THE KING’S BUSINESS
558
the Gentiles. Now, Paul passes to the Jew and shows the Jew is in no better case than the Gentile, that both alike are “under the judgment of God.” With his customary great tact, Paul leads up gradually to the plain statement that he means the Jew (see v. 17). Paul really, though not explicitly, addresses the Jew in verse one, though it appeals to everyone who sits in judgment upon others while doing himself the very thing that he condemns others for doing. In chapter one, verse twenty, Paul has shown the Gentile to be “without excuse.” Now he turns and shows the Jew equally that he is “without excuse” (v. 1, R. V.) The Jew has listened very complacently to Paul’s scathing arraignment of Gentile sin, and now Paul turns on him and says: Thou too are without excuse; for thou art doing the very things thou art condemning the other for doing.” It is a masterpiece of moral argument when you get one to heart ily and severely condemn another for a course of action and then turn upon him and show him that it is really himself he has just condemned (cf. 2 Sam. 12:1-7). Many fancy that they cover their own sins by bitterly condemning the same in others. Indeed, a bitter condemnation of sin on the part of most men is simply an attempt of the man to excuse himself, an attempt to cover up his own sin by exploiting the sin of others and thus putting his own out of sight, not only out of the sight of others, but out of the sight of himself. But one by no means covers his own sin by bitterly condemning the same sin in others. He rather condemns himself. The judgment of God. Who cannot be mocked, cannot be escaped by any such shallow subter fuge (vs. 1. 3). God is good, indeed, He is rich in goodness and forbearance and long suffering (v. 4), but God’s abounding good ness, forbearance and long suffering are not intended as an encouragement to man to go on in sin. God’s goodness is intended to “lead men to repentance,” not to encour age them in sin. To make God’s goodness an excuse for sin is to despise God’s good ness. This is just what many are doing.
This is the whole import of much of the crass “universalism” and “liberalism” of the present day. It says, “God is, good, too good to damn anyone. Go on and live as you please, God will bring us all to heaven somehow.” Are you listening to this lie of Satan? Then listen to the voice of God: Despisest thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and long suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?” Thursday, June 7 . Rom. 2 : 5 , 6 . These verses tell us what those who despise the riches of God’s goodness and forget that His goodness is intended to bring them to repentance are doing, viz. they are treasuring up wrath for them selves in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. The Bible is full of the thought that there is a day of “wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God” coming. The underlying reason why men thus despise the riches of God’s goodness and thus treasure up for themselves wrath in the day of wrath is their “hardness and impenitent heart.” That is the source from which the popular universalism and liberalism of today spring. Men try to defend these' views philosophi cally, but the views never sprang from phi losophy. They sprang from their “hardness and impenitent heart,” and philosophy which is merely what man wishes to make it has been summoned to the defense and nurture of this child of “hardness and an impenitent heart.” The hardness and impenitent heart is the mother of the uni versalism and liberalism, philosophy is simply a hired nurse. Friday, June 8 . Rom. 2 : 6 - 8 . God “will render to every man according to his works.” That is true under the law, and it' is equally true and has a larger sweep under the Gospel. But under the Gospel the one decisive work that brings infinite blessing is to "believe on Him whom He hath sent” (John 6:28, 29), and the one decisive work that brings infinite
Made with FlippingBook - Online Brochure Maker