Welcome to EBible Fellowship’s Bible study in the book of Romans. Today is study #2 of Romans 2, and I will be reading Romans 2:1-4:

Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

We are continuing to look at verse 1. Again, it said in the first part of the verse: “Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest…” As we discussed yesterday, the word “therefore” is there to refer us to the previous verses where God gave a list of iniquities, leading into chapter 2. It is a grievous list that would become evident in the people of the world at the time of the end, and it will be everywhere, and people will see the sins of their fellow man that had always been in the heart of man. But, to a large degree, it had been restrained in past times, but that is no longer the case because the Holy Spirit has lifted His hand of restraint, and now these sins are being manifested and shown before everyone, so it is much easier for people to become judgmental when they read and hear the stories of these terrible sins that are taking place.

And, yet, God is not allowing anyone to sit upon His throne of judgment. That belongs only to Him, so for anyone who would seek to judge their fellow man in the place of God, that action is inexcusable, as God says, “Therefore thou art inexcusable.”

The Greek word translated as “inexcusable” is a word we came across in chapter 1, if we go back to Romans 1:20:

For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

So the atheist is without excuse, as far as his position of saying there is no God. He has the testimony of heaven and the testimony of his own heart, so he is lying to himself. Deep down, everyone knows there is a God, so there is no excuse for man to develop these theories of evolution or the Big Bang, and to try to come up with ideas about how this world could have come about without a God creating it. They are all inexcusable.

Likewise, it is inexcusable for anyone to judge their fellow man and to point the finger and pronounce judgment against another sinner. That is just as inexcusable as the atheist’s position, and God is pointing this out: “Thou art inexcusable, O man.”

We spent a little time looking at this letter (Omega) that is used often in reproofs: “Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.”

To judge others is not something we talk often about, but God is certainly very clear about this. And it is not only here, but let us turn to Matthew 7:1-2:

Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.

Before we continue reading, I will just say, again, that God has said in Romans that he that judges another condemns himself, and that is because “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged,” as it says in Matthew 7:2. Judging another indicates a “heart problem” of the one who is doing it, and it reveals that he himself is not saved; or at least, that is the danger, and anyone engaged in judging others is engaged in a very dangerous thing. The Lord is indicating that judging other people’s wrongs is really a trait or characteristic of the ungodly or unsaved person.

It is always thought to be the other way around, because people in the world do not want to be around Christians or the Bible because they feel they are being “judged.” They think Christians are always judging others, but that is not true of the true elect people of God. It can be true of those that are “false professors” and Christians in name only, because they are unsaved, and it is characteristic of the unsaved “to judge.” So, perhaps, because the majority of “Christians” today are merely professed Christians, it has given Christians a bad name. But I think it is also a misconception people have of the elect, or with anyone that is associated with the Bible: “Well, they just judge people indiscriminately. They are very judgmental.”

But the truth is that it is characteristic of the unsaved person to judge others. You hear some of the harshest, cruelest, and most severe judgments are pronounced by those that have nothing to do with the Bible and are definitely part of the world. They are the ones that will say, “I will never forgive that guy. I will never forgive him for what he did.” They are the ones that will tell you…you could be speaking to a “nice old woman” that is seemingly easy-going, and then she will bring up something from forty years ago, and you can hear the anger and bitterness, and in talking about the offender, she is still holding a grudge. That is the nature of man. They do not forgive, and the real reason is that they have not been forgiven themselves. But when God saves people, what does He reveal to the one He has saved? “You are a dirty, rotten sinner. You have transgressed my Law. You have committed a million iniquities. You did wrong, after wrong, after wrong, and I have forgiven it all. I have washed you clean. Every thought, word, and deed I have pardoned and cast them into the sea. They are gone forever, never to be remembered against you.” And then God says to all those He has forgiven in such a great way, “You are to forgive your fellow man.” That is what it says in Ephesians 4:32:

And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

That is God’s commandment to His people, and His people seek to follow that, with that new, born-again heart that desires to do the will of God. We also realize, “How can I judge another person and hold onto the wrong they have done against me, and be bitter and unforgiving, when God has forgiven me a million times more? And I have done far worse, and I have sinned against a holy and just God. And I am not holy or just, and this person sinned against me, and it is a little thing (by comparison).”

That is why the Lord gave the parable of the servant who had been forgiven much by his lord who did away with the whole debt. Then that servant who was forgiven much had a fellow servant that owed him a small amount, which was insignificant in comparison to the enormous debt his lord had forgiven of him. And, yet, this man had the gall to grab ahold of his fellow servant and choke him, saying, “Pay what thou owest me!” He demanded payment for that little debt, after he had been forgiven a large debt. Then his lord heard and delivered him to the tormenters, because of this principle: “For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged,” and “Thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself.” God’s people are aware of this, and we do not want to hold any kind of grudge. We do not want to seek any kind of vengeance against anyone. And if we have feelings in that way, we want to pray, “O, Lord, help me to forbear and forgive and to forget. Help me to not hold anything against this person.”

So it is not true of God’s elect that we are judgmental of others, but it is true of the ungodly, those still in their sins that have no problem with the idea that they are God. Man was created in the image of God, and he has that tendency to “act like God,” even in his fallen, sinful condition. So, sure, he will take his seat on his judgment throne. He is king of his own life, he believes: “This you-know-what has done me wrong, and I will never forgive him!” So he is acting like a lawgiver and judge, but there is only one Lawgiver and Judge, and it is not that puny, finite sinner, but it is God Himself.

Continuing here in Matthew 7, it says in Matthew 7:3:

And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?

The words “mote” and “beam” are found in this passage, and also in the parallel passage in Luke, but only there, so it is only used in Christ’s parable. So theologians have gone to outside secular sources, and they have said that the “mote” is like a “speck of dust” or like a “little splinter of wood” that you could get in your hand, or, in this case, in the eye. It is just a little speck, but it is disturbing to have this little thing in your eye. Whereas, a “beam” would be a much larger piece of wood. Given the context in which Christ used it, that seems plausible, and it sounds like it would fit. And since we have nothing in the Bible that would either confirm or deny that idea, I think we can just go along with it because it does fit the context here.

Again, it says, “Why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye,” so that means it is a sin that we see outwardly. And it is like a “speck” because, truly, the greater sin is inward, and everyone should be aware of their own inward sinful condition, as far as the sin of their heart, as well as the sin of their bodies (members). That is all inward or in them. But there is a tendency in man to overlook his own sins and, yet, he is “eagle-eyed” to see the sin of others: “Oh, there is a spot! There is a blemish! There is a speck of dust in that person’s eye!” And, yet, he is not considering the “beam” that is in his own eye, which he should certainly consider first, and that is Christ’s point, in Matthew 7:4:

Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

This is a ridiculous picture, is it not? There is someone with a “telephone pole” protruding from his eye, but he goes out of his way to come to another, saying, “Friend, I see this splinter in your eye. Let me help you get it out. Let me work on that with you.” This is why people do not receive that kind of judgmental criticism well. They are looking back at him, and what are they seeing? They are seeing a sinner, a person whose sins are far greater than the little sin that he sees outwardly in the other person.

But he is not considering that. He is not looking at himself. That is why we have that expression, “When you point your finger at someone, there are three fingers pointing back at you.” It is really an accurate saying. We have that tendency to look out at the other person and say, “You! You! You!” But we are really avoiding our own sin problem and our own situation. So this is how the Lord sums it up, in Matthew 5:7:

Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

You hypocrite! And the word translated as “hypocrite” sounds very similar in the Greek, and it is Strong’s #5273, and it is found 20 times in the New Testament. It is always translated “hypocrite,” but it is derived from #5271, which is used one time, and I think it helps us understand what is meant by this word “hypocrite.” We read in Luke 20:19-20:

And the chief priests and the scribes the same hour sought to lay hands on him; and they feared the people: for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them. And they watched him, and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor.

The word “feign” is this related word. They were spies that feigned themselves as just men, earnest and sincere in seeking truth and hearing the Word of the Lord, but they were not that way at all. They were acting like they were just men and followers of Christ, but they were not followers of Christ. They were feigning themselves just men. So “to pretend” or “to appear as” is what a hypocrite does, because he is presenting himself as a person that is not true to his actual state or condition. He is like an actor on a stage who is playing a role. That is what God is saying here, and He his applying it to those that judge others. They are judging others while the actual condition of their own hearts is avoided. They are not looking at themselves, and that is probably one of the reasons they prefer to judge others, so as to avoid judging themselves. And Christ calls them hypocrites.

We find this word mentioned in Matthew 6:2:

Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

It also says in Matthew 15:7-9:

Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.

These false worshippers are vain worshippers of God. They speak well of Him. They have a lot of words praising God, and you hear that so much in the churches today: “Praise the Lord! Praise Jesus! I love Jesus!” There are all kinds of nice sentiments that are good and wonderful things to say about God, but their heart is far from Him. When God came with the command to get out of the churches, they ignored it. They reviled those that brought that message to them. They want nothing to do with actual “hearkening” to the Word of the Lord or with actual obedience to the commandments of God. Instead, they will obey traditions of men, and these are hypocrites that are feigning themselves to be just men, but they are not just.

Of course, in Matthew 23 the Lord addressed the scribes and Pharisees. And there is a constant refrain in these chapters of them being hypocrites, as He spoke of all the errors in their teachings and in the things that they did in “worshipping God.”

In Matthew 24 in the context of the time of the end, it says in Matthew 24:44-51:

Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh. Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite his fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

The hypocrites are certainly unsaved people that give the appearance of salvation and of following Christ, but the reality is completely different.

Lord willing, when we get together in our next study, we are going to move on in Romans 2, and we will look a little more closely at verses 2 and 3, and see what God has to say to us there.