Romans 2:1-29

Written ~ 07-12-2024

Read Romans Chapter Two

Romans 2

If you just finished reading chapter 2, did you have to sit back in absolute amazement to Paul’s directness? I sure did…

In the Bible Study for Romans chapter one I mentioned that Paul was not pulling any punches in this letter to the Romans and I meant it when I said to fasten your seat belt and hold on. Paul’s straightforwardness should cause each one of us to look within ourselves and take serious notice of whatever secrets we are trying to hide within our hearts and be quick to realize that they will eventually be exposed. It’s time, if you have not already, to repent and make your hearts right with the Lord. We are delving into territory now that has no distinction of person. You either seek after the Lord in all you do, or you do not and God will judge each of us by the same standard.

So hang on tight as we dive into chapter two…

In chapter one Paul lists various shameful acts of wickedness that the people were involving themselves in and as we continue in chapter two Paul is referencing those shameful acts as he addresses everything that is wrong with our thinking.

Romans 2:1-3…

1“You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. 2And we know that God, in His justice, will punish anyone who does such things. 3Since you judge others for doing these things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things?”

As a believer, we should know that judging anyone else for their wrongdoing is not our place. Even though we have been washed by the blood of Jesus and are no longer condemned by our sin, we do not have the right to place judgement on anyone else for their sin. When we are saved, our old sinful nature gets replaced with a new Holy Spirit filled nature, but that does not mean we are not prone to sin. If we were to take our eyes off of the Lord and seek our own desires instead of His, we can fall into the trap of sin and lawlessness just like those who do not know the Lord at all.

Romans 2:4…

“Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that His kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?”

As believers we learn over time how to produce more godly behaviors. We may slip up from time to time and it’s a great relief to know that God is patient with us. As we grow stronger in our walk with the Lord, we should be able to identify those things in our lives that cause us to turn our focus off of the Lord and we should be able to confess and repent of those wrongdoings much more readily. Because of God’s patience and kindness towards us, we can feel confident each time we go to Him with a repentant heart, we can also feel secure in knowing that He will forgive us and we will continue to be in direct fellowship with Him, no matter how many times we mess up. But as we grow in knowledge through the study of the Scriptures, our sinful nature should fade into a dense fog because our hearts have a new purpose and that purpose is to love and serve our wonderful Savior.

But what about those who would rather stay in the darkness of sin and don’t feel compelled to turn their hearts to the Lord?

Romans 2:5-6…

5“But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6He will judge everyone according to what they have done.”

So where do you find yourself today? Are you still refusing to put your faith in the Lord Jesus? You may not think you’re all that bad, but God does not distinguish between “types of sin.” It’s all sin, it’s us who tend to put sin in different categories from “not that bad” to the “really bad ones.” But again, that’s not the way God sees it. Sin is sin. In Romans chapter one, Paul gives us a list of several acts of wrongdoing, he didn’t do that so we could pick and choose which ones we think we can get away with because they’re not that bad. No, if you have committed even one, you have committed them all.  

Romans 1:29-32…

29“Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip. 30They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents. 31They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy. 32They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.”

So what happens to those who have turned from their life of sin and have accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior?

Let’s look at Romans 2:7-11…

7“He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. 8But He will pour out His anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. 9There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. 10But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. 11For God does not show favoritism.”

This is the choice we must make. Each of us have our own decision to make, it’s to either follow the Lord or not. It is extremely important to know the difference between acknowledging who Christ is and following Him or acknowledging there is a God but not doing anything about that knowledge.

Romans 2:12-13 in “The Message Version” – gives us an even more specific instruction…

12-13“If you sin without knowing what you’re doing, God takes that into account. But if you sin knowing full well what you’re doing, that’s a different story entirely. Merely hearing God’s law (the Word of God – the Bible) is a waste of your time if you don’t do what He commands. Doing, not hearing, is what makes the difference with God.”

So there you have it. God makes His point quite clear. Our sinful nature needs to be covered by the blood of Jesus in order to be set free from sin and death. That happens by hearing the Word of God and doing what it says. Jesus said in John 3:3…

“…I tell you the truth, unless you are Born Again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.”

Then in John 3:18-21 it says…

“There is no judgment against anyone who believes in Him. But anyone who does not believe in Him has already been judged for not believing in God’s one and only Son. And the judgment is based on this fact: God’s light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the light and refuse to go near it for fear their sins will be exposed. But those who do what is right come to the light so others can see that they are doing what God wants.”

In Romans chapter 2, here are some main points that Paul is trying to get across…

  • Do not judge others
  • God is kind, tolerant and patient
  • Those who are stubborn and remain in sin will be judged and punished
  • Those who come to Christ will be given eternal life
  • Obeying the Word of God is what makes us right with the Lord

So how do you know for sure that have put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ? Maybe you question your Salvation? What is the attitude of your heart? Are you seeking to do the Will of God in every decision you make? Are you seeking to put sinful behavior aside and fulfill the godly purpose the Lord has placed on your life? If you have thought up until this point that you aren’t that bad, that God won’t judge you because you think you are a good person, our study through the Book of Romans will give you considerable insight into that faulty train of thought.

Romans 2:15-16…

15“They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. 16And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life.”

You might think you are fooling everyone by outwardly “doing good,” but God knows the deep down secrets of the heart. There is no getting away with things you think you’re good at keeping hidden away.

The next few verses in chapter two I want to write out in “The Message Version,” I think it brings a refreshing understanding to what this part of Scripture is referring to…

Romans 2:17-24 (MSG)…

17-24“If you’re brought up Jewish, don’t assume that you can lean back in the arms of your religion and take it easy, feeling smug because you’re an insider to God’s revelation, a connoisseur of the best things of God, informed on the latest doctrines! I have a special word of caution for you who are sure that you have it all together yourselves and, because you know God’s revealed Word inside and out, feel qualified to guide others through their blind alleys and dark nights and confused emotions to God. While you are guiding others, who is going to guide you? I’m quite serious. While preaching “Don’t steal!” are you going to rob people blind? Who would suspect you? The same with adultery. The same with idolatry. You can get by with almost anything if you front it with eloquent talk about God and His law. The line from Scripture, “It’s because of you Jews that the outsiders frown on God,” shows it’s an old problem that isn’t going to go away.”

Think of it this way… if you were brought up in a Christian home, you attended Church services most every week and you even read and studied your Bible from time to time… That does not make you a Born Again believer in Jesus Christ. You may even be able to quote Scripture, with accuracy, you may even be able to give Biblical advice, but if you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, those “rituals” or “traditions” you grew up with will not help you when the day of judgment comes. The evidence that you are a follower of Christ is not some outward façade that convinces others that you have it all together. No, it is an inward, supernatural change that takes place in the heart of the believer.

Romans 2:28-29…

28“For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. 29No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by the Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.”

Let’s “translate” these two verses in a way that may bring more understanding to your own life or your upbringing…

  • “You are not a Christian just because your parents are Christians or even if you were “baptized” or sprinkled with water as an infant. No, a true Christian is one whose heart is right with God, a heart that has been purified by the blood of Jesus. True Salvation is not obtained just by reading the Word of God and trying to obey it; rather it is a change of heart produced by the Holy Spirit, you are Born Again through the belief and acceptance that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. A person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.”

God’s will for each and every one of us is to know Him as Father. His will for us is that we accept who His Son is by seeking forgiveness and receiving the gift of Salvation and eternal life. God’s will for us is that we not only hear His Words in Scripture but to do what His Word says. God’s will for us is that we demonstrate through our behavior that Christ dwells within us. God’s will for us is that we would have a change of heart produced by the Holy Spirit.

When we are living by God’s will, verse 2:29b can become more real to us with each passing day…

“…a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people…”

Who are you trying to please? Your friends? Your family? Or do you seek to please God in everything you do or say?

It’s time to dig deep! It’s time to reveal the secrets of our hearts and be cleansed once and for all. Keep in mind what Romans 2:7 and 10 says, “He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers… there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good.”

~AMEN~