The Bad News (2): Justification by Works of the Law... for the Sinless Doer (Romans 2:1-16)
Introduction
‘You have favorites in the class’. These were my indignant words to my fourth class teacher. Standing on the platform at OLF Kingsgrove, arms folded, tears streaming down my face, after I had been put on the ‘bad boys’ table with three classmates. I was bitterly indignant. How could she? How dare she? So I blurted out defiantly, ‘You have favourites in this class!’ And of course, this was in the days when teachers could still smack children. And she did, as I stood there defiantly with my arms folded.
After all, she didn’t put the pretty blond haired girls with pigtails on ‘the bad boys table’, did she? And only a sensible 3rd class boy, also placed on the accursed table, could get me to sit down.
Perhaps my relegation to the bad boys table was justice, not favouritism or bias. No doubt there was justice in it. I wasn’t an easy child. But even the perception of favouritism leaves a bad taste in the mouth.
We know as bible readers the difficulties favoritism causes. The bible is full of examples of families ripped apart by favoritism. Isaac loved Esau, Rebekah loved Jacob. And two brothers tricked, lied, fought and hated one another for their whole lives, and for the generations that followed.
Jacob loved Joseph more than the others. More lies and hatred. And the other brothers hated Joseph, planned to kill him, and eventually sold him into slavery.
Family is a great breeding ground for favoritism. Think of nepotism, which literally means the love of nephews. What troubles does the employment of the bosses nephew or brother or son or second cousin cause at work?
And it is here that we find Aussie culture confused. On the one hand, we value fairness. Give us a fair go! On the other, favoritism. Go on, be a mate! We look after our own, here!
What about when it comes to God? Does God favour one nation over another? Is there any such thing as favoured nation status? Or is God fair, just, and impartial, when it comes to assessing his creation.
Context
So far in Romans we have seen that the gospel is God’s power to save everyone who believes. But we’ve also seen that God is angry now. We live in a world under God’s anger. God is angry because of our sin. We reject God as God and set up our own replacement gods. And this big S ‘Sin’ led us all into all kinds of small s ‘sins’. Things we think big, like murder, or hating God, or things we think little, like gossip, arrogance, and disrespect to parents. And some things that some people in our society don’t see as sinful at all, like homosexuality. But whether we think them big sins, little sins, or not sins at all, we saw that God considers those practises all the same, that they are capital offences, deserving the death penalty. Chapter 1 verse 32:
Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death… (NIV)
Last week I urged you to agree with God. Agree with God that the wages of sin is death, even for the things you think little. And perhaps after reading chapter one you said to yourself, ‘Yes, I agree with God. Those things are wrong. They are evil.’ I know God’s righteousness decree that those who practice such things deserve to die.
Well if that’s you, I’ve got some good news and some bad news. Who wants to hear the good news first?
Here is the good news. You were right. You agreed with God.
The bad news then? Well, agreeing with God that sin is out there, that arrogance and envy and disrespecting parents is sin and deserves death, doesn’t let you off the hook!
You see, Paul knew that the people he was writing to would agree with him that those things listed in chapter 1 were wrong. Paul hasn’t said anything controversial in chapter 1. It might be controversial to us, but it was not controversial for Paul or his readers. For Paul in chapter 1 had outlined peculiarly Gentile ‘sin’. The Gentiles are the ‘rest of the world’ team, as far as the bible is concerned. And every Jew who read his bible would have been nodding his head as Paul condemned all those activities and practises. Indeed, every bible reader, Jew or non-Jew, would have nodded his head. Whether they were Jews or God-fearing Greeks, every bible reader knew exchanging God for idols is sin. Every bible reader knew homosexuality, murder, and disobeying parents is sin. And every bible reader knew and knows the penalty for sin is death. And what’s more, many pagan Greek philosophers said the same sorts of things.
So at this point the moral person would be barracking from the sidelines at the end of chapter 1… “Yeah, Go on Paul, Get em! Heathens! Let those ‘Gentile Sinners’ have it.
And so Paul now turns to the Jew and the moralist. Or perhaps I should say, turns on them. And in so doing, he turns on us.
Paul gives them and us three reasons why they won’t escape God’s wrath either. Paul gives three reasons why when the Jews point to Gentile sins, they have three fingers pointing back at them.
First, no-one escapes judgment because they judge others (verses 1-5). Second, the Just Judge judges justly, according to works, according to what people do (verses 6-12). And third, the law saves by doing, not by hearing (verses 13-16).
No-one escapes judgment because they judge others (verses 1-5)
First, no-one escapes judgment because they judge others. You see, Paul has laid a trap (verses 1-3). Look at chapter 2 verse 1 with me:
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. (NIV)
In chapter 1 verse 20, Paul said everyone is without excuse. Why? Because the creator showed himself in the creation. Now Paul says that the judgmental person is without excuse. Why? Because, when the judgmental person judges others, he judges himself. Paul is saying, ‘Listen, you who judges others, you judgmental person. Don’t just say the problem is out there somewhere. Look closer to home. Look at yourself. Sure, you acknowledge God’s judgment is true (verse 2). But when you judge others, you only judge yourself (verse 3). You don’t escape God’s judgment by being a judge.’
And so Paul traps the judgmental person in his hypocrisy. A bit like what the Prophet Nathan did with King David. You remember the story. King David, man after God’s heart, commits adultery with Bathsheeba and then has Uriah her husband killed to cover it up. And God sent Nathan to David with a parable. A rich sheep owner stole a poor man’s only lamb to feed a visitor. And Righteous David ‘burns with anger’ and exclaims ‘The man who did this deserves to die’ (2 Samuel 12:5). He agrees that those who do such things deserve death. And Nathan says ‘You are the man’.
So Paul reels in the Jew, and every moralist. He hung out the bait in chapter 1. God condemns Gentile idolatry and immorality. The Jew or the moralist agrees. ‘Gotcha’, says Paul. ‘You’ve condemned yourself. You’ve just signed your own death sentence. And you won’t escape judgment just because you agree with God’ (verse 3).
Indeed, there are aggravating factors that make the Jew and the Moralist’s position even more desperate. For the Moralist and the Jew has been, sadly, hardened in unrepentance (verses 4-5). But there are also aggravating factors. For while the Jews denounced the Gentiles for their many sins, they presumed on God’s kindness for their own sins. Look with me at verse 4:
Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realising that God’s kindness leads you towards repentance? (NIV)
The Jews of whom Paul wrote needed a fundamental repentance. They were stubborn and stiffened against the gospel of Jesus (compare Romans 9:18; Acts 19:9). Paul will devote the whole of chapters 9 to 11 to discuss the reasons and the consequences for the stubbornness of Israel to the gospel. But here, in chapter 2, Paul flags Jewish stiff-neckedness and unrepentance as an aggravating factor. ‘As if your sin is not bad enough. You’re stubborness towards Jesus cuts you off from your only hope of salvation!’
Notice that Paul doesn’t fault them for saying ‘God is patient’! That is true. Nor does Paul blame them for saying that ‘God is patient with me’! That’s true, too. But it was that they said ‘God is patient with me and not with you’. And then they acted like this: ‘God is patient with me and not you, therefore I don’t need to repent. God is patient with me so I can keep doing what I’m doing.’
Such an attitude shows a fundamental misunderstanding of God’s kindness, tolerance and patience. God patiently waited for the Jews so that they might repent. There is no national privilege, no special treatment for the Jewish nation, as if they don’t need to repent. They must repent, or else they are lost.
And it is the same for us here today. God has been tolerant with us so that we might repent. For it is not presumption God seeks, but our repentance.
Friends, God has been very kind to our nation. Look at the freedoms and liberties we have. Most of my generation, until recently, knew war only from ANZAC day and the RSL club and history books at school, not personal experience. Australia is wealthy, highly educated, with freedom of speech.
And God has been very patient with us. God has been patient with our materialism, our greed, our corporate (and smaller) frauds, our sexual sins, our child abuse, our racism, our unkindness to one another, and our wholesale rejection of God.
He has put up with us, though it grieves his heart. And in return for this kindness and tolerance, what has Australia rendered to God? Have we seen repentance and faith toward Jesus? No.
So God in his kindness sends suffering, his tough love to call us back. It might be terrorist attacks. It might be natural disasters. This week it was the bushfires, where almost 200 houses were destroyed. It could have been us. Maybe it will be us. But do we listen? Have we returned to God?
No, we trust the government and the RFS to protect our way of life. We want them to protect our lifestyle so that we can continue on as we were. But we forget as a society that this little inferno is merely a birthday candle to the big inferno that God will send at the end of time.
Where do you need to repent? I don’t ask whether you need to repent, for I take that for granted. I ask ‘where’? For it is time for judgment to begin with the church, the family of God. And if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God (1 Peter 4:17).
In chapter 1, we saw that God is angry now. The wrath of God is being revealed now. But now we will see that God has also reserved a day for his wrath. Verse 5:
But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’swrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed.
God has present wrath. But God also has future wrath. God has set aside a day for wrath. And Paul is saying the unrepentant Jew and moralist is storing up wrath, literally piling it up like treasure. The unrepentant Jew and moralist has a treasury of wrath in heaven. The unrepentant Aussie has a treasury of wrath in heaven. The unrepentant Anglican and churchgoer and minister has just as much wrath waiting for him, unless he repents.
And on that great day, Judgment Day, God will make the final distribution. Each receiving their share of the treasury of wrath stored up.
The Just Judge judges justly, according to works (verses 6-11)
The first point was that no-one escapes judgment because they judge others. And the second point is that God, the just judge, judges justly according to works. God has distributive retributive justice. God distributes his justice to each human. And justice is retributive, in that it is given to each, according to what they have done. Verse 6:
God “will give to each person according to what he has done”. (NIV)
On that last day, in the court of final appeal, God’s judgment will be completely fair. God will exercise impartial distributive retributive justice. There will be no back-handers, no bribes, no secret handshake, no nod and wink. No good saying there, ‘Well, at least I wasn’t a “Gentile sinner”. At least I’m not like that scumbag over there, Nazis and terrorists and paedophiles.’
Rather, God distributes to each person according to his works, according to what he deserves.
And then there will be a division. The division will not be according to nationality. Not Jew here, Gentile there. It won’t be ‘Roman Catholic here, Anglican here.’ For as verse 11 says, God does not show favouritism.
Rather, think of two queues, to lines. In one line are those described in verse 7, Who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honour and immortality. The same ones are described in verse 10. They have done good. And God will give them eternal life. They stand queued up heading for the eternal life, and glory, honour and peace that they have treasured up.
In the other queue, the other line, are those described in verse 8. These are those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil. In verse 9, they are described as those who do evil. They stand queued up, waiting to receive the wrath, anger, trouble, and distress that they treasured up.
Notice there is a priority for the Jew (verses 9 and 10). Paul says this twice, in verses 9 and verse 10. First for the Jew, then for the Gentile. But this priority is not favoritism. If the Jew is in the glory queue, God will bring the Jew to the front of that queue. They will receive God’s glory first. But if the Jew is in the wrath queue, God will bring the Jew to the front of that queue. They will receive God’s wrath and anger first. There is no switching out of the wrath queue just because you’re a Jew. That would be favoritism, There is just priority. The Jew is first to get glory, but is also first to be punished.
That is the God with whom we must deal. God is an impartial God, who will give to each of us according to our works.
This all begs the question doesn’t it? In which queue are you? In which line do I stand? It’s good to ask now. Now we can actually do something about it. Now is the time of repentance.
All this prompts some soul searching. What has been my goal in life? Has it been persistence in good works, doing good and seeking glory, honour, immortality beyond this life? Or has my goal in my life been myself? Have I been self-seeking, self-centred, and selfish? Have I lived for myself, my interests, not God’s?
Perhaps I could say, ‘Sure, I’m seeking after God. I’m a Christian. I am persisting in good works. I do seek glory, honour, immortality. I am not being self-seeking, I care for others and God.’ Perhaps you find yourself lining up in the glory queue. Perhaps there are diligent seekers of God here today. Fantastic. Then pay close attention to verse 12:
For all who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. (NIV)
Seeking after God means not sinning. For on that great day, the soul that sins will die. Whether it is the Gentile, who doesn’t have the law of Moses, or the Jew, who has the law of Moses, if you have sinned, you will be judged and condemned for that sin.
Is anyone left standing in the glory queue now? If so, please stand up. Or have we all swapped queues now? Have we now joined our proper line, the one reserved for self-seekers, the line heading for God’s wrath, being led by the Jews, with us Gentiles following? If we are truthful, I think we’ve all joined the wrath queue.
The law saves by doing, not by having or hearing (verses 13-16)
But the Jew might say, ‘We have the law of Moses, the very words of God! That must count for something!’ God only gave his law only to the Jews! Is this favouritism?
Well, yes, there are many advantages in having the law of Moses. Paul will talk about these advantages in Romans chapter 3 and chapter 9. But here in Chapter 2 Paul wants to make something crystal clear. Just having the law, simply possessing a good law, will not save anyone. This misunderstands the nature of the law. The law saves not by having, not even by hearing. The law saves by doing. Verse 13:
For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous. (NIV)
Here is the way of justification by works of the law. Works are a sure way of being justified before God on judgment day, but only if you meet the laws requirement. And the law requires us not merely to be hearers. No, the laws requirement is to be a doer of the law. And to be a doer means not sinning. If you sin, you aren’t a doer. For verse 12 tells all who sin will perish and will be judged. So you need to be a sinless doer to be justified by the law on that last day.
Here it is. Justification by doing the law. Who is qualified to avail themselves of this righteousness by the law? Which of us is able to run to the law for safety? Do we have any sinless doers here? None! That is not me. That is not you. And Paul will say as much (Romans 3:9-20).
And then Paul rub’s salt in the wound. Paul says that you don’t need the Law of Moses to be justified by law. To be a sinless doer, you don’t even have to be a Jew. Verses 14 and 15:
(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.) (NIV)
Sometimes some Gentiles follow some things written in the Law of Moses, even though they don’t know the law of Moses. And this is not just a co-incidence. For Paul, it demonstrates that God has also given the Gentiles a law. Verse 14, they are a law for themselves. Verse 15, they show that the requirement [lit work] of the law are written on their hearts.
Everyone has a law: Jew, Gentile, everyone. For the Jew, God’s law was inscribed on tablets of stone, written in the book of the law by Moses, the first five books of the Old Testament. For the Gentile, the law is written deep in the heart, embedded deep in the conscience. This law is the innate sense of right and wrong inbuilt into every human. Every human has a conscience, the court of the mind. And the conscience is judge, jury and executioner. The court of the mind is always with us and over us, always watching our acts and omissions, always hearing our words, always knowing our deep motives. Our consciences exonerate us in our innocence, if such be found, or prick us, convict us, and slay us inside for our guilt, if such be found.
And here Paul sees the conflicting thoughts that battle in the conscience. The end of verse 15 mentions their thoughts now accusing… This is the prosecution attorney of your mind seeking a conviction. But the defence attorney battles to clear you, so the thoughts now even defending them. And more often than not, we find the prosecution wins the case, because we are guilty sinners. All of us have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
And as this court room battle wages in our heads, Paul argues: ‘See, the Gentiles do have a law! You don’t need to be a Jew to be justified by law. You can be a Gentile. But whether Jew or Gentile, you must be a sinless doer to be justified by works.
And so on the last day, when we all stand before God for judgment, and the evidence is brought out, the Jew will stand before God to be judged according to the law of Moses, and the Gentile will stand before God to be judged according to the law of their conscience and heart and mind. Verse 16 says, ‘This will take place on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.’
So there is no favoritism with God! For unless God interposes, unless God does something, we all sadly stand there in the wrath queue. Jew and Gentile, all with a condemning law, waiting to receive exactly what we deserve, which is wrath, anger, trouble and distress. Jew and Gentile all await the reward that our works deserve, which is an eternal Hell of punishment.
I don’t know about you, but at this point, I don’t want fairness. I don’t want a fair go, anymore. I want favour. I need favour. I need grace and mercy. And so do you. I want to get out of the wrath queue. I want there to be another queue. I want there to be a mercy queue. A queue of mercy for underserving sinful wretches like you and me.
Perhaps there is hope. For all of us have moved into the wrath queue, except one. For there is one left standing in the glory queue, all alone, at the very front of the queue. Jesus Christ, the one through whom God will judge men’s secrets. He never sinned. He always obeyed God his Father. So he will make a fair judge. And God has handed the judgment to him.
Do you know this judge, Jesus Christ? If there is hope for favour, it is in him, the one through whom God will judge. And Paul will speak of this judge later in Romans. In chapter 8, Paul will speak of the great day of judgment again. And he will do so not in the light of justification by works, which for us sinners is entirely unsuccessful, but in the light of justification by faith. He will speak of God’s favour. And he will say “Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died – more than that, who was raised to life – and is at the right hand of God interceding for us” Jesus Christ has interposed to bring us favour. And what Jesus Christ has done in his death and resurrection brings another way of justification, the way of faith, so that on the last day, the question of justification is not a matter of doing the law, but a matter of believing the gospel. Salvation is and only ever can be not by works, but by faith. And for this we thank Jesus.
So come back in the coming weeks, that we might together here more about this Jesus, through whom God will judge the world.
Let’s pray.