THE ROMAN ROAD -- "No Distinctions"

THE ROMAN ROAD
“No Distinctions”
Romans 2:11-16
December 14, 2011

Let me read to you a short illustration from Donald Grey Barnhouse that is in his commentary on Romans that applies to this area that we want to look at tonight. He writes, “As I drive in and out of Philadelphia, the main road passes the old Quaker meeting house at Horsham, where William Penn frequently attended divine service. Across the road from the old colonial edifice, there is the large and well kept graveyard, in which each of the hundreds of grave stones is exactly alike. Every stone rises as a marker above a grave, a simple rounded headstone about a foot above the ground. If you read the names that are there, you will find that masters and servants, parents and children, rich and poor, have stones that are precisely the similar. With the old Quakers a great truth had taken hold – that whatever the inequalities of life, all were equal in death.” Now, the truth that Barnhouse expresses in this story sort of sets the stage for our study tonight. As we begin, the great truth of this area is that:

GOD DOESN’T SHOW FAVORITISM -- Romans 2:11 (NASB) “For there is no partiality with God.” There are 4 principles of the judgment of God. The first is:

God will judge men according to truth, secondly, God will judge men according to the measure of wrath men have stored up for themselves, thirdly, God will judge men for their life choices whether for righteousness or unrighteousness, and fourthly, God will judge men without favoritism.

The word “partiality” in the Greek is prosopolemptes (pros-o-pol-APE-tace) and it means literally “an accepter of a face.” Literally translated, vs 11 would read this way, “For there is not receiving of face in the Presence of God.” In other words, God does not accept a person because of their personal merits. He doesn’t accept anyone because they are rich or poor, a person of power or a person with no influence. Simply put, God doesn’t show any level of partiality. Everyone is on equal footing before God and His judgment. It’s clear that:

ALL SIN WILL BE JUDGED -- Romans 2:12-16 “For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law; and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; for not the hearers of the Law are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them,”

The basis for judgment is sin. The man who sins without the law and the man who sins in the law will both be judged. Why do some people feel that God will judge them differently using a different set of rules? WAIT

The man who sins without the law will also perish without law. The word for law is a general word. It refers to the law of God in both the Scriptures and nature. In other words, man who does NOT have the law of the Scripture DOES HAVE the law of nature to guide. If he sins against the law of nature, he will still be judged. He had the opportunity to know God through creation – through nature itself.

Romans 1:19-20 reminds us of this. “….because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.”

Man has a God given conscience and he has an inner sense or awareness of that which is right and that which is wrong. Romans tell us that man can know God and His invisible attributes, His power and His nature through His creation. It’s clear from God’s Word that man has the ability through this awareness that he would be drawn to know God. Having said that, man is then without excuse. However, man has chosen NOT to know God.

The man who sins “under the law” will be judged by the law. His judgment will be greater because he had the privilege and opportunity to know God through the law. The point is that God will not show any partiality when it comes to His judgment.
Everyone will have to answer for their sins whether they were under the law, as were the Jews and some Gentiles, or whether they were NOT under the law which was the case for most of the Gentiles.

There is another distinction here and that is that a person must be:

A DOER OF THE LAW -- The doers and not the hearer of the law will be justified. It isn’t enough to just have the Word of God. It’s not enough to just hear and see the Word of God. It’s not enough to understand and know the Word of God. It’s not enough to possess and profess the Word of God. A person must not only be a hearer of the Word of God, they must be a doer.

With the law of Moses was the KNOWLEDGE of sin and consequent guilt. But man didn’t have the power to AVOID SIN. The law of Moses was given by God to man to show how man should conduct himself toward God and his fellowman. Nothing was left out. At that time, the law of Moses was the only law known to man and it was equal for everyone. Within that law there was provision for sin in that there were sacrifices to be offered that would cover sin, but not take it away.

The sacrifices of the law of Moses told man that he was a sinner and couldn’t save himself. The law taught man that there had to be the shedding of blood from an innocent victim pertaining to animal sacrifices. For the most part, the Gentiles, even though this law was available to them should they choose to follow it with the Jews, they chose not to do so. Consequently, they lived outside of the law and will be judged by their choice.

Now, what about the matter of those who do not have or heard the Word of God? Where to they stand? What kinds of things has God put into their heart that can lead them to God? WAIT Well, the heathen have a 3 fold witness that is strong enough to lead them to God. First of all:

MEN HAVE THEIR NATURE -- These verses in Romans 2:12-15 state that men may not have the law (the Scriptures) but they can DO the law by nature.

There is that within man, within his nature, that can stir him to do the law. Man has an instinctive knowledge of right and wrong. His very nature gives him the chance to do what is right and avoid what is wrong.

Man can look at nature and see that he is part of it. Secondly:

MAN HAS A CONSCIENCE -- When they do right, there is that sense of approval. When they do wrong there sense a reproach. So their conscience gives them the opportunity to live righteously and do good. Thirdly:

MAN HAS REASONING ABILITY -- That ability can approve or disapprove, excuse or accuse them and others. Their thoughts bear witness as to how they should or should not live. Why do they reject those things? WAIT Finally, judgment will be:

EXECUTED BY JESUS AND HIS GOSPEL -- Romans 2:16 “on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.”

A specific day of judgment is coming. In that day, the “secrets of men” will be exposed and judged. And Jesus is the One who will do the judging. He alone has earned the right to judge men because He obeyed the Father perfectly and lived a sinless life. And the standard for His judgment is the Gospel.

Father, once again we thank You for the truth of Your Word. Holy Spirit, we ask for Your help to keep us sensitive to the Gospel of Jesus Christ so that we can, not only hear it but obey it. And in that process may we so live our life that the lost will see Jesus in us and be drawn to Him. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN