Romans 2:1-5: Indulgence and Judgmentalism

As I said in my last post, in this passage Paul levels both indulgence (“God will forgive me no matter what I do, that’s His job”) and judgmentalism (“God needs to judge those people”). I want to look at each.

Indulgence - I have been reading George MacDonald’s The Princess and Curdie to my daughter. At one point, Curdie, the hero, is given a gift by which with the touch of his hand he can discern which people are descending into animals and which are becoming more human. No literal mutation actually takes place, but MacDonald’s point is that the descent into evil is a descent from being human. Sin isn't just a violation against God's law, though it is that, is also becoming enslaved to subhuman passions and instincts (cf. Philippians 3:19). Each move in our life is a move toward true humanity or beastdom. This brings us to a question. What good would God be doing if he just turns a blind eye to your sin? What kind of love has little care to save you from your descent to beastdom? “God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.” All he does, including his patience, is meant as a rescue operation. And the rescue is not only from what judgment you are facing, but also what subhuman you are becoming.

Judgmentalism - This is Paul’s primary focus. It is often the focus of Old and New Testament, for it is the most insidious of sins. As Paul demonstrates, judgmentalism holds together two seemingly contrary ideas in a volatile combination. In order to be judgmental you have to 1) see a God who judges, and 2) see a God who forgives. Of course, the Bible presents God as both, but what makes the combination volatile is the location assigned to judgment and mercy. Judgment is for others, but mercy is for me. That’s a hard sell to make, but a sell you must make if you are going to have any peace in your life. This is why judgmental people tend to act like they are in desperate need of a fiber supplement. Indulgence in one sense is much easier to live; God doesn’t care, so I don’t care. But in judgmentalism, you know God cares. He does not tolerate evil, so you spend most of your time justifying your sin (blame-shifting, excuse making, etc.), paying for your sin, and magnifying the sins of others (you need a reason why God is judging them and not you). Your view of God is closer to the truth. So that’s good, right. Wrong. “You are storing up wrath for yourself . . . when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.” Doesn’t sound good. The more truth you have, the more you have to deceive yourself. Loose morals or self-righteousness, which is the greater sin?