Romans 2:1-16

In Luke 18:9-14, Jesus told a parable "...unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:" The Lord told about two men who went into the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, part of a religious sect in Israel that tended to be a very legalistic and self-righteous group. The other was a tax collector or publican. The tax collectors were hated because they often cheated their fellow Jews, and because they were considered traitors who worked for the Roman government that ruled Israel.

Vss. 11-12 show the pride and self-righteousness of the Pharisee.

Vs. 13 shows the sorrow for sin in the tax collector.

In Vs. 14 Jesus gives the morrow of the story, "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."

One of the easiest things to do is to be self-righteous. We can always find someone we consider not as well behaved as we are. We then compare ourselves to that person, and feel that compared to that person, we are doing just fine!

There are many people who feel that they are going to Heaven because they are not immoral like others. They are not adulterers, murderers, bank robbers, or even blasphemers. In fact they find fault with that sort of person, and consider themselves way above those sinners.

There are also many born-again Christians who feel pretty good about themselves because they compare themselves with other Christians. Their church attendance is better than others. Their devotional life is better than others. The places they go or don't go are better. The Bible they use is better.

Paul confronts the self-righteous in Romans 2:1-16. These would be people who read Romans 1:25-32, which concerns the heathen. They would have considered themselves well above that kind of behavior. They would not consider themselves to be this bad. In our text Paul confronts the person who felt that he would get to Heaven because he was not like those sinners mentioned in Romans 1 He shows in this passage that the self-righteous person is just as guilty as the blatant sinner. If Paul was writing today, he might point out that just being in church and living an outwardly moral life is not going to get you into Heaven. Because we are all sinners, we need a Savior, one to die for our sins. That's the Lord Jesus!

There is a reminder in this passage for those of us who know we are saved. The reminder is that we have no right to stand as critics of others. So often we have critical statements to make concerning sinner and saint alike. To be honest, very often our criticisms are not valid. Why should we be so careful about our criticisms of others? Very simply, this passage shows us that God knows about us. He is the one that has the right to judge, and ultimately, He will! GOD KNOWS!

Vs. 1 - The person who judges and condemns another person is actually condemning himself! To judge someone else is to show that you have a conscience. You show that you have some sense of what is right and what is wrong. In showing that you know right and wrong, you condemn yourself, because you and I who judge others are guilty of the same things. Matthew 5:12-22A, Matthew 5:27-28, John 8:1-11

Vs. 2 - When God judges it will be according to the truth. There will be no fooling God.

Vs. 3 - Criticizing others for their sins does not excuse someone from their own sins.

He knows that you need to repent and turn to Christ for forgiveness. 2 Corinthians 5:21, Ephesians 2:8-9, Psalm 32:5

God knows what your deeds are and they will be judged.