#43. Romans 2:3 – Responsibility vs. Accountability (Judgment Series, Part IV)

 Part II: The Conduct of Humanity

Yet are you reckoning on this, O man, who art judging those committing such things, and art doing the same, that you will be escaping the judgment of God?

This is the first passage where you are said to be “reckoning” something. The term is logizomai, “LAYize,” or, the act of claiming, or taking account of something. Its first use here is instructive, and will help us with its nineteen other uses in the text. We are said to account here in verse three, and continually account in verse fifteen.

To account something does not mean to “take responsibility” for something. It is impossible to consider this as the definition of the word logizomai, for there are uses of the term which do not indicate “responsibility” at all, but consideration (in Luke 20:5, the Pharisees reckon together, in Rom. 2:15, men reckon together, and in John 11:50 men are reckoning as to what is expedient. Replacing any of these terms with “responsible” in some form would be incongruent with its context – especially in Luke, because really? The Pharisees take responsibility together? I'm pretty sure, after reading the Book, that "taking responsibility" wasn't their thing.)

Most specially, it is impossible to consider “responsibility” in this very verse. This verse is not the sinner “taking responsibility” for actions, or even its opposite. We are said to be accounting an escape of the judgment of God – not accounting our actions, good or bad.

Now, to me, this delineation should be clear. The simple fact of the matter is that thus far we have not read one single verse concerning the so-called “responsibility” of man for his sins. We have, instead, read multiple times that God gives us over (1:24, 26, 28,) and that this must be (1:27.) Moreover, we are reading of an “accounting” here, in Romans 2:3, that all who have the capacity to judge undoubtedly make. No one who judges in this sinful flesh is exempt from this false account in 2:3. However, of course, most do not like that we are not responsible for our own selves (for we are created, not Creator,) and wish to usurp God’s place as the owner of their lives (as if they themselves can give life!)

I hate diving into this topic, truly. I would much rather press on in Romans. I’m the “word of God” guy, not the “theories outside the word of God” guy. I operate in provable facts, not interpretive verbiage. Why? Because, while the previous paragraph makes sense to some, others would take my words and straw-man me thus: “I see, so I could just dismiss my relationship with my wife?” or, “I could just get rid of my kid then?” or, “Let’s just stop running the country then, right?” My only answer to such strange claims is that the "responsibility" relation here is between God and man, not fellow duties between man and man. From God’s perspective, no, I am not responsible for the bar that I tend. From my boss’ perspective, however, I am most certainly responsible for the bar, and will be fired if I do not make and serve the drinks.

This straw man exists to say, “Ha! We could sin as much as we wish, with no penalty, and judgment is impossible because we aren’t the ones sinning, but God!” Such a philosophical argument is identifiable in the book of Job, where Job’s friends tried to convince Job that he was personally at fault for the calamities which befell him. Yet the reader knows the truth, that Job did not personally anger God, but Satan attacked Job, and this with the all-knowing God’s express permission.

To deny this, simply, is to deny the deity of God – which is one of the express issues man has, presented in the prior chapter: we do not glorify God as God (Rom. 1:21.) He is the only One with the authority to give life. He alone can see the past, present, and future. He is omniscient, being invisible, in all. If He were unable to influence you at all, not only would we have to concede that He is weak, but that He is no better than the pagan Santa Clause.

I sure hope you don’t think that God is like Santa Clause.

Thus the Creator is responsible for the created, as a parent is responsible for their child. He creates us according to His own purpose and plan, which will be carefully introduced and examined in Romans 9(:16-24.) To implant the notion of “responsibility” into Romans 2, when Romans 2 itself is merely an effect of the previous chapter, which itself is readily identified as God’s work and not our own, is inconclusive.

Simply put, no man is responsible for “being” a sinner. You were brought into this world apart from any volition, and you will be removed from this world in the same manner, at God’s allotted time. Adam, the head of our race, sinned entirely apart from our knowledge, effort, or warning, and it is through this sin that death was imparted to us. On this death, we sin (Rom. 5:12 – follow the train of thought, not our religious dogmas. You may also check out the information on the Greek on the chapter in this study.)

Thus, God cannot base His judgment on man’s responsibility. This notion is unproven and unfounded in the scriptures. We base our judgment around the idea that punishment varies according to responsibility. Well, guess what?

Our systems of judgment are crippled and failing.

There are many reasons for this, of course, too many for this reading. I believe I’m speaking to the choir of all men, even those who inflict our perverted justice, when I say that our disgraced systems fail in most regards.

We often fail to punish the wrongdoer.

We often fail to find the wrongdoer.

We often satisfy ourselves with the wrong culprit.

We are subject to biases, from race, class, sex, and emotion.

We are subject to fear of the powerful.

For a fun and engaging example of these charges, I recommend reading A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. For a real and informative example, I recommend a viewing of The Wire, a show which looks at the American city of Baltimore in multiple regards, from the “justice” system (season 1,) to the crippling economy (season 2,) to the political institutions (season 3,) to the educational reform (season 4,) and even the corrupt media (season 5.) It is highly educational, and while some of it is dramatized, the show is, in many aspects, only dated in the sense that these issues are worse today (this should surprise the political science major, but not the student of the word of God – Matt. 24.)

But why? Why isn’t God’s judgment based on “responsibility?”

Well, setting aside the fact that our judiciaries, who do center judgment around “responsibility,” have irreparably tarnished man’s reputation to judge justly, the simple fact is that everyone would suffer the death penalty. All, except God and His Christ. This would defeat the point of His story, unfortunately, for what’s the point of even making so many if you’re going to abandon and destroy them all?

This centers us back on the verse above! No one can escape the judgment of God, for all are wrong, and all must be made right. If we were “responsible,” then He would simply have no right to judge those whom He is not responsible for. We are minors, as of now, mortal and insignificantly small in the grand scope of the universe. We are the lowest subjectors on one of the smallest planets with hardly any ability to travel or comprehend things on higher dimensional planes. The notion that we would truly be capable of seeing the entire scope of another one’s lives, or recall every significant detail of our own lives, is a false and incoherent one when pitted against the magnitude of God.

If you recall, the extent of our knowledge was stated back in Rom. 1:19-20. We are living organisms which recognize this God, and His creative organization. The most we are doing is reckoning, not establishing responsibility for ourselves. To proclaim this from any verse we have considered thus far, as many good little Catholic boys and girls have, is Sin’s attempt to inject illusory ideas to confuse man, work up their pride in self and/or religion, that they may ignore and reject God as God.

In truth, we remain defenseless. Not one single individual is without need of correction. Whether one understands “right and wrong,” having read the Mosaic law, or Nicomachean Ethics, or hasn’t the faintest clue on any of this, all have sinned, and are in need of God’s correction.

This is especially true for the Pharisee, who, until this point, has been slyly exempting themselves from Paul’s words, even when he directly addressed them in Rom. 1:16. Paul, of course, is aware of this, so he will address them again in 2:10, and finally, call them out directly in 2:17. This narrative connection to the rest of the Bible will thrust us into the third chapter, and finally complete the foundation begun in Rom. 1:18, by which Paul can present the evangel (3:21-23.)

The Jews today can hardly recognize the cross, and as such hardly care about Paul’s indictment. They are not over Peter’s charge in Acts 2, at Pentecost. Would it shock you to hear that the religious today are not much farther ahead than the Jew? Though they certainly can accept Jesus, they pervert Him into literally being The Father, when Paul’s passive verbiage at the beginning of the letter indicates otherwise, as well as many statements from Jesus Himself concerning the superiority of His Father (John 14:28,) as well as His prayer to His Father (which cannot be to Himself, or we concede pride, and cannot be to some “other god that is somehow Himself,” lest we concede two gods.) These religious folk pervert Jesus’ person, and then apply the message He brought to the Jews, prior to His crucifixion, to themselves. To these men, the cross of Christ does not revolutionize the world, but makes it easier to follow the law!

And yet, the issues in Romans 1:18-32 are still prevalent in our churches (likely most prevalent in these temples.) There is steadfast ignorance against Paul’s evangel, though this is the very evangel which accords with the judgment of God (this is important, for, when we let go of the notion that God’s judgment is in accord with our responsibility, we see what it is truly in accord with: grace. More on this when we reach the verse.)

And, moreover, God will be judging those who did know law more severely than those who did not (as we will see in the upcoming verses.) The idea that, because we hear or understand or celebrate what is “right,” through Mosaic law or otherwise, that God’s judgment would be less searching, is profoundly unreasonable in the wake of justice. I can see God now: “Oh, you knew that stealing your friend’s shirt was wrong? Well, it’s a good thing you read the Ten Commandments! Herr de derr!”

- GerudoKing