Block Diagram

NT

Romans 2:5

i. Critique of Jewish Presumption (2:1-5)

But

Consessive

a) because of your stubbornness

[s] and

Ground

b) unrepentant heart

you are storing up wrath for yourself

a) in the day of wrath

[s] and

Temporal

b) revelation

righteous

Idea-Explanation

of the ... judgment

Idea-Explanation

of God,

General-Specific

nasb

mine

phrasing

lookup

Romans 2:5 NASB

Romans 2:5

5 But 1 because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart a you are storing up wrath for yourself b in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,

notes

Why we shouldn't skip the bad news

It is not uncommon for Evangelical Christians to be accused of preaching too much on sin and God's wrath. Are we portraying God as cruel, judgmental and unfair? Are we demeaning human beings and trivializing their goodness? Should we not rather just focus on God's love and forgiveness and mercy, like the rest of the "Christian world" does? Firstly, this is not the model Paul uses in Romans. As previously stated, he spends the whole of Romans 1:18 to 3:20 focusing almost exclusively on God's wrath. This is also not the model Jesus uses. The rich young man, asking what he should do to inherit the kingdom of God, was shown exactly what his problem is - idolatry of possessions and money. "Go and sell all you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me." How did he respond? "But at these words he was saddened, and he went away grieving, for he was one who owned much property." He was not willing to deny himself, pick up his cross, and follow Christ. Jesus, knowing his heart, didn't even tell him the good news, and only told him the bad news. (Mark 10:17-31). Why is it crucial for us to start with the bad news? In the words of Christ - "It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick." Jesus wasn't referring to physical illness, but was speaking in hyperbole. Next, He clarified what He meant - "I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners" (Mark 2:17). His point was that only those who KNOW they are sick go looking for a doctor or a cure. Only those who KNOW they are sinners, call out for a Savior. As Paul makes abundantly clear throughout Romans, "There is NONE righteous, not even ONE" (Rom 3:10) and "ALL have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23). Jesus wasn't saying that some are righteous, and some are sinners, and only those who are sinners needs Him. He was saying that ALL are sinners, but only some realize and acknowledge it. What happens when we skip the bad news, and go straight to the good? When we do this, we don't know what our real problem is. This would be like a man with cancer believing he only has a rash. He goes to the wrong doctor. He gets the wrong medicine. And he does not nearly have the urgency that he should have. When we think our problem is something like an unfulfilled life, we make Jesus a mere genie in a bottle to satisfy our every earthly desire and need. The very desires and needs that actually make us guilty before God in the first place. "Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him" (1 John 2:15). But then we have the audacity to turn Jesus into a mere butler who's sole purpose is to serve us and satisfy our sinful needs. No. Our problem is not the issues of this world, like poverty or physical sickness. Our problem is not that we are not living out our full potential. Our problem is not that we are not living our "best life now." Our problem is not Satan or his demons. Our problem is that God is good, and we are not. Our problem is that God is righteous, holy, and just, and that we are guilty of a lifetime full of sin that we must give account for on the day of judgment. Each one of us has "stored up wrath for ourselves in the day of wrath and revelation of the RIGHTEOUS judgment of God." The world would call us unloving for telling people what their true problem is. For speaking about sin and God's wrath. Would it be loving to tell the person with terminal cancer that he only has a skin rash? Or would the loving thing be to tell him the truth? How then can a just and righteous Judge let a guilty lawbreaker free and still be called just and righteous? How can God be BOTH just, AND the justifier of a guilty sinner? Paul will get to that. But in the meantime, he isn't done giving us the bad news first...