Mark Sorensen Allow me to digress.
In high school I was a part of a mock trial team that actually made it all the way to state finals in Dallas, TX. I loved this experience. I was a defense attorney and my favorite moment in trial happened immediately after the prosecutor made opening statements. Imagine the scene. I walk up to the jury and compliment the opening prosecutor in regards to their poignant words and case made before the jury. Then, I hit the jury with this moment:
“Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I really only have a single question for you today and it’s this one: ‘Do you see my hand?'” That’s it. I held up my hand and just stared at each member of the jury enjoying the awkwardness of the moment. Then? The same question but emphasizing a different word when asked. “Ladies and gentleman… do YOU see my hand?” And then? The big moment. The dog of awkwardness was about to be released.
With voice raised and with much enthusiasm, I would drop the main point:
“Do you really see my hand? OR, do you only see HALF of my hand!?”.
Boom. There it was. I would flip my hand around and show the back side of it. The point being, just as the prosecutor told the jury ONE SIDE of the case, it was the defense attorney’s job to present the opposing perspective which mustn’t be overlooked.
Let’s look at Romans 2:1-8.
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, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.
In Romans 2:1-8, Paul is speaking to the danger of and the hypocrisy found when we place judgment on another life. The simple truth is that we’re all deserving of God’s judgment because of our sin. Paul doesn’t shy away from this thought as he shares a chapter later that, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). However, isn’t this the beauty of Lent and this season of recognizing who we are and what’s been forgiven in the shadow of the cross? We oftentimes are so quick to quote Romans 3:23, but let’s not miss the other side of that hand when Paul goes on to remind us that, though all have sinned and fallen short, “all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 3:24)
Let this sink in: we’re forgiven. YOU, my friend, are forgiven.
So Paul, in Romans 2, is encouraging believers to not get lost in judgment. A judging and condemning heart grows nothing that gives any form or resemblance of true life. Instead, we should focus on what’s really important. Paul says, “To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life“.
THIS is the Good News of the Gospel, friends, and worthy of our all.
