Judged - May 5th, 2013 Sermon

By Pastor Greg

Two weeks ago I was asked “How can people who have never heard God’s Word live up to it”. A great question, which is answered in today’s text from the book of Romans. I trust you did your homework and read Romans 2:5-16. If not, let’s read over it now (Read Romans 2:5-16).

The implication Paul makes in this section is that there will be judgment. Specifically he is pointing his finger at the Jews who felt they would be excused simply because they were Jewish. They grew up hearing the Law. They grew up being told of God’s promises. History had proven time and time again that God was indeed their champion; rescuing them and redeeming them and providing them with all they ever needed. But Paul warns that simply because they had heard the Law did not mean they would be spared the Judgment. He says that they will be judged based upon the fact they DID hear the Law (by the way, the Law is the commands of God handed down to the nation through Moses).

Paul places the Jew on one side (who had heard the Law) and the Gentile on the other (who had not heard the Law). And he says that judgment will be based upon the knowledge a person had while still alive. The Jew will be judged on their response to the Law which was revealed (verse 13). The Gentile, on the other hand, will be judged on their response to the Law which was instinctively known (verses 14-15). And these few verses point back to Romans 1:19-20. Both the Jew and the Gentile are without excuse. One does not need to look very hard to realize that some great divine being was responsible for all that we see around us (this is why humanity has “instinctively” searched for the god responsible for all things. And why only a fool would look at the cosmos and say “chance”).

In the same way today there are those who grew up hearing of God’s plan of salvation through Jesus. And there are those who are oblivious to this fact. The judgment will follow what Paul has stated here. Those who have heard will be judged based upon their response to what they heard, not the fact that they merely stayed awake during a sermon. And those who have never heard the Good News will be judged based upon their response to what they “instinctively” know. This, of course, is Paul’s answer to the question “What about those born before Jesus came to earth and those who died never hearing the Good News of Salvation”. All will stand before Jesus. No one can come to the Father but through Jesus. That does not change. But how a person is judged by Jesus is what Paul is addressing here. And what some may not like to hear is that Paul is warning those who did hear yet disobeyed that this judgment will not be very pleasant. “Shame on you”, he says. “These Gentiles who never heard the teachings of God are acting godlier than you who have heard!” Likewise, sometimes a person of the world behaves more Christ-like than an individual who grew up in church. And this truly condemns.

One difficulty in this text is our misunderstanding of the Day of Judgment. Many often believe there will be one single general judgment of all humanity. Scripture does not support this understanding. Actually the scriptures speak of at least three general times of Judgment. There is the initial Judgment of Israel when Christ returns to the earth (see Ezekiel 20:32-38; verse 37 says “I will examine you carefully and hold you to the terms of the covenant”). There is the judgment of the Gentiles. They will be judged based upon their deeds and their faith when Christ returns (see Matthew 25:31-36; separating the sheep from the goats). And then there is the Great White Throne Judgment mentioned in Revelation 20:11-15. This mentions the dead being summoned from the sea and from the grave. They too were judged according to their deeds. And any of the dead whose name was not listed in the Lambs Book of Life was thrown into the lake of fire.

These three Judgments do not specifically mention the Believer; the person who has confessed their sinfulness and has turned to Christ in faith. So, when are Believers judged? When will a Christian be summoned to the Trial? Well, if we truly believe the words of Jesus, the answer is this: they are not judged. A Christian is not called to stand before God and be judged because they had believed in God’s only begotten Son in this life. Jesus says in John 3:18 “He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”. Oh sure, the Believer’s works are sent through the fire. And those works that survive will determine their rewards in Heaven. But it is only the Christian’s works which are evaluated (compare 1 Corinthians 3:11-15), not their salvation.

The main point behind this is that even though a person may not be feeling the wrath of God today, they will be held accountable for their behavior one day. They are “storing up wrath” for a later time. And an absence of punishment today does not mean He approves of sin or that He has chosen to look the other way. The person who practices sinfulness will be held accountable for their behavior one day. Jesus warned of this quite often. And even John 3:16 says “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life”. This is God’s plan to spare humanity His judgment. John 3:17 says “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” And in the original language, this verse literally means: Jesus came not to summon us to trial yet, but to spare us the trial altogether; a clear indication that there will most certainly be a trial.

But as clear as this message of judgment is, there are still a few verses in this section of Romans which can cause some confusion. Paul says in Romans 2:6-7 “He (God) will judge everyone according to what they have done. ⁷ He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers”. At first glance it might appear that Paul is promoting a “works-based” salvation. But we know this is not true. Even Paul has said that it is not by works but by faith. Galatians 2:16 says “a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law”. What Paul is saying here is that a person’s habitual conduct either confirms or condemns the condition of their heart; it is what they “Practice”.

One final word on all of this. When we read the word “judgment” we often see it in a negative context. But truthfully it should be viewed both ways. A person may be judged innocent. So when we start reading about the Judgment of God, we need to keep in mind that it involves God’s evaluation of each individual. Some will be judged unworthy, but some may be judged worthy. And according to what Paul says here, some may be judged worthy even if they never had an opportunity to hear the Good News preached. But I feel sorry for that individual, I really do. I can’t imagine standing before God all by myself and hoping that my life has merit on its own. Don’t forget what Jesus said in Matthew 7:13-14. “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it”.

And now to the questions.

1. Why does the verse say the Jew first and then the Greek if God shows no partiality?

Answer: the statement is not addressing a period of time, but it is Paul’s way of clarifying his point. Just because a person was Jewish did not mean they would escape the judgment. All who continue to practice evil will be judged. It’s kind of like us thinking that since we are American we can behave in any way we want and still escape God’s judgment. But Paul drives the point home by saying “yes, the people of the world will be judged, but so too will you”.

2. It says we will be judged by the deeds we do. Does that mean all the deeds we do or are the ones we have repented from & asked forgiveness for not included? 

Answer: Just to remind you that a person comes to Jesus for Salvation, not to merely have their sins forgiven. The death of Jesus pays the penalty for our sinful nature, and the sins we commit are the symptoms of that sinful nature. But once a person becomes a Christian they no longer need salvation, only forgiveness. We are saved by Faith, not by the absence of sinful behavior or by having all our sinful behavior forgiven. Paul says that it is what a person practices (what they continually do) which demonstrates the attitude of their heart. And it is the attitude behind a person’s behavior which either saves them or condemns them. This is how they are judged. But the Christian has Christ pleading to God on our behalf. John says, “My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous” (1 John 2:1).