Guilty As Charged In the Court of God

It has been said that Romans 1:18 is “the door that leads us into God’s courtroom.” My question to you this morning is after reading this verse, what part of the justice system are you playing in this courtroom drama? Are you the judge, the jury, the attorney, or are you the defendant? Paul gives the answer.

Romans 1:18
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.

The next section of Romans that I am looking at this morning answers that question. As we read on in Paul’s letter we need to put aside all our self-confidence in our own goodness and let the truth of God prevail in our hearts.

The tendency in life is to look at our own righteousness as if it is relative to the worst the world has to offer. We judge ourselves against the behavior of others and then declare ourselves good. The problem with that logic is that it is unbiblical.

Paul opens chapter two of Romans with a difficult declaration.

Romans 2:1
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.

It’s popular to say, “Don’t judge me” these days. People do not want to be judged; yet all of us, if we are honest with ourselves, know that we pass judgment on others. I used to think I was the most negative person on the face of the earth until Facebook came along. To the best of my knowledge every one of my Facebook friends is a Christian yet on a daily basis I see a plethora of different judgments posted. In truth not all judgment is bad and a complete study of scripture reveals that we are even commanded to make certain judgments. But the judgment Paul is speaking of here is of a different nature. Paul is speaking of the type of judgment that should only be made by God. It is the judgment of the human heart.

The news of the early part of Romans is bleak and if isolated out would lead one to think no one can be saved. But Romans is a bad news and good news story. The Gospel is the good news but before Paul shares the good news he wants us to be sure we grasp the truth of the bad news.

Throughout scripture there is tension that has perplexed men since its beginning; the law versus grace. It plays out as a drama that unless one diligently studies can mislead. Every false religious denomination adds works to the mix of salvation and the true Gospel preaches just the opposite. We are saved by faith and faith alone, but this does not mean the law has no purpose. Paul addresses the law and its rightful place in our lives but first he establishes a major point that is the very essence of this section of Romans. The point Paul is making is revealed in Chapter 3 and he makes it clear after speaking to the Jews and their idea that they are saved by their adherence to the law.

Romans 3:10-12
…as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.  All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.”

There, Paul just said it. There are no righteous people. None.

Next Paul quotes various Old Testament scriptures in describing our guilt.

Romans 3:13-18
“Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive.” “The venom of asps is under their lips.”  “Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”  “Their feet are swift to shed blood; in their paths are ruin and misery, and the way of peace they have not known.”  “There is no fear of God before their eyes.”

This is a description of every single one of us before we were resurrected to new life through faith in Christ. It is a sentence of guilt in the courtroom of God and none of us can escape this verdict.

Paul wraps up this section with a quick explanation of the law’s purpose.

Romans 3:19-20
Now we know that whatever the law says it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may be held accountable to God.  For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

So the question to ponder this day is this; in what have I placed my trust for my eternal destination? The bible does not fool around. In God’s Word we find words such as all and no one. Paul has presented the charge against “all” of us. “None” of us are righteous. None.

We must stop thinking of ourselves as deserving anything other than eternal damnation. We must recognize that the grace of God is far wider and far deeper than anything we could possibly imagine. Our works and good deeds cannot save us. Our only hope is in Christ and until we admit our guiltiness and confess it completely to God, we are living in deception.