God's Righteous Judgment

(Genesis 4:1-7; Jude 1:3-16)

1Wherefore thou art without excuse, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest dost practise the same things. 2And we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against them that practise such things. 3And reckonest thou this, O man, who judgest them that practise such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? 4Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? 5but after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up for thyself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; 6who will render to every man according to his works: 7to them that by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honour and incorruption, eternal life: 8but unto them that are factious, and obey not the truth, but obey unrighteousness, shall be wrath and indignation, 9tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that worketh evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Greek; 10but glory and honour and peace to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek: 11for there is no respect of persons with God.

12For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned under law shall be judged by law; 13for not the hearers of a law are just before God, but the doers of a law shall be justified: 14for when Gentiles which have no law do by nature the things of the law, these, having no law, are a law unto themselves; 15in that they shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness therewith, and their thoughts one with another accusing or else excusing them; 16in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men, according to my gospel, by Jesus Christ.

The Jews and the Law

17But if thou bearest the name of a Jew, and restest upon the law, and gloriest in God, 18and knowest his will, and approvest the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, 19and art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them that are in darkness, 20a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having in the law the form of knowledge and of the truth; 21thou therefore that teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? 22thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou rob temples? 23thou who gloriest in the law, through thy transgression of the law dishonourest thou God? 24For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you, even as it is written.

25For circumcision indeed profiteth, if thou be a doer of the law: but if thou be a transgressor of the law, thy circumcision is become uncircumcision. 26If therefore the uncircumcision keep the ordinances of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be reckoned for circumcision? 27and shall not the uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfill the law, judge thee, who with the letter and circumcision art a transgressor of the law? 28For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: 29but he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.