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Principles of God's Judgment (Romans 2:1-16)
Dr. Alexander Kurian
All men are quick to judge others, but they are slow to realize that they fall short in their own lives. God is the supreme judge of all. In Romans 2:1-16 Paul lays down eight principles of God's judgment (the verb “to Judge” occurs eighteen times in Romans. Note the repetition of the words in 2:1-16, nine times).
1. God’s Judgment will be According to Truth (2:2).
God knows the details of everything and He is well aware of the facts. He needs no jury to decide any case. Nothing is hidden from Him. “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do” (Hebrews 4:13). God’s judgment is regulated by the standard of moral truth. It is based on reality and truth, not on imagination and circumstantial evidence. He judges with omniscient understanding and holiness.
There are those who think that they can escape the inescapable. Paul addresses them in verse 3: “And do you suppose 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”? God’s blessings should have led the Jews repent of their sins (2:4).
2. God’s Judgment will be According to Righteousness (2:5).
God’s judgments are righteous. God will judge men righteously basing His conclusions on facts. Judgment will be based on the light people have received and how they have followed it. Every person will receive justice from God and will be judged in righteousness. He shall judge the world with righteousness and the people with His truth” (Psalm 96:13). “The Lord is righteous in all His ways” (Psalm 145:17). The holiness of God relates to God’s separateness; His righteousness to His justice. There is no action which God takes that violates any code of morality or justice. True and righteous are Thy judgments” (Revelation 16:7).
3. God’s Judgment will be According to Works (2:6).
God will render to every man according to his deeds (v.6).Verses 7-10 further elaborate this principle. While works are never a ground for salvation, they are still important in the sight of God. There are forty-two instances in the Bible where man is said to be judged according to their works. Paul refers to this principle again in 1Corinthians 3:8 and 2 Corinthians 5:10. God’s judgment of believers as well as unbelievers will be based on works.
Verses 7-10: The unrepentant and unregenerate mankind will one day face God’s furious anger for their persistent rebellion and unbelief. The blessings and results of salvation are manifested in a believer’s perseverance in doing good. “Glory, honor, and immortality” describe a believer’s transformed spiritual perspective. The unredeemed are characterized by selfish ambition, disobedience, and unrighteousness. To such people God will render wrath (orge signifies the strongest kind of wrath or anger and indignation (thumos is agitated and vehement anger that rushes along relentlessly).
Tribulation (thlipsis) has the root meaning of exerting extreme pressure. It is also translated as affliction, anguish, or persecution. It occurs five times in Romans (2:9; 5:3; 8:35; 12:12).
Distress (stenchoria) has the idea of extreme anguish, circumstances that lead to groaning.
The unbelieving Jew will be the first to be condemned. Only after God has dealt with His chosen people He will deal with the Gentiles.
4. God Judges All Men Impartially (2:11).
The truth about respect of persons or the impartiality of God is stated in the Bible only in connection with judgment. God has no favorites. God’s judgment is just, dealing with Jews and gentiles without any partiality. God sees not as man sees. Man judges largely by what he sees outwardly, but God looks upon the heart. God will take no account of outward distinction between men. Race, color, culture, and language do not dictate God’s policy of judgment.
5. God’s Judgment is Based on the Light Received (2:12-15).
Each person is judged by the light possessed by each, whether the light of the Mosaic law (12-13), or the Moral Law of right and wrong, or conscience (14-15). There is always a correspondence between the judgment of God and the light received by men. God shall judge the Gentiles who do not know the Old Testament law by universal standards of right and wrong. Though they do not have the Mosaic Law, they do have an inner law that informs their conscience. The Jews who have the revelation of God through His Word, shall be judged by the law that they should have obeyed. The law does not save a person but only reveals sin as people fall short of the law’s requirements. In the judgment, the possession and the knowledge of the law will be a basis of condemnation.
6. God Will Judge Men’s Secrets (2:16).
God knows our hearts and motives. Only God knows every person’s motives for doing the things he does. Motive is a valid basis for God’s judgment. All the hidden things will be revealed. “For the Lord searches all hearts, and understands every intent of the thoughts” (1 Chronicles 28:9).
7. God’s Judgment will be According to the Gospel (2:16).
The good news (Gospel) that Paul is preaching is the standard of God’s salvation and judgment. Judgment is part of the Gospel. “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36).The Gospel of Paul is clearly set forth in the first five chapters of Romans. A succinct summary of it is given in 1 Corinthians 15:1-4. The Gospel is concerning the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ and the salvation He provides for anyone believing in Him. This is the supreme truth of the Bible and the central message of Christianity.
8. God’s Judgment Will Take Place through Jesus Christ (2:16).
The judgment of God will be carried out by the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul declared in Athens that God “has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead (Acts 17:31). Jesus claimed that the Father had entrusted all judgment to Him (John 5:22, 27).
God’s judgment is real and inescapable. These are ultimate truths, and all without exception must face up to them. All who reject God and His truth will be judged. But the shining truth of the Gospel is that “God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him” (John 3:17).