Woe to the Religious!

Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? Romans 2:2-3

How easy it is for religious people to judge others - only to judge themselves in the process. Look around - it's very common.

How important it is, therefore, to understand the gospel that Paul is setting out in his letter to the Christians in Rome.

The gospel is not

a) a call to moral self-improvement

b) the religious voice of the middle classes

c) a message of judgment against certain sections of the population

Paul has spent the whole of the first chapter proving that the human race is under God's judgment. Here in chapter two, he is making sure that religious people understand that this includes them. Passing judgment on certain people for their wrong doing when you are doing essentially the same things yourself is the height of hypocrisy and results in you coming under God's judgment yourself.

How many people look down on teenage mothers as loose and stupid, only to allow their own families to fall apart through adultery in their middle years?

How many of us tut tut at drunken yobs in our city centers every weekend but are happy to drink to excess in our professional circles?

Paul's point is simple - when we condemn others, we condemn ourselves.

Now we know that God's judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God's judgment? Romans 2:2-3