Romans 2:1-16

Today we will continue our fellowship on the subject of condemnation in the book = of Romans. We = need to see man’s real condition without God. Paul’s burden in this section (1:18 - 3:20) is to show us that after the fall of man, all of mankind has been condemned by God. We have covered how mankind in general is under God’s condemna= tion (1:18-32). Now, attenti= on is given to two special classes of mankind who may not consider that condemnat= ion is upon them – the self-righteous and the religious. Today, we will consider the self-righteous.

To be self-righteous is to be strongly convinced of one’s own righteousness= . It is usually characterized by hypocrisy. Self-righteous people often judge or criticize others yet = are guilty of practicing the same things (2:1). Self-righteousness is in oppositio= n to God’s righteousness, which is according to truth—the reality revealed through creation, the Bible, and the actual situation and conditio= n of man (2:2). =

It is uplifting to the self to criticize and judge others’ actions since it helps one to excuse or justify himself in his own mind. The result is escape from the feel= ing of condemnation. However, we must realize that such persons will not escape the judgemen= t of God and are actually storing up wrath against them in the day of wrath w= hen God Himself will judge in righteousness (2:3).

To be judgmental or critical is to despise God’s kindness and forbearance (= to hold back, to refrain) and longsuffering (slowness to avenge wrongs). God’s desire is that all man= kind could be led to repent and turn to Him Who is able to justify us through Je= sus Christ (2:4). Man’s jud= gment of others and vindication of self opposes and frustrates God’s kindne= ss, which is operating to bring him to repentance.

John 8:1-11 is an example of self-righteousness vs. God’s longsuffering. A woman caught in the very act of adultery was brought before the Lord by a group of self-righteous people. Did the Lord condemn the woman? No! Rather he exposed the self-righteous ones and caused them to repent (have a change of mind) of their actions.&= nbsp; His kind words to the sinful woman were: “Neither do I condemn you, g= o and sin no more.”

In Luke 18-9-14, Jesus told a parable of two men who came to the temple to pray. One was a self-righteous Pharisee = who prayed to “himself”, boasting that he was not like the rest of sinful men. He also boasted o= f all his achievements. However, the despised tax collector stood at a distance, unable to lift his head. Beating his breast, he asked God t= o be merciful to him, the sinner. The repentant tax collector went down to his h= ouse justified; not so the self-righteous Pharisee!

Proverbs 30:12 says, “There is a certain class of people who are pure in their= own eyes, and yet are not washed from their own filth.” Matthew 7:1-5 speaks of a self-righ= teous person having a huge “beam” in his eye condemning someone with a small “splinter” in their eye!= This is just how the self-righteous think!

In I Corinthians 4:3-5 the Apostle Paul spoke of the self-righteous who were “examining” him. = He stated that he didn’t even examine himself and that all judgement should be the Lord’s in His time!

The self-righteous are only hearers of the law and not doers. They are knowledgeable of the law = of God, but do not do it. Those = they condemn may not “know” what they know, but they, by nature, “do” the things that the self-righteous claim to “know”. Their conscience also bears witness with what they do and they care for the reasonings within their minds accusing or excusing th= em. (2:11-16).

God’s judgement will be fully executed in that day on= the self-righteous in particular. May we learn to leave all judgement to God who alon= e is worthy to judge all mankind according to the gospel.