Bible ReadingRomans 2:1-11 “Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality.”
[45:41]Matthew 5:43-45 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
[58:27]Luke 18:9-14 “He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 'Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: “God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.” But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!” I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.'”
[49:33]Hebrews 4:12 “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.”
[54:12]Observation questions- In Romans 2:1-4, what reasons does Paul give for saying the person who judges has “no excuse”? [45:41]
- In Luke 18, what specific differences are there between the Pharisee’s prayer and the tax collector’s prayer?
- According to Matthew 5:43-45, what does the Father give to both the evil and the good, and to both the just and the unjust? [58:27]
- In Hebrews 4:12, what does the Word of God discern, and how does that picture fit better with an x-ray or a mirror than with binoculars? [54:12]
Interpretation questions- Romans 2 turns from obviously sinful people to moral and religious people. Why might the morally serious person be especially vulnerable to a judging spirit? [50:00]
- Paul says God’s kindness is meant to lead a person to repentance. How can forgetting personal mercy turn someone harsh, critical, and slow to repent? [55:39]
- Jesus says the Father sends sun and rain on the unjust as well as the just. How does common grace challenge the instinct to divide people into “the kind God is good to” and “the kind God is not”? [59:07]
- Romans 2 says God shows no partiality and will judge perfectly. Why is that truth freeing for believers who are tempted to play judge in other people’s lives? [01:05:55]
Application questions- The Bible is an x-ray for the heart, not binoculars for scanning somebody else’s failures. When reading Scripture lately, has the reflex been more self-examination or more noticing who else needs this? What might need to change? [54:51]
- God’s kindness leads people to repentance. Where has God been especially patient, forbearing, and kind in personal life, and how could remembering that mercy soften a hard edge toward someone else? [55:53]
- It is easy to become a “Front Row Joe” in the heart—religious on the outside, but quietly comparing, despising, or congratulating oneself. In what settings does that temptation show up most: church, family, politics, social media, work, or somewhere else? [47:00]
- Loving enemies is not a vague feeling; Jesus ties it to prayer. Who would be difficult to pray for right now, and what would an honest first prayer for that person sound like? [56:52]
- Judgmentalism can slowly turn a joyful Christian into a Jonah Christian who no longer really wants lost people to receive mercy. Is there any person or group that stirs more annoyance than compassion? What clues reveal that the heart is drifting that direction? [01:01:40]
- A judge wants evidence, guilt, and punishment, but a friend asks how to pray, how to help, and how to forgive again. In one strained relationship, what would it look like this week to move one step away from judging and one step toward friendship? [01:11:18]
- Communion reminds believers that personal sin killed the only truly good person who ever lived, and that a billion-dollar debt has been forgiven. What “dollar-fifty debts” have been allowed to loom too large, and how might the cross help shrink them back down? [01:13:47]
