Condemnation According to Truthfulness

We're entering into chapter 2, and our goal is going to be to see if we can get through the first three verses of chapter 2 this morning. The righteousness of God required, which brings condemnation. This section runs all the way from chapter 1, verse 18, which is where Bob started a couple weeks ago. It goes all the way down through chapter 3, verse 20. It talks a lot about the condemnation and that the whole world is guilty before God, those who suppress the truth and unrighteousness. And so, as we were talking after class a little bit last week, we said, boy, we're going to be in this section of condemnation for quite a while, almost to the end of March, I think, before we can get out of this section here talking about the righteousness of God being required, which is going to bring condemnation. But that's where we're at, and so this morning, We're going to go into this section that talks about the Gentile world being condemned, specifically the condemnation according to the divine standards, God to man, God setting the standards for mankind. And even more specifically, we're going to talk about condemnation according to truthfulness this morning.

That's why we're going to be chapter 2, verses 1 through three, just to set the stage. And reminder, next week, there's no Sunday school. Just as a little reminder, because it's Christmas Day. So we will not meet here next week. So we'll pick up in verse four and continue on two weeks from this morning. Okay? Okay, so let's go ahead and just read through this section. Let's read all the way down through verse five. Romans chapter two, verse one through verse five. I'm reading from the New American Standard.

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. And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. And do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment upon those who practice such things, and do the same yourselves, that you will escape the judgment of God?

Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance, but because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourselves in the day of wrath in revelation of the righteous judgment of God. Okay, so we're going to specifically look at verses 1 through 3 here this morning.

I just wanted to point out a couple of things. You see how many times he's referring to them very specifically. You, you, you, you, you. Seven different times that he's making very specific reference. He's speaking to them directly. And he makes several different statements about them. He says, you are without excuse. You are the ones who are passing judgment. You condemn yourselves. You who judge practice the same things." Those are the comments that he's making about the group of people that he is talking to. We're going to speak more specifically to who is this group of people in just a moment. Judgment is repeated five different times in just these three verses.

And it's interesting, when we look at the idea here of judgment, we see down here in the bottom that these people are condemned themselves and they're condemned by God. See, they're condemning themselves and they're also coming under the judgment or the condemnation of God. So we'll talk about that a little bit more as well. Not only are they condemned by God, but they're doing something that is condemning themselves.

And a little note here that this phrase is according to truth. It's not actually in the New American Standard, but it is in the Greek, and it is in the KJV, and it is in the NIV. So we're going to go with that. We're going to include it in the text this morning, because I think it's really a very pertinent point.

And I didn't have time to study it out why the NAS decided to leave it out. I didn't have time to really. Anybody know why the NAS may have left that out? You thought so. Let's see. Let me put it very simply. The New American Standard has probably left out about something like 5,000 different words from the King James. So the controversy is, which text should we be using? The minority text, which is the New American Standard, or the majority text, which is the King James?

So that's the reason. Sure. OK. Translators decided to do that. So that's a translating thing. So what is the Greek? Is it in the Greek? It all depends upon which Greek text you use. The New American Standard is based upon two major Greek texts which are older.

But the question is, are they as reliable as the texts from the King James? It's a whole different study. Dave, you have a thought too? We're in verse 2. We know that the judgment of God, the NAS simply reads, rightly falls upon those who practice such things. And the KJV reads that we know that the judgment of God, which is according to truth, rightly falls or is according to. All the supplemental sources that I did look at in preparation for this morning, they included it. I think it's a pertinent point that we wanted to draw out in relation to the lesson. Any other thoughts? Questions? Look at the big picture of this passage this morning. You know, if you leave it out, Jim, the interpretation doesn't really change too much. It doesn't change too much, yeah.

But it does, I think, leave out the fact that the judgment of God is according to the truth. And I think that qualifier there helps to describe what is this judgment of God. It's according to his truthfulness and his character. Christ and I are in the way of the truth and the life. Sure. I like it there, but the truth is established firmly in chapter 1. Sure. That's right.

Okay, so let's look at verse 1. It says, Therefore you are without excuse, every man, of you who passes judgment." So, therefore, is referring back to chapter 1 in verse 18 through 20. Let's go back to chapter 1 there, and we looked at this a couple weeks ago, several weeks ago now.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them. For God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes, his eternal power, and divine nature have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse." And then what happens is, he says, okay, you guys are without excuse because the truth of God has been revealed.

Getting back to the truth has already been established in chapter 1. And then what happens is he goes through and he describes this group of people that are without excuse. It goes down in verses 21 down through verse 32, which Bob dissected for us over the past two weeks. So in chapter 2, he says, therefore you are without excuse. You have known of the of the revelation of God. It's also been given to you. You've known of it. You are also without excuse."

And then he goes down to the next several verse here, and he describes this group of people who are also without excuse. And so it simply means inexcusable is what the term there is driving at when we talk about, therefore, you are without excuse, and we're talking about why it is that they are without excuse.

Just describe this group of people here for a minute that are being talked about in chapter 2. the first couple of verses here, these are the moralist, or in a sense, the quote, respectable sinners. You know, the ones that we looked at the past couple of weeks, they were in a sense, the rank pagans. They were the ones that were doing the despicable, the more horrible, the more socially unacceptable sins. But when we come to this group of people in Chapter 2, they tend to maybe be a little more moral. It's quote, moral. They tend to think of themselves as being a little bit a better, a little more respectable, but still, they're sinners and they're falling short of missing the mark of God.

They do not believe that the things of the first chapter mean themselves, therefore they consider themselves to be better. You know, Paul, they're self-righteous, they're proud, and they think, Paul cannot be talking about us. You know, we're better. We're better than that group of people.

Therefore, Paul dives into this section in chapter 2 to say, hey, wait a minute. You guys are also falling short of the righteousness of God. You guys are also falling under the judgment of God. You guys are also falling under the condemnation of God and also of yourselves.

They are continually judging others, present active participle. It's not something that they did just one time. It wasn't something, well, they did it once and that was it. No, they're continually judging this group of people, judging the group of people back in Chapter 1. That's the group of people that they're being talked about as judging. And, they do the same things as those that they are judging. And that's going to be a huge problem, that's going to bring condemnation upon themselves, as we're going to see in detail here.

So there's four statements about them. You pass judgment, you judge others, you condemn yourselves, You do the same things and simply you are without excuse. Let me pull that out because it's a big picture. Let's look at these four statements phrase by phrase. You pass judgment or you judge others and you condemn yourself. You do the same things and you are without excuse. Let's see, I've got my notes. I'm not flipping them over. There we go.

So the idea that you judge, the idea here from this word, judge, is to condemn a person, or to pass judgment upon that person for the purpose of condemning them. Not to say that something is right or wrong, or if a person's actions are right or wrong, but they are judging for the specific purpose to bring condemnation or to bring judgment upon that person. That's what it means when he says that you are judging. Let's talk about this for just a moment. Is passing judgment or judging something or someone wrong in and of itself?

What do you guys think about that? No, because there are places, certainly, that Paul talks about that we are to be in the body. We're to be discerning and to call things to attention that are out of character, up within the body. That's right. But I think it's the source. We're just the source. It's just like everything else. What's the source?

If it's from Christ, That's right. That's right. That's right. That's right. That's right. Yeah. So, if we're walking in the Spirit, and we're being discerning, and we're saying, boy, this is right, or this is not right, in that sense, to use judgment is okay. You know, I want Henry to grow up and to be able to have good judgment in life. to look at something and say, boy, that's right, or that's wrong, and be able to move on that, or act on that, or the actions of that person, or his actions or her actions, those are wrong, just to be able to use judgment, good judgment in that. So, I think it's interesting that we need to think about that and talk about that, that judgment in and of itself isn't always wrong, that it can be okay if we're walking in the Spirit, if it's sourced out of the life of Christ, But what's going on here with these guys here in Romans 2, verse 1, they are passing judgment. I think, obviously, it's sourced in the flesh, it's sourced in the sin nature, because he's talking about a group of people that are unbelievers, so that can be the only option. They're judging another, and they're condemning themselves. Bob? Well, the issue is what's being condemned, right? I mean, only God is in a... That's right. Sure. That's right. Sure. That's right. That's right. That's right. Yeah.

So are you saying that we are not to judge the person, but we are to, in a sense, if there's right judgment going on in our lives, we are to judge the actions of the person, to say, boy, that's not right or that is right, but to separate the sin from the sinner. We're not to judge that person, but we can make a discerning thought about what they are doing, not the person. Is that what you're driving at? Yes.

Okay, so the idea here of condemning themselves. Condemnation came because while condemning others, they were doing the exact same thing. Look at what the text here says, "...you are without excuse, every man of you who passes judgment. For in that you judge another, you condemn yourself." So, they are judging other people, and they're doing the exact same thing that they're judging other people for, and the condemnation is coming upon them. because of that.

I think some texts that will help us to see this are Matthew 7. Let's look at this passage here, Matthew 7. And I think we can develop this point a little bit more based on Bob's comment. Not only were they doing the things that they were condemning other people for, but they were passing judgment upon the person. And they were not separating the actions from the person, if that makes sense. We can develop that a little bit.

Hal? Yeah, I'm just thinking about that in terms of like in the Corinthian church where that young man was having sexual relations with his stepmother or whatever, his father's wife. And Paul comes down and says to the church that you guys haven't judged him, the person. So can we separate the sin from the person?

I'm trying to look for it here. But because he was part of the body, wasn't it... I mean, I guess... Within the body, I always thought that if someone was judged and or disciplined within the body, you're doing it out of concern and caring for them as being part of the body. Whereas someone who's not in the body, I think that's a different thing.

Sure, yeah. You want to separate yourself totally from someone who's doing those things outside the body. I mean, you don't want to associate with them. Right. Yeah, let's look at that passage. Let's all look to it before we move on to Matthew. Okay. Go ahead, we'll let you do that. Yeah. in such a point of vision as it is not so much as the name of one of the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. And stay open to verse 11.

Now I have written unto you, not to keep company with any man that is called a gutter, be a fornicator, or a covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunken, or an extortioner. With such a one know not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are outside, that are outside. Do not you judge them that are within. So he's saying, you know, you should be judging them that are within, the body. But them that are outside, God judges. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person. Carol? In the Romans passage, they're talking about the idea of judging for the purpose of condemnation. They were judging for the purpose of condemnation. Yeah. First Corinthians, what is the idea there of judging with those?

Yeah, I don't know. Bob? But in a sense, what's being judged is the behavior within the body, correct? I mean, who are we? I mean, it does say judge the individual, yes, but I mean, in context, though, it's the behavior that's being judged, isn't it? I know the text says, judge them. So it does indicate an individual as the source of that judgment.

So the question is, can you separate the person from the sin? I mean, the person is committing sin. But in this passage talking about how the body should be disciplining their own people within. And so my sense of this passage has always been that if this person doesn't respond to the discipline within the church and continues in this activity, then he's to be put out.

But beforehand, he's, I mean, they go to him. I think that's what Paul, doesn't Paul go through that? You should go to him and you should try to, the elders should try to talk with him about his behavior before he's Yeah, talk about it in Gospels. You know, you go one-on-one, and if he still doesn't respond, then you go to him with two or three. Sure, talk about that process.

Isn't that what Paul is really relaying here? That if this person doesn't respond, then he should be... It seems like in this one that they're not even addressing it. Well, because I think it's very... that they've already let it go, it's going, it's going, it's going, they're not speaking to it, they're not addressing the sinfulness of the guy. And it wasn't that one of his calls was that they were allowing all this stuff to go on, they weren't addressing it as they were supposed to.

It just goes on to chapter 6, do you not know that the saint shall judge the world? It doesn't say sin, it's the world, the world of the people. And if the world should be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? So the question is, can you separate the small and the big?

Right. I was thinking if the difference isn't made by the source of the judgment, because in the first case, The people thought that they can't judge on their own, so therefore, out of their nature, they were somehow being the sources of judgment. And here, in this chapter, because it's the Church, the source of judgment has to be the Holy Spirit that lives in us, because we are in the Church.

Right. So it's like, that judgment is fine. Sure, sure. Yeah, yeah, yeah. The judgment in Romans 2, There's a group of sinners. It has to be sourced in the sin nature. It cannot be right. It has to be wrong. We're talking about believers. There's a possibility for the judgment to be spirit-led. It doesn't mean it's a given. It can be either or. So the question is then, maybe we need to think some of these things through a little bit clearer than what I just put up there. Thanks for that, Hal. Can they be separated? And then what does Spirit-led, walking in the Spirit, the life of Christ, exercising that judgment? What does godly judgment in the life of the believer look like? That would be a study to do in and of itself. So that's why I wanted to bring it up. I figured it was worth bringing it up, because the passage is talking about it, and that's stuff that needs to be hashed over.

What you make of verse 13 is the idea that the behavior of this individual within the body is sufficient for him, presumably him, could be a her too, to be judged. And then it says in 13, and Paul says in 12, do not ye judge them that are within. In other words, there's a responsibility of the body to really recognize this type of behavior, if it's not confessed and or changed that this individual. You can think of an appellate court here in a sense. I mean, this gets to be kind of tricky in terms of the implementation of this within the body. Let's not go there.

But verse 13, but them that are outside God judges. And the idea is God is in a position to judge an individual, correct, to condemn them. Sure. That's right. And we dealt with that in Romans 1 last week. So what I'm saying here is Only God knows whether this member of the body, presumably he's a brother because it says up in verse 11 he's a brother, right?

But the behavior is such that this individual is now put in a position to be judged as if he were outside the body. What I'm trying to point out is 13 seems to be the trump card that God is the ultimate judge. And the activity within the body is to put that person back as if he were outside the body. And therefore, God judges.

I was just wondering if he really is a believer. It sounds like he is a part of the body, but it says in verse 5, "...deliver such a one, saying, for the destruction of his flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." I don't know if he really is a believer. You didn't anticipate this today, did you?

No. You know what, but I think that I thought about bringing it up or not. You know, the judgment of us as believers. And here's why. Here's why I wanted to bring it up. Because so much damage is done of the judgmental mindset of Christians. And to me, that is heartbreaking. And so I said, boy, let's talk about it, because I think before the Lord, their judgment is okay in the mind. For believers, the judge is okay. But it so often times is done wrongly.

And thus, Christianity has this label of, they're just this big group of judgmental people. Well, it doesn't have to be. That's why I wanted to wants it to bring up today, that it is okay, as long as it's Spirit-led, and it's the life of Christ, and it's right. But that's just within the body of Christ, right? Sure. Unbelievers cannot exercise that. It's impossible. There's no life of Christ. There's no Spirit. It can't be sourced properly.

So, we'll have to stick this up another day, the godly judgment of the believers. Alright, let's go to Matthew 7 and pick this up. So the idea here is they are judging, it's wrong, it's a group of unbelievers, it's sourced in the flesh, they're condemning this group of people for their actions, but you know what? They're doing the very same thing. They're doing the same things for which they are condemning and passing judgment on. So look at Matthew 7. Dave, would you read that for us, just verses 1-5? Matthew 7, 1-5.

Do not judge, lest you be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged. And by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, let me take the speck out of your eye, And behold, the log is in your own eye. You hypocrite. First take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take this back out of your brother's eye.

And that's what's going on with this group of unbelievers described in Romans 2. And that's what wrongly goes on in the lives of believers. And unfortunately, that's the judgment that happens so often times that believers are engaged in. Let's not go to John 8 for the sake of time. But let's do go to 2 Samuel. This is an interesting story and I think example here for us. 2 Samuel 12. And here we're looking at an Old Testament story here, but I think drives home the point quite well. 2 Samuel 12 and 1 through 7. Bob, would you read that for us?

Yeah, the Lord sent Nathan unto David and he came unto him and said unto him, There were two men in one city, the one rich and the other poor. The rich man had very many flocks and herds, but the poor man had nothing save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and nourished up, and it grew up together with him and with his children. It did eat of his own food, and drank of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. There came a traveler unto the rich man, and he was not willing to take up of his own flock and of his own herd, to prepare it for the wayfaring man who was come unto him. But took the poor man's lamb, and prepared it for the man who was come to him. And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man. And he said to Nathan, as the Lord liveth, the man who hath done this thing shall surely die. And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.

So there is a... David exercises judgment on a... he judges a situation. And his... what I'm seeing here is that his judgment to say what that guy did was wrong, that in and of itself was fine. But then when David was engaged in the very same thing himself, that's where condemnation upon David came in. Does that make sense? I mean, his decision to say, boy, what that guy did wasn't right, and this should be the action upon him, that's fine. He's being discerning. He's saying this is right and this is wrong.

But when David is doing the exact same thing, that's where the problem comes in. And that's, I think, you know, these folks in Romans, they're condemning and they're doing the same thing. And for us to make a decision or discerning, this is right, this is wrong, fine. If we're saying this is right, this is wrong and we're doing the very same thing ourselves in a condemning nature, then comes the problem.

Back to how it's pointing the body. I think maybe where we're getting confused is that we're not separating judgment from condemnation. Where God judges to condemnation, where that's his job and that's not ours. But we can certainly judge. Right. Right. Right. Sure. Sure. So, yeah, that's the key. I see, yeah. We're not judging through condemnation. We're just judging in the sense of being discerning. Saying, boy, this is right, and boy, this is wrong. That's right. That's right.

Didn't the idea of condemnation come from the Greek word? And so then, what is the Greek word carrying? You know, what meaning does it carry in Philippians? You know? I guess, because up there it's saying, And then there's also the idea of the condemnation of God. which is the judgment of God, which is kind of once for all, standing with God, and then there's the condemnation of man before man.

I think that also, there's a condemning spirit of one person to the other person when there's judgment passed that's incorrect. You see what I'm saying? Yeah. But the condemnation that we're talking about in Romans 1 and 2 is God's condemnation of man to hell. Based on truth. Because, remember, there are two things we, I think, importantly need to recognize. The flesh never changes. Right. Sure.

So our feeling about our brother or sister, even somebody outside the Lord, is if it's really self-righteousness, that really smells to the Lord, that ultimately went to Calvary, right? That's right. That's right. And the second important truth is there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, right? Sure. That's right. No condemnation. That's us. Yeah. Yeah. Sure. Sure. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. No doubt. Yeah. That's right. That's right. That's right.

I just wanted to ask, so the two words judge and condemn, it seems to me, well because I can compare it to check, we have the word judge, means so deep, and then condemn means also deep, and it kind of means like judge up, or judge to the very end, or to its ultimate purpose, if it means that. Condemn means judge completely, while judge only means discern without any ultimate result. It means basically just discern. Right. So what does condemn then mean? Condemn means judge up. Completed action, something like drink up or whatever.

And the idea of judge means what again? The idea of judgment is kind of like discern or judge, but not like passing the judgment completely. So maybe putting it together is judgment is discerning something, making an evaluation, and then taking the results of that and passing It's interesting in the verse, it says that every man who passes judgment, from that you judge another, you condemn yourself.

So, it's not talking about condemnation of others there, but the condemnation of themselves there. It's talking about the judgment of others and the condemnation of themselves. This is tough stuff, once he begins to get into this, proving everybody is guilty here.

Okay, let's see, where are we at in our slides? Okay, you do the same things. What does that mean? Simply, I think, two explanations. were doing some of the things that were listed in verses 29 through 31. They say you're being filled, this is back to Romans chapter 1, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil, full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice, their gossips, and Bob talked about this last week, I won't read through the rest there. Certainly they were doing some of the very same things. In a sense these are socially more acceptable sins as opposed to the sin of homosexuality which was expanded there. you know, for the most part, isn't going to be the socially accepted saying, you know, gossip is going to be, you know, this is something that's somewhat socially acceptable in today's culture. And a lot of other things there. So, you do the same things, I think that's what it's talking about. And also, they may not have been doing them outwardly, but they were doing them inwardly.

And Matthew 5 talks about that. We mentioned that last week. You know, God, if you've thought it in your mind, then you might as well have done it outwardly. And then Romans 2 and verse 16, we'll get to it in a couple of weeks, it says, So the secrets of men that they've done in secret, actually done them in secret, but also the secrets of men inwardly that they've thought or that they've had in their heart. So I think that's what he's talking about when he says that you do the same things. Okay, so you are without excuse. He talks about that. What is this talking about?

A couple of thoughts. The people described in chapter 1, verses 21 to 32, they approved, they enjoyed, and they promoted what they did. There was no conscience that it wasn't right. They just flat out engaged in it openly. They tried to bring more people into it. They pumped it up like this fabulous thing. Well, the group of people here in chapter 2, they disapproved of it. So they, in a sense, disapproved of the very things that they were doing.

So if you disapprove of the sin that you're involved in, you're without excuse. You know, in a sense, you know better. Your conscience is telling you this is not right. So not only is without excuse going back to chapter 1, verse 20, but it's also just, you know, you guys are without, you know this isn't right.

And I think it's important to remind ourselves that these are the Gentile moralizers. Yeah, Gentile moralizers, that's right. This is outside the Israeli law. That's right. He gets down into the more religious ones later on in Chapter 2 and Chapter 3. Okay, verse 2, and he says, And we know, or the KJV reads that, and we are sure, that the judgment of God, which is according to truth, rightly falls upon those who practice such things. So the idea here is that we know or we are sure it's a verb, and it's a perfect active indicative, and this is an action which has been completed and stands completed in the past. So what we're driving at here, Paul is assuming that they know what the judgment of God would be based on, and that is based on truth. These people know. And again, that kind of goes back to 18, 19, and 20. There was that knowledge. You guys are without excuse.

You know what the judgment is going to be based on. And then that just leads us right into the next point that God's judgment is in according to truth. The definite article is present. So God's righteous judgment is according to the specific truth. It's according to what He has revealed, and it is according to His nature.

We've talked about that a little bit earlier. Jesus says, I am the way, the truth, and the life. This gets a little bit diluted, I think, in our minds, because our culture has diluted this. So, to think about God as the righteous judge, which is according to the truth, it's sometimes hard for us to put our hands around, because when someone stands up in a court of law, what do they say?

You swear to say, The whole truth, nothing but the truth, so help me God. The truth, the whole truth, so help me God. And then what happens? The whole thing just falls apart. That doesn't hold water today anymore. So we tend to not fully grasp what this means, that God is a righteous judge according to the specific truth. But that's what it's going to be according to.

And the judgment is against those who practice such things, and He's already established that they were the ones who were practicing these things. I wanted to mention briefly, we're talking about the judgment of God. So, in verse 2 says, we know that the judgment of God, well what is this judgment here talking about? So, I wanted to mention briefly that that there are several different judgments of God. The sins of the believers have already been judged at the cross.

That's Romans 5, and verse 1 talks about that in several different places in the scripture, and we will get to that. The judgment of the believers works at the judgment seat of Christ, where only the works of the believer are judged. We talked about that in 2 Corinthians class, and that's in chapter 5, verses 9-10. The judgment of the nations, which is immediately following the tribulation, Second Advent and the sins of the rest of mankind are judged at the Great White Throne Judgment, chapter 20, verse 11.

And I think this is the judgment that's being referred to here in Romans chapter 2, verse 2. It's not talking about the judgment seat of Christ, it's not talking about the judgment of nations, but it's talking about the judgment where people will have to stand before God and be judged before the Lord.

So, verse 3, Do you suppose or do you think this, O man, when you pass judgment upon those who practice such things, and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? So, do you suppose or do you think that you will escape the judgment of God? The NAS uses the word suppose and I think the KJV uses the word think.

Is that right there? So the idea is one of reasoning. Do you reason, or do you conclude this, or are you counting on the fact that you're going to be able to escape the judgment of God because you're judging other people? In fact, the answer is absolutely not.

I thought William Newell had a good thought here. He said, God is dealing with the accused folly of the deceitful heart of man who dreams that by merely judging others, though he practices the same things, he shall escape God's judgment. And that's exactly what God's That's exactly what God is doing. It's a picture that He's painting. Any thoughts? A point you want to bring out?

So, I was trying to think of things here from the flow of thought from God's point of view. Are you so self-deceived that you thought because you judge others, you were going to escape God's judgment? But you knew that the judgment of God is based on truth, so no, you're not going to escape the judgment of God, you're condemned. So, in that sense, yeah.

I just wanted to ask, the original said that this letter was written to Jews and Gentiles, like to believers, so was it written also to unbelievers, or is this section just, I mean, like, generally addressing whoever is going to read it somewhere in the future and will be It was originally written to the new church in Rome, so what Paul is doing is painting this very broad picture from the very beginning, dealing with people who are unsaved, and showing the sinfulness of all mankind before himself, and then at the very end he's talking about what what the life of the believer is to look like.

So here in the beginning, he's talking about all mankind is condemned before God. Sure, that's right, that's right, yeah. The you who he's talking about here would be, in a sense, go back to chapter 18, The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. Chapter 1, verse 18. He's talking about the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who have suppressed the truth of God and unrighteousness. That's right.

And then he says, therefore you are without excuse every man who passes judgment. So, in chapter 1, there was this group, these pagan, since horrible sinners, who had no conscience about anything. They just let it all hang out, in a sense. They just enjoyed it, they did it. That's the you. And then in chapter 2, we get to another group of people, you, who are in a sense a little, you're more moral.

You might not be engaged in the open, hideous sins of chapter one, but you are still sinful, just because you're judging other people, that doesn't make you any better than the people that we've already talked about. You haven't trusted God yet as your personal savior. You're not right with God. Just because you judge others, you're no better than anybody else. That's the you that's talked about there.

So, if a believer happens to cause judgment or something, it goes into the category that is the sin that is in us. but not like the believer, because the believer cannot be condemned. That's right. Yeah, if a believer... That's right, the you is not... This is talking about unbelievers here. That's right.

Everyone who passes... So, I mean... For everyone in the first verse... Okay, therefore you are without excuse, every man of you who passes... Okay, every man within this group of people. Oh, okay. Yeah. That's the way I'm seeing it. Am I seeing it okay?

Maybe an answer to your question is that Paul is presenting the gospel. He says, I'm not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. And the gospel includes the fact that man is a sinner. And he's showing how man is a sinner. So he's presenting the front end of the gospel, that man is a sinner and he needs a savior. So he's presenting the totality of the gospel to these believers.

Okay. We'll pick it up in two weeks. We won't be here next week. Verse 4. So, alright, let's pray. Lord, thanks for this morning. Thanks for the time. And thanks for the discussion. And we just trust that you led it and that you were in it. So thank you for leading us and guiding us into and to all truth, and to a deeper, more intimate, personal relationship with yourself. In your name we pray. Amen.