Romans 2

1. If you want to be a judge of other people –you are in no position to do this. Because whenever you judge other people, you judge yourself, because you do the same things that they do.

Jews could read Chapter 1 and say, “Those Gentiles deserve to be judged.” Paul is trying to get them to see that all sinners deserve to be judged.

The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed this way: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men.” Luke 18:11

2. We know that the judgment of God falls on those who do these things.

The Jews thought that God would judge them differently than Gentiles.

3. How can you escape the judgment of God when you are so ready to judge others for the same things that you do yourself?

It is a fact of life that everything that you hate about others will show up in your own life. Be careful what you say about others, just pray that God will protect you from falling into the same trap.

You will be treated the same way that you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged. Matthew 7:2

4 – 5

Is it because you do not understand God's patients and goodness? Do you not know that God's goodness is leading you to turn away from sin? Do you not see that your rebellion in refusing to turn away from sin is storing up the wrath of God for the day of judgment?

The devil will tell you that God cannot forgive your sin and this destroys your faith and then your emotions are damaged and you open the door to temptation. Do not be like somebody who throws away his water jar because the well is dry for a short time.

Some people say, “If I am doing something wrong, then why does not God stop me?" The thing that you think has come to destroy you may be the messenger that God has sent to rescue you from your rebellion. (Jonah and the whale.)

6. As David said in the Psalms, "He will give back to every man according to what he has done!"

Will be judged by the things we do – not by how closely we kept The Old Testament law.

For You will give back to a man according to what he has done. Psalm 62:12

7 – 8

David means there is eternal life to those who patiently do what is good, and look for the glory and honor of living forever. David also means there is punishment for those who are against God and refuse the truth. They make themselves slaves of selfishness and evil.

Bring all of your weakness before God. Ask Him to show you if you are not seeing what is true. Ask Him to show you if you are a slave to anything in yourself.

9 – 11

There is bitter pain and trouble for anyone who does evil, for the Jew first and then the Greek. There is glory and honor and peace for everyone who does what is good. For the Jew first, and also for the Greek. There are no favorite people with God.

Here is another way of saying this:

“I will drown your sins in My mercy and spend all that I have, rather than let it be said that your evil is stronger than My goodness.”

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. Isaiah 55:7

12. All who have sinned without knowing the law will die without the law and all who have sinned, knowing along will be judged by the law.

The law that God has written in our own hearts is our conscience. The Jews have the law, so God will judge them by that law.

13 – 14

It is not knowing the law that makes a man right in the sight of God, but by obeying the law. When the Gentiles, who do not know the law, do the things of the law by the light of nature, this shows that they have a law in themselves.

Non–Jewish people will be judged by the light that they have. Jews will be judged more seriously because of the light that they have.

15. They show that the law is working in their hearts the conscience also shows this law because their conscience accuses them or defends them.”

We all like to think of ourselves as good people. If we were good people, we would never need God. This is the first lie of the devil, that we can decide for ourselves what is good and bad. If we are honest, we have to confess that we do things that are selfish and evil. We have to confess that we are not filled with love for everyone. We have to confess that we do evil things and we cannot explain why we did them. God is ready to forgive us, but without Christ, our conscience will never leave us in peace.

What is causing the wars and fighting between you? Do they not come from the evil things at war inside of you? James 4:1

16. God will use all these things on the day of judgment when He judges men's secrets by Jesus Christ, as my Gospel plainly says.

We need to come to the place where we see what kind of evil we are capable of. Until we see this, we will think of ourselves as not so bad. We may find out someday that we have done something we never thought that we would do. If we cannot learn any other way we can be scarred by this evil thing for the rest of our lives. After we see very clearly how evil we are, we are ready to pay attention when God is speaking to us. There is no freedom from our conscience without Christ.

The sooner you surrender, the less damage there will be to your mind, will, and emotions.

17 – 19

Now you who are called a Jew, and speak high–sounding words about how you stand on the law... You know God's plan and you agree with what God says is important in His law. You are proud of the idea that you can teach others who are blind because you see yourself as a light to those who are in darkness.

Just like the Jews, we have our own ideas about what is right and wrong. So we excuse the things that we do and say that we would never do the things that others do. When we see someone else doing wrong, and we see what happens in their life, we need to watch ourselves more closely to see if we are blind in some way.

20. You think you can teach those who are foolish babies, because you have knowledge of some of the truth you see in the law.

Instead of bragging about it you have more responsibility to be an example

21. But since you are ready to teach others do you ever teach yourself anything? When you teach someone that they should not steal are you sure that you are being honest yourself?

But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven! Matthew 5:20

22. You should you say that people should not commit adultery, but have you committed adultery in your heart? You hate to think of idols in their temples, but have you brought evil into God's temple?

Some translations make this verse to say, “Do you rob from temples?” but the original language here is talking about someone who brings evil into the house of God.

23. You are so proud that the Jews have the law of Moses, but when you are breaking the law do you not know that you are causing men to speak against God?

24. Isaiah said, “The gentiles speak against the name of God because of you."

Gentiles saw how the Jews lived and said, "If they can do that –then I can do this.”

“What is this?” asks the LORD. “Why are my people enslaved again? Those who rule them shout for joy. My name is blasphemed all day long.” Isaiah 52:5

25 – 26

The sign that Jews belong to God is called circumcision and it means something if you keep the law. But if you break God's law, your circumcision means nothing. If a man is not circumcised, but he obeys God's law, God will see him as circumcised in his heart.

Circumcise your hearts. Jeremiah 4:4

27. Such a man will be a witness against you because you pretend to keep the letter of the law, but your life shows that you are breaking the law in other ways.

Not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 2 Corinthians 3:6

28 – 29

A man is not a Jew only on the outside and circumcision is not about the body. A Jew is one who belongs to God in his heart and his circumcision is of the heart. He lives by the Spirit and not by the letter, and his praise is not from men but from God.

It cannot be possible that the king of a country was switched and nobody knew that this had happened. We need to be honest, and confess to God if there is some other king on the throne of our hearts.

Living with a clean, honest heart cannot be done without the Holy Spirit living in us.

In Chapter One the Gentiles have no excuse. In Chapter two the Jews have no excuse.