]

There is NO contradiction here.

You asked...........
"What will be the Standard by which God judges the world?"

Then I said what God said..........

James 2:10-12 says..............
"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak, ye and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty".

So then, the standard of judgment is the law of God because “Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is transgression of the law” which is stated in 1 John 3:4.

Now the Scripture in view is about the WORKS of man and when the perfection and Holiness of God is shined upon them......
They will vaporize in His presence. So the Standard (Tool) IMHO is still the LAW.

The BASIS is the gospel!

Now is His Law perfect? Jesus wrote the LAW and since He is perfect, what He gave has to be perfect.

Is the gospel perfect? Jesus is the gospel and He is perfect in that He is God in the flesh.

I hope I didn't imply a contradiction, and it's true, judged according to God's Holiness, even as Christians, we'd be on our faces crying 'woe is us, damned apart from the grace found in Jesus Christ'.

 

[Major]

I hope I didn't imply a contradiction, and it's true, judged according to God's Holiness, even as Christians, we'd be on our faces crying 'woe is us, damned apart from the grace found in Jesus Christ'.

It kind of did at first then I realized that you were just testing me.

IMHO ...for whatever it is worth, the HOLINESS of God would in fact be the motivator of the LAW and the GOSPEL! It...His glory and Holiness would and does overshadow everything! Would it not???

Romans 3:23..........
"ALL have sinned and come short of the GLORY of God".

 

[Major]

Romans 2:7.............
“To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:”

Keep in mind here the under the 2nd principle, a way of life is not the subject.

Rather, a way of life is the BASIS of judgment.
The "do-gooder" will be judged by his works.

Rev. 20:12.........
"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works."

The man who wants to work for eternal life may do so. He will be judged according to his deeds.

Revelation 20:15 then says.......
"And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire."

The ONLY way to get YOUR name into the "Book of Life" is to trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as YOUR Saviour. HE then writes YOUR name in HIS book and therefore, eternal life is NOT a reward for our efforts or our deeds or works. IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE!

NOW THERE IS A THIRD (3) PRINCIPLE OF GOD'S JUDGMENT AND IT IS SEEN IN VERSE 11.

 

[Major]

Romans 2:8..............
"But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,".

Who here knows the meaning of the word in our text here "CONTENIOUS"?
If you have been on this forum site or for that matter, any Christian forum site YOU have seen this take place over and over!

It is the act by someone who causes or is pron or likely to cause an argument; or who goes out of their way to be controversial.
It relates to some one who is given to arguing or provoking an argument or really no purpose. Thay tend to be self-seeking and absorbed in their own thoughts and ideas.

So then Paul addresses the alternative to those who seek God by obeying His will and His word. God will give "wrath and fury" to those who are self-seeking and don't obey His truth. Instead, these people obey their own unrighteous desires. Having seen this, God will express His anger toward them in judgment.

"SYSTAMATIC" Teaching means that Paul is building his case that none of us can hope to stand before God on our own merits and receive anything but the judgment we have earned with our sinfulness. We need another way to be saved, and Paul will reveal that it is through faith in Jesus standing before God in our place (Romans 3:22–25).

 

[Major]

Romans 2:9...........
"Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;"
God will, in fact, judge every person according to what he or she has done. If a person is depending on their own good works to be saved—to enter into heaven—they are doomed, since their sin can never be undone or overcome by good deeds. If, on the other hand, a person is saved, judgment for their works involves heavenly rewards, instead (2 Corinthians 5:10). Paul has written that if someone were able to lead a life of consistent and ongoing good works in the pursuit of glory, honor, and immortality, God would give that person eternal life. Paul will later show that none of us are able to live that way (Romans 3:23).

By contrast, God will give His "wrath and fury" to every person who lives in selfishness and disobedience to His truth. What form will God's wrath and fury take? Paul now describes it as tribulation and distress. In other words, this judgment of God on everyone who does evil will be hard and stressful.

Notice that Paul has defined our selfish sinfulness as evil. He will go on to show that all of us are guilty of this evil. According to this universal truth that God will judge us according to our works, each of us will deserve the tribulation and distress He will deliver.

Paul adds that God's judgment will be delivered first to the Jew and then to the Greek. In this context, "the Greek" means the same thing as "Gentile:" those who are not Jewish. Paul used this same phrase in Romans 1:16 when describing how the gospel, not our good works, brings salvation to every believer, "first to the Jew, then to the Gentile" (NIV). In other words, the good news of salvation by faith in Christ was first presented to the Jews, God's chosen people. In the same way, Paul shows that God's judgment for sinfulness will also fall first on the Jews, and then on everyone else.

Paul's purpose in saying this will be restated in verse 11: "For God shows no partiality." In other words, when it comes to judgment for personal sin, God regards each one of us individually, no matter our race or any other consideration.

 

[Major]

Romans 2:10..........
"But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:".

Romans 2:1–11 springs a trap, of sorts, for every reader who thought that Paul's devastating list of sins at the end of Romans 1 was about other people. I always noticed when preaching that those in the congregation always thought..."He is talking about them, not me"!

In truth, everyone is guilty of sin. Those who judge others are guilty, also, of hypocrisy. Nobody will escape God's judgment for personal sin, including religious Jews and Gentiles. God will absolutely judge each person according to what he or she has done. If someone has lived sinlessly, doing only good, he will receive rewards and eternal life. If not, he deserves wrath and fury. This point sets up Paul's explanation of how we can, in fact, obtain salvation: by grace through faith.

 

[Major]

Romans 2:11...........
"For there is no respect of persons with God."
"For there is no respect of persons with God."
"For there is no respect of persons with God."
"For there is no respect of persons with God."
This is the THIRD ( 3rd) Principle of God's judgment!!!!

Deuteronomy 10:17...........
"For the Lord your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward".
Acts 10:34............
"Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons".

This is GREAT PRINCIPLE of God> God has NO pets. God has NO favorites! All men are alike to Him!

That in effect means that judgment is blindfolded! Not because God is blind but that judgment may not see men in their silk or in their rags. All must be alike for judgment to be fair and equal.

Church membership, good family, outstanding citizen, well educated, rich or poor has no advantage in the eyes of God.

There is only ONE thing that matters to God. WHOM DO YOU SAY JESUS IS!????
Now YOU and I know that the lost man does not accept Jesus as the Christ. However, are YOU aware of the RELIGEOUS organizations which deny Jesus is the Christ and many call themselves CHRISTIAN.

Who do Muslims say Jesus is?...........................He one of the most important prophets of Islam.
Who do Jews say Jesus is? ................................He was an ordinary Jewish man and a preacher in the 1st century.
Who do Seventh Adventist say Jesus is..........He is MICHAEL the Arch Angel!
Who do the Jehovah Witness say Jesus is?...He is the Arch Angel Incarnated.
Who does Church of Christ, Scientist say.......He is only a man.
Who do Unitarians say Jesus is?........................He is simply a man, not God.
Who do Christadelphians say Jesus is?...........He is a man, not God.
Who do the Buddests say Jeus is.......................He is simply a man.
Who do Hindus say Jesus is..................................He is an enlightened spiritual teacher.
Who do Mormons say Jesus is?...........................He is the pre-existent spirit and brother of the devil - Satan!
Who do "The WAY" say Jesus is?.........................He was just a man, a good man, but a man.

The MOST important question ever asked in the history of mankind was when Jesus asked Peter.........."Whom do YOU say that I am"

 

[Major]

Romans 2:12.......
"For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;".

This is yet another great Principle by which God is going to judge.

Here Paul describes two groups of people, with an emphasis on how their sin relates to their knowledge of God's written Law for the nation of Israel.

We see ''Gentiles'' are those who sin apart from the law, while ''Jews'' are those who sin under the law.

Paul shows how, in both cases, God will judge people based on whether they kept the law and were circumcised in their hearts.

Even Gentiles who follow the law out of sincerity would be regarded by God as truly Jewish. Meanwhile, God will discount the Jewishness and circumcision of someone under the law who breaks the law and does not have a sincere heart. Paul will show in the following chapter that, in truth, no one can keep the law.

Notice now how this is expressed in the next verse!

 

[Major]

Romans 2:13...........
" (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.;"

I hear it said that the heathen are lost because they have not heard of Christ and have not accepted Him. NO friends that is not the case!

Theyare lost because they are SINNERS, plain and simple!!!! That is the condition of humanity! Men are NOT saved by the light they have, they are JUDGED by the light that they have!!!