Romans – The Play Part 1

There was no response. “Raspusen, I will tell you why. It is because of the conduct of the Jews. The heathen blasphemed the name of the God of the Hebrews because of the way the Hebrews live.”

“No, no,” intoned Raspusen. The Jewish section took up his response. “No!” But the Gentiles were in no mood to let that answer pass. “Yes, yes, it is true, yes, yes, it is true!” And then they began to cry out, “We blaspheme the name of God because of you!” Once more, individual Gentiles began to rise to their feet and speak. Accusations filled the air.

“It was a Jew who taught me to sin. It was a Jew who taught me to steal. It was a Jew who taught me to swindle. It was a Jew who caused me to be immoral.”

The Jews began shouting back their denial. “No, no, no, it is not true!” Once more, the judge fought for order. “Paul, continue your indictment. And I warn the accused to remain silent now.” Paul rested the palms of his hands on Raspusen’s desk and leaned forward. He spoke as one who had already issued the Final Judgment. “You who are Jews condemn the Gentiles for their conduct. You pass judgment on them. Yet you do the same things. It’s that simple. Your Honor, the indictment stands.” There was a pause, then Paul spoke again. “Raspusen?”

It was obvious to all that Paul was about to make this indictment very personal.

“Raspusen. Everyone in this room knows that God’s judgment is against those who do those things that both the Jews and the Gentiles do. Raspusen, you are a mere man, yet you have dared to pass judgment against the sins of the Gentiles in matters in which you are just guilty. Do you really think that you, by some mysterious means, could escape God’s judgment? Raspusen, you have robed yourself in the law, and in so doing, you state that judgment will not fall on you. Yet you do the very things for which you expect God to condemn the Gentiles.”

“Here’s what you’re saying: Lord, judge the Gentiles. I do the same thing they do, but don’t judge me.” Your attitude shows your contempt for the riches of God’s kindness, Raspusen. Your tolerance for sin is not tolerated by God. God’s tolerance and God’s patience with you have been tested. God’s kindness and patience with you was not supposed to make you arrogant, cold, and judgmental. Raspusen, it was meant to lead you to repentance. You judged the Gentiles while you wrapped yourself in the law. Yet in secret, Raspusen, you were at the same time breaking the law. Do you realize just how patient God’s been with you, Raspusen? He waited on you. He felt enormous wrath toward you, but he waited for you to repent. He took all that wrath and stored it away. Again and again, he laid mercy out in front of you, and all the while, he continued to store away his wrath, hoping you would return to him. But you never returned to him. And all the while he waited, and yet you turned not to him. Mercy has been offered to you, Raspusen, day after day. And you do not claim that mercy. So much of his wrath has now been stored up. That is, the storehouses are now full.

Simultaneously, Paul raised both arms toward the entire Jewish family. His voice rang clear. “You are stubborn. You are unrepentant. Your hearts are hard. Now God’s stored wrath is about to be unleashed. Mercy came first to the Jews. Now, to whom do you think his wrath will come to first? This day his wrath and his judgment are revealed first to the Jews, then to the Gentiles.” Paul walked over to the center of the room, opened both arms wide to show that he had encompassed everyone in the stadium. “All of you here have agreed on one thing: Your righteousness with God will be decided on the basis of what you have done. The question is not, ‘Do you have righteousness?’ Oh, you do. All of you have righteousness. The question is this: Is your righteousness acceptable to God?

I repeat that: According to the very words of the men who represent you, righteousness with God will be established on the basis of what you have done and not done. If you have persisted in doing good, and if you seek glory and if you seek honor and immortality, then the Lord God will give you eternal life. But if you have gone after self-seeking, if you have refused the truth, and if you have followed evil, then what’s going to happen? There will be wrath for you, anger for you, trouble for you, and distress for you. All who are not found in right standing with God face wrath, anger, trouble, and distress. Eternal life awaits each of you, wrath and distress. Does the evil in your life outweigh the good in your life? Or does the good outweigh the evil?” Paul now thundered again. “I remind you, these are the very standards you have set for yourself. And even now, the answer is about to be revealed to all of you. For God is totally impartial. If you are a Jew, you are the first to be rewarded. If you are a Jew, you are the first to receive wrath. Then the Gentiles. The one thing is certain: each of you will receive from God, each according to your obedience to the law and each according to your works. I pause now to ask, what is it that has been established here today? We have clearly seen why the Jews have been indicted. If a man sins under the law, he is judged by that law. The Hebrews gathered here today are judged by the law. But let us be very clear that in God’s sight, it is not a Jew who hears the law or knows the law who will be reckoned as having right standing with God. Rather, it is that Jew who has obeyed the law who will be declared right with God.

And now, Your Honor, if it please the court, I would like to present the second indictment.”

With no more than the motion of a hand, the judge signaled Paul to continue. “What of the heathen? What of those whom the Jews call the nations? Their stand before God is also clear. If a man sins apart from the knowledge of the law, then he perishes outside the knowledge of the law.” Raspusen leaned forward, eyes glaring. He wanted everyone to know he had nothing but contempt for everything Paul was saying. Paul, catching Raspusen’s eye, stared back and then smiled. Never has a man oozed so much arrogance and confidence, thought Paul. “Raspusen, you are absolutely certain you have obeyed all the law, do you not? You’re sure that you will be found right with God even if no one else is.”

‘Raspusen, I’ve never seen anyone as arrogant as you,’ mused Paul to himself. Paul, it seems, was developing an intense dislike for this man. But he was also pitying him. Then Paul continued, “It is the man who has obeyed the law who will be declared right with God. Is that right? A man who has obeyed the law, that is the man whom God will call righteous. Is that not right?” Paul turned again to the Gentiles. “Ah, but the Gentiles. You say you do not know the law, but please observe that you instinctively do the things which are required by the law. You yourselves are your own private law. In some immutable, innate way, the law itself is inside of you, yes, and you instinctively know this unwritten law. Furthermore, your very lives demonstrate outwardly the operation of law that is working within you.