1-11 God’s relationship with man
12- 16 Man’s relationship w/man
1-11 God’s relationship with man
1-4 Gospel for the unbeliever
God’s relationship with the unbeliever
(how can unbeliever be righteous)
5-11 The gospel for believers
God’s relationship with believers
(how can believer be righteous, experientially)
Read 5:1-2
12-16 living as believers by the gospel not by the Law Read 12:1-5

1-17 God provides the grace solution: Gospel
18-32 The Problem –
The solution precedes the problem: God is pro-active
1:18-32 God’s case against Heathen
2:1-16 God’s case against the Moral man read vss 1-3
2:17-3:8 God’s case against Religion
(Jewish Law) read 2:17
3:9-20 All are guilty before God
3:21-4 God’s gracious solution: Imputation of Divine Righteousness

Chpt. 2 is crucial to Paul’s argument on Justification by faith
There are those who try to be Justified on basis of works…namely morality
There are those who try to be Justified on basis of the Law
Both groups are one in that they both are relying on their works, works of the flesh which leads to self – righteousness
One Self-Righteous of moral life—gentiles
Other Self-Righteous on basis of Law--Jews

What is the basis of God’s determining who is Righteous? Who will be Justified?
Most think vs 6 is crucial:
who will render to every man according to His deeds then they dwell on James
But correctly understanding vs 2 is crucial to seeing exactly what is the truth.
2 And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. Wrong, margin of NASV according to truth
2 Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth.

Here is the secret – what is the truth?
note vs 8 obey the truth.
What is the truth to be obeyed?
1:5 obedience that is faith
Note vs 12
All are sinners:
Without the Law-Gentiles
With the Law- Jews

Satan’s Lie
My self worth is made up of my performance plus others opinion of me
Performance Trap
One problem with Performance Trap is that you not only judge yourself by your list of performance, you judge others
Self righteous people love to judge others…like judging those described in Rom. 1:18-32
Note that Performance Trap applies to both groups: those without the Law & those with the Law & both feed arrogance & being judgmental.

The solution to all three groups is the same
Faith is the only solution 1:5 & 17
The solution for the Pagan-heathen of chpt. 1
Or the moralist & religious Jew of chpt. 2
In 2:1 Paul begins with the condemnation of those who try to build a system of Righteousness by flesh to be acceptable to God
Remind you: Book of Romans written to answer the book of Job:
How can man be Righteous before His maker?
Here in chpt. 2 we have two classic attempts –both by flesh, one without Law, the other by Law

The moral Self righteous man often compares himself to those in chpt 1; he sees the overt immoral pagan, heathen, he sees homosexuals he sees all the perversions, gossips, slanderers, he sees disobedience to parents;
& he says: I don’t do these things & because I do not do these things…I am Righteous before God! but in truth he is Self-Righteous
He compares himself with those in chpt. 1; he compares himself with heathen, instead of comparing himself with righteousness of God
What happens when he compares himself with God’s Righteousness?

These moralist in chpt. 2 are as desperate & un Righteous as those in chpt. 1
Self-Righteousness always blinds & assumes that because they do not do horrible things that heathens do, that they are better, that they are Righteous & God is pleased that they do not do those gross things!
You cannot build your Righteousness on someone else’s Un-Righteousness

The overt manifestations may differ!
The failures of those in chpt. 2 are hidden behind a façade –an overt manifestation that differs from the pagan crowd just described, On the surface these look much nicer, moral!
But as far as God is concerned he is just as guilty as the pagan. Just as unrighteous.
This is a concept that is so difficult for moral people & religious people to comprehend…
The moral keep criticizing, judging the immoral man—how horrible immoral person is –& how righteous they are compared to them
Until you see yourself as pagan has A.Hitler, you will never appreciate Grace of God!

Therefore you are without excuse,
uh oh, Paul is not talking to those just described but to another group – those standing by, passing judgment…
we have seen without excuse 1:20 – without excuse on knowing that God exist!
But here Paul tells this second group that they are without excuse
Before Righteous God! Their creator!

Therefore you are without excuse every man of you who passes judgment,
Ok, Paul has been most critical of overt pagan, & while he was saying these things in chpt. 1 – a group was standing by not only agreeing with Paul, but judging & condemning those Paul was describing.
Every man of you irregular construction to cause them to divert their thinking on themselves.

Passing judgment
Present Active Ptc. Denoting continuous action
krinw to discriminate & make judgment – determine between good & evil, right & wrong
It is one of the fundamental characteristic of man to pass judgment
Pass judgment on others,
on self
& on God Himself

Since the garden man has assumed that he knows the difference between good & evil, right & wrong.
At end of Rom. 1 – man knows /ordinance of God…& these think that since they know the ordinance of God they can discern between good & evil, right & wrong
But what God is showing man is that the fall, & due to the moral destruction from the fall, man does not have the innate ability to judge right & wrong, good & evil—as God sees it
According to God

But man loves to judge, he chooses to live by performance standard then he judges others on basis of his list, his standards; he judges himself on basis of his list, his performance.
It is basic instinct of man to perform, to work & to be rewarded for his work or undeservant to be loved if he fails to perform.
& the base of man’s arrogance is that man has set himself up to judge God!
Man’s favorite pastime is to judge God…
Man assumes he knows how to judge & he judges God, when God is right or wrong, fair or unfair…
Man assumes he can figure God out

But also man takes it upon himself to judge others…as well as self
Present Ptc. notes this characteristic of man
Therefore you are without excuse every man of you who passes judgment,
Anytime someone opens their mouth to judge someone else they are demonstrating their arrogance, & they are demonstrating the great evil of Self righteousness.
When someone judges another they are either arrogant or inadequate -- & by judging others it makes them feel better about themselves.

for in that you judge another,
repeat of Pres. Act. Indic. of same word to pass judgment
plus another Gk. word another refers to another of different kind
What does Paul mean when he says …for in that you judge another of a different kind?
Simple: different than these Self-Rightesous moralist…
Different groups see themselves as distinct from other groups:
Three groups:
Pagan – S-R moralist – religious Jews

Here the Self-Rightesou have set themselves up to judge the heathen, seeing a great difference between themselves & heathen…
for they would never do the things that the pagan does.
Therefore you are without excuse every man of you who passes judgment, for in that you judge another,
in which sphere you judge another

1. The Self-Righteous legalist, Jew or Gentile, is always judging those whose sins are more obvious than his own. Self-Righteousness is often deceived of his own sins; he covers them over, rationalizes them, or just denies that they are really sins. Sins of the mind or even of the tongue are nearly so horrible, destructive as over sins, esp. body sins.
2. However, the moral or Self-Righteous types were born with the same imputation of Adam’s sin, & possesses the same sinful nature, as pagans of chpt. 1; & therefore the very same spiritual death, which means there is nothing that /the Self-Righteous unbeliever can do to make himself Righteous before God, any more than the pagan unbeliever. whom he judges.

3. The moral man is not the obvious sinner like his counterpart, the immoral man because he hides his sins behind a façade of legalism & covers them with his Self-Rightousness.
4. However the moral man, the Self-Righteous type, is just as guilty before God as the immoral man. Although he refuses to see this, he is in denial, hiding behind his Self-Righteousness.
5. But the Self-Righteous moral man has great arrogance, great pride of achievement which expresses itself in judging, maligning, slandering, gossiping about others.

6. Judging others, slandering, maligning others, is not only a sin, but it is a rationalization in which you build your Rightousness on someone else’s unrighteousness. Judging others, pointing out sins of others, makes the Self-Righteous feel superior & Righteous before God. He makes favorable comparisons with the immoral man, & rationalizes his own Righteousness before God.
In chpt. 2 Paul uncovers the un Righteousness of the moral man & of the Religious man.
Therefore you are without excuse every man of you who passes judgment, for in that you judge another,
in which sphere you judge another

Now Paul turns on them:
you condemn yourself;
Pres. Act. Indic. katakrinw compound kata against + krino to judge: to pronounce judgment against; to condemn
Only note whom they are condemning—not yjr other group but themselves…
Always be careful when you judge others…you just may be judging yourself!

now Paul says something that will shock them:
For you who judge practice /same things
Pres. Act. Indic. prassw to practice habitually
You can hear them crying:
Oh, no, no, not us, we would never do such things they do…
2:1 Therefore you are without excuse,
every man of you who passes judgment,
for in that you judge another,
you condemn yourself;
for you who judge practice the same things.

No no, not us, we do not murder, we are not homosexuals or lesbians we are not God haters…
oh, we may gossip a little, or slander but we are not disobedient to our parents …& we show mercy to those who earn or deserve mercy…
Paul is shocking them into seeing that while they can see the overt sins of others, they do not see their own sins, & failures:
Oh, they look at the overt…but they fail to see that in their own souls they are guilty before God.

They are full of malice, insolent, gossips, slanderers (while they are judging) murder in their souls
they are arrogant –setting themselves up to judge others, in judging others they assume the prerogative of God, of Jesus Christ.
They are boastful…of how they are not like these others;
They are Unloving, & without mercy…

& most of all they reject the Divine solution:
Faith in the one sent by God…
They are fundamentally just like those they judge in that they are trying to earn from God, earn salvation; earn blessings…& when you try to earn from God you become a law breaker…
They pride themselves on their morality,
While morality is beneficial to society, but morality from energy of flesh, has absolutely no value before God—
This again is so difficult for so many to grasp, that before God there is no difference between even perversion sins, & morality before God, both done in energy of flesh, & energy of flesh has no merit before God

When people are moral in flesh, not in power of the Spirit, leads to legalism, & legalism leads to Systems of performance, & performance leads to judging others…to boast of oneself.
Look at this one verse…in one verse to judge is used 3x & a compound of the word is used once…so 4x in one verse.
It is amazing how many times in Scripture we are exhorted not to judge others, yet Christians make this a fundamental practice – to judge OA; to judge other bel.s & unbel.s
Matt. 7:1; Luke 6:37; Rom. 14:3 & 13

These same believer who set themselves up to judge others, pride themselves on how they love Jesus & how they follow Jesus…again, they lie & deceive themselves
John 3:17; 8:15; 12:47

Morality & Immorality
1. Neither morality nor immorality affect God
2. Any thing that comes from flesh nature of man is under condemnation from God.
Our righteousness is filthy rags before God;
Our love…no matter how sincere is not acceptable to God
Works of flesh receives no rewards at Judgment Seat of Christ.
3. Yes, before man, in orderly function of society morality is necessary, but do not confuse what is acceptable & necessary before man has having merit before God, for Sal. 1 or 2.

4. What is so interesting is that Satan understands what so few understand. Satan understands that while our sins & righteousness effect our relationship with OA, neither our sins nor our righteousness effect God.
Read Job 35:1-8
5. Morality is related to human race, & directly effects the orderly function of society, & it is always a part of God’s order for the Spirit filled believer.

6. However, before God, in our relationship with God, morality of the flesh has no merit before God & is as filthy rags. Only morality that is of the power & leading of Holy Spirit has any profit before God & any spiritual impact.
Morality from the flesh, comes from & encourages Self righteousness; & arrogance. & is so damaging because the moral believer prides himself before God & does not need to completely rely on Holy Spirit by faith.
7. In our relationship with God, is dependent up our total dependence on the one He sends…and this by faith alone; & remember that even this faith is a grace gift from God, given to every member of human race.

8. The Spirit Filled Life encompasses a moral life, without making morality a standard for living CWL & w/o making it a standard for others, by which he judges others.
& when believer ignores the Filling of the Holy Spirit, & tries to be moral he falls into moral arrogance—judging himself & others.