Lesson 2

GOD’S JUDGMENT IS DESERVED UPON ALL GENTILES

Romans 1:18-2:16

REVIEW

Be prepared to answer: Someone is talking with you and is convinced they haven’t done enough to continue to receive God’s forgiveness. How might you use words from this section to help them see the truth?

What makes the gospel so powerful?

ROMANS 1:18-20

God’s wrath, his anger, isn’t to defend his wounded pride, it is a reaction to the evil sinfulness he sees in people. It will be revealed in all of its terror at the end of time but what Paul is speaking about here occurs now. He uses the present tense, “is being revealed.” The first word, godlessness, refers more to attitudes. Disregarding God – he isn’t important. Ignoring anything he commands and so I have no responsibility toward him. The second word, wickedness, points to actions that are opposed to God’s will. God sees every thought and action of each one of us, nothing will escape his notice and anger. Humans then try to suppress the truth about God so they wouldn’t feel guilty. People will go to great lengths to keep down the knowledge of God so that they don’t have to deal with guilt and their need of Jesus.

God has clearly revealed aspects of himself in creation. Evolution tries to replace God with theories of our origin. As more complex scientific discoveries are made – the more we are reminded of the power and wisdom of God in creation. With each new complex discovery of our world, the more fantastic the explanation has to become for those rejecting God. We shake our heads in amazement at what has to be believed in order to keep God from getting the glory.

ROMANS 1:21-25

Notice how Paul describes the unbelievers as determined not to glorify God or give thanks to him. God certainly isn’t forcing them to rebel against him. The unbeliever is doing it on their own. Notice also the beginning of verse 24, the word “Therefore.” As a result of the previous actions and attitudes now this follows, “God gave them over” even now he doesn’t force them to rebel but allows the rebellion to takes its natural course. As we think about this, don’t assume if somebody fails to glorify God once or twice then suddenly God will give them over. We have plenty of examples of the patience and mercy of God to give people multiple chances to repent. There is however a point, when God says OK – pursue your rebellion and refusal to glorify and thank me.

They exchange the glory of the creator for lie of created things. Whether those are objects to represent various created animals or humans or simply created things like wealth, power or earthly fame. It is all a lie and isn’t the answer to a life with God or to existence here on earth.

ROMANS 1:26-32

Three times we read, “God gave them over” (24,26,28). Each time it is another step downward. They have “suppressed the truth” (18). They have rejected the natural knowledge of God, his power and his glorious being evident in the world and decided to live their life in total disregard of the Lord. They turn to false gods of all kinds, then to depraved sexual activity and then minds totally corrupted. Twenty-one different sins are reported. Each one has a negative impact on the person, discord in the family, and turmoil in a society. Worst of all it is evidence of people separated from God. Sin never leads to greater satisfaction or ultimate fulfillment in life.

DISCUSSION

  1. What other qualities of God can we learn from nature in addition to

    the two listed by Paul?

  2. Why is every human being without excuse before God? (20)

  3. Describe godlessness and wickedness and then how is it evident in

    our world? (18)

  4. As people repeatedly deny God or any accountability to God for their

    thoughts and actions what happens to their thinking? (21-22)

  5. What evidence do you see of that in the world around you?

  6. People can not only be depraved in their own thinking and actions

    but what further step can they take? (32)

  7. Is it possible for someone on this downward spiral to be turned

    around and brought to faith in Jesus?

ROMANS 2:1-4

Who is the person addressed in verse 1 and following? Suddenly Paul turns to “you”. In verse 17 he refers to the Jews and he may well be talking about them at this point already. He could also be talking about a Gentile, who thinks, “I don’t live a crass immoral life like the people Paul described in chapter 1. “I live a respectable life.” Paul could be addressing a person who is living a more moral life. For the more moral person it can be easy to pass judgment on the defiant sinners. The Bible says God’s judgment (at the end of time) will be based on truth (2), the facts as they are before God. The judgment wouldn’t be done based on comparing what we have done to others but on what we did in comparison to God’s perfect will. Yet, God hasn’t struck us with his judgment but has shown kindness, tolerance (the original word has the idea of holding back judgment) and patience (giving time for the person to realize their sin). In all of this God is wanting to lead us to repentance.

Repentance means to have a change of mind or heart. Our self-righteous attitude has been crushed as we see our sin and trust only Jesus for our forgiveness. The unbelievable kindness of God expressed to us.

KEYWORD: REPENTANCE – A change of mind or heart

ROMANS 2:5-11

Paul continues his thought, the morally superior person in self-righteousness judging the crass sinner is storing up anger from God that will be unleashed on Judgment Day. There is no favoritism by God he will judge according to what each person has done. Each person will need to persist in doing good. Not just doing something good occasionally but always – persistence. God’s standard is perfection. We all, every single one of us is guilty and fall short. God will give eternal life to anyone who keeps the law perfectly. The problem is we can’t persist in keeping the law perfectly. In today’s entire lesson, there isn’t any gospel, only law.

ROMANS 2:12-16

In verse 13 we have a very important Greek word. Translated, declared righteous. What is the meaning of that word? Some suggest that it means make righteous, to reform the sinner, to make a good person out of a bad person. Look at the context here. The Bible says, that the person who obeys the law, consistently and completely, that person will be declared righteous by God. If the person has obeyed the law perfectly, they aren’t a bad person they are already good. They don’t need to be made righteous, they already are, after all they kept the law perfectly. The word means to declare righteous. There isn’t any other way to understand it here. The one who “obeys the law” did the right things and in the final judgment God will declare that the person is right in his sight. We are talking about the definition of the Greek word, declare not guilty. This passage is one that clearly identifies the meaning of the word. That meaning, consistent in the Bible, is important as we look at passages later in the book of Romans. Just a quick word about the context here, the point of this section is that no one is perfectly obedient to the law, therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight because we haven’t kept the law. We are all sinners before God.

Verse 16 says that “God will judge men’s secrets.” Secrets can be things we did that most people don’t know (maybe no one). Secrets can be the motives we had for doing what we did, even good things we did. Secrets can be thoughts we cultivated or had that just went through our mind in a flash and never returned, if fact we don’t even remember them. Everything will be exposed and nothing hidden.

The word gospel in verse 16 is used in a broader sense. God can not overlook sin, judgment is real. We can’t save ourselves. God sent Jesus to save us from our sin. The law and the fact that we are all sinners along with the good news that Jesus was sent for us was Paul’s message for people. It was the good news.

DISCUSSION

  1. How do you understand the words, “God judgment…is based on truth”?

    (2:2)

  2. How can God shown “his kindness, tolerance and patience” with a

    person to lead him (her) to realize sin in life resulting in repentance? 4

  3. Why isn’t vs 7, “To those who by persistence in doing good…he will

    give eternal life” a contradiction of Ro.1:17, “The righteous will live by faith”?

  4. Give evidence in your culture of the natural knowledge of God’s

    will.

  5. Why would we also want to refer to other passages, like Romans

    3:21-24, as we share the Word of God from chapter 2?

[Preparing for next week’s class]{.ul}

  1. Read Romans 2:17 – 3:20

  2. Read Romans – the People’s Bible Pages 39-56

  3. Read Romans 2:17 – 3:20 a second time but this time out loud.

    (Hearing God’s Word can prompt us to realize additional truths we didn’t grasp with a silent reading.)

Be prepared to answer: Every person you ever meet in your life has a conscience. A conscience that in part is telling them they have done somethings that are wrong. How can that be helpful as we share our faith with someone?

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