Session 2

Coming Judgment

Romans 2:1-13

Memory Verse: Romans 2:11

God will judge every person according to their response to Him.

Test day in college gives rise to a variety of emotions.
Some, fresh from a restful night of sleep, arrive early
and place their paper and two pencils carefully on their desk.
Others, well-prepared but anxious, fidget at the thought of the unknown.
Others rush into the room totally unprepared and knowing it.
For them, judgment day is coming!
One final group shows up without a single study session.
They look prepared and act prepared,
but their cavalier approach won’t be enough.

With exams, preparation is the key.
The same is true with God’s final judgment.
Some are prepared, having trusted Christ alone for salvation.
Others hope that ignoring it will delay it infinitely.
But no amount of procrastination will delay judgment forever.

Knowing that this examination day is on God’s syllabus
should inspire us to understand how the score is graded.
Will God grade on the curve?
Will our past accomplishments be enough to slide us by
at final judgment?
Or, is God looking for something specific in that examination?

Ask:

• What does a speeding ticket teach us about accountability? (PSG, p 19)

FIRST THOUGHTS

Standing before a judge can be a sobering experience,
even if it’s only for the speeding ticket in your hand.
When a police officer pulls you over and gives you a ticket,
you set it aside and get back on the road.
However, from that moment on, you know that one day
you will be accountable to a judge.
On that day, the ticket serves as undeniable proof
of your accountability. (PSG, p. 19)

ENGAGE

Review:

previously, Paul warned of the condemnation of the Gentiles in Romans 1:

In Romans 1:18-25,
Paul described the guilt of the Gentile world.
The Jews likely would have stood and applauded at Paul’s proclamation of the Gentiles’ guilt.
But in chapter 2,
Paul reminded the Jews they were no different from the Gentiles when it came to facing God’s judgment. .

God’s judgment is based on truth and is impartial-
both Jews and Gentiles will be judged in the same way. (PSG, p. 20)

Explain:

Emphasize the key truth of today’s session:

God will judge every person according to their response to Him.

Ask:

• Why will you come before God to be judged?

Transition:

Today’s study examines Romans 2,
where Paul shifted his focus from the Gentiles to the Jews.
In the end, even God’s people needed to recognize that knowing,
and even obeying, the law did not free them
from accountability for their sins.