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Romans 2:1 NASB

NT

Romans 2:1

nasb

The Impartiality of God 2 1 Therefore you have a no excuse, 1 b everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which c you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.

editing

Block Diagram

Romans 2:1

i. Critique of Jewish Presumption (2:1-5)

Therefore

Inf

you have no excuse,

everyone of you

Id/Exp

who passes judgment,

Gn/Sp

for ... you condemn yourself;

in that which you judge another,

Ac/Res

for you ... practice the same things.

who judge

Gn/Sp

mine

phrasing

notes

Romans 2:1 -

The audience of 1:18-32 was twofold, but with a specific focus - it included everyone, even the unbelieving Jew, but the focus was more on the unbelieving Gentile. I believe the audience of the first part of chapter 2 is also twofold - it includes everyone but has a special focus on the unbelieving Jew. By the very act of judging others, these people show that they have knowledge of God's ordinances, which includes the gentiles as Paul showed in v. 1:18-32, but definitely includes the Jews who had special revelation. The "therefore" that Paul starts with could point back to many arguments in Romans 1:18-32, but I believe it is pointing back to what he just said in the verse before this one, Rom 1:32 - that those who who "know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death" in this case, includes all of the unbelieving Gentiles, but definitely includes all of the Jews, and because they know this, yet commit the very same sins as those previously described, while judging the unbelieving Gentiles, condemn themselves. The Jews were outwardly moral. They did not commit such obviously sinful acts like homosexuality, at least not publicly and overtly, but they easily condemned the Gentiles who did. Paul's focus might then more be on the sins listed in Rom 1:29-31 - greed, envy, strife, gossiping, slandering, arrogance, boastfulness, etc. While having these sins in their hearts, we can imagine Paul thinking in the same lines as the parable of the Pharisee, looking down at the tax collector, saying "God, I thank you that I am not like other people..." (Luke 18:9-14). Once gain, as professing Christians, do we as a "Christian nation" not do the same? "Thank you God, that I am not like this child molester!" While I gossip about my neighbor and slander him without a second thought. "Thank you God, that I am not like this murderer!" While I just got angry at the taxi driver who cut me off and cursed at him with language that a pirate would be proud of. "Thank you God, that I am not like this man who cheated on his wife with a prostitute!" While I indulge in porn twice a week or more. What did Jesus say? "I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matt 5:27-28). "I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell" (Matt 5:22). We know the ordinances of God - that those who practice such things are worthy of death - yet we judge, while practicing the same things, and in doing so, we condemn ourselves. We have no excuse. And the fact that we were baptized as a child, go to church every Sunday, and partake in communion once a month will not save us. The fact that we call ourselves "Christian" will not save us. Matthew 7:22-23 Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’