Matthew 23:27 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. 28 Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
James 2:10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.
Paul has transitioned to the problem man faces; he is a sinner. In the latter part of chapter 1 we saw sin presented in an obvious fashion. Paul listed several forms of sin that we all would say yes that is an obvious sin. Some of these sins were more prevalent within the Gentile communities and for this they were looked down upon. Here in Romans 2, we see sinners judging sinners. We see a more subtle form of sin, but sin nonetheless.
Romans 2:1 Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.
Paul is showing us that no man has any excuse before God. Chapter one showed creation is proof of God. For man to ignore God is a choice he has made. To ignore His truth is a choice. Here, Paul wants us to see that all are under the wage of sin. If you think that you are better than the next sinner, you are mistaken. A sinner is a sinner. As James would say, unless you follow every point in the law you are guilty. A miss is as good as a mile with God’s law. It is an all or nothing attempt. For those who looked down upon others because of their sin, they were hypocrites. All are under sin, so all are under the same condemnation. Salvation does not depend on how good a sinner can adhere to the holy law of God; it depends on mercy and grace. If you say one is a sinner and you are not, you are a liar. You are a hypocrite.
1 John 1:10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
The gospel of Jesus Christ does not require that we fulfill the law of God. The law was given not to save us but to point us to that salvation that He would earn as our substitute.
Galatians 3:19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.
Romans 2:2 But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.
For those who do offend even one law, the whole of the law abides upon them. The law was not given so that we could impress God with our efforts. Sinners cannot impress God. It took God to satisfy God. God’s judgment is holy and just and good. The law is holy and just and good. Man is everything but these things if left unto himself. We need the holiness, and justness, and goodness of another. We need Christ.
Paul has given us an introduction in chapter 1 to the righteousness of God. This is our salvation. He is now showing us that we cannot be a part of this righteousness. Sinners cannot be righteous. For those of mankind who look down upon others because their works are seen as justification, they cannot see their own sin and are hypocrites. To look upon another and say you are condemned because of your sin and not see that in yourself, you are a hypocrite. Paul wants us to know that we cannot justify ourselves. We depend upon the sole actions of God. Man cannot participate in his salvation else it is not grace. That is where Paul is taking us to in this epistle to the Romans. Read this example Jesus spoke of in Luke:
Luke 14:9 And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: 10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Jesus shows us by the use of this story of the publican and the sinner that when we think ourselves better than another, we have missed His message completely. The publican here relied on God for his justification. The pharisee felt that he had earned his own. This is what Paul was showing us here in Romans 2.