Romans 2 and the moral argument for God

There are a number of typical arguments used to show the existence of God, each of which is centuries old.

There's the argument of cause and effect, which says that if any created thing exists, then there must be an "uncreated creator" who created the first thing.

Another argument points to the order that exists in creation and deduces that there must be an intelligent designer behind this order.

A third argument begins with the reality of a universal moral code. Because humans have an innate sense of what is permissible and what is not, there must therefore be a source to this moral code.

In Romans 2, Paul fleshes out this third argument. His point is not to prove the existence of God; his audience doesn't need convincing of that. Rather, his point is that no one is above God's law, and he leads the reader down a path of reasoning so that they can discover this truth for themselves.

2:1 "Therefore, you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges, for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you the judge practice the very same things."

The person who doesn't believe in God has two significant problems to face from this text:

1. Since you judge others, you concede to the reality of moral standards. If there is no God,
then where do these moral standards come from? If there truly is no God, then you have
no basis for judging the moral actions of others.

2. In judging others, you unknowingly admit that immoral actions deserve judgment. When
you see an injustice, there is a tension inside you which wells up into anger and demands
judgment for that injustice. Well what about you? What makes you think that your actions do
not likewise deserve judgment? In order to be consistent with your own claims, you must
either cease to judge (and truly, to cease even to want to judge), or concede that you too are
under judgment.

This argument, combined with love and humility, is especially effective. Not only does it bring a person face to face with the reality of God, but also with their own sin, which is the first step down the path to the gospel.

And for Christians, Romans 2 makes us pause before judging others, even before judging the most wicked and evil acts that we might read about in the news. For we too are subject to moral standards, and our sin is no less offensive to God than anyone else's. Rather, considering the sins of others gives opportunity for repentance and humility, and for thankfulness to God for Jesus Christ.