God's Wrath and Righteousness in Romans

Romans Part 1 Lesson 7

Review Romans 1 Paul starts his letter off with the gospel He wants to visit the saints in Rome, but has been prohibited so far Vs. 18 He contrasts God s righteousness with God s wrath, which God revealed against unrighteous men. How? He gave them over(to cause one to follow his own corrupt mind) to the lusts of their hearts, impurity, degrading passions, to do what is unnatural and indecent, to a depraved mind to do what is improper. These men : know that those who practice such things are worthy of death, yet they continue to do them and give hearty approval to others who join them in their sin. What does acknowledging God as Creator do? They are without excuse 1:20

Romans 2: 1-11 Men are without excuse vs. 1 (1:20) You who judge: These are Jews, who do the same thing they are judging others for (1:32 Therefore in 2:1) IN judging, they condemn themselves. What type of judging is this? judge :krino properly to separate, to pick out by separating. We only judge accurately by intelligent comparison and content based on God s word; to approve what is correct and reject what is wrong. To condemn, deciding between the righteousness and unrighteousness of men. Of those who judge unfairly, finding fault with this or that in others. God s judgment is righteous Romans 2:2 No one will escape God s righteous judgment; He is impartial (2:11)

Contrasts is Verses 4 and 5 God is kind, tolerant and patient God also judges and has wrath His kindness leads YOU to repentance: how can kindness lead you to repent? But they had stubborn, unrepentant hearts, used to describe the Jews often They were storing up God s wrath for themselves instead of responding to God s kindness and patience Do WE do that? Do WE judge others, thinking we are doing exactly what God wants us to do because WE are righteous, and THEY are not? Are we never to judge? No. God tells us to decide what is righteous and unrighteous based on His Word and His Word alone.

Gods wrath in Romans 2:5-6; 1:18-32 They are storing up God s wrath by being unrepentant and stubborn There is a Day of Wrath coming when God s wrath will be revealed (vs.5) Revealed: In Rom. 1:17 God s righteousness is revealed in the gospel The wrath of God is revealed from heaven 1:18 and it is against ungodly men God s wrath is based on a person s deeds. (outward actions) How does a person s deeds show what he believes about God? The truth of God, revealed in His gospel, is suppressed. They exchange God s truth for a lie. They practice those things described in Romans 1:18-32

Romans 2:6-10 Contrasts Eternal life, glory, honor and peace for those who persevere in doing good To the Jew first, and also to the Greek/Gentile Wrath and indignation for those who are selfishly ambitious (self-seeking), who don t obey the truth but obey unrighteousness and do evil. To the Jew first, and also to the Greek/Gentile Rom. 1:16 Salvation is also for everyone: to the Jew first, and also to the Greek/Gentile Judgment is for all who don t believe: to the Jew first, and also to the Greek Rom. 2:11 There is no partiality with God Rom. 2:2 God s judgment rightly falls on those who practice such things

Romans 2:12-25 Gods judgment All who sinned without the Law and perish without it, are the Gentiles All who sinned under the Law and are judged by the Law, are the Jews Who are the justified? The doers of the Law are justified, not the hearers only. We can only keep the Law through Christ and His work on the cross, by the Holy Spirit inside of us. So why doesn t this back up the Jews that say keeping the Law saves them? The Gentiles keep the Law not because they have it but because it is instinctively within their hearts, their conscience and thoughts. Phusis: Inherent nature, origin, birth, the underlying constitution or make-up of someone (something), guided by their natural sense of what is right and proper. Same word as natural function in Rom. 1:26

What we KNOW about the Law It is God s requirement for righteousness. It is good. He made us in His image, so we have that God consciousness within us We CANNOT keep it, though it is required to be righteous in God s sight It shows us our need for a Savior Yes, we know what to do and sometimes we do it, but we cannot keep its requirements every time, in every situation because of our sinful seed; Adam By believing in the gospel: Jesus work that He did on the cross for us by fulfilling every jot and tittle of the Law in His righteous death as a sacrifice for sin, which the Law reveals in us, can we be justified. Holy Spirit now resides inside of us, enabling us to keep the Law. We CAN be a doer of the Law: Sin is now a choice

Romans 2:16 There is a Day of Judgment when God will judge the secrets of men through Jesus Christ Why through Jesus Christ? The judgment is according to the gospel, and what you have done with it What is the gospel? Jesus virgin birth, death, burial, resurrection and appearance to many at one time. God s judgment is based on what Jesus did for every man Judge what? The secrets of men Secrets : kruptos the hidden things of darkness, things which men conceal. It is the same word, inwardly in verse 29.

Jews described by Paul in verses 17-24 Rely on the Law Boast in God Know His will (because they know the Law) Approve essential things from the Law Instructed in the Law Confident of being a guide to the blind, a light to those in darkness If you teach another, don t you teach yourself? Preach against stealing, adultery, idolatry (the 10 commandments) but you DO the same? You break the Law too! So, you dishonor God by doing what you preach against. Therefore: The Gentiles blaspheme God s name.

Gentiles blasphemed Gods name because of hypocrisy they saw in the Jews Does the church cause the world to do that today? Do we preach against adultery, fornication, homosexuality, idolatry, stealing .. those things ? Do we in the church DO those things as a habit of life? Do we have the attitude of condemnation of the world, instead of the love of God shown forth in our actions, by sharing the gospel with them in word and in deed? Why would the world feel the most condemnation from US when Jesus called us to LOVE? He didn t say condone and make them feel good in their practice of ungodliness, but He did say that we were to take the gospel to them wherever they are! Someone did that for us. The process of salvation is MESSY! We tend to focus on the completed result, rather than the actual process, which is messy and sometimes lengthy.

Romans 2:25-29 Circumcision: It is only valuable if one practiced the Law (the Jew) It was of no value to the one who transgressed/broke it (both Jew and Gentile) The one who HAD circumcision and broke the Law was a hypocrite, and made the Gentiles blaspheme the name of God Gentiles, who did NOT have the Law, kept it by instinct. (vs.14) Vs. 1-2 begin with the Jews judging the Gentiles, and ends with the Gentiles judging the Jews God is interested in the heart: the hearts of those who judged others were unrepentant and stubborn (vs.5) (think of David, a man after God s heart) The Spirit circumcises the heart, and that person is praised by God

Application Do we judge like the Jews described in Romans 2:1-2 How would the world, my neighbors and friends (saved or unsaved) describe me in my attitude toward those who don t believe the gospel? Do I have unsaved people in my life? If not, why not? Because they offend me? Lord, give me opportunities to share Your peace, love and hope in this world that has no peace, love and hope because those things can only be found in You, and You alone.