Judged According to Truth
A Sermon on Romans 2:1
Originally preached Oct. 12, 1956
Scripture
1Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
Sermon Description
It is easy to identify sin in other people but rationalize one’s own sin. That is the very problem of the Jews that Paul explains in this sermon on Romans 2:1. Titled “Judged According to Truth”, Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones warns the listener to be careful passing judgement on others because the same measure will be used on them. Dr. Lloyd-Jones walks through the condemnation of sin and how this gospel applies to everyone. Both the Jews and the Gentiles are without excuse and in danger of God’s wrath. Severe sins may be explained in the law and yet one may feel that condemnation does not apply to them since they are not “that bad.” Instead Paul warns that God’s judgement is always based on truth and His standard never changes. No one can measure up to that standard on their own and it is only by the gospel that Paul is preaching that can save and Christ brought that salvation. Instead of putting the condemnation on others and their sin, each should turn their own eyes to the truth of the Lord and make sure they are always aligning their truth with God’s truth.
Sermon Breakdown
- The apostle Paul is addressing the Jews in Romans 2 and aiming to convince them of their sinfulness and need for justification.
- The Jews thought they did not need salvation because they were God's chosen people. They failed to see their ungodliness and unrighteousness.
- Paul argues that the Jews are without excuse because they judge others for the same sins they themselves commit. They condemn themselves by judging others.
- God's judgment is according to truth. It is not like man's judgment which varies and is fallible. God's judgment is eternal and unchanging.
- If we don't grasp that God's judgment is according to truth, we won't understand the wrath of God, justification by faith, the atonement, and we risk falling into antinomianism.
- God's judgment is always penetrating - he sees the heart, not just outward appearances. His standards never change. He cannot be bribed or bought.
- Though the Jews were God's chosen people, he still judged them for their sins. God has no favorites or respect of persons. Sin is sin.
- The lifelessness of the Christian church today may be partly due to an unconscious antinomianism - thinking that because we are saved, it doesn't matter how we live. But God's judgment is always according to truth.
Sermon Q&A
Questions and Answers from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones' Sermon on Romans 2:1-3
What is the main point of Romans 2:1-3 according to Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, the main point of Romans 2:1-3 is that the Jews (and by extension, all self-righteous people) condemn themselves when they judge others. Paul is showing that "the Jew is entirely without excuse because he rarely condemns himself." Even though the Jews were condemning the Gentiles for their sins, they were "actually guilty of the same thing themselves." Lloyd-Jones explains that this is part of Paul's larger purpose to prove "that there is none righteous. No, not one. That every mouth has been stopped, Jew as well as Gentile, and that the whole world is guilty before God."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain the concept that "the judgment of God is according to truth"?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that "the judgment of God is according to truth" means that God's judgment is never like man's judgment. Man's judgment is "an unrighteous judgment" that is "never a true judgment" and "never according to a great eternal standard of truth." In contrast, God's judgment is always according to an unchanging standard because of His character. This means God has no varying standards or favorites, and He judges not just the outward appearance but also the heart. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that God "never judges merely by the outward appearance" but sees "the inside as well as the outside." This truth is fundamental to understanding why all people need justification by faith.
What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as one of the extraordinary consequences of sin?
One of the most extraordinary consequences of sin, according to Lloyd-Jones, is how we can clearly see faults in others while being blind to the same faults in ourselves. He states, "Isn't it an astounding thing that we can see these things so clearly in others, and yet we find it so difficult to see the same thing exactly in ourselves." He illustrates this with examples from politics, industry, and the biblical story of David and Nathan. Lloyd-Jones explains that "we do this quite genuinely, we do it quite sincerely, we do it quite honestly. We are not aware of what we are doing. That is one of these terrible, appalling results of the fall, end of sin."
What is antinomianism according to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, and why is it dangerous?
According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, antinomianism is the dangerous belief that "because we are God's people, it doesn't matter what we do." It puts "the grace and the love of God over against the law and the justice and the righteousness of God." Lloyd-Jones warns that people fall into this "terrible pitfall" because "they don't realize that the judgment of God is always according to truth, that it doesn't matter to God whether you're his child or not. If you sin against him, it's sin and he'll punish it." He identifies this as "a terrible thing denounced in the New Testament" that has "often wrought havoc in the history of the church" and suggests it may be "one of the main explanations of the lifelessness in the christian church today."
How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain the difference between ungodliness and specific sins?
Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that there's an important "difference between being guilty before God and under the wrath of God and the commission of particular sins." He defines ungodliness as "anything in us that fails to glorify God and to worship him and to make him supreme in our own lives and in the lives of others." He points out that "the most ungodly person" is one "whose ideas of God are most terribly and tragically wrong," such as those who "don't see any need for the righteousness of Jesus Christ" and "think that as they are, they can satisfy God." This helps explain how even "highly respectable" people can be ungodly. Lloyd-Jones emphasizes that "it isn't the form of the sin that matters. The essence of sin is to refuse to give to God the glory that is his right."
The Book of Romans
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899-1981) was a Welsh evangelical minister who preached and taught in the Reformed tradition. His principal ministry was at Westminster Chapel, in central London, from 1939-1968, where he delivered multi-year expositions on books of the bible such as Romans, Ephesians and the Gospel of John. In addition to the MLJ Trust’s collection of 1,600 of these sermons in audio format, most of these great sermon series are available in book form (including a 14 volume collection of the Romans sermons), as are other series such as "Spiritual Depression", "Studies in the Sermon on the Mount" and "Great Biblical Doctrines". He is considered by many evangelical leaders today to be an authority on biblical truth and the sufficiency of Scripture.