A number of passages in holy scripture explain the basis of God’s judgment in considerable detail and somewhat redundantly, as if to ensure that there is no room for Divine judgment to be misunderstood nor, worse, deemed unfair.
Our Father is just (Deuteronomy 32:4; Psalm 89:14; Isaiah 5:16), requires justice from His people (Micah 6:8) and cannot tolerate unfair dealings (Proverbs 20:10-20). Indeed, justice and fairness in administering justice requires that the Judge in the first place explain the basis and standards of judgment which He will apply, clearly and upfront. Let us see how He does this in a passage which discusses comprehensively God’s judgment on the righteous and the unrighteous - Romans 1:16 to 2:16. A commentary on what this scripture portion reveals about God’s righteousness in judging sinners follows.
Romans 1:16-17 begins, unequivocally, by declaring the gospel of Jesus Christ to be the solution to the unrighteousness of all mankind,- the solution being, not the removal of unrighteousness from the earth (at least, not yet), but the saving of sinners from the just eternal punishment as the consequence of all and any unrighteousness. The whole passage is concluded with a reminder of verses 1:16-17 that judgment will be based on “the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to (the) gospel” (verse 2:16)
That all will appear before Christ’s judgment seat for things done in the flesh, “whether good or bad”, is taught also in Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 and 2 Corinthians 5:10. That obedience to the gospel saves us from the terrible punishment for unrighteousness thus judged is clear from 2 Thessalonians 1:8-9, the gospel being summarised in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 and obedience to it encapsulated in Mark 16:15-16).
Romans 1:18-21 explains the origin and cause of human unrighteousness, the seat of the problem of human sin being an act of free will to ignore clear evidence of the existence of a God of eternal power “and Godhead” (possessing invisible, but inferable, superlative attributes). With the evidence of the Creator all around them (Psalm 19:1-4) as well as in them (Psalm 139:13-16), sinners require the willful act of “suppressing” (verse 18) the knowledge of God which they possessed to some degree (verses 19-20) to disregard Him. The unrighteousness of suppressing truth is accompanied by a lack of humility which glorifies God and ingratitude for life and God’s provisions (verses 18-19). Cumulatively, unanchored to God, their very thought processes were “futile” (bearing no good) (verse 21). Simply put, they became foolish (verse 22).
Man’s wilful “setting aside” of the existence of God is akin to Adam and Eve disregarding their Maker Who moved in their midst in the Garden if Eden before the fall. Theirs was an almost child-like forgetting one’s parent and benefactor (James 1:17) upon being overwhelmed by his gifts or being drawn away from him by the false promises of gifts by others. Being rejected by His creation,- His creatures who depend upon Him for their very existence,- He leaves them to their own desires. After all, human free-will was among the “very good” things He provided humanity at creation (Genesis 1:31). In preserving man’s freedom to do as he likes instead of turning him into robots or puppets without free-will, God proves Himself to be fair to man, now exposed to the possibility of sinning.
But God is also just. Justice has to do with the consequence of man’s free choice of conduct; in His infinite wisdom, God has not set aside the consequences of man’s actions. The first move towards unrighteousness was man’s; the last move,- the removing forever of unrighteousness,- will be God’s
Romans 1:22-30 follows with a long list of acts of unrighteousness of those who are given up by God to a debased mind, which accounts for the never-ending flood of unrighteousness that has plagued mankind since the fall.
Romans 1:22-30 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, 25 who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. 26 For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. 27 Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. 28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; 29 being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, 30backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,