Romans 2:1–16
Main Points:

God judges according to truth.
God judges according to people’s deeds.
God’s judgment is impartial.
God judges according to the revelation a person has received.
The doers of the Law, not merely the hearers, would be justified.
Gentiles have a moral law written in their hearts.
God judges the secrets of men.
Jesus Christ is the Judge.
The Gospel includes both judgment and salvation.
Faith in Christ brings justification and freedom from condemnation.

How God Judges
I. Introduction: God Judges According to Truth
Romans 2:1–2

Religious and morally respectable people are also without excuse.
God does not judge according to:

Background
Reputation
Religious appearance
Social status

God judges according to truth.
Religious people can be hypocritical—condemning sins in others while breaking God’s commands themselves.

II. God Judges According to a Person’s Deeds
Romans 2:6–11

“He will render to every man according to his deeds.”

God’s judgment is based on what a person has actually done.
Both good and evil deeds are seen by God.
Everyone has sinned and therefore faces God’s judgment.
There is no escape through:

Religion
Family
Class
Status
Nationality

God’s judgment is impartial.

Jew and Gentile are judged by the same impartial God.
God does not give one group an automatic pass.

A. The apparent problem of Romans 2:7–10

These verses describe:

Those who patiently continue in well-doing
Those who seek glory, honor, immortality, and eternal life
Those who do evil and receive wrath

Do not interpret this as salvation by works.
The point is that God judges impartially according to what people actually do.

III. God Judges According to the Revelation a Person Has Received
Romans 2:12

“For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law.”

People are judged according to the revelation available to them.
Greater revelation brings greater accountability.
The Gentiles did not receive the Jewish Law.
Israel received God’s written Law and therefore had greater accountability.

A. Gentiles Without the Law

They did not receive the Mosaic/Jewish Law.
Yet they still had God’s general revelation:

Creation
Conscience

Romans 1 establishes that creation reveals God’s glory, wisdom, power, and Godhead.
Therefore, the pagan world is without excuse.

B. Jews With the Law

Israel possessed God’s written revelation.
Therefore, they were accountable to a greater standard.
See Jesus’ statements concerning:

Sodom and Gomorrah
Jerusalem
Nineveh

Those who receive greater revelation have greater accountability.

C. Application to Christians

Many American Christians have received an enormous amount of revelation in the sermons they hear every week.
Therefore, these Christians have a correspondingly high level of accountability.
“To whom much is given, much is required.”
Christians should not look down upon those who have received less revelation.

IV. The Law Must Be Done, Not Merely Heard
Romans 2:13

“For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.”

“Hearers” is explained as more than merely hearing words; it carries the idea of students/pupils.
Knowing God’s Law does not make someone righteous.
A genuine doer of the law would have to keep it perfectly.
Only one person has ever actually fulfilled God’s Law perfectly: Jesus Christ.
Therefore:

Theoretically, perfect obedience would result in justification.
Practically, no sinful human being can achieve it.

This is not justification by works; it demonstrates humanity’s inability to achieve righteousness through the Law.

A. James 1:22–25

Christians are commanded to be doers of the word, not hearers only.
Hearing without doing is self-deception.
God’s Word functions like a mirror revealing who we really are.

B. James 2:8–11

Breaking even one command makes a person a transgressor.
Perfect obedience is therefore impossible for sinful humanity.
One violation is sufficient to make a person guilty before God.

C. Romans 3:23

The eventual conclusion of Romans 1–3 is:

“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.”
V. Gentiles Have a Moral Law Written Within Them
Romans 2:14–15

Gentiles did not possess the written Jewish Law.
Nevertheless, they sometimes naturally practice things consistent with the Law.
They therefore demonstrate that they possess an internal moral standard.

A. Conduct

Their behavior demonstrates what they believe is right and wrong.

B. Conscience

Their conscience bears witness to their moral understanding.
Conscience can:

Approve
Condemn
Accuse
Excuse

However, conscience can also become:

Misguided
Seared
Hardened
Corrupted

C. Computation/Thoughts

People reason about right and wrong.
They:

Accuse others
Excuse themselves
Judge wrongdoing
Demand justice
Defend themselves against accusations

These behaviors demonstrate an internal moral standard.

VI. God Judges the Secrets of Men
Romans 2:16

“In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.”

Human courts can fail to discover hidden wrongdoing.
God sees everything.
Nothing remains a secret before the omnipresent God.
God judges:

Public actions
Hidden actions
Secrets
Cover-ups

Therefore, no one can escape God’s judgment simply by concealing his wrongdoing.

VII. God’s Judgment Comes Through Jesus Christ
Romans 2:16

Jesus Christ is the appointed judge.

Cross-references
John 5:22

The Father has committed judgment to the Son.

John 5:27

Christ has authority to execute judgment.

Acts 10:42

Christ is ordained by God to be the Judge of the living and the dead.

A. The Mystery of Christ Was Revealed
Romans 16:25–26

Christ was the previously unrevealed mystery now made manifest.
The Savior came into the world.
Christ’s coming dramatically increased mankind’s revelation and accountability.

VIII. The Gospel Includes Judgment
Romans 2:16

The Gospel is not merely a message about God’s love.
The Gospel presupposes:

Sin
Guilt
Judgment
Death
Separation from God

Therefore, Christians should not present the Gospel while omitting judgment.
People need to understand why they need salvation before they can fully understand the good news of salvation.

A. The Gospel of Christ
1 Corinthians 15

Christ died for our sins and rose again according to the Scriptures.
The Gospel therefore addresses mankind’s actual problem: sin and its consequences.

1 Timothy 1:11

The Gospel is the glorious gospel of the blessed God.

IX. The Good News: No Condemnation for Those in Christ

God’s judgment is terrifying for sinners.
But the Gospel provides the solution.
Christ took the punishment that sinners deserved.
Those who trust in Christ are no longer under condemnation.
Faith in Christ justifies.
Keeping the Law cannot save because perfect obedience is impossible.
Salvation comes through abandoning self-righteousness and trusting in Christ alone.

X. Conclusion and Application

Apart from God’s grace, everyone would be under judgment.
Christ, the sinless Lamb of God, suffered in our place.
God does not desire that people perish.
Christians should:

Reach the dying world
Preach sin
Preach judgment
Preach Christ’s atoning sacrifice
Be doers of the Word, not hearers only

Those who have received much revelation have a great responsibility to steward it faithfully.

How God Judges:

God judges according to truth.
God judges according to deeds.
God’s judgment is impartial.
God judges according to the revelation a person has received.
God judges through Jesus Christ according to the Gospel.