https://youtu.be/BsM3ZeVwZhs

In our verse-by-verse study of Romans we are in chapter 2 and have just completed verse 1. Our expanded translation is:

Rom 2:1; Expanded Translation: "Therefore, you are without excuse, O man, everyone of you when you judge: for in which sphere you keep judging the other category, you condemn yourself; for you who keep judging practice the same things."

Last time we were looking at some principles that were developed in the verse we will now examine a few more.

Because sinful people are not qualified to judge other sinful people judging is a verbal sin. Judging reflects reversionism, especially self-righteous and legalistic type reversionism.

Every member of the human race, moral or immoral, believer or unbeliever, possesses an old sin nature.

Self-righteous people are often confused by different manifestations of personal sins so they give greater condemnation to some more than others. The self-righteous people don't generally know very much about the different categories of sin or they wouldn't be involved with judging.

All they know is that there are certain sins that they would never commit and they always compare their strengths with someone else's weaknesses. Where one's area of weakness is compatible with morality or human standards of righteousness there is a temptation to judge those who have different sin nature trends.

Much of the compatibility that exists in human relationships is actually pseudo compatibility because it is compatibility on the basis of similar old sin natures.

All personal sin originates with the old sin nature. Environment and early influence develops a set of standards in the human conscience that become the basis for judging others who do not comply with those standards.

Self-righteousness is a rationalization constructed from comparing one's strength with someone else's weaknesses or it is developed in an environment of self-righteousness where false standards have been imposed.

Self-righteousness is constructed on the sins of others who have a different area of weakness. This means that the foundation for self-righteousness is built upon the sands of ignorance, rationalization, hypocrisy and illusion.

One's righteousness cannot be built on another person's unrighteousness but self-righteousness is always constructed on someone else's unrighteousness.

Judging others is the mechanics of building one's illusion of righteousness on the basis of other categories of sin.

Divine justice is based on perfect standards of eternal, immutable, infinite perfection so the self-righteous presumption of judging others is not only evil it blasphemes and impugns God's perfect righteousness.

This brings us to the standard of judgment of God's justice in verse 2.
Rom 2:2; "And" is translated from the conjunctive particle "de." It is an adversative conjunction that emphasizes the contrast between the presumptuous of the self-righteous in verse 1 and the perfect judgment of God's justice in verse 2 so it should be translated "but" as it is in the KJV and GNT.

It sets up a comparison between two contrasting clauses. The clause of the first verse describes the clearly presumptive self-righteousness of man who has the audacity and the arrogance to put himself in God's place and start judging others as compared with the second clause where we see the one, who is actually qualified, the one who is perfect in His judgment.

"We know" is from present active indicative of the verb "oida" so it should be translated " we have come to know" or "we have learned. We will use "Bur we have come to know."

The present tense is a perfective present that denotes the continuation of existing results. It emphasizes the fact that has come to reality in the past but it is emphasized as a present reality so it is what we have learned or come to know.

The active voice: the mature believer produces the action of the verb. The apostle Paul is using an editorial "we" that represents mature believers. In this case Paul is referring to himself as the mature believer. The indicative mood is declarative representing the action from the viewpoint of reality.

"That " is the conjunction "hoti" that comes after verb of perception "oida" denoting the content of perception. The nominative singular neuter from the definite article "hoti" is used with the abstract noun "oida." An article is used with the abstract indefinite noun to describe something in a specific way.

. Abstract nouns are ordinarily general so they are indefinite and non-specific so to make an abstract noun definite and specific you have to put a definite article in front of it.

Then we have "judgment" translated from "krima" the nominative singular subject along with the definite article "the" translated from "tou."

The noun "krima" means a decision, a decree, a determination, the decision of a judge, or judicial verdict. Usually the decision is unfavorable so "krima" is often translated as "condemnation" and in this case it is in the NIV and NRSV.

But here the translation, in view of the fact that it has a definite article with it that takes it out of the abstract category making it a little more definite, will be "the judicial verdict."

Then the source of both the definite articles, the proper noun "Theos" along with another article "tou." We have previously noted that the definite article with " Theos" indicates someone who is well known to the reader, "the God" who is Jesus Christ.

The source of the judgment (krima), the judicial verdict is the justice of Jesus Christ who is the God. The God is perfect; it is impossible for His judgments or judicial verdicts to ever be wrong or unfair.

At the same time it is impossible for a self-righteous person to ever be fair or right in his judgment, and therefore a self-righteous gossip is wrong as well as blaspheming Jesus Christ.

"Is," the NASB translates it "falls" is present active indicative of "eimi" that is a static present tense that represents a condition that is assumed to be perpetual.

The next phrase "according to truth" is not directly translated in the NASB but it is indicated in note 1. The NASB takes the phrase " according to truth" and translates the phrase as "rightly." The only translations that I looked at that do it word for word "according" from "kata" "to truth" from "aletheia" are the KJV and the RSV.

It is always true that the judgment of the God is right. The active voice: the function of the justice of the God produces the action of the verb. The indicative mood is declarative, a dogmatic, unqualified statement of fact. It is a fact of reality that the justice of the God is perfect.

"Falls upon or on " is from the preposition "epi' followed by the masculine accusative plural from the definite article "tous" that is used as a demonstrative pronoun to emphasize the self-righteous people as "those who."

"Practice such things" is the present active participle from the verb "prasso," that means; to do, to accomplish, or to practice. The definite article is used as a relative pronoun. The present tense is retroactive progressive present, denoting something has begun in the past and continues into the present time.

Self-righteous people start practicing being self-righteous at a very early age. The active voice: the self-righteous types produce the action of the verb. The participle with the definite article becomes a relative clause.

"Such things" is from accusative neuter plural direct object from the correlative adjective "toioutos" that means "similar things." In other words, self-righteous people practice sin; you just don't necessarily recognize it as sin because it is cloaked in human good.

Expanded Translation Rom 2:2: "For we have come to know that the judicial verdict from the God is according to the truth against them who practice such things."

The following are some principles that come from this verse.

Self-righteous people have the tendency to commend their own brand of sin while condemning the sins and weaknesses of others.

Legalistic self-righteous people rationalize their sins by comparing their hidden sins with other's obvious sins. The self-righteous consider themselves favorably when compared with others but God's justice condemns them along with the entire human race.

Self-righteous people build a system of human righteousness that they think will help them acquire God's approbation by condemning immoral people but self-righteous people are exactly the same because they are also maladjusted to God's justice.

God's Word of truth condemns the self-righteous along with the immoral and all other sinners because God condemns all sin. No one is excluded from condemnation from God's justice. God's Word of truth teaches the universality of sin and total depravity in fact God actually set it up that way.

The entire human race is born spiritually dead and functions in the realm of spiritual death through personal sin and God condemns all sin because God's justices can never compromise with sin.

The phrase "according to the truth" shows that doctrine or truth is the thinking of God. His knowledge is eternal, infinite, absolute, perfect and complete.

Doctrine is a part of God's knowledge. Man learns the truth and man can speak the truth, but God is the truth. God does not hold doctrine as something acquired or perceived, He is and always has been truth.

In God all truth in every form of knowledge exists eternally. Since God is perfect His judgments are perfect. God's judgments are perfect and demand perfection.

Righteousness is the divine love for holiness. Justice is divine hatred for sin.
Righteousness and justice combine to form God's perfect holiness.

Infinite holiness acting toward other beings results in the function of God's justice. Holiness demands holiness and righteousness demands righteousness and God cannot change.

As long as God is what He is He must demand holiness and punish sin and evil. Because of the justice of God His judgments are vindicating but not vindictive. With unchangeable sin there is unchangeable judgment and condemnation.