Romans 1:32  "Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.  Therefore thou art inexcusable".

Romans 2:1  "O man, whosoever thou art that judgest [ krinon ]:  for wherein thou judgest [ krinon ] another, thou condemnest thyself;  for thou that judgest [ krinon ] doest the same things.  ^[2] But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.  ^[3] And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?"

     With the division as noted above ... we see that Paul ended one statement and now starts out on another.  Previously Paul established in Romans 1:19-20 that God, putting the knowledge of Himself in everyone and also being evident in nature, is not hidden from mankind.  He is truly there, and He is not silent.  Paul notes that man has no excuse for not knowing God the Father.  "Therefore thou art inexcusable" is the Greek "anapologetos" {an-ap-ol-og'-ay-tos}, which means "without apology or defense".

     And now we come to the statement "O man, whosoever thou art that judgest:"  In Romans chapter 1:18-32 Paul tells us that "God is the Judge" of all people and here Paul is letting us know that we are "not" the judge others.  The business of judgement belongs to God and God alone.  The Greek word used here for "judgest" is "krinon" {kree'-no} which means "those who pass judgment on the deeds and words of others".

     First note that the man that Paul is talking about here as judging others is not named as a Jew or a Gentile.  It would seem, however, that he is talking to the Jew since the man who is judging had experienced God's goodness and forbearance in a distinct way.  The Jew is ready enough to judge Gentiles, but forgets that the same principle which condemns the Gentile ( doing evil in spite of knowing better ) condemns him also.  Though the Jew was not doing the exact same sin, he was sinning in much the same way.  However, of course, it applies to us all.  God will judge us all fairly whether a man lived under the Mosaic Law or not.  Our Lord Jesus Christ had this to say concerning judgement:

Matthew 7:1-5 "^[1] Judge not, that ye be not judged.  ^[2] For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged:  and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.  ^[3] And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?  ^[4] Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?  ^[5] Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."

     "Christ told the listeners not to judge their brothers, as God alone is capable of judgment."  God's standard alone is pure and He alone can see the soul of man and determine his intentions.

Romans 2:4-6

     "Despisest" is the Greek word "kataphroneo" {kat-af-ron-eh'-o}, which means "to contemn, despise, disdain, think little or nothing of ".  Another way you could state this is: "Or do you enterain wrong ideas about the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering" (Arndt, p. 421).  The Jews, by their very action, held the longsuffering, goodness, and forbearance of God in low regard.  Yet it was these very qualities of deity that lead them ( and us ) to repentance unto salvation:

II Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness;  but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

     The question presented in verse 4 demands only one answer which is " Yes "!  We have all at one point in our life, or maybe even now, depended on God's goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering toward us and our actions.

     "If God were not longsuffering toward us as noted in this verse and the verse from II Peter above, I dare say that none of us would be saved today."  Had God struck out in anger each time we rejected the Gospel message, the Church ( and the world itself ) would be much more sparsely populated.  God stayed His judging hand in love, not willing that any should see eternal damnation.

     Notice in verse 5 above that the disobedient "treasurest up unto" himself "wrath".  Remember that "wrath" is the Greek "orge", meaning "a violent provoked move of the mind into rage".   "Treasurest" literally means "To gather, store up, lay aside so as to save for later".  This verse is very illustrative of God's Judgment on unrepentant man:

Matthew 6:20-21 "^[20] But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:  ^[21] For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."

Luke 6:44-45 "^[44] For every tree is known by his own fruit.  For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.  ^[45] A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil:  for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh."

     For all of us it is easy to dwell on God giving us rewards and blessings.  We should all recognize that as believers we will be judged for rewards at the Judgment Seat of Christ, and every action that we take between now and then either adds to or takes away from our "rewards in heaven".

     Even so the unsaved also treasure or store up a judgment account for themselves in the coming afterlife.  Unbelievers think that, when they commit a foul act but are unpunished in this life, that they somehow "got away with it".  They are not getting away with anything ... God sees it all.  Believers often fall into the trap of complacency when they do that which they should not and think, "Well, whos going to know anyway?".  Yet they are also treasuring up an account that will be settled ( not by loss of salvation, but by loss of reward ) in the afterlife.  As the text in verse 6 states:  "Who (God) will render to every man according to his deeds".

Romans 2:7

     In verses 7, 8, and 9 of Romans we are told how God will deal with those that follow after righteousness and those that choose not to do so.  Verse 7 above shows what happens to those who follow after the righteousness of God.  "To them who by patient continuance in well doing" will receive what?  They receive "eternal life".

     As Christians we must continue in well doing and seek glory, honor, and immortality in our daily walk with Jesus Christ.  The proof of a believer's conversion into eternal life is whether or not he serves the One who saved him.  There is an old idiom that goes like this:

     If a pig goes to the altar and prays and after returning is still a pig, then this is not a believer but a deluded lost soul.  But if a pig goes to the altar and prays and after returning is a sheep of God, then the conversion was true toward salvation.

Romans 2:8-9

     Here in verses 8 and 9 of Romans we see those that "hold down" rightesousness within themselves, that is they are unrighteous by choice!  We also see what their eternal reward will be.  "Do not obey" is the Greek "apeitheo", which means "To not allow oneself to be persuaded, to refuse or withhold belief".  The Greek mood and tense of "doeth" denotes "working out to the finish."

     So those that "hold down" righteousness within themselves will be rewarded with "tribulation and anguish".  Note that they will work out to their last breath doing evil.  They want no part of God within their lives.

Romans 2:10-11

     The Greek word used for "worketh" here is basically the same word used in verse 9 above for "doeth" which means "To work out to the finish".  Every man who keeps working diligently for God in this life, who stays on the pathway of righteousness, lays up for himself reward in the next life.  Paul himself fell in this category:

II Timothy 4:6-8 "^[6] For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.  ^[7] I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:  ^[8] Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day:  and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."

     When Paul uses the statement "there is no respect of persons with God" he is say that God's judgment is equally applied to all people regardless of their outward appearance.  "Respect of persons" is a Greek word that means "To look on the outward countenance and, based on this, make a decision about that person's value".  God doesn't look at the outward, but at the inward man, the activity and motivation of the soul.

Romans 2:12-13

     "For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law..." "Perish" is the Greek word "apollumi" {ap-ol'-loo-mee}, which means "to be under a judgmental death".  The Jews, who were given the Law of God, were accountable to live by the same Law.  The Gentiles, who were "not" given the Law, were accountable to God through His natural revelation in the world around them.

     "All mankind, therefore, is without excuse ( Romans 1:20 ) when it comes to eternal judgment."  The Gentiles would not be judged by the revelation of the Law for they had never received the Law ( as the Jews did ).  But they were given revelation, the revelation of Nature, and were thus accountable.  All who die outside of union with Christ shall be judged by either written Law ( the Mosaic Code ) or by unwritten Law ( Natural Revelation ).  No unbeliever escapes judgment.

     Note something that is very important here.  The Greek word  "Apollumi" is never used to describe the death of a Christians in the Bible.  When a Christian dies he is always said "to sleep" not perish.  The Christian's death is always described in peaceful and restful terms, whereas the unbeliever is said to "perish", "die", or "suffer death".

     In the first part of verse 13 we see that "Not the hearers of the law are just before God,".  "Hearers" is the Greek "akroates" {ak-ro-at-ace'} which means just that "hearers".  As then, even now, there are so many "hearers" of the Gospel.  Many in our churches today feel like they can, by regular church attendance, enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.  God views this type of person as the unjustified, the religious but lost.  The second part of verse 13 tells that we cannot just be "hearers": "but the doers of the law shall be justified."  James tells us the same thing here:

James 1:22-25 "^[22] But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.  ^[23] For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:  ^[24] For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.  ^[25] But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed."

     Oh so many believe that they walked down the aisle and now that if they just simply go to Church and hear a sermon each Sunday that they somehow are "entitled" to the blessings of God.  But remember the old idiom above.... "If a pig goes to the altar and prays and after returning is still a pig, then this is not a believer but a deluded lost soul."  As our above text instructs us:  We must be "doers" of the word ... not only "hearers".  Works certainly don't bring about salvation, but they are necessary after salvation if you want to receive the blessings of God.