Romans by Chuck Missler Lesson 3

From Chuck Missler's expositional accompanying PDF notes to Romans:

The Book of Romans Session 3
Romans 2: The Moral Man

The Outline
Chapters 1 - 8 FAITH Doctrinal
- 1-3 Sin (the most complete diagnosis)
- 4-5 Salvation
- 6-8 Sanctification
Chapters 9-11 HOPE Dispensational
- 9 Israel - Past
- 10 Israel - Present
- 11 Israel - Future
Chapters 12-16 LOVE Practical

Review
“The just shall live by faith” (Hab 2:4) put to death the heresies that
grew during the early centuries of the church and the Dark Ages. There
are three NT epistles that form a trilogy on “The just shall live by faith”:
Romans 1:17 shows who are the just; Galatians 3:11 shows how the just
shall live; and Hebrews 10: 38-39 shows how to live by faith. Romans
1:16-18 provide the summary text of the entire Book of Romans.

They Became Fools...
The ultimate irony in humanity’s refusal to glorify the true God is the insani-
ty or stupidity of idolatry (Isaiah 44:9-20): The worship of gods who are not
and the demons who are. The more you reflect upon the infinite glory
and majesty of the eternal God, the more hideous is the unspeakable
insult to Him of any kind of idolatry
Man’s refusal to acknowledge and glorify God leads to a downward
path: first, worthless thinking; next, moral insensitivity; and then, reli-
gious stupidity as seen in idol worship. And we become like the gods we
worship! (Ps 115:8, 135:15-18). Egypt, once ruled the world, adopted
the worship of death, and the scarab—the dung beetle!

God’s Judgment
There is a specific judgment of God for denying Him as Creator…(Cf.
Romans 1:26-28).
Romans 2: The Righteousness of God Revealed
What is the greatest thought that ever entered the mind of Man? Daniel
Webster responded, “My responsibility to my Maker!”
God created man “in His own image.” Since we are persons, so is God.
Since we have personal feelings, so has God. If God be God, He must
be the judge of all. You must meet God, and that as He is, not as you
might wish Him to be. Let’s really understand how He sees things...
We now enter the greatest passage in all Scripture as to the Great
Principles according to which God’s Judgment of Human Action must
proceed.

God has made known in advance how He will decide and act, otherwise
men would “imagine vain things” about the True God, and hug their
delusions to their own damnation.
Condemnation of “Pagan Man” (1:1-32) is now followed with “Moral
Man.” In any generalization such as the preceding blanket indictment
of pagan humanity (1:18-32), exceptions to the rule always exist. Obvi-
ously, some pagans had high ethical standards and moral lifestyles and
condemned the widespread moral corruption of their contemporaries.
In addition, the Jews morally stood in sharp contrast with the pagan
world around them and freely condemned the Gentiles. Both groups
of moralists might conclude that God’s condemnation did not apply
to them because of their higher planes of living. But Paul insisted that
they also stood condemned because they were doing the same things
for which they judged others.

Condemnation of “Moral Man” (2:1-16)
[It is significant that in this chapter the general plural changes to the
specific singular. The indefinite “they” now become “thou!” It is
interesting that in the niv, 2,000 changes were made to the text, ren-
dering what should be singular as plural! In effect, removing personal
accountability.]

Verse 1]
Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for
wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest
doest the same things.

We now enter one of the greatest passages in Scripture. The Greek verb
for “judging” does not mean to estimate a man’s value but to condemn
his person. Every man is naturally blind to his own state and sins. We
will encounter seven great principles of God’s Judgment. Here God
lays out what it will take to spend eternity with Him.

Seven Principles of Judgment
1) According to Truth

Verse 2]
But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them
which commit such things.

Verse 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?

“Did you think that you would escape–You?”’ The death-chamber of
self-righteousness is open to each of us...
We need to drive out our false notions and blindness of self-love and
self-flattery. The only barrier to receiving truth is the assumption that
you already have it. The principle that keeps us in eternal ignorance is
condemnation before investigation.

Verse 4]
Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering;
not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

Not only do we feel we are innocent but the riches of God should be
leading us to repentance. Note God’s progressive degrees—goodness,
forbearance, longsuffering—in responding to our ingratitude...God’s
judgment is according to real truth!

Verse 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;

“Treasure up” ironically correlates with “riches of goodness” in v. 4.
“Hardness” -sklerotes, sclerosis, hardening of arteries, etc.

2) According to Accumulated Guilt

God does not judge us until the end of our days. Not until the last evil
result of a life of sin has been recorded can the final reward of the sin-
ner be known. “Behold, this was the iniquity of Sodom...” (Cf. Ezek
16:49, 50).

Sin of Sodom (Ezekiel 16:49-50)
More than homosexuality; just an indicator. Pride is where sin entered
the world in the heart of Satan. The fullness of bread—prosperity feeds
pride. The abundance of idleness (Lk 17:28-30).

If God doesn’t judge America, He will have to apologize to Sodom and
Gomorrah.
Billy Graham

I tremble for my country when I recall that God is just, and that His justice
will not sleep forever.
Thomas Jefferson, 1781

The phrase “the day of God’s ... judgment” (Rom 2:5) taken by itself
may seem to lend support to the idea of a single general judgment of
all humanity. However, the Scriptures do not support such a concept.
This phrase must be interpreted in conjunction with passages which
clearly indicate that several judgments of different groups occur at
different times:

The judgment of Israel at Christ’s Second Advent, Ezek 20:32-38;
The judgment of Gentiles at Christ’s Second Advent, Mt 25:31-46;
The Great White Throne judgment, Rev 20:11-15.

The focus of this passage is on the fact that God will judge all peoples,
not on the details of who will be judged when.
...unless, you flee to that Cross at Calvary and you will “not come into
judgment” (Jn 5:24) for it has been already “finished” (Cf. Rom 8:1).

3) According to Works

verse 6]
Who will render to every man according to his deeds:

[Quotation of Ps 62:12 and Prov 24:12; Cf. Rev 20:11-15.]

verse 7]
To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour
and immortality, eternal life:

[vv. 7-10 are not a revelation of the way of salvation, but a general
description of the character of those who are saved.]

In every age there have been those—like Abel, Noah, Abraham, Job,
Joseph—separated from their brethren and choosers of God.

Verse 8]
But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey
unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,

Cain, Esau, Pharaoh, Saul, Jehoiakim, et al.

Verse 9]
Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew
first, and also of the Gentile;

Unrighteousness, indignation, wrath, tribulation, and anguish: the sweep
of the fruits of ingratitude...

Verse 10]
But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first,
and also to the Gentile:

4) Without Respect of Persons

Verse 11]
For there is no respect of persons with God.

This just recompense by God is without regard to ethnic background or
any other consideration except what each person has done.

Verse 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;

“The Law was given through Moses” (Jn 1:17), which marks the begin-
ning of the dispensation of Law.

“Sinned” = aorist tense [once and for all]. This cannot refer to simply
that they committed sin; “for all have sinned” refers to the general
choice of sin as against righteousness and holiness; therefore, a life-
choice of sin.

5) According to Obedience, not Knowledge

Verse 13]
For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.

There is no form of the “deceitfulness of sin” more insidious or more
prevalent (because of its subtle power over the self-righteous hear) than
that of the false comfort or false peace because of merely knowing God’s
truth. We shall find that the Gospel speaks of the “obedience of faith,”
whereas disobedience and unbelief are interchangeable words.

A person’s habitual conduct, whether good or evil, reveals the condi-
tion of his heart.

Eternal life is not rewarded for good living; that would contradict many
other Scriptures which clearly state that salvation is not by works, but
is all of God’s grace to those who believe (e.g., Rom 6:23; 10:9-10;
11:6; Eph 2:8-9; Titus 3:5).

A person’s doing good shows that his heart is regenerate. Such a person,
redeemed by God, has eternal life. Conversely a person who continu-
ally does evil and rejects the truth shows that he is unregenerate, and
therefore will be an object of God’s wrath.

Verse 14]
For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:

Gentiles = ethnos, interchangeable with the Hebrew ~ goyim,
nations foreign to Israel. [This refutes the claim that God gave the Law
to all nations...]

The Jews looked down on the Gentiles partly because they did not have
the revelation of God’s will in the Mosaic Law. But, as Paul pointed out,
there are moral Gentiles who do by nature things required by the Law.
Such persons show that the Law is not to be found only on tablets of
stone and included in the writings of Moses; it is also inscribed in their
hearts and is reflected in their actions, consciences, and thoughts.

Conscience
Verse 15]
Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also
bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing
one another;

Moral Gentiles by their actions show that the requirements (lit., “the
work”) of the Law are written on their hearts. This is confirmed by
their consciences, the faculty within human beings that evaluates their
actions, along with their thoughts that either accuse or excuse them of
sin. This is why Paul called such Gentiles a law for themselves.

Conscience is an important part of human nature, but it is not an abso-
lutely trustworthy indicator of what is right. One’s conscience can be
“good” (Acts 23:1; 1 Tim 1:5, 19) and “clear” (Acts 24:16; 1 Tim
3:9; 2 Tim 1:3; Heb 13:18), but it can also be “guilty” (Heb 10:22),
“corrupted” (Titus 1:15), “weak” (1 Cor 8:7, 10, 12), and “seared” (1
Tim 4:2).

All people need to trust the Lord Jesus Christ so that “the blood of
Christ” might “cleanse [their] consciences” (Heb 9:14).

[vv. 14 & 15 are a parenthesis explanatory of vv. 12 &13.]

6) Reaching the Secrets of the Heart

Verse 16]
In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according
to my gospel.

Continues the theme of vv. 5-13, God’s righteous judgment. The
Agent of divine judgment is Jesus Christ (cf. Jn 5:22, 27; Acts 17:31).
This judgment will deal with men’s secrets (lit., “the hidden things of men”) and will reveal those things and prove God’s judgment right
(cf. 1 Cor 4:5).

In this section (2:1-16) God is seen as the Creator-Sovereign of the uni-
verse conducting the moral government of His human creatures. God’s
absolute standards are known. God punishes the wicked and rewards
the righteous impartially according to their works, which reveal their
hearts. Since no human being—Jesus Christ excepted—can be declared
righteous (justified) by God on the basis of his own merit, every human
is condemned by God.

At this point in Paul’s argument the way a person can secure a righteous
standing before God has not yet been presented. Here the emphasis is
on the justice of God’s judgment, leading to the conclusion that nobody
on his own can be declared righteous by God.

Paul’s gospel is not the standard of God’s judgment. The righteous
judgment of God is an essential ingredient of the gospel Paul preached
and the reason for trusting Jesus’ finished redemption. It does no good
to present the solution if there is no apparent need for the solution. Paul
is presenting the need, building his case that all men need the coming
solution.

Paul starts by making clear that all of us, whether good, bad, or indif-
ferent, all stand condemned before the applied standard. Once we grasp
that we are sinners and dealing with a Holy God whose righteousness
and justice cannot be compromised, then we can begin to understand
and accept the solution God has provided.

7) According to Reality

Not religious profession [vv. 17-29 specifically addresses the Jew.
Proud of the law, but not keeping it.]

Verse 17]
Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,

Verse 18]
And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being
instructed out of the law;

Verses 17-18 include the five bases of Jewish religious pride:
1) Being called a Jew;
2) Relied on the Law;
3) Boasting of God;
4) Knowing God’s will;
5) Instructed (in the minutia) of the Law

Verse 19]
And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,

Verse 20]
An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowl-
edge and of the truth in the law.

Verse 21]
Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that
preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?

Verse 22]
Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?

“Commit sacrilege” =to traffic in idols.”

Verse 23]
Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest
thou God?

Verse 24]
For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is
written.

Quoting Isaiah 52:5 (LXX). Even today: cf. Ezek 36:16-24ff. Israel
had a calling but failed. Paul has nailed the Pagans and the Gentiles.
He wants to make sure there are no misconceptions on the part of his
Jewish readers, who had their pride in their Law and culture.

Verse 25]
For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker
of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.

Circumcision, here used, is the mark of the nation’s separation to God,
valid only if one were thus really separated to God.

Verse 26]
Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his
uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?

Verse 27]
And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee,
who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?

Verse 28]
For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which
is outward in the flesh:

Cf. Isa 29:13.

Verse 29]
But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in
the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

“Whose praise...” = It is reality that counts with God. The true Jew (a
contraction of “Judah,” which means “Praise”) is one who is circumcised
in heart, who has judged his sinfulness in the sight of the Lord, and who
now seeks to walk in accordance with the revealed will of God.

For the Christian, the same searching questions apply... If we glory in
the gospel, our disobedience to the gospel dishonors God.

Let us not confuse Romans 2 with Revelation 20: at the Judgment Day
there will be no reasoning or preaching: only condemnation “according
to their works—the things written in the books.”

God’s great announcement of these principles of His Throne is here given
to awaken us out of any false hopes about ourselves. Paul is laying a
foundation that he will build upon in subsequent chapters. Having cut
through the rituals, there is now no cover to hide behind.