Judge It All!

This week, we continue to look at Paul's letter to the Romans at our church Bible study. In his second chapter, Paul addresses one issue that can arise from reading chapter one. That is the issue of being judgmental. We can react to the law in many ways. One reaction is to push back because of the accusation we feel from the law. Another is to judge others according to it. Paul writes chapter two specifically against those who would judge.

It is so easy, hearing a list of sins, to think immediately about those others who do such things. As if we don't. It creates an "us versus them" dichotomy. A position from which we have the high ground. It is so easy to see the sins in others. Jesus, of course, speaks against this attitude in the Pharisees.  Here, I am thinking specifically about Jesus' parable telling us to take the plank out of our own eye first.

When the law is preached, it is not about our ability to judge others; it is about God's judgment of us. When we judge others, we judge them for doing the very things that we do. There is no righteousness in one human judging another because all humans sin and are under God's judgment. When God judges, however, he does it in justice and righteousness.

The problem is distinguishing between when we are judging another and when we are being messengers of God's judgment. A part of preaching the word of God is exclaiming the law and God's judgment against sinners. This is exactly what Paul does in the second half of chapter one. This is not Paul's judgment, but his message from God concerning God's judgment.

Even in Bible class last Sunday, we started talking in terms of us and them. "They" are those who don't understand what sin is. "They" are those who do exactly what Paul describes and who are under God's judgment. We err when we make our own judgments. "Who are you man to judge." We are no one, but God has judged and his judgments are right.