Welcome
Praise the Lord!
I’m glad to be with you all again this evening. I am so thankful for all that the Lord has done for us and for the opportunity to help those seeking support. Over the past week, more people have reached out, wondering how to handle the truths they’re discovering. My advice remains simple: stick with Jesus. Hold on tight, and He won’t lead you astray. Even when your ship sails through rough seas, Jesus knows how to calm the storm.
If you would, turn your Bibles to Romans chapter 1. I’ll pick up right where I left off last time and read from verse 32 of chapter 1 down to verse 16 of chapter 2. I’m reading from the English Standard Version.
Romans 1:32 – Romans 2:16
Romans 1:32: Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.
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. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality. 12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
Thank You for Your kindness and for meeting our needs, giving us strength each day. As we delve into the Scripture, I pray You help us think clearly about what is written. Open our understanding and help us comprehend Your Word. Man can speak and study, but it takes You to grant true understanding. Help all those here and those listening online. Guide us in Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen.
Introduction
The Devil hates the truth, but one brother who is not here today needs your prayers. Many listen online but fear losing everything if they show up here, due to the harshness of the leaders from our past. That’s a clear sign of a cult—when leaving is not allowed peacefully.
We were content to leave in peace, but they weren’t content to let us go. At some point, defending ourselves became necessary. That’s what I’ve done—sharing as much truth as I know.
I came across a quote from Augustine that I really liked: “You do not need to defend the truth. The truth is like a lion. You let it loose, and it will defend itself.” We speak the truth, and it defends itself because the evidence is on its side.
This connects to my message today. The title is “The Conscience Bears Witness”—taken from verse 15.
I believe this summarizes Paul’s main point in the verses we read. Man has a conscience, knows right from wrong, and this conscience bears witness against him. Our consciences make us responsible before God for our actions.
Before diving into this, let me recap the main points from the last message on Romans. In chapter 1, Paul began to unfold the gospel, starting with the existence of God and humanity’s rejection of Him, which led to sin. In chapter 2, Paul explains that everyone has the ability to know right from wrong. We all understand basic moral rules:
- It’s wrong to steal.
- It’s wrong to harm others.
- It’s wrong to cheat.
- It’s wrong to lie.
Everyone inherently knows these truths. There is a conscience in man—a basic knowledge of right and wrong, a little inner voice guiding us. Paul appeals to this inherent sense of right and wrong as he writes these verses.
Whether pagan, Christian, or secularist, we all agree there’s right and wrong. We know some behaviors are harmful and should be avoided, while others are good and beneficial. This ethical understanding is common in the human heart.
After addressing sin, Paul builds a case that everyone, regardless of background, is aware of right and wrong. Let’s read those verses again:
Romans 1:32: Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but also approve of those who practice them.
Man knows these sinful actions—slander, hate, cruelty—are wrong. Because we know these things are wrong, we have no excuse for committing them.
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.
Our ability to judge right from wrong means we condemn ourselves when we fail to act rightly. We exercise judgment daily, such as deciding not to steal despite wanting something expensive, and judging others who do wrong.
Everyone is That Way
Consider little children, around three or four years old. When they play together, if one hits the other, the child who was hit knows it was wrong. They’ll often go to a parent and say, “He hit me!” because they understand that hitting is wrong. Even at a young age, we have a sense of right and wrong, and this becomes most apparent when we are the victims. We exercise judgment, just as Paul describes.
When a child says, “Mommy, he hit me! That was wrong,” it reflects this inherent sense of morality.
Paul takes this idea further, arguing that our ability to judge right and wrong actually condemns us. Referring to the list of sins in Romans chapter 1, Paul asserts that engaging in any of these sins, even minor ones like disobedience to parents, gossip, or jealousy, makes us worthy of God’s wrath. According to Paul, no one has lived without committing such sins except Jesus Christ.
Following Paul’s reasoning:
- Everyone knows these sins are wrong.
- The ability to judge moral and ethical standards proves we know right from wrong.
- Therefore, we have no excuse not to act rightly.
Paul concludes this implication in verse 2:
Romans 2:2: “We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things.”
When I put my child in time-out for hitting someone, it shows I understand right and wrong. The same is true for the child who reports being hit—they recognize wrongdoing. The punishment for the one who hit shows our understanding of righteous judgment.
I once heard a story illustrating this point. A man argued that he didn’t believe in right or wrong. To challenge this, he was asked to hand over his phone. When the phone was taken and kept, the man was upset, revealing his belief in right and wrong despite his earlier denial.
C.S. Lewis offers insightful observations on this topic. In his book The Abolition of Man, he argues that despite variations in moralities across cultures and eras, fundamental moral principles remain consistent. He notes:
- Different cultures might disagree on specifics, but core values like not being selfish or not breaking promises are universally recognized.
- Even those who claim not to believe in a universal morality often revert to these principles when their own rights are violated.
Lewis concludes that the universal recognition of right and wrong is akin to mathematical truths. Regardless of cultural differences, a shared sense of morality exists. This is evident when we see historical figures like Pilate, who despite being a pagan, recognized the innocence of Jesus and hesitated to condemn him.
Paul’s point is reinforced by our own reactions. When wronged, we quickly acknowledge the concept of right and wrong.
Romans 2:3: “Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?”
This rhetorical question underscores the consistency of moral standards and the inescapability of divine judgment for those who fail to live according to them.
Man has a conscience. Man knows right and wrong.
I know certain men; they are angry and upset and feel they have been slandered. But their very judgment condemns them because they are guilty of the very thing they accuse others of. They lie, they make stuff up, they slander others. They are guilty of it, and they know they are. They will even go so far as to falsely accuse people of witchcraft, or stealing. That is evil slander when it’s not true. But it takes the shoe being on the other foot for them to admit slander is wrong.
You know, in this world, we would say, “What is good for the goose is good for the gander.” But in God’s eyes, he expects all to be good. Just because everyone else is jumping off the bridge doesn’t mean that you should too.
So here is the question Paul asks mankind: hypocritical mankind.
“Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God?”
You know it’s wrong to slander; you admit it. Yet you engage in the very practice. You know it’s wrong to be hateful, yet your heart is full of hate. You know it’s wrong to lie, yet you tell lies. You know it’s wrong to hurt people, but you hurt people all the day long. If your children behaved that way, you’d punish them. If your neighbor behaved that way, you’d expect the law to punish them. So that being the case, do you think that God will not judge you?
Does not your very outrage over sin condemn you for having committed the same sins? It is a dilemma that man faces. Is God going to forbear? Is God going to let sin go on forever? Or is there going to be a day of reckoning?
Let me go on to verse 4: “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”
Do you just assume that because you have escaped judgment so far, you will never be judged? Do you look at your prosperity, and your health, everything that is going good, and use that to make yourself feel better? You know, in 1940, things were looking pretty good for Hitler. Everything he did was a success; he had triumph after triumph. But did that mean he was going to escape a day of reckoning? For him, his reckoning was about five years away. His evil doings caught up to him in this life.
Other men, very bad men, like Stalin, lived out his life and died of natural causes. In this life, all the terrible things he did never caught up with him. The millions of people he killed, in this life, it never caught up with him. And some people are like that. They live their entire life in this world, and the bad things they do never catch up with them. But there is still a day of reckoning. Just because God is delaying the day of reckoning does not mean that he has excused sin. It just means he is giving an opportunity for repentance.
Verse 4 again: “Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?”
God gives man space to repent. He gives man a window of time to recognize they have done wrong and to repent of it. But if the months roll on, and years roll on, and man insists on living in his sin, that eventually will come to an end. God does not forbear with man, and put off the day of reckoning, to make man feel justified in doing wrong. But God forbear with man, and he puts off the day of reckoning, to give man an opportunity to change his ways.
God is not willing that any should perish but is longsuffering. God gives people as big a window as he can to let them change their course and be reconciled to God. But if man or woman does not change his ways, verse 5 is what is coming: “But because of your hard and impenitent heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.”
God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten Son to die for the sins of the world, that whosoever would believe on him would have eternal life and not perish. That chapter goes on to tell us that man is condemned already. Our sins have already condemned us. And God loves us so much; he wants so badly to spare us that he gave his Son to die, to give us a way to escape the wrath that is coming.
God loves us. On one hand, his love is demonstrated by giving us a way out, and on the other hand, his love is demonstrated by promising to one day change this world so there is no more sin in it. If God really loves us, then one day he is going to purge sin out of the world so people don’t have to live this way anymore. No more conflict, no more hurt, no more suffering, no more loss. But there is no way God can do that without judging this world and purging out all the things that cause hurt, loss, suffering, and conflict.
And it is our choice as individuals: Will we recognize the error of our ways? Will we admit to ourselves that we have come up short and that we have sinned in our lives? And will we look for a remedy for that sin? Or will we press on in a lifestyle disconnected from God?
Paul sets before us a clear set of options starting in verse 6:
6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality.
A day of reckoning is coming. If we have not been reconciled to God through Christ, God is going to judge us according to our works. And when that day comes, which side are we going to be on? Will we be on the side of lies, and hate, and slander, and death, and immorality? Or will we be under the blood? Will we be crying to the rocks and mountains to hide us? Or will we be looking steadfastly at our Lord, beholding his glory?
Paul tells us we are going to be judged according to our works. He describes two different kinds of works. We may wonder, what is the work of God? What are these works we need to do? And that is a good question. Let me take you to a verse where you start answering that:
John 6:28-29 (King James Version)
28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
If you want to start doing the good work, the work of God—the work that will lead to glory and honor and immortality—then believe on Jesus. Believe on the one God sent to save us. Now you can do all other kinds of work, but this is the only work that is going to save a person: believing on Christ. You could do every other good work under the sun, but if you leave out believing on Christ, it’s all the rest not worth a thing. And if God judges you according to all your good works but the work of believing on Christ is not on the list, you are in big trouble. But if the only work you have on your list is the work that the thief on the cross did—he hung there next to Jesus—there was just one work he could do: he believed on the one God had sent. He believed on Jesus. That work was enough for him to go to paradise that very day with Jesus because he believed on Jesus—God pardons all the rest of his sins. Because Jesus paid for them all. That is what believing on Jesus is all about. It’s about believing Jesus paid it all. It’s about believing what he did is good enough.
Universal inability to keep the law
So, now in verse 12 of Romans 2, Paul is going to move into the next phase of his explanation. He has explained there is right and wrong. He has explained that everyone knows there is right and wrong. But here in these next verses, he is going to begin explaining that everyone has done wrong, and that everyone is condemned by the wrong they have done:
12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.
So whether you are a Gentile who did not have the Bible, you still understood right and wrong. And God still expected you to live right. And if you were a Jew, and you did have the Bible to live by, then you needed to live by the law in the Bible. In either case, the only way a person was righteous, the only way they could be justified in the eyes of God, is if they lived up to what they knew was right. If you know it is wrong to hate, then you better never have hated anyone, ever. If you knew it was wrong to steal, then you better never have stolen, ever. If you knew it was wrong to lie, you better never have lied, ever. If you knew it was wrong to be disobedient to parents, you better never have been disobedient to parents, ever. If you knew it was wrong to gossip, you better never have gossiped, ever.
12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.
This is where legalism breaks down. Works-based salvation can only be successful if you can actually do the works. Theoretically, if you could actually keep the works of the law, you would be justified. But the thing is, it is impossible to actually keep the law. Paul is going to get into that later. But if you slipped up under the law, even once, it is over. Because God requires perfection. God does not grade on the curve when it comes to justification through our works. You can’t get a 95% and call it an A. No, you have to get a perfect score with God if you want to be justified by your works. Because God requires perfection if you are going to justify yourself. Not perfect for a day or two or three. Not perfect now and then. But perfect always.
Perfect from the moment you are born until you leave this world—that is the only way you can be justified by your works or by the law. Let me put just a few verses here with what I am saying:
James 2:10 (King James Version)
10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
You see, if you make just one mistake under the law, that’s it. If you kept the whole law but offended on one point, just once, you are guilty. Being saved by the law is a standard so high that no man has ever been able to keep the law. There are many verses that tell us that. Let me read just a few of those verses:
Ecclesiastes 7:20 (King James Version)
20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
1 Kings 8:46 (King James Version)
46 If they sin against thee, (for there is no man that sinneth not,) and thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they carry them away captives unto the land of the enemy, far or near;
Romans 3:23 (King James Version)
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
Romans 3:20-23 (King James Version)
20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
All have sinned, and all have come short of the glory of God. Now, as I read these verses, that is not to say that God does not deliver from sin. It does not mean that as born-again believers we don’t seek to live a life above sin. But all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. If you lived a long life—if you lived 100 years—and in that 100 years, you sinned just one single time, that is enough. You are not justified. You are a sinner.
You look at Adam and Eve. How many sins did Adam and Eve have to commit before God put them out of paradise? Was it three strikes and they were out? No, we know better than that. Adam and Eve only had one strike. With God, if you want to be justified by your works, it’s one strike and you are out. One strike, and that is it. And man, in his fallen state, it is impossible for man to ever live to that standard.
Romans 3:23 (King James Version)
23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
That is why we needed a savior. That is why the law for righteousness was not good enough, because no one could keep it. We needed a savior. The religious people needed a savior because they couldn’t keep the rules of their religion. And the Gentiles needed a savior too because they couldn’t live up to their own moral standards. We can read that back in chapter 2, verse 14:
14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
And there in verse 15 was my title: “Our Conscience Bears Witness.” You know you can put on a false face. You can dress yourself up real good. And there are lots of people who do that. But deep down in their heart, they know it’s all a big lie. They know the truth, deep down. When they watch terrible things happen, when they hear lies being told, when they go along with abuse, on the outside there is a great big smile, and from their mouth might even come an amen and praise the Lord. But in their hearts, there is a conscience there speaking to them. In their hearts, there is something there they are ignoring. And when the day of judgment comes, their own conscience will be called to record, to bear witness against them.
There are things that not a single other living soul might know about, but you know about it. And if you are not reconciled to God through Christ, on the day of judgment, your own conscience will bear witness against you. Because it is already bearing witness today, and some men choose to ignore it.
As I bring this little message to a close, we are ending back with the gospel. That is what this whole message has been about. Paul is explaining the gospel. Paul is helping his readers understand the standard for getting into heaven on your own merits is perfection—every day, all day, for your entire life. And that is bad news because anyone who hears that is already too guilty to make it. It’s like showing up at the airport for your flight and finding out the plane has already left. That is what hearing about what it takes to earn your way to heaven is like. The train has already left, and you weren’t on it. And it is as we begin to understand the severity of our situation that we can fully appreciate the good news of the gospel.
Because the boat might have sailed. We aren’t going to be able to make it on our merits. But this is where the good news of the gospel comes in. You can’t make it on your own merits, but there is someone else, and on his merits, you can make it. And to fully grasp how wonderful that good news is, you have to fully understand how desperately hopeless you are. There is no hope to make it to heaven except for a savior because you can’t do it on your own.
Everyone has sinned, everyone has already made the false step which will prevent them from ever being justified by works. But God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever would believe on him would have eternal life and not perish. Your sins deserve the wrath of God, and that wrath was poured out on Jesus Christ. It pleased God to crush him because in pouring out his wrath on Christ at Calvary, He does not have to pour out His wrath on us. Because we know and believe that He paid it all, that He bore our penalty, and that because He loves us, He has saved us. We can go free. We can’t go back to some other system. We can’t go back to trying to be saved by our works because it’s already too late for us to be saved by works. But we can be saved by Jesus if we will believe on Him.
There was never a prophet that could save anyone. There was never an apostle that could save anyone. There was no amount of study or knowledge that could save anyone. But Jesus saves. And today, my trust is fully in Him. I believe the Bible, and it says I have sinned and come up short. I need Jesus. He is my only hope.