27 Oct You Are Part of the Problem, Not the Solution
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 seems like everyone is upset about something, and the new favorite American pastime is blaming someone else for all the pains, problems, and perils on the planet.
Because God has revealed something of His goodness to us externally through creation (Romans 1) and internally through our conscience (Romans 2), anyone who is paying attention is aware of the following four undeniable facts:
- Something has gone terribly wrong
- There is an urgent human problem that is only getting worse
- Something needs to be done to fix our problems and pains
- Someone needs to address all the evil/unrighteousness/injustice/suffering and fix the prison riot we call a planet.
Because we are created in God’s image, there is a universal human longing for righteousness. Because we have fallen into sin, there is a universal human blindness to our own personal sin while we more clearly see the evils in other people, systems, and institutions. The results are obvious to everyone but us.
When Sinners Sit in God’s Judgment Seat
- Autonomy: I like to be in authority, but not under authority
- Pride: People should be like me (I am the standard of “good”)
- War: I want to win my cause and defend my reputation
- Hypocrisy: Law for you, grace for me
- Deception: Rename my vices as virtues
- Blameshift: Excuse myself as a victim of others’ sin
- Character Attack: Make myself look better by making you look worse
- Negative Narrative: Filter all data through the lens that you are bad and I am good
- Self-Righteousness: Our cause is just so the ends justify the means and whatever we do is for a good cause
- Unholy Alliance: We recruit others to join the fight and defend one another at all costs
Which of these things have you suffered? Which of these things have you caused someone else to suffer?
To find the free Romans study guide for individuals and small groups, hear Pastor Mark’s entire sermon series on Romans, or find a free mountain of Bible teaching visit legacy.realfaith.com or download the realfaith app.
