Romans 2:1-5 - Daily Devotion - 8 June 2026

St Barnabas Anglican Church Fairfield & Bossley Park

1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on another. For on whatever grounds you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 2 And we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 3 So when you, O man, pass judgment on others, yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you to repentance?

5 But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Paul Bogg

Many years ago, I was listening with my kids to some Colin Buchanan songs.  One song came on that totally caught me off guard – the song is called “Sinner in the Hands of a Merciful God”. Here's how it starts:

I have strayed from the path of the righteous, O God
I have turned from the way that is hope for my soul
I have lurked in the shadows of darkness and sin,
Save Me, O merciful God!

The words from this song brought me back to the reality of what today’s passage reminds us all about. We all have, at one time or another, strayed from the path of the righteous – and we have no excuse really, because as Paul said in chapter 1 verses 19 and 20, God has made his power and his presence plain to all of us. So since we all previously turned away from him, we have stored up for ourselves wrath that comes from the righteous judgement of God. This wrath is already being revealed (Romans 1:18) – but it will be revealed fully and finally on a day in the future, when his “righteous judgment will be revealed” (v 5).

But there is hope, hope for all of us, and it starts with verse 4: God, in his kindness, tolerance, and patience, gives each us an opportunity to repent. To repent of living a life in opposition to God. Repent from having turned away from him, so that we might turn towards him. Repent from lurking in the shadows of darkness and sin, so that we might come under his light and righteousness.  Repent by turning to him, asking for forgiveness, and accepting that the wrath stored up for each of has already been poured out on Jesus Christ in his death on the cross – so that we are fully forgiven if we turn to Jesus as our Lord.  Brothers and sisters, this is the gospel message, the good news that Jesus himself brought to us. This is good news worth savouring, worth sharing, and worth singing about.  Reflect and savour that good news today.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Paul is a member of our Bossley Park morning congregation.