Romans 2

Romans 2

I LOVE how Paul is so blunt! Right off the bat in theses first 11 verses Paul hits us with a huge conviction, but lets start with verse one: “you have no excuses, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.” Bam! Paul totally just called Rome, and us, out! We often call others out because I think we notice sin more when it is affecting us rather then when our sin is affecting others. As Christians we need to make sure that we are praying constantly for God to show us our sins so we can work on them, and as an effort to do so we should look at ourselves when we see other sin to see if that sin is a problem for us too. Also, just a little connecting verse of verse one is Matthew 7:2 “for in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.” This is a good reminder of our certain judgment, and humbles us quite a bit, haha. Now here is your harsh reality. In verse 11 Paul says “For there is no partiality with God.” None! God doesn’t care if you were the nicest person on the planet, if you did not or do not have a relationship with him you’ll be judged as living in the darkness. My footnotes remind us that “eventual judgment is certain” and then it recommends Revelation 20:11-15 for more on judgment. Here is where this hit me.

“11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. The earth and the heavens fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.”

Revelation is written by John to reveal the full identity of Christ and to give warning and hope to believers. So in some way this is supposed to be hopeful…

We cannot escape our certain judgment; so keep this second death in the back of your head as a little motivation.

Onto a happier note:

Verses 2:12-15 answered a question I always had as a kid (not that I am much older than a kid). What happens to people who never see the bible or hear about God, do they get to go to heaven? Even if they’re bad? Well, my footnotes put it into words wonderfully. “Those who know God’s written Word and his law will be judged by them. Those who have never seen a Bible still know right from wrong, and they will be judged because they did not keep even those standards that their own consciences dictated.” This goes back to the first chapter a bit; if we know God’s word and do now utilize or share it, we fall short of the glory of God.

The last two sections, verses 17 to 29, talk a lot about practicing what we preach. Are we telling others to do things that we ourselves are not willing to do? In verses 21 and 22 Paul tells the Jews that they need to teach themselves by their own laws, not others. It’s kind of weird to hear that though, because the Jews knew their law so well! Don’t quote me on this, but I was once told that Jewish teachers of the law had to memorize either the whole, or a large part, of the Old Testament. They had to memorize it! I can’t even memorize vocabulary for a class! Anyways…simply know God does not make you a good believer, having a relationship with God and doing his works do. Don’t be a hypocrite! In verse 24, “For ‘THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,’ just as it was written.” My Bible has it in all caps (NASB), I love it because I feel like it yells important verses at me, and this is one of them. Paul is quoting Isaiah 52:5 here, look it up ;). One of the most difficult concepts to understand when you become a Christian (I think) is knowing that you will be in constant judgment from the world. It is our duty as Gods people to show Gods light, love, and mercy. For some you be the only ‘God’ they see and what they see in you is what they assume All Christians are. It’s a big responsibility, that is why we nee to make sure we know what’s up and we know Gods Word, and how we need to behave to be a light.

My challenge to you is to take some time to ‘meditate’. Take time to analyze yourself, your sin, and your judgment. Just take 30 minutes. At the beginning pray that God shows you your sins and at the end pray that he helps you to cleanse yourself of them. Also, if you're anything like me and can't sit in a quite room there are a few links at the bottom for 'meditating' music.

Thanks for reading, sorry this one is so long, Paul is a bit long winded ;)

Have a Wonderful Wednesday friends.

Quite meditation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1cGl5ye0Li0
More up beat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cfemCP2K3Q
Watery: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tj8p9DofvZA
OR if you have Pandora just make a "nature sounds" station, and if you don't have a Pandora, Get one! http://www.pandora.com