When controversial book Pastor’s Daughter was first published in Korea in 2014, people had different reactions ranged from rapture to outrage. The author’s father was a well-respected pastor and theologian among Korean churches. He wrote many excellent books and taught many students. He was a pillar of Korean Christianity in the 20th century. In the book the author reveals the shocking truth that from a daughter’s perspective her father was different at home. He was legalistic, authoritarian, and hot tempered. He was cold and loveless to his wife. And he deeply hurt his children. When her father became old, the author sent a long letter because she wanted to reconcile herself to her dad before he died. She wanted to hear him say “I am sorry. I love you.” But her father’s answer was “Repent.” And he quoted the scripture, Exodus 21:17, “Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.”
Context of Romans 2
It’s a sad story. I shared this story because it is all relevant to today’s scripture, Romans 2. Romans 1 is about unreligious people. Paul says that they are lost. Now in Romans 2 he comes as a bucket of cold water to the religious people, saying, “You are the same! You’re lost too!” The main theme of Romans 2 is to demonstrate that Jews and Gentiles (the religious and the unreligious) are equal in sin and equal in salvation. In Luke 15 Jesus tells us a parable about two sons. It’s often called “The Parable of the Prodigal Son.” But in fact, the title of this story should be plural – prodigal sons. There was a man who had two sons. A younger son, as we know, was debauched, materialistic, disobedient to his father. He committed a sin, the kind of sin everyone thinks of as sin. But then there was an older son. He was obedient and compliant with everything the father said. But listen to what he said to his father when his brother came back. He said, “Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat to celebrate with my friends…” (29). He thinks his father owes him because he’s better. The point of the parable is this: both the younger and older sons are lost, both alienated from the father, and they both need salvation. In Romans 2 Paul is speaking to religious, law-keeping, legalistic, self-righteous, self-confident Jews. Paul says that a self-righteous person will acknowledge the existence of God, but sees no need for him. They are doing well enough themselves. They see no need for repentance, because they think they are doing good. But in today’s passage Paul is showing that religious people need the gospel as much as unreligious people and that religious people run from the gospel as much as unreligious people.
Judging Yourself
In Romans 2:1 Paul says, “Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things” (ESV). We often fall into the hypocrisy of the double standard – a high standard for other people and a fairly low and generous one for ourselves. We are often far quicker and harsher in our judgment of others than of ourselves. But the Bible says that God is fair in his judgment. And he will use our own standards as the standards by which we are judged. It is what Francis Shaffer called the “invisible tape recorder.” It is as if, unseen, there is a recorder around each of our necks. It records the things we say to others and about others, about how they ought to live. Then, at the last day, God the Judge will take the tape recorder off your neck and say: I will be completely fair— I will simply play this tape and judge you on the basis of what your own words say are the standards for human behavior.[1] In verse 3 Paul asks: “Do you think you will escape God’s judgment?”
We all face judgment, and all deserve wrath. We, religious people, need the gospel as much as unreligious people. The heart of the gospel is that the righteousness of God has been revealed, apart from the law (our righteousness) – the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe! (3:21-22). We cannot appreciate the gospel and who Christ is unless we have first acknowledged who we are. Charles Simeon put it in this way: “There are but two objects that I have ever desired … to behold; the one, is my own vileness; and the other is, the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ: and I have always thought that they should be viewed together.”[2] My sinfulness, and God’s goodness – these are the two things that we must see every day.
The Evidence of Faith
When we stand before God on the last day, what is the standard by which we will be judged? Paul’s answer is surprising. In verse 6 Paul says, “God will give to each person according to what he has done” (NIV). God’s judgment is on the basis of works. Here Paul is not saying that we are saved by works. Instead, he is saying that works matter – not as the basis for salvation, but as the evidence that someone has the faith that saves. For instance, the apples on an apple tree prove life, but they don’t provide it. For instance, the apples are the evidence that the apple tree is alive, but the roots are what pull in the nourishment to keep it that way.[3] In the same way, faith in Christ alone provides new life. We are saved by faith through Jesus Christ alone. But a changed life, the fruit of the Spirit, is the evidence that we have real faith. Good works of love show we have saving faith.
Paul, then, tells us that there are two kinds of good works: Christ-exalting vs. self-seeking. In verse 7 there are the group of people who are persistent in doing good, living in a godly way. It has become a persistent life pattern. And they seek glory, honor and immortality. These are qualities that are found in life with God. They do good for God’s glory and honor, not for their own sake. But in verse 8 there are another group of people who insist on getting their own way. They do good works with self-seeking and self-glorifying motives. They feel they are better and more righteous. Doing good deeds become their Savior and their righteousness. One time Saint Francis of Assisi had started a 40-day fast with his disciples. On the 39th day one of his young disciples couldn’t tolerate pain from hunger and had some soup. And the rest of the disciples were furious, because he broke the rules. At that very moment, Francis quietly picked up his spoon and began to have soup. Of course, the disciples were dismayed. Francis said to them, “Why are we fasting for 40 days? We are doing all this to be more like Jesus and love more like Jesus. But if we hate and judge one another in fasting, it would be much better to freely eat and love one another.” What separates true good works from false ones is “love.” Authentic saving faith always issues in good works, but not just good works, but good works of love.
True Jews, True Christians
In verses 28-29 Paul concludes today’s story in this way: “For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God” (ESV). These words can be paraphrased for today’s Christians as follows: “So what if you have been baptized? So what if you are a church member? This only counts for anything if there has been a real change in your life, if your heart has been truly affected. Don’t you know that you are not a Christian if you are only one externally, that real Christianity is not about having confidence in external things? No, a Christian is someone who is a Christian inside; what matters is inner baptism, a heart-membership of God’s people. And this is a supernatural work, not a human one.”[4]
One of my colleagues shared this story when he was visiting one church in Abu Dhabi. He was impressed because there are lots of trees there although it’s a desert city. From a distance he saw trees which look like willow trees. They gave him a good impression – warm, comforting, peaceful. But when he came to take a closer look, he was very surprised, because there were lots of thorns on its trunks. In the same way, there are some people who look like good Christians outwardly, but when we come closer to them, really get to know them, we find thorns in them. Especially those who are close – spouse and children, and close friends – know those thorns. But when Christ comes and lives in us, when we walk by His Spirit daily, he takes away our thorns one by one. And our hearts become softened and melted. River of living water flows out of our hearts. And people around us notice this difference. So this morning let us examine and ask ourselves: “Am I a true Christian?” “Is my humility, love in hard situations, grace under pressure, obvious for others to see?” My prayer is that when I die, my wife and four children may say, “He was a true Christian, follower of Christ.” And I pray that you will hear the same complement from those who are close to you and from God. I also pray that our church community would become the most attractive, loving, forgiving place in town where Christ’s love is visible and contagious. Amen.
[1] Timothy Keller, Romans 1-7 For You: For reading, for feeding, for leading (The Good Book Company, 2014), Kindle Location 530-533 of 2850.
[2] Ibid., 671-673.
[3] Ibid., 604-607.
[4] Ibid., 789-793.
Context of Romans 2
It’s a sad story. I shared this story because it is all relevant to today’s scripture, Romans 2. Romans 1 is about unreligious people. Paul says that they are lost. Now in Romans 2 he comes as a bucket of cold water to the religious people, saying, “You are the same! You’re lost too!” The main theme of Romans 2 is to demonstrate that Jews and Gentiles (the religious and the unreligious) are equal in sin and equal in salvation. In Luke 15 Jesus tells us a parable about two sons. It’s often called “The Parable of the Prodigal Son.” But in fact, the title of this story should be plural – prodigal sons. There was a man who had two sons. A younger son, as we know, was debauched, materialistic, disobedient to his father. He committed a sin, the kind of sin everyone thinks of as sin. But then there was an older son. He was obedient and compliant with everything the father said. But listen to what he said to his father when his brother came back. He said, “Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat to celebrate with my friends…” (29). He thinks his father owes him because he’s better. The point of the parable is this: both the younger and older sons are lost, both alienated from the father, and they both need salvation. In Romans 2 Paul is speaking to religious, law-keeping, legalistic, self-righteous, self-confident Jews. Paul says that a self-righteous person will acknowledge the existence of God, but sees no need for him. They are doing well enough themselves. They see no need for repentance, because they think they are doing good. But in today’s passage Paul is showing that religious people need the gospel as much as unreligious people and that religious people run from the gospel as much as unreligious people.
Judging Yourself
In Romans 2:1 Paul says, “Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things” (ESV). We often fall into the hypocrisy of the double standard – a high standard for other people and a fairly low and generous one for ourselves. We are often far quicker and harsher in our judgment of others than of ourselves. But the Bible says that God is fair in his judgment. And he will use our own standards as the standards by which we are judged. It is what Francis Shaffer called the “invisible tape recorder.” It is as if, unseen, there is a recorder around each of our necks. It records the things we say to others and about others, about how they ought to live. Then, at the last day, God the Judge will take the tape recorder off your neck and say: I will be completely fair— I will simply play this tape and judge you on the basis of what your own words say are the standards for human behavior.[1] In verse 3 Paul asks: “Do you think you will escape God’s judgment?”
We all face judgment, and all deserve wrath. We, religious people, need the gospel as much as unreligious people. The heart of the gospel is that the righteousness of God has been revealed, apart from the law (our righteousness) – the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe! (3:21-22). We cannot appreciate the gospel and who Christ is unless we have first acknowledged who we are. Charles Simeon put it in this way: “There are but two objects that I have ever desired … to behold; the one, is my own vileness; and the other is, the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ: and I have always thought that they should be viewed together.”[2] My sinfulness, and God’s goodness – these are the two things that we must see every day.
The Evidence of Faith
When we stand before God on the last day, what is the standard by which we will be judged? Paul’s answer is surprising. In verse 6 Paul says, “God will give to each person according to what he has done” (NIV). God’s judgment is on the basis of works. Here Paul is not saying that we are saved by works. Instead, he is saying that works matter – not as the basis for salvation, but as the evidence that someone has the faith that saves. For instance, the apples on an apple tree prove life, but they don’t provide it. For instance, the apples are the evidence that the apple tree is alive, but the roots are what pull in the nourishment to keep it that way.[3] In the same way, faith in Christ alone provides new life. We are saved by faith through Jesus Christ alone. But a changed life, the fruit of the Spirit, is the evidence that we have real faith. Good works of love show we have saving faith.
Paul, then, tells us that there are two kinds of good works: Christ-exalting vs. self-seeking. In verse 7 there are the group of people who are persistent in doing good, living in a godly way. It has become a persistent life pattern. And they seek glory, honor and immortality. These are qualities that are found in life with God. They do good for God’s glory and honor, not for their own sake. But in verse 8 there are another group of people who insist on getting their own way. They do good works with self-seeking and self-glorifying motives. They feel they are better and more righteous. Doing good deeds become their Savior and their righteousness. One time Saint Francis of Assisi had started a 40-day fast with his disciples. On the 39th day one of his young disciples couldn’t tolerate pain from hunger and had some soup. And the rest of the disciples were furious, because he broke the rules. At that very moment, Francis quietly picked up his spoon and began to have soup. Of course, the disciples were dismayed. Francis said to them, “Why are we fasting for 40 days? We are doing all this to be more like Jesus and love more like Jesus. But if we hate and judge one another in fasting, it would be much better to freely eat and love one another.” What separates true good works from false ones is “love.” Authentic saving faith always issues in good works, but not just good works, but good works of love.
True Jews, True Christians
In verses 28-29 Paul concludes today’s story in this way: “For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God” (ESV). These words can be paraphrased for today’s Christians as follows: “So what if you have been baptized? So what if you are a church member? This only counts for anything if there has been a real change in your life, if your heart has been truly affected. Don’t you know that you are not a Christian if you are only one externally, that real Christianity is not about having confidence in external things? No, a Christian is someone who is a Christian inside; what matters is inner baptism, a heart-membership of God’s people. And this is a supernatural work, not a human one.”[4]
One of my colleagues shared this story when he was visiting one church in Abu Dhabi. He was impressed because there are lots of trees there although it’s a desert city. From a distance he saw trees which look like willow trees. They gave him a good impression – warm, comforting, peaceful. But when he came to take a closer look, he was very surprised, because there were lots of thorns on its trunks. In the same way, there are some people who look like good Christians outwardly, but when we come closer to them, really get to know them, we find thorns in them. Especially those who are close – spouse and children, and close friends – know those thorns. But when Christ comes and lives in us, when we walk by His Spirit daily, he takes away our thorns one by one. And our hearts become softened and melted. River of living water flows out of our hearts. And people around us notice this difference. So this morning let us examine and ask ourselves: “Am I a true Christian?” “Is my humility, love in hard situations, grace under pressure, obvious for others to see?” My prayer is that when I die, my wife and four children may say, “He was a true Christian, follower of Christ.” And I pray that you will hear the same complement from those who are close to you and from God. I also pray that our church community would become the most attractive, loving, forgiving place in town where Christ’s love is visible and contagious. Amen.
[1] Timothy Keller, Romans 1-7 For You: For reading, for feeding, for leading (The Good Book Company, 2014), Kindle Location 530-533 of 2850.
[2] Ibid., 671-673.
[3] Ibid., 604-607.
[4] Ibid., 789-793.
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