Romans 2:17

Romans 2:17 says, Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,  Paul was pointing out that those that called themselves Jews were proud of the fact.  They boasted about God, but that was not what they were called to do.  God did not chose them because they were special, but they were special because God chose them.  We as followers of Christ have no reason to think that we by nature are any better than anyone else.  Matthew Henry says of this, "A believing, humble, thankful glorying in God, is the root and summary of all religion, Psa 34:2; Isa 45:15; Co1 1:31. But a proud vainglorious boasting in God, and in the outward profession of his name, is the root and summary of all hypocrisy. Spiritual pride is of all kinds of pride the most dangerous."  The Jews then and we as followers of Christ today are called to a humble glorifying of God, not a proud and self-righteous outward profession of a belief in God. Verse eighteen adds, And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;  Those who profess to know God should know His will.  It is not enough to know the truth of God without knowing the will of God.  Many people today know about Christ, some even accept Him as a historical figure, but they do not acknowledge the will of God for Christ to be their Redeemer.  Paul was speaking to God's chosen people in these verses, so it is safe to say that many professed themselves to be Jews without acknowledging the will of God.  There are likewise those today who profess themselves to be followers of Christ who do not acknowledge the will of God.  We can know every verse of the Bible and attend every worship service, but still not acknowledge God's will for our lives.  We are called to humbly serve God and share the gospel, and not to stand in pride condemning others.  Verse nineteen continues, And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,  We, as followers of Christ, are called on to be a guide to salvation to those who are lost, just as the Jews were in Paul's day.  They were failing in their calling, and we must be careful that we do not do the same.  Verse twenty concludes, An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.  Paul continued his statement as to what the Jews were to be, and this also tells us what we are to be.  We teach those who do not believe, the foolish, about God. We are to teach them the truth of God, and not just some form of that truth.  We can never rely on anything less than a true relationship with God if we are to teach others about Him.  We cannot proclaim a form of the gospel based on our own goodness or ability but must rely on our relationship with God to guide us.

Romans 2:12

Romans 2:12 says, For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;  Not everyone in Paul's day had the Jewish law to guide them, just as everyone today has not heard the gospel preached.  This does not condemn them to everlasting punishment, though.  Even without the Law of Moses in Paul's day or without hearing the gospel today, man has the ability to know right from wrong and that there is a Creator.  God would be a very unjust God if He automatically condemned all those who never heard the gospel. This does not imply that people can be saved without Christ, but that He will judge people based on their actions, not their words.  Those with the law in Paul's day were to be judged by their obedience to the law, just as we today who have heard the gospel will be judged by our obedience to the gospel.  Verse thirteen adds, (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. The Jews of Paul's day were not made just by having heard the law, but by the keeping of the law.  We today are not made just by hearing the gospel, but by living in accordance to the gospel.  We can never live a totally sinless life even after we accept Christ as our Savior, but we are called to always attempt to do so.  When we do accept Jesus as our Savoir, we automatically accept Him as our Lord. We cannot claim salvation as a simple pass to heaven that has no bearing on our everyday life.  We must be doers of the Word.  Verse fourteen continues, For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves,  Even without having the law or hearing the gospel, people are a law unto themselves.  People know right from wrong by their very nature.  Verse fifteen states, Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)  This is the closed parenthesis started in verse thirteen.  These verse, though divide in the Bible, were a continuation of the same thoughts as Paul wrote them, and he stated the working of the law was written in their hearts and their conscience and was always bearing witness to this law.  Verse sixteen adds, In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.  All people will have their actions, even their secret thoughts, judged by Jesus Christ.  He alone is able to offer forgiveness.  This in no way implies salvation by any means other than through the sacrifice of Christ, but He will determine who has truly accepted that sacrifice, whether they know the exact words or not.  Those of us who know the gospel bear the responsibility of sharing it with the world.

Romans 2:8

Romans 2:8 says, But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,  Paul continues in this verse to speak of the reasons why God will judge our actions.  We continue to be contentious and reject God's truth, that we can only be justified through Christ.  I have heard people say that when they start behaving or living better, they might turn to God for salvation, but right now they just aren't worthy of forgiveness.  We never will be worthy, and we are definitely contentious when we take this attitude.  I have also heard people express the opposite attitude, that they are having to much fun now to give everything up for God, but maybe someday they will.  This is definitely being contentious.  In both cases they are denying the truth of God, and that is that though we are unworthy, only when we accept Christ as our Savior and Lord does life truly become worth living.  Verse nine adds, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;   We may not experience that tribulation and wrath in this world, but if we reject the truth of God, then that is all we can expect in the world to come.  Being a Jew, one of God's chosen people, did not exempt people from this tribulation and wrath of the soul if they chose evil over God's will.  The greatest evil we can do is rejecting salvation, because until we accept Christ as Savior and Lord, we will be ruled by evil.  Being born into a family that follows God's will does not make us right in the eyes of God any more than being born a Jew did in Paul's day and especially now.  The same is true for all others, the Gentiles, or anyone who isn't a Jew.  Verse ten continues, But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:  I don't believe that Paul was stating that this was what the world would give to every person who worked for good, but what God would give to those who worked for good through Christ in the world to come. Paul certainly did not have these things in his life here on earth, but he has them today.  Verse eleven concludes, For there is no respect of persons with God.  We as followers of Christ must never forget this truth.  Paul spoke of Jews and Gentiles which included everyone from the Jewish perspective.  We in America today may feel that God loves us and should bless us more than the rest of the world, but this simply is not true.  God loves everyone the same, no matter their nationality.  We are called to that same type of love.

Romans 2:5

Romans 2:5 says, But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;  I believe Paul was stating here that when we know the will of God, which is for all to be saved, and we become hard hearted toward others we will face the wrath of God.  This also applies to being unrepentant toward our own sins.  Matthew Henry says that the wrath of God is not like our wrath, full of heat and passion, as there is no fury in God as stated in Isaiah 27:4, but it is a righteous judgment, His will is to punish sin, which is contrary to His nature.  Once again, it is sin, in whatever form it takes, that God hates, and not the sinner.  We cannot feel otherwise. We are to become a new creature, or person if you rather, with a new heart filled with a compassion for the lost of the world.  We are called to hate sin but love the sinner as God does.  We cannot effectively reach lost people if we hate them and feel superior to them.  Verse six adds, Who will render to every man according to his deeds:  Paul here I believe gets to the truth of why we, as followers of Christ, should not attempt to judge others.  God will judge all men according to their deeds, but as followers of Christ, our deeds will be filtered by the blood of Christ.  Paul was not saying that our deeds will determine our everlasting fate, but that God knows not only what we have done, but our attitude behind the actions.  God alone is qualified to judge anyone.  If we attempt to justify ourselves in any way other than through salvation by Christ, we are doomed.  When we acknowledge that our salvation is a free gift from God, we cannot sit in judgment of others.  Verse seven continues, To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:  Paul tells us how we should live as followers of Christ.  We are to be patient, doing things for God's glory, because we have everlasting life through Christ.  We can never give up on presenting the gospel to the world.

Romans 2:1

Romans 2:1 says, Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. Matthew Henry points out that in chapter one Paul was speaking of the Gentiles, and now he started speaking to the Jews, God's chosen people.  As followers of Christ today, this chapter speaks of our actions.  Paul, having listed a multitude of sins, now tells us that we are inexcusable when we judge others for their sins.  I believe the judgment that he is speaking of is condemning others as we judge their sins.  We as followers of Christ again have to be careful that we don't judge the sins of others to be to great to forgive.  We may say, for example, that murder is unforgivable, but being disobedient to parents is just normal behavior.  We cannot categorize sin.  Paul warns us when we judge others, we condemn ourselves, because we have done the same.  That is not to say we have done the same sin, but we are all guilty of sin and should look to God for forgiveness and pray for the forgiveness of others.  We as followers of Christ can never hold ourselves above others because we feel that we are morally superior to them.  Verse two adds, But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.  Paul tells us that we need to leave the judgment up to God, since He judges us against His truth.  We are called to present God's truth to the world so that people might be redeemed, and not condemned.  We are not in the judgment business, but the redemption business.  Once a person is forgiven by God, they must be forgiven by His people.  Consequences of sin may remain in the world, but in God's judgment, the penalty has been paid by Christ for all sin.  It is simply a matter of accepting the sacrifice that Christ has already made.  Verse three continues, And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?  Paul tells us here that we should not think that we will escape God's judgment when we judge others self-righteously.  We should always call sin what it is, but we should never feel that we are more worthy of forgiveness than anyone else, no matter what their sins or our sins are.   Verse four concludes, Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?  If we set ourselves up as judge of others, we actually show that we despise God's goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering.  We should not be concerned with condemning others, because it is God's goodness, not our own, that leads us to repentance.  We should treat everyone as though God has not given up on their being redeemed, no matter how sinful we may think they are, because we are but redeemed sinners, by the grace of God.  God does not need sanctimonious followers.

Romans 1:28

Romans 1:28 says, And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;  We do not have to listen hard today to hear people express the thought that there is no God.  Again, especially in my generation, there was the God is dead movement. There are definitely people today who don't even want to keep God in their knowledge.  Some feel they are just too smart to believe in what they call wishful thinking or a fairy tale.  We as God's followers may even have times when we don't want to retain Him in our thoughts.  If we start to stray from His will for our lives, we do not want to think about God.  Verse twenty-nine adds, Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,  Verse thirty continues, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,  Verse thirty-one states, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:  We should notice that the first thing on this long list of sinful actions is unrighteousness.  Since righteousness comes only from God, when we refuse to acknowledge Him, then we begin to fall deeper into sin. Sin affects every aspect of our lives.  We know today that sexual temptation is rampant in America especially, but right after this Paul lists wickedness and covetousness.  Some people today are just plainly wicked or evil, and we say they should be condemned, but what about those who covet?  We never really want to classify what we do as coveting, but we often desire what others have.  Without God, people become malicious and full of envy.  We do not generally take these sins as seriously as we do others but notice that Paul placed them before the next sin, which is murder.  Again, we often attempt to rate sins as big sins or little sins, which are not considered as bad.  We must remember though that the penalty for any sin is the same.  The list goes on and is not all inclusive, I'm sure.  We should note that disobedience to parents is listed ahead of unnatural affections.  I believe Paul's message to us is that without God, sin abounds in all things.  Verse thirty-two adds, Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. We cannot claim ignorance.  Knowing the judgment of God, we still not only rebel against Him, but we delight in those who do.  Just as an example, how often do we want to hear the latest gossip and enjoy the way it portrays another?  God expects us to honor Him in all things, and actions such as this does not.

Romans 1:24

Romans 1:24 says, Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves.  There is no sadder place to be than to be given up by God.  When God removes His grace from a person, or a nation, there is no hope.  We may like to think that this means that that person or nation is going to suffer in a material way, but God is speaking of giving them up to their own spiritual uncleanliness. There are nations today that deny even the existence of God, like China, that are very powerful and prosperous, but they are spiritually dead.  Even in America, there are many people who deny God exists or make their own gods of wealth and power who prosper materially. Verse twenty-five adds, Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.  This continues with the effects of God giving people up to the lusts of their own hearts.  My generation had a saying, If it feels good, do it.  Though maybe not expressed as openly today, that is what happens when we change God's truth into our own.  We worship the creature more than the Creator, Who is blessed forever.  Now, we may choose not to bless Him, but that does not mean He is not blessed.  God's goodness, nor His nature, does not depend on how we view Him.  No matter what we try to replace God with, whether manmade idols or material goods, nothing can ever replace God and will ultimately let us down.  Verse twenty-six continues, For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:  Verse twenty-seven concludes, And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.  God gave them up to vile affections.  The example given is homosexuality, since Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed for their great sinfulness, of which this was an example.  Secular America today seems to almost promote this lifestyle, while Christians see it as one of the greatest sins.  We need to realize that this is but one sin when God allows people to live by their own desires.  We also need to realize that any sin separates us from God, and that God will always love even the worst of sinner.  Until we acknowledge God, we can expect that we as individuals or as a nation will only slip deeper into sin.