David Bahn – Reflections

Romans 2:1-11

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. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality.

A friend of mine offered an assessment of his mother’s new-found open-mindedness: “You can be closed-minded about your open-mindedness,” he said. If you’ve gone that far, it seems a bit like the pot calling the kettle black. “Am not!” “Are too!” “So are you!” On it goes…So in the midst of any line-drawing over issues of sexual identity, proclivity, or preference, the issues of gossip, obedience to parents, and boastfulness rightly come into play (ever been part of the cheer, “We’re #1!”?). Perhaps a story will help us understand the slippery slope we’re all on:

The Sunday school teacher was teaching her children the story of the publican and the Pharisee (cf. Luke 18:9-14). One was deeply repentant. The other was boastful in his own righteousness. The repentant publican went to his home justified, while the Pharisee did not. The teacher then said, “So let us all be thankful that we are not like that Pharisee.” And as we hear that story we are all thankful that we’re not like that Sunday school teacher. Ugh!

When our children used to fight, or try to blame one another for the mess they were all in, we would say, “Take care of yourself.” That’s good advice for us as well. We may need to step into a wayward person’s life and gently guide them back to the path of truth. But we must “look to ourselves” in the process less we fall into sin. I had thought that the sin which we might fall prey to would be that of the allure of the flesh in dealing with the erring brother or sister. Now I’m wondering whether it might be the temptation to become judgmental. That seems to be what Paul warns of here.

The call is clear in the end: believe in God and do good. For he shows no partiality and receives whoever comes to him in Christ in repentance and faith. Check out Romans 2:4 again. It’s a good reminder for us all – no matter on which list we find our pet sin.