Romans 2 - The Church is not a Hotel for Saints, But a Hospital for Sinners!

God’s Righteous Judgment

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearanceand patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
In chapter 2 Paul builds a case that all of us fall short of God's glory.  If God's law is the final arbiter of a person's righteousness, then all people both Jews and Gentiles will need a lot of help.  So when you judge someone else, Paul says you are judging yourself.  Why?  Because there is no one without fault.  The only one who can judge is the one who is fully righteous, God.  
So if we all far short of God's righteousness, what do we need?  We need mercy.  Mercy is gettting what we don't deserve. When one truly understands the mercy, there is no room or reason to judge others.  In fact, Paul tells us that those who judge others are naive to think that they will not face as harsh of a judgment.
Finally, Paul appeals to them to realize that it is only God's kindness and patience that leads us to repent and turn to God for forgiveness.  Since we all need God's kindness and mercy let's not withhold it from others.  
Are you judgmental person?  I think we all can be judgmental at times.  Sometimes being judgmental is an attempt for us to feel better about ourselves.  After all if someone looks worse, we might look better.  But the truth is that NONE OF US has the right to judge anyone.  When we realize it is only by God's grace that we are saved, instead of judging others we will want to share with them grace and mercy of God in Christ Jesus.  The church should be the least judgmental place people can go to.  The church is not hotel for saints, but a hospital for sinners.    

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Acts 22 - Paul Sees the Light

2 Timothy 4 - Fight the Good Fight! Finish the Race!

Hebrews 6 - Have You Graduated From Elementary School of Faith Yet?