Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?
Do you tend to look at others’ sins over your own? I do think we all do this. We really need to first look at our own lives and deal with our own sins. Do you ever catch yourself hearing a sermon and automatic think that so and so needs to hear this? OH my Goodness! Yes, I have done this. I missed the opportunity to hear God speaking to me because I was focused on someone else’s sin. This stops us from addressing our own sin in our lives. Do you ever catch yourself making excuses for your choices?
Read Romans 2:1-16
God makes us right in His sight by faith alone. Is salvation a result of a person’s good works or by faith alone? According to Ephesians 2:8-10, God saved us by his grace when we believed. It isn’t a credit that we can claim, but it is a gift from God. Salvation is not an award for the good things we have done. Therefore, we can’t boast about it. We are God’s masterpieces. He created us new in Christ Jesus, so we could do good things he planned for us.
Believe in God’s good news by faith then the results are in good works. Don’t lose sight of the grace of God. We must look to God’s heart. He reveals himself to us in the Word.
Look at the word judge. Who judges? What is judged? Who is judged? How or by what are things judged? What is the relationship between the law and being just?
In the verses of Romans 2:12-15, Paul is distinguishing between the Jews and the Gentiles. He is trying to bring both groups together and showing that God doesn’t’ have favorites. They all equal – in consequences of sin and judgment and in grace through faith. The terrible truth is that every person has sinned, either by rebelling against God or by ignoring his will. Compared to God’s standard of perfection, we fall short. We stand condemned, no matter how religious we are. Regardless of our background or how hard we try to live a good and moral life, we cannot earn salvation or remove our sin. Only Christ can save us. WE are all going to be judged.
God made us all different and unique. We have different personalities, backgrounds, and gifts. We should be celebrating our differences instead of comparing and judging one another. We must evaluate our secret lives. This is our private thought life. Invite God into the secret place of your heart and mind. Are you battling the thoughts of favoritism, judging, shame? God’s word is meant to bring conviction not shame. Remember God’s kindness and that the Holy Spirit leads to repentance. In the secret place of our heart and mind, is our thoughts towards others. We can invite Jesus to help us view others, ourselves, and God correctly. This is the key thing though, WE have to invite our Triune God in and allow Him to do His thing. OR we will not change.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for your grace. Thank you for not having favorites. I pray that we will spend time with you and let you direct your ways into our life. I pray that we will invite you into our secret thought life and there we will know the truth.
In Jesus Name
Amen
