Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20071007.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Romans: Charter Of God's Salvation Grace
Part II: Exposing The NEED For God's Salvation Of Sinful Man, Romans 1:18-3:20
B. Moral Man's NEED For God's Salvation From Sin
(Romans 2:1-16)
  1. Introduction
    1. We often hear conservative radio talk show hosts complain about the evils of godless pagan folk. Lawlessness, deceit, slander and unjust political maneuvering are typical sins thus exposed!
    2. However, the one who views himself as having morals unlike blatant pagans around him is just as guilty of sin and in need of Christ's salvation, for, in a more "civilized" way, he practices the same kinds of sins!
    3. This truth is explained in Romans 2:1-16 in its context (as follows):
  2. Moral Man's NEED For God's Salvation From Sin, Romans 2:1-16.
    1. Following the divine indictment of the openly, brazenly pagan sinner in Romans 1:18-32, Paul noted that the "moral" man who thus joins in condemning openly pagan man of his many evils actually condemns himself, for he himself practices the same things, Romans 2:1!
    2. We can illustrate this truth on a wide variety of fronts in society (as follows):
      1. Many allegedly morally upright Americans openly condemn the killings of nearly 3,000 Americans by Islamic terrorists on September 11, 2001 in the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a jet that crashed in the Pennsylvania countryside; however, they say nothing of or they may even condone the right of American women to have violently killed tens of thousands of their unborn infants in abortion clinics!
      2. Moralists have recently condemned an effort by some Muslims in America to demean the expression, "Merry Christmas!" as a statement the Prophet Mohammed would have opposed; however, many moral Americans have long called Christmas "Xmas" in the same sin of resisting referring to Jesus Christ!
      3. Moralists love to press for the incarceration of violent predators while often lusting after the products of the pornographic media, film and music industries that fuel the vile lusts of such predators.
      4. Moralists love to condemn the Connecticut legislature's effort to reclassify same-gender unions as marriage to be an evil denigration of the institution of marriage while themselves practicing divorce and remarriage which is also immoral (cf. Mark 10:11-12) and undermines the institution of marriage.
    3. Thus, Paul revealed God will truly judge the moralist sinner just like He will the pagan, Romans 2:2-3:
      1. Regardless who sins, be it the open pagan or the moralist, God will fairly judge the sinner, Rom. 2:2.
      2. Thus, it is foolish for the moralist who loves to condemn the obvious pagan sinner while he does similar sins himself, for he is blinded to the fact that it is only due to God's goodness that God's wrath has not yet fallen on himself, Romans 2:3-4.
    4. Indeed, the moralist's false self-justification ignores the longsuffering of God Who seeks to get him to repent to avoid His wrath though the moralist keeps hardening his heart for judgment, Romans 2:4-11:
      1. Paul revealed that as the moralist keeps condemning the openly wicked pagan while doing similar sins himself, he is testing the patience of God Who is giving even him time to repent, Romans 2:4-5.
      2. However, God will one day judge even the moralist along with the pagan, producing blessing for the godly while unleashing His divine wrath upon the guilty, Romans 2:6-10.
      3. The moralist is unaware that God favors no moralist sinner over the openly pagan sinner: sinners are sinners before God, so all of them will be judged by a holy God, Romans 2:11.
    5. Though the moralist does not have the Mosaic Law for defining right from wrong as does the religious Jew, he nevertheless has a conscience, a law in the heart as seen by his own condemnation of the pagan, Romans 2:12-15. Accordingly, God will judge the moralist's secret sins by way of his own conscience in accord with Christ's Gospel that Paul proclaimed, Romans 2:16.
Lesson: Though the blatantly pagan man's sins are easy targets to condemn by the self-righteous moralist, the moralist yet practices the same kinds of sins in a more "cultured" manner, making him just as guilty before God as is the pagan, and just as needy of God's salvation from His wrath.

Application: (1) If we recognize that we are an unsaved moral man, may we trust in Christ for salvation from sin to avoid God's wrath! (2) May we evangelize even moralists, for they need the Lord as well!