Turning the Tables

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. Romans 1:2

Perhaps you have been reading my blog for a number of weeks or months. If so, thank you.

Perhaps you agree with much of its message.

Maybe you agree with the description Paul has been giving of the spiritual state of the human race.

If the previous sentences describe you, please be careful. There is a thin line between acknowledging the sinfulness of the human race and having a judgmental attitude towards sinners.

Paul now turns his attention in the second chapter of his letter to describing the spiritual state of people who regard themselves as religious, God-fearing, decent, law-abiding and morally sound. As we shall see, Paul's description is not flattering.

To put it another way, whereas chapter one could be seen as a classic description of the Gentile lifestyle of first century Rome, full of immorality and idolatry, chapter two is a description of the Jewish community in the same era - characterized by their strict rejection of idols and high moral standards.

What these two very different ways of living share, as we shall see, is an inability to produce righteous people in the sight of God. In both communities, people find themselves faced with the same essential problem: they are under God's judgment because of their sin and are unable to make themselves righteous.

For those who see the Christian faith as merely an exercise on moral self-reform, this is a challenging and unsettling chapter. Paul sees no hope for the Gentile or the Jew to make themselves right with God by their own efforts.

Let's follow Paul's argument and unwrap the chapter in more detail.