You who judge practice the same things
Romans 2:1-3 Pointing out another’s sin isn’t the way to escape God’s judgement
“Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which 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. But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?”
Romans 2:1-3 NASB1995
God is obviously trying to get through to me on the topics of moralism and being judgmental, as He sent me back to Romans 2 again today (the same epistle covered two days ago). Today we’re looking at Romans 2:1-3 at the beginning of the chapter of Paul’s epistle to the Romans that is subtitled “God’s Righteous Judgment”.
As you may recall from the previous look at Romans 2:5-8, Paul was delivering a message to those in the Roman church “who believed that their ‘high morals’ made them better than others and more deserving of God’s grace” (quote from the last article).
In Romans 1, Paul pointed out the sin of those who are most guilty; here, he is directing his comments to those who usually conduct their lives in a moral manner and assuming that they are happily patting themselves on the back for not being like those sinners he just described.
A lot of the Jewish followers of Jesus in Rome as well as many of the prominent Romans of the time thought of themselves as moral, but also thought of themselves as being above the immorality of “those other people.” Paul is pointing out in this verse that most of these moralists were very guilty of the same sins that they condemned in others.
Can you imagine the indignant thoughts that came into the minds of the Roman church members when they heard Paul’s letter? “I’d never stoop as low as those immoral people!” Yet Paul is correct in pointing out that many times, when we judge another person for some sin, we are often just as guilty of the same sin!
In verses 2-3, Paul remarks that it is right for God’s judgment to fall on those who sin, then follows with a bombshell — it is also right for God’s judgment to rain down upon those who are aghast at someone else’s sin, but practice that same sin as well! Paul’s comments here recall the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:1 — “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.”
We should all thank Paul in our prayers for the reminder that judging others is not our business and that we should leave judgment up to God alone.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Father in Heaven, I pray that You will forgive me for the times I have judged others and pointed out their sins, while at the same time hiding behind my own self righteousness. I thank You that Christ died for me and that I am saved by grace through my faith in Him, now clothed in His righteousness. Please help me to be more compassionate and understanding toward the lost, and use me to touch lives with love, not with criticism. In Jesus’ name I pray, AMEN.