God judges according to truth, including hidden and inward sins, so no one who judges another while doing the same things can escape His judgment.
Romans 2:1-3 shows that a person who condemns someone else is inexcusable if he does the same things, even covertly or only in his thinking. Les Feldick stresses that God's judgment is according to truth, not outward appearances, and that every human being—immoral, moral, and religious—is guilty before Him. Yet through Christ, a believing sinner is justified freely by God's grace.
Romans 2:1-3 — These verses directly answer the question by showing that God's judgment is according to truth and that no hypocrite who does the same things can escape it.
The passage opens with a direct warning: "Therefore 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" (Romans 2:1). The next verse grounds God's judgment in truth: "But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things" (Romans 2:2). Verse 3 asks whether anyone who judges those who do such things while doing the same can escape the judgment of God. Scripture also declares that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18), and that both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin (Romans 3:9), for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
Les Feldick emphasizes that Romans 2 is about hypocrisy. He explains that people who like to point the finger at others forget that when they point, fingers point back, and that all of us have thoughts we would hate to admit. Because God's judgment is according to truth, it reaches not only overt acts but covert sins and even the thinking processes. Les also stresses that no human is in a position to judge another person. God alone is the judge, just as no one judges another man's servant. He places Romans 2 in the broader argument of Romans 1–3: God builds His case against the whole human race—the immoral, the moral, and the religious Jew—and the conclusion is that all are guilty and all have sinned and come short of God's glory. Yet Les adds that God is not an ogre or a Santa Claus; He is a God of mercy. The gospel is that sinners are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Les also clarifies that although wrath is revealed from heaven against ungodliness, believers today are not under the wrath of God but under grace—that wrath is still future.
God's judgment is not based on outward appearance or human opinion. Les notes that even things done covertly or in the thinking processes are included, because the judgment of God is according to truth against those who commit such things. A person cannot hide behind a respectable reputation when the Judge sees the thought life as well.
Les Feldick emphasizes that God builds His case against the whole human race in Romans 1–3. He moves from the immoral person to the good moral person to the religious Jew, and the conclusion is that all are enemies of God. Paul's own words confirm it: both Jews and Gentiles are all under sin, and all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Being outwardly moral or religious does not remove anyone from the need of God's grace.
Les Feldick clarifies that although the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness, believers today are not under the wrath of God; they are under the grace of God. He says that wrath is coming and that we are getting closer every day, but in this Age of Grace, where sin abounds, grace is always greater.
Les Feldick teaches that when believers come into contact with other believers whose lifestyle they think is wrong, they are in no position to judge. God alone is the judge; He has received the believer, and He is the one who will do the judging. Paul uses the illustration of a servant: no one else is the boss, and no one else pays the wages, so no one else has the right to judge God's servant.
Truth-Based Judgment Includes Covert Sin
God's judgment is according to truth and catches what a person does even in the thinking processes; a hypocrite cannot escape by pointing at others.
God Alone Is the Judge
Les explains that we cannot judge another believer because God has received him and God is the judge, just as no one judges someone else's servant.
God's Case Against the Human Race
God is building His case against all humanity, beginning with the most obviously guilty, the immoral.
All Have Sinned, Grace Justifies
Les connects the verdict 'all have sinned' to the remedy: being justified freely by God's grace through redemption in Christ Jesus.
The Moral and Religious Are Also Guilty
God's case moves from the immoral to the moral to the religious Jew, and all are enemies of God.
Wrath Revealed but Not Yet Poured Out
The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against ungodliness, but believers today are not under it; it is still coming.
Jews and Gentiles All Under Sin
Every Jew and non-Jew has been guilty of disobeying God's revealed will; both are under sin.
Wrath and Grace in the Age of Grace
Paul writes to believers in the Age of Grace, where wrath is coming but grace abounds even more where sin abounds.
Romans 2:1: Therefore 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.
This verse directly addresses the hypocrite who judges others while doing the same things.
Romans 2:2: But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
It grounds God's judgment in truth, including things done covertly or in the mind.
Romans 2:3: 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?
It asks whether a judging hypocrite can escape God's judgment.
Romans 1:18: For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
This verse shows the divine wrath that stands behind God's judgment of ungodliness.
Romans 3:9: What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
It confirms that both Jews and Gentiles are under sin, showing no one is exempt.
Romans 3:23: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
This verse summarizes the universal need for justification by grace.
Romans 3:24: Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
It provides the remedy to God's judgment: justification by grace through Christ's redemption.
Yes. Les Feldick points to Romans 2:2 that God's judgment is according to truth against those who commit such things, and he applies this to covert sins and the thinking processes. God sees more than outward behavior.
Yes. Les explains that God builds His case against the moral person as well as the immoral and the religious, and all are enemies of God. Romans 3:23 confirms all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.
Because, as Les teaches, God alone is the judge. Using Paul's servant illustration, no one else is the boss or pays the wages, so no one else has the right to judge God's servant.
Not yet. Les emphasizes that believers today are not under the wrath of God; they are under grace. The wrath revealed from heaven is still coming, and it will be poured out when God's time is fulfilled.
Watch the Teaching: Why Even "Good People" Can't Escape God's Judgment — Romans 2