Romans 2:3: And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?
All are without “excuse” (Rom. 2:1) and without “escape.” One may be moral and he may even judge his contemporaries as totally enmeshed in a depraved lifestyle, but yet he is judged by God because he does the same things (cf. v. 1). 1
“As surely as the Lord lives, the man who did this deserves to die! He must pay for that lamb four times over, because he did such a thing and had no pity.” Then Nathan said to David, “You are the man!” (2 Samuel 12:5–7)
David, though immensely guilty of a similar and far greater sin, was blind to his own condition even while enraged at the similar sin of another. The religiously self-righteous easily forgets his own wrongs and feels that others’ sins are worse than his own. 2
Application
- At what point does an occasional sin become a practiced sin in your life?
- Why is blaming others your first response to your own personal sin?
Prayer
Lord, help me to always compare my life to Your life, and never to anyone else.
1. Walvoord, John F., & Zuck, R. B., Dallas Theological Seminary. (1985). The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
2. Hughes, R. K. (1991). Romans: righteousness from heaven. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books.