Man's Judgement vs. God's Judgement

Romans 2:1-11

There is a great difference between the judgement of man and the judgement of God. When I speak of the judgement of man here, I am speaking of the condemnable, or in other words unrighteous, judgement of man (see "Condemnable and Commendable Christian Judgement") that Paul is referring to here in Romans 2.

Firstly, the unrighteous judgement of man is self-condemning and hypocritical (Rom. 2:1). Man's judgement, when committed unrighteously, condemns himself because he "practices the very same things" (Rom. 2:1). This type of judgement leads to the downfall of men (as it started to for the saints in Rome), as it is rooted in an arrogant heart.

However, the righteous judgement of God is far better. From Romans 2:1-11, we see that God's judgement is righeous (v. 2, 5), coming (v. 5), and impartial (v. 6-11). God's judgement is far better than man's judgement because it is truly just, and not rooted in impurity. God's judgement is the holy standard, and it surpasses the faulty judgement of man more than one could express.

But what does this mean for us? How can we apply this to our own lives? I believe this truth can encourage us in two ways. Firstly, we can take great hope in knowing that it is God's judgement that truly stands, not man's judgement. Men can condemn us for whatever they wish, but if our hearts are right with God, that is all that matters. However, that is not to say that faithful consideration of conviction and brotherly accoutability is unnecessary, but rather that God is the only true and final judge (see 1 Corinthians 4). Secondly, and probably more importatly, we can take great comfort in knowing that someday, God will come to "judge the living and the dead" (1 Peter 4:5). Eventually, all of our earthly suffering will be worth it, as God will "render to each one according to his works...glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good" (Romans 2:6, 10). The Lord, the great Judge, will judge every action ever done by any human in any nation. For unbelievers living in sin, this brings great terror, but for those in Christ, this brings great comfort, knowing that God will truly "judge the living and the dead," "impartially," "according to his works."

O praise the Lord, the Righteous Judge, who will allow no deed, good or bad, to go unseen or unrewarded!