September 7, 2026 • 25 mins
A thief once carried a handwritten “moral code” while committing armed robbery and it’s funny until you realize how familiar it feels. We all have ways of grading ourselves, trimming the rules, and comparing down to feel safe. Romans 2:6–10 cuts through that self-made standard with a harder, clearer truth: God’s judgment is perfect, His standard is holy, and His verdict is impartial.
We walk through Paul’s teaching on the day of wrath and the final judgment, drawing connections to Revelation 20 and Jesus’ own warnings about a coming separation between righteousness and lawlessness. Then we slow down for the question many people stumble over: if Scripture says God will render to each person according to their deeds, does that mean we earn salvation by doing good? We explain the crucial distinction between the basis for salvation and the basis for judgment, showing how the Bible rejects works righteousness while still insisting that deeds reveal the real condition of the heart.
You’ll also hear why religious labels, heritage, and outward appearance won’t matter in God’s courtroom, and why true saving faith will always produce a life marked by obedience that the Holy Spirit empowers. If you want a clearer, Bible-shaped understanding of faith and works, assurance, and accountability before God, this teaching will steady you and challenge you. Subscribe for more from Foundations of Truth, share this message with a friend, and leave a review telling us what question it raised for you.
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Episode Transcript
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SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
Welcome to Foundations of Truth, the
(00:02):
biblical teaching ministry ofDr.
Timothy Mann.
Our mission is to help you buildyour life on the unshakable
foundation of God's Word.
Rooted in Scripture, anchored inthe grace of the gospel of Jesus
Christ.
Each week, Dr.
Mann opens the Bible to bringclarity, conviction, and
encouragement for everyday life.
Today on Foundations of Truth,we continue our series from
(00:25):
guilty to glory from the book ofRomans.
Today's message from Romanschapter two is on God's perfect
judgment.
Part one.
Here now is Dr.
Timothy Mann.
SPEAKER_01 (00:35):
Turning your Bibles to Romans chapter two.
Romans chapter two.
We're continuing our studythrough this very, very
important New Testament book.
Romans chapter two.
We're going to be focusingspecifically on verse six
through ten today.
As I was doing some researchthis past week, I came across a
(00:55):
news piece that I really foundto be very funny.
An armed robber named Dennis LeeCurtis was arrested in 1992 in
Rapid City, South Dakota.
Curtis apparently had scruplesabout his thievery.
In his wallet, the police founda sheet of paper on which was
(01:15):
written the following code.
Now, check this out.
This is just I couldn't havemade this up.
He writes, number one, I willnot kill anyone unless I have
to.
Number two, I will take cash andfood stamps, no checks.
Number three, I will rob only atnight.
Number four, I will not wear amask.
(01:37):
Well, that's nice, yeah.
Number five, I just can't getover this one.
It's so funny to me.
Number five, I will not rob manyMarts or 7-Eleven stores.
Why?
I don't know.
Number six, if I get chased bycops on foot, I will get away.
If chased by vehicle, I will notput the lives of innocent
civilians on the line.
That's nice of him.
(01:58):
Number seven, I will rob onlyseven months out of the year.
Kind of a snowbird thief.
Number eight.
Number eight, I will enjoyrobbing from the rich to give to
the poor.
I guess he was the poor, right?
This was just funny to me.
Because it's kind of how we are.
I mean, this thief had a senseof morality, but it was thought,
(02:22):
it was very flawed.
It was flawed.
Because when he stood before thecourt, he was not judged by the
standards that he had set forhimself, but by the higher
standard of the laws of thestate.
In the same way, when we standbefore God, we will not be
judged by the code of moralitythat we have written for
(02:45):
ourselves, but by God's perfectlaw.
And really, the Apostle Paulhere, under the inspiration of
the Holy Spirit in writing thisletter, he continues to talk
about, as it says in verse 5,the day of wrath and revelation
of the righteous judgment ofGod.
The day of wrath refers to God'sfinal judgment of sinful
(03:12):
mankind.
Peter refers to it as, and Iquote him 2 Peter 3 7, Peter
refers to it as the day ofjudgment and destruction of
ungodly men.
Jude called it the judgment ofthe great day.
The apostle Paul explains thatit will occur at the second
(03:33):
coming of Jesus Christ.
According to 2 Timothy 4 1, hesays, Who is the judge who is to
judge the living and the dead,and by his appearing and his
kingdom?
And at that time, he writes in 2Thessalonians 1, at that time
the Lord Jesus shall be revealedfrom heaven with his mighty
angels in flaming fire, dealingout retribution to those who do
(03:57):
not know God and to those who donot obey the gospel of our Lord
Jesus.
Now, this final judgment isactually described in some
detail by John in the book ofRevelation, in Revelation 20.
He writes, Then I saw a greatwhite throne, and on him who sat
on it, and him who sat on it,from whose face the earth and
(04:20):
the heaven fled away, and therewas no place for them.
And as I saw the dead, small andgreat, standing before God, and
books were opened, and anotherbook was opened, which is the
book of life.
And the dead were judgedaccording to their works by the
things which were written in thebooks.
The sea gave up the dead whowere in it, and death and Hades
(04:42):
delivered up the dead who werein them, in them.
And they were judged, each oneaccording to his works.
Then death and Hades were castinto the lake of fire.
This is the second death, andanyone not found written in the
book of life was cast into thelake of fire.
Revelation twenty, verse eleventhrough fifteen.
(05:04):
Jesus himself declared that atthat time, and I quote Matthew
thirteen, the Son of Man willsend forth his angels, and they
will gather out of his kingdomall stumbling blocks, and those
who commit lawlessness, and willcast them into the furnace of
fire.
In that place there shall beweeping and gnashing of teeth,
and then the righteous willshine forth as the sun in the
(05:27):
kingdom of their father.
And so the fact is, all ofhistory, all of history is
inscably moving toward thatawful day when the sinful of all
the ages, as it says in the bookof Hebrews, will fall into the
hands of the living God.
Hebrews 10, verse 31.
(05:49):
The story is told of an ancientRoman ruler named Brutus, Brutus
the Elder, who discovered thathis two sons were conspiring to
overthrow the government, anoffense that carried the death
penalty.
And at the trial, the young mentearfully pleaded with their
father, calling him endearingnames and appealing to his
(06:11):
paternal love.
Most of the crowd who hadgathered at the court also
pleaded for mercy.
But because of the severity ofthe crime, and perhaps because
being the ruler's sons, made themen even more accountable and
guilty of worse treason.
And so the father ordered andthen witnessed their execution.
(06:34):
Brutus did this.
And as someone has commentedabout the incident, they said
the father was lost in thejudge, and the love of justice
overcame all fondness of theparent.
God offers himself as a fatherto fallen sinners.
He pleads with them to come tohim for salvation through his
(06:57):
son.
Because he does not want, as itsays in 2 Peter 3 9, any to
perish, but for all to come torepentance.
One day the opportunity forrepentance will end.
It will end.
And at that time, God willexecute his perfect judgment
even more inescapably than thatRoman ruler.
(07:20):
Now, the first two criteria thatGod will employ in the final
judgment knowledge of the truthand response to that knowledge
of the truth.
That was the first two criteriaof God's perfect judgment.
The next criteria that we'regoing to look at, God's perfect
judgment, is our deeds.
(07:41):
Our deeds.
(08:10):
Who will render to each oneaccording to his deeds?
Eternal life to those who bypatient continuance in doing
good seek for glory, honor, andimmortality.
But to those who areself-seeking and do not obey the
truth, but obey unrighteousness,indignation, and wrath,
(08:33):
tribulation and anguish on everysoul of man who does evil of the
Jew first and also of the Greek.
But glory, honor, and peace toeveryone who works what is good,
to the Jew first, and also tothe Greek.
Verse 11 says, For there is nopartiality with God.
God's perfect judgment is basedon certain criteria.
(08:56):
There are principles to God'sperfect judgment.
We saw the knowledge of thetruth last week and our response
to the knowledge of the truth.
But this week we seespecifically in this passage
that God's criteria for perfectjudgment is our deeds.
Our deeds.
Now, although it is simple andvery straightforward, this
(09:19):
passage embraces several truthsthat are easily misinterpreted
if not studied carefully.
So I need to do that.
That's why I don't want to rush.
We got to take a moment andreally look at this passage
today.
In the text from Revelation 20that I quoted at the very
beginning, we are told twice inthat passage that people will be
(09:42):
judged according to their works.
This is the very same truth herethat the Apostle Paul emphasizes
in Romans chapter 2, verses 6through 10, declaring plainly,
plainly, that God will render toevery man according to his
deeds.
And so, judgment, we need toknow this, judgment by deeds or
(10:04):
by works is clearly taught inthe Old Testament.
The Lord instructed Isaiah inIsaiah chapter 3, verses 10
through 11 in this way.
He said, Say to the righteousthat it will go well with them,
for they will eat the fruit oftheir actions.
Woe to the wicked, it will gobadly for him, for what he
deserves will be done to him.
SPEAKER_00 (10:26):
Foundations of truth exists to proclaim the Word of
God clearly, faithfully, andwithout compromise.
If this biblical teaching ishelping you grow in your
knowledge of Christ, yourfinancial support helps us
continue sharing these messageswith others.
Thank you for standing with thebiblical teaching ministry of
Dr.
Timothy Mann.
If you'd like to give a gifttoday, you can do so online.
(10:47):
Foundationsoftruth.net.
That's foundationsoftruth.net.
Here again is Dr.
Timothy Mann.
SPEAKER_01 (10:53):
Through Jeremiah, God proclaimed even more
specifically this in Jeremiah17, 10.
He said, I, the Lord, search theheart, I test the mind, even to
give to each man according tohis ways, according to the
results of his deeds.
Matthew 16, verse 27, Jesusreiterated this principle of
(11:18):
judgment, teaching that, quotinghim here, the Son of Man is
going to come in the glory ofhis Father and with his angels,
and will then recompense everyman according to his deeds.
On another occasion, he, Jesus,said in John 5, Do not marvel at
(11:38):
this, for an hour is coming inwhich all who are in the tomb
shall hear his voice and shallcome forth those who did the
good deeds to a resurrection oflife, those who committed the
evil deeds to a resurrection ofjudgment.
And so the Apostle Paul, thegreat apostle of salvation by
(11:59):
grace alone, through faithalone, consistently taught that
God's judgment of believers aswell as unbelievers will be
based on works, on deeds.
First Corinthians 3 8, he saidthis.
He said, He who plants and hewho waters are one, but each
(12:23):
will receive his own rewardaccording to his own labor.
And then he goes on to explainno one can lay a foundation
other than that one which islaid, which is Jesus Christ.
And now if any man builds uponthe foundation with gold,
silver, precious stones, wood,hay, straw, each man's work will
(12:46):
become evident, for the day willshow it, because it is to be
revealed with fire, and the fireitself will test the quality of
each man's work.
If any man's work which he hasbuilt upon it remains, he shall
receive a reward.
If any man's work is burned up,he shall suffer loss, but he
himself shall be saved, yet soas through fire.
(13:10):
Speaking to believers there.
Again, speaking to believers,the Apostle Paul writes in 1
Corinthians, 2 Corinthians 5 10,he says, This we must all appear
before the judgment seat ofChrist, that each one may be
recompensed for the deeds in hisbody, according to what he has
done, whether good or bad.
(13:33):
Even in that wondrous epistle,that wondrous letter on grace,
the book of Galatians, theApostle Paul declares, Do not be
deceived.
God is not mocked, for whatevera man sows, this he will also
reap.
For the one who sows to his ownflesh shall from the flesh reap
corruption.
But the one who sows to thespirit shall from the spirit
(13:54):
reap eternal life.
And let us not lose heart indoing good, for in due time we
will reap if we do not growweary.
We just need to settle thisissue, and it's this that God
does not judge on the basis ofreligious profession.
God does not judge on the basisof religious relationships, he
does not judge on the basis ofreligious heritage, but among
(14:18):
other standards, what he doesjudge on is he judges on the
basis of the products of aperson's life.
That's what the Bible teaches.
An issue on the day of judgmentwill not be whether a person is
a Jew or a Gentile, it will notbe whether he's a heathen or an
Orthodox, it will not be whethershe is religious or irreligious,
(14:39):
it will not be whether he or sheattends church or not.
An issue, one issue will be,however, whether or not his or
her life has manifestedobedience to God.
That will be an issue.
A significant one.
Romans 4, 14, 12 says, On thatday, each one of us shall give
(15:02):
account of himself to God.
That's pretty sobering, isn'tit?
Now, the subjective criterionfor salvation is faith alone,
with nothing added.
But the objective reality ofthat salvation is manifested or
(15:23):
it's shown in the subsequentgodly works that the Holy Spirit
leads and empowers believers toperform.
It's shown in that.
And for that reason, godly deedsare a perfectly valid basis for
God's judgment.
A person's actions is aninfallible index of their
(15:48):
character.
Jesus said in Matthew chapter 7,Sermon on the Mount, twice.
He said, twice, you shall knowthem by their fruits.
You shall know them by theirfruits.
So the works of a person's lifeare one of the unchanging bases
upon which God will judgepeople.
Every person, every one of us,every single person who has ever
(16:11):
lived, every person will one dayface the divine judge who has a
comprehensive record of aperson's deeds, and by that
record, that person's eternaldestiny will be determined to
that person.
According to what the scripturesays.
(17:44):
And could not care less.
So whatever good you may do, orwhatever good that you have that
comes out of you, that is byGod's gracious provision.
And only he gets the praise,only he gets the credit.
The Lord declared in Isaiah 48,he said, For my own sake, for my
own sake I will act, for how canmy name be profaned, and my
(18:05):
glory I will not give toanother.
And so God will save.
As a matter of fact, he says inRomans 9, I'll have mercy on
whom I'll have mercy on.
I'll harden who I'll harden.
He said that.
Romans 9.
And so God will save, and hissovereign grace completely
excludes works righteousness.
(18:27):
Understand that?
Completely.
Speaking of the new covenant,isn't it?
In his son Jesus Christ, Godpromised to ancient Israel.
He said, Behold, days are comingwhen I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel, withthe house of Judah.
Not like the covenant which Imade with their fathers in the
day I took them by the hand tobring them out of the land of
Egypt.
(18:48):
My covenant, which they broke,although I was a husband to
them.
But this is the covenant which Iwill make with the house of
Israel after those days.
I will put my law within them,and on their heart I will write
it, and I will be their God, andthey shall be my people.
Jeremiah 31.
And so the essence of the newcovenant is God's extension of
(19:10):
grace and mercy to unworthypeople.
That's what the essence of thenew covenant is.
The work of salvation isentirely by God's sovereign and
gracious will and power.
Paul said in 1 Timothy 1,speaking of himself, he said, is
a trustworthy saying deservingof full acceptance that Christ
(19:31):
Jesus came into the world tosave sinners, among whom I am
chief, he said, among whom I amthe foremost of all.
And yet for this reason I foundmercy, in order that in me as
the foremost, or as the chief,Jesus Christ might demonstrate
his perfect patience.
(19:52):
And then to all believers, theapostle also continues to say in
Ephesians 2, he said, For bygrace you have been saved
through faith, and that not ofyourselves.
It is the gift of God, not ofworks, so that no one should
boast.
But if salvation is holy byfaith, here's the question,
(20:13):
right?
And this is the right questionto ask.
If salvation is holy by faith,then how do works enter the
picture?
How do works enter the picture?
The apostle Paul continues inthat great statement in
Ephesians 2, the for by graceyou've been saved.
He goes on to say, For we arehis workmanship created in
Christ Jesus for good works,which God prepared beforehand,
(20:38):
that we should walk in them.
And the same apostle admonishedthe Philippian believers in
Philippians 2.12.
He said, Work out your salvationwith fear and trembling, for it
is God who is at work in you,both to will and to do of his
good pleasure.
In other words, the life that issaved by grace through faith is
(21:01):
to give evidence of thatsalvation by doing God's work.
That's what that says.
Outward, outward godly works arethe evidence of inner faith.
Salvation is not by works, butit'll eventually produce works.
It'll actually produce works.
(21:22):
The presence of godly deeds in aperson's life reveals that he or
she has truly been saved.
And in God's infallible eyes,these deeds are a perfectly
reliable indicator of savingfaith.
And in the same way, the absenceof genuinely godly deeds reveals
(21:46):
the absence of salvation.
In both cases, deeds become atrustworthy basis for God's
judgment.
See, when God sees works thatmanifest righteousness.
He knows if they have come froman regenerated heart.
When God sees works thatmanifest unrighteousness, he
(22:08):
knows if they come from anungenerated heart.
Romans 2, verse 1 through 16,this whole passage, Paul is not
talking about the basis forsalvation.
He is talking about the basisfor judgment.
He does not even begindiscussing salvation as such
until chapter 3.
SPEAKER_00 (22:29):
Thank you for listening to Foundations of
Truth Today.
You know, God does not judge theway we judge.
We see appearances, God sees theheart.
We compare ourselves with otherpeople.
God measures us against hisperfect holiness.
And that leaves us with aquestion we cannot afford to
avoid.
If God's judgment is perfectlyimpartial, what happens to all
(22:51):
the excuses we use to justifyourselves?
Well, tomorrow, Dr.
Timothy Mann will take us deeperinto Romans chapter 2 as God's
perfect judgment continues.
We hope you'll join us then.
If you'd like to hear thisepisode again or get more
biblical resources or give afinancial gift, you can do so
online atfoundationsoftruth.net.
(23:11):
That's foundationsoftruth.net.
And thank you so much forlistening, your prayers and your
support.
If you've been encouraged by theteaching of Dr.
Timothy Mann on Foundations ofTruth, here's an opportunity to
meet him in person.
Join Dr.
Mann Saturday, September 19th,10 a.m.
to 2 p.m.
at From My Library to YoursChristian Bookstore in Port
(23:32):
Orange for a special authorevent featuring his book, Saved,
Understanding God's Work in Us.
There'll be book signing,conversation, and brief talks
with a QA at 1015 a.m.
and 115 p.m.
That's Saturday, September 19th,at the Pavilion next to Massage
Envy in Port Orange, Florida.
Foundations of Truth with Dr.
(23:53):
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(24:15):
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(24:37):
partnership in helping carrybiblical truth farther.
SPEAKER_01 (24:40):
Before we close today, I want to tell you about
a resource that I believe willbe a genuine help to you.
I've recently published my firstbook, Saved, Understanding God's
Work in Us.
In over 30 years of pastoralministry, one of the questions
I've encountered more thanalmost any other is this.
How can I know that I am trulysaved?
It is a question that deserves acareful, biblical answer.
(25:01):
And that is exactly what thisbook is designed to give.
Saved, understanding God's workin us, walks through what the
scripture teaches aboutsalvation, what God has done for
us, what he is doing in us, andthe assurance that every
believer can have because of hiswork.
If you want to understandsalvation more deeply, stand on
firmer ground in your faith, orbe better equipped to share the
(25:23):
gospel with someone you love,then this book was written for
you.
You can find it on Amazon,Barnes Noble, and Books a
Million, and pretty muchanywhere you buy books.
Just search Saved, UnderstandingGod's Work in Us by Dr.
Timothy Mann.
I pray it strengthens yourfaith.
Thanks for being with us today.
God bless you.
Welcome to Foundations of Truth, the
(00:02):
biblical teaching ministry ofDr.
Timothy Mann.
Our mission is to help you buildyour life on the unshakable
foundation of God's Word.
Rooted in Scripture, anchored inthe grace of the gospel of Jesus
Christ.
Each week, Dr.
Mann opens the Bible to bringclarity, conviction, and
encouragement for everyday life.
Today on Foundations of Truth,we continue our series from
(00:25):
guilty to glory from the book ofRomans.
Today's message from Romanschapter two is on God's perfect
judgment.
Part one.
Here now is Dr.
Timothy Mann.
SPEAKER_01 (00:35):
Turning your Bibles to Romans chapter two.
Romans chapter two.
We're continuing our studythrough this very, very
important New Testament book.
Romans chapter two.
We're going to be focusingspecifically on verse six
through ten today.
As I was doing some researchthis past week, I came across a
(00:55):
news piece that I really foundto be very funny.
An armed robber named Dennis LeeCurtis was arrested in 1992 in
Rapid City, South Dakota.
Curtis apparently had scruplesabout his thievery.
In his wallet, the police founda sheet of paper on which was
(01:15):
written the following code.
Now, check this out.
This is just I couldn't havemade this up.
He writes, number one, I willnot kill anyone unless I have
to.
Number two, I will take cash andfood stamps, no checks.
Number three, I will rob only atnight.
Number four, I will not wear amask.
(01:37):
Well, that's nice, yeah.
Number five, I just can't getover this one.
It's so funny to me.
Number five, I will not rob manyMarts or 7-Eleven stores.
Why?
I don't know.
Number six, if I get chased bycops on foot, I will get away.
If chased by vehicle, I will notput the lives of innocent
civilians on the line.
That's nice of him.
(01:58):
Number seven, I will rob onlyseven months out of the year.
Kind of a snowbird thief.
Number eight.
Number eight, I will enjoyrobbing from the rich to give to
the poor.
I guess he was the poor, right?
This was just funny to me.
Because it's kind of how we are.
I mean, this thief had a senseof morality, but it was thought,
(02:22):
it was very flawed.
It was flawed.
Because when he stood before thecourt, he was not judged by the
standards that he had set forhimself, but by the higher
standard of the laws of thestate.
In the same way, when we standbefore God, we will not be
judged by the code of moralitythat we have written for
(02:45):
ourselves, but by God's perfectlaw.
And really, the Apostle Paulhere, under the inspiration of
the Holy Spirit in writing thisletter, he continues to talk
about, as it says in verse 5,the day of wrath and revelation
of the righteous judgment ofGod.
The day of wrath refers to God'sfinal judgment of sinful
(03:12):
mankind.
Peter refers to it as, and Iquote him 2 Peter 3 7, Peter
refers to it as the day ofjudgment and destruction of
ungodly men.
Jude called it the judgment ofthe great day.
The apostle Paul explains thatit will occur at the second
(03:33):
coming of Jesus Christ.
According to 2 Timothy 4 1, hesays, Who is the judge who is to
judge the living and the dead,and by his appearing and his
kingdom?
And at that time, he writes in 2Thessalonians 1, at that time
the Lord Jesus shall be revealedfrom heaven with his mighty
angels in flaming fire, dealingout retribution to those who do
(03:57):
not know God and to those who donot obey the gospel of our Lord
Jesus.
Now, this final judgment isactually described in some
detail by John in the book ofRevelation, in Revelation 20.
He writes, Then I saw a greatwhite throne, and on him who sat
on it, and him who sat on it,from whose face the earth and
(04:20):
the heaven fled away, and therewas no place for them.
And as I saw the dead, small andgreat, standing before God, and
books were opened, and anotherbook was opened, which is the
book of life.
And the dead were judgedaccording to their works by the
things which were written in thebooks.
The sea gave up the dead whowere in it, and death and Hades
(04:42):
delivered up the dead who werein them, in them.
And they were judged, each oneaccording to his works.
Then death and Hades were castinto the lake of fire.
This is the second death, andanyone not found written in the
book of life was cast into thelake of fire.
Revelation twenty, verse eleventhrough fifteen.
(05:04):
Jesus himself declared that atthat time, and I quote Matthew
thirteen, the Son of Man willsend forth his angels, and they
will gather out of his kingdomall stumbling blocks, and those
who commit lawlessness, and willcast them into the furnace of
fire.
In that place there shall beweeping and gnashing of teeth,
and then the righteous willshine forth as the sun in the
(05:27):
kingdom of their father.
And so the fact is, all ofhistory, all of history is
inscably moving toward thatawful day when the sinful of all
the ages, as it says in the bookof Hebrews, will fall into the
hands of the living God.
Hebrews 10, verse 31.
(05:49):
The story is told of an ancientRoman ruler named Brutus, Brutus
the Elder, who discovered thathis two sons were conspiring to
overthrow the government, anoffense that carried the death
penalty.
And at the trial, the young mentearfully pleaded with their
father, calling him endearingnames and appealing to his
(06:11):
paternal love.
Most of the crowd who hadgathered at the court also
pleaded for mercy.
But because of the severity ofthe crime, and perhaps because
being the ruler's sons, made themen even more accountable and
guilty of worse treason.
And so the father ordered andthen witnessed their execution.
(06:34):
Brutus did this.
And as someone has commentedabout the incident, they said
the father was lost in thejudge, and the love of justice
overcame all fondness of theparent.
God offers himself as a fatherto fallen sinners.
He pleads with them to come tohim for salvation through his
(06:57):
son.
Because he does not want, as itsays in 2 Peter 3 9, any to
perish, but for all to come torepentance.
One day the opportunity forrepentance will end.
It will end.
And at that time, God willexecute his perfect judgment
even more inescapably than thatRoman ruler.
(07:20):
Now, the first two criteria thatGod will employ in the final
judgment knowledge of the truthand response to that knowledge
of the truth.
That was the first two criteriaof God's perfect judgment.
The next criteria that we'regoing to look at, God's perfect
judgment, is our deeds.
(07:41):
Our deeds.
(08:10):
Who will render to each oneaccording to his deeds?
Eternal life to those who bypatient continuance in doing
good seek for glory, honor, andimmortality.
But to those who areself-seeking and do not obey the
truth, but obey unrighteousness,indignation, and wrath,
(08:33):
tribulation and anguish on everysoul of man who does evil of the
Jew first and also of the Greek.
But glory, honor, and peace toeveryone who works what is good,
to the Jew first, and also tothe Greek.
Verse 11 says, For there is nopartiality with God.
God's perfect judgment is basedon certain criteria.
(08:56):
There are principles to God'sperfect judgment.
We saw the knowledge of thetruth last week and our response
to the knowledge of the truth.
But this week we seespecifically in this passage
that God's criteria for perfectjudgment is our deeds.
Our deeds.
Now, although it is simple andvery straightforward, this
(09:19):
passage embraces several truthsthat are easily misinterpreted
if not studied carefully.
So I need to do that.
That's why I don't want to rush.
We got to take a moment andreally look at this passage
today.
In the text from Revelation 20that I quoted at the very
beginning, we are told twice inthat passage that people will be
(09:42):
judged according to their works.
This is the very same truth herethat the Apostle Paul emphasizes
in Romans chapter 2, verses 6through 10, declaring plainly,
plainly, that God will render toevery man according to his
deeds.
And so, judgment, we need toknow this, judgment by deeds or
(10:04):
by works is clearly taught inthe Old Testament.
The Lord instructed Isaiah inIsaiah chapter 3, verses 10
through 11 in this way.
He said, Say to the righteousthat it will go well with them,
for they will eat the fruit oftheir actions.
Woe to the wicked, it will gobadly for him, for what he
deserves will be done to him.
SPEAKER_00 (10:26):
Foundations of truth exists to proclaim the Word of
God clearly, faithfully, andwithout compromise.
If this biblical teaching ishelping you grow in your
knowledge of Christ, yourfinancial support helps us
continue sharing these messageswith others.
Thank you for standing with thebiblical teaching ministry of
Dr.
Timothy Mann.
If you'd like to give a gifttoday, you can do so online.
(10:47):
Foundationsoftruth.net.
That's foundationsoftruth.net.
Here again is Dr.
Timothy Mann.
SPEAKER_01 (10:53):
Through Jeremiah, God proclaimed even more
specifically this in Jeremiah17, 10.
He said, I, the Lord, search theheart, I test the mind, even to
give to each man according tohis ways, according to the
results of his deeds.
Matthew 16, verse 27, Jesusreiterated this principle of
(11:18):
judgment, teaching that, quotinghim here, the Son of Man is
going to come in the glory ofhis Father and with his angels,
and will then recompense everyman according to his deeds.
On another occasion, he, Jesus,said in John 5, Do not marvel at
(11:38):
this, for an hour is coming inwhich all who are in the tomb
shall hear his voice and shallcome forth those who did the
good deeds to a resurrection oflife, those who committed the
evil deeds to a resurrection ofjudgment.
And so the Apostle Paul, thegreat apostle of salvation by
(11:59):
grace alone, through faithalone, consistently taught that
God's judgment of believers aswell as unbelievers will be
based on works, on deeds.
First Corinthians 3 8, he saidthis.
He said, He who plants and hewho waters are one, but each
(12:23):
will receive his own rewardaccording to his own labor.
And then he goes on to explainno one can lay a foundation
other than that one which islaid, which is Jesus Christ.
And now if any man builds uponthe foundation with gold,
silver, precious stones, wood,hay, straw, each man's work will
(12:46):
become evident, for the day willshow it, because it is to be
revealed with fire, and the fireitself will test the quality of
each man's work.
If any man's work which he hasbuilt upon it remains, he shall
receive a reward.
If any man's work is burned up,he shall suffer loss, but he
himself shall be saved, yet soas through fire.
(13:10):
Speaking to believers there.
Again, speaking to believers,the Apostle Paul writes in 1
Corinthians, 2 Corinthians 5 10,he says, This we must all appear
before the judgment seat ofChrist, that each one may be
recompensed for the deeds in hisbody, according to what he has
done, whether good or bad.
(13:33):
Even in that wondrous epistle,that wondrous letter on grace,
the book of Galatians, theApostle Paul declares, Do not be
deceived.
God is not mocked, for whatevera man sows, this he will also
reap.
For the one who sows to his ownflesh shall from the flesh reap
corruption.
But the one who sows to thespirit shall from the spirit
(13:54):
reap eternal life.
And let us not lose heart indoing good, for in due time we
will reap if we do not growweary.
We just need to settle thisissue, and it's this that God
does not judge on the basis ofreligious profession.
God does not judge on the basisof religious relationships, he
does not judge on the basis ofreligious heritage, but among
(14:18):
other standards, what he doesjudge on is he judges on the
basis of the products of aperson's life.
That's what the Bible teaches.
An issue on the day of judgmentwill not be whether a person is
a Jew or a Gentile, it will notbe whether he's a heathen or an
Orthodox, it will not be whethershe is religious or irreligious,
(14:39):
it will not be whether he or sheattends church or not.
An issue, one issue will be,however, whether or not his or
her life has manifestedobedience to God.
That will be an issue.
A significant one.
Romans 4, 14, 12 says, On thatday, each one of us shall give
(15:02):
account of himself to God.
That's pretty sobering, isn'tit?
Now, the subjective criterionfor salvation is faith alone,
with nothing added.
But the objective reality ofthat salvation is manifested or
(15:23):
it's shown in the subsequentgodly works that the Holy Spirit
leads and empowers believers toperform.
It's shown in that.
And for that reason, godly deedsare a perfectly valid basis for
God's judgment.
A person's actions is aninfallible index of their
(15:48):
character.
Jesus said in Matthew chapter 7,Sermon on the Mount, twice.
He said, twice, you shall knowthem by their fruits.
You shall know them by theirfruits.
So the works of a person's lifeare one of the unchanging bases
upon which God will judgepeople.
Every person, every one of us,every single person who has ever
(16:11):
lived, every person will one dayface the divine judge who has a
comprehensive record of aperson's deeds, and by that
record, that person's eternaldestiny will be determined to
that person.
According to what the scripturesays.
(17:44):
And could not care less.
So whatever good you may do, orwhatever good that you have that
comes out of you, that is byGod's gracious provision.
And only he gets the praise,only he gets the credit.
The Lord declared in Isaiah 48,he said, For my own sake, for my
own sake I will act, for how canmy name be profaned, and my
(18:05):
glory I will not give toanother.
And so God will save.
As a matter of fact, he says inRomans 9, I'll have mercy on
whom I'll have mercy on.
I'll harden who I'll harden.
He said that.
Romans 9.
And so God will save, and hissovereign grace completely
excludes works righteousness.
(18:27):
Understand that?
Completely.
Speaking of the new covenant,isn't it?
In his son Jesus Christ, Godpromised to ancient Israel.
He said, Behold, days are comingwhen I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel, withthe house of Judah.
Not like the covenant which Imade with their fathers in the
day I took them by the hand tobring them out of the land of
Egypt.
(18:48):
My covenant, which they broke,although I was a husband to
them.
But this is the covenant which Iwill make with the house of
Israel after those days.
I will put my law within them,and on their heart I will write
it, and I will be their God, andthey shall be my people.
Jeremiah 31.
And so the essence of the newcovenant is God's extension of
(19:10):
grace and mercy to unworthypeople.
That's what the essence of thenew covenant is.
The work of salvation isentirely by God's sovereign and
gracious will and power.
Paul said in 1 Timothy 1,speaking of himself, he said, is
a trustworthy saying deservingof full acceptance that Christ
(19:31):
Jesus came into the world tosave sinners, among whom I am
chief, he said, among whom I amthe foremost of all.
And yet for this reason I foundmercy, in order that in me as
the foremost, or as the chief,Jesus Christ might demonstrate
his perfect patience.
(19:52):
And then to all believers, theapostle also continues to say in
Ephesians 2, he said, For bygrace you have been saved
through faith, and that not ofyourselves.
It is the gift of God, not ofworks, so that no one should
boast.
But if salvation is holy byfaith, here's the question,
(20:13):
right?
And this is the right questionto ask.
If salvation is holy by faith,then how do works enter the
picture?
How do works enter the picture?
The apostle Paul continues inthat great statement in
Ephesians 2, the for by graceyou've been saved.
He goes on to say, For we arehis workmanship created in
Christ Jesus for good works,which God prepared beforehand,
(20:38):
that we should walk in them.
And the same apostle admonishedthe Philippian believers in
Philippians 2.12.
He said, Work out your salvationwith fear and trembling, for it
is God who is at work in you,both to will and to do of his
good pleasure.
In other words, the life that issaved by grace through faith is
(21:01):
to give evidence of thatsalvation by doing God's work.
That's what that says.
Outward, outward godly works arethe evidence of inner faith.
Salvation is not by works, butit'll eventually produce works.
It'll actually produce works.
(21:22):
The presence of godly deeds in aperson's life reveals that he or
she has truly been saved.
And in God's infallible eyes,these deeds are a perfectly
reliable indicator of savingfaith.
And in the same way, the absenceof genuinely godly deeds reveals
(21:46):
the absence of salvation.
In both cases, deeds become atrustworthy basis for God's
judgment.
See, when God sees works thatmanifest righteousness.
He knows if they have come froman regenerated heart.
When God sees works thatmanifest unrighteousness, he
(22:08):
knows if they come from anungenerated heart.
Romans 2, verse 1 through 16,this whole passage, Paul is not
talking about the basis forsalvation.
He is talking about the basisfor judgment.
He does not even begindiscussing salvation as such
until chapter 3.
SPEAKER_00 (22:29):
Thank you for listening to Foundations of
Truth Today.
You know, God does not judge theway we judge.
We see appearances, God sees theheart.
We compare ourselves with otherpeople.
God measures us against hisperfect holiness.
And that leaves us with aquestion we cannot afford to
avoid.
If God's judgment is perfectlyimpartial, what happens to all
(22:51):
the excuses we use to justifyourselves?
Well, tomorrow, Dr.
Timothy Mann will take us deeperinto Romans chapter 2 as God's
perfect judgment continues.
We hope you'll join us then.
If you'd like to hear thisepisode again or get more
biblical resources or give afinancial gift, you can do so
online atfoundationsoftruth.net.
(23:11):
That's foundationsoftruth.net.
And thank you so much forlistening, your prayers and your
support.
If you've been encouraged by theteaching of Dr.
Timothy Mann on Foundations ofTruth, here's an opportunity to
meet him in person.
Join Dr.
Mann Saturday, September 19th,10 a.m.
to 2 p.m.
at From My Library to YoursChristian Bookstore in Port
(23:32):
Orange for a special authorevent featuring his book, Saved,
Understanding God's Work in Us.
There'll be book signing,conversation, and brief talks
with a QA at 1015 a.m.
and 115 p.m.
That's Saturday, September 19th,at the Pavilion next to Massage
Envy in Port Orange, Florida.
Foundations of Truth with Dr.
(23:53):
Timothy Mann is supported inpart by Cat Care Clinic, located
in Ormond Beach, and servingfamilies with thoughtful and
compassionate veterinary carefor cats.
We're grateful for theirpartnership in helping carry
biblical truth farther.
We're thankful for AMN Plumbing,a local ministry partner serving
the Ormond Beach, Daytona Beach,Port Orange, New Smyrna Beach,
(24:15):
and surrounding areas withDependable Plumbing Service.
Their support helps makeFoundations of Truth available
to more listeners each week.
Foundations of Truth with Dr.
Timothy Mann is supported inpart by Luther Rice College and
Seminary, equipping men andwomen for ministry through
biblically faithful theologicaleducation.
As a leader in online learning,we are grateful for their
(24:37):
partnership in helping carrybiblical truth farther.
SPEAKER_01 (24:40):
Before we close today, I want to tell you about
a resource that I believe willbe a genuine help to you.
I've recently published my firstbook, Saved, Understanding God's
Work in Us.
In over 30 years of pastoralministry, one of the questions
I've encountered more thanalmost any other is this.
How can I know that I am trulysaved?
It is a question that deserves acareful, biblical answer.
(25:01):
And that is exactly what thisbook is designed to give.
Saved, understanding God's workin us, walks through what the
scripture teaches aboutsalvation, what God has done for
us, what he is doing in us, andthe assurance that every
believer can have because of hiswork.
If you want to understandsalvation more deeply, stand on
firmer ground in your faith, orbe better equipped to share the
(25:23):
gospel with someone you love,then this book was written for
you.
You can find it on Amazon,Barnes Noble, and Books a
Million, and pretty muchanywhere you buy books.
Just search Saved, UnderstandingGod's Work in Us by Dr.
Timothy Mann.
I pray it strengthens yourfaith.
Thanks for being with us today.
God bless you.
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