Sinful Judging

October 20, 2002                                                                                                       Northwest Bible Church

 

Rom. 2:1-3

Sinful Judging

 

INTRO

A. Introduction (1:1-15)

B. Theme (1:16-17)

C. All men are unrighteous and deserve God’s wrath (1:18-3:20)

1) Gentiles are unrighteous (1:18-32)

2) Moralists are unrighteous (2:1-16)

3) Jews are unrighteous (2:17-29)

4) There is none righteous (3:1-20).

 

 

I.  WHO ARE THE MORALISTS (vv. 1-16)?

 

A.  Jews or Gentiles?

 

 

B.  Their belief system.

 

1) They are good.

 

2) They are the “children of Abraham”.

 

 

II.  WHAT ARE THESE MORALISTS GUILTY OF (vv. 1-3)?

 

They are condemning others for sin that they are guilty of too.

 

A.  They have a standard.  “in that you judge another.”

 

B.  They pass a sentence.  “you who passes judgment.”

 

C.  They are guilty of the same.  “you practice the same things” (v. 1), Does this mean that they really did do the sins of chapter one?  The word “same” can imply either:

 

1) sins of exact identity (they really did do these same sins) or,

 

2) sins of similarity. Namely, that they were quilty of similar sins Cf. Mt. 5:21-30; 1 Sam. 15:23.

 

 

D.  They are totally unlike God when He judges (v. 2).  God uses the same standard for all.

 

 

 

III.  PRINCIPLES OF JUDGING OTHERS.

 

A. Sinful judging.

 

1) In hypocrisy. Rom. 2:1-3; Mt. 7:1-5.

 

2) With partiality.  Deut. 1:17; Jas. 2:1-13.

 

3) From a malicious intent.  Jas. 4:11-12.

 

4) In areas of Christian liberty.  Rom. 1-4, 10, 13; Col. 2:16.

 

5)  Based on superficial evidence or external appearance. 1 Sam. 1.

 

B. Biblical judging.

 

1) Moral sin. Mt. 18:15

 

2) Doctrinal sin. Gal. 1:8-9

 

3) Self-judging.  1 Cor. 11:27-31; Gal. 6:1

 

4) Church discipline.  1 Cor. 5:1-5,12; Mt. 18:15-18; Gal. 2:11-14; 6:1.

 

5) Eschatological.  1 Cor. 6:2-3

 

 

CONCLUSION