Romans 2:3

And thinkest thou … that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?

The sinners’ folly

I. Their conduct.

1. They judge others.

2. Forget themselves.

3. Dream of impunity.

II. Its folly. There is but--

1. One law.

2. One judge.

3. One judgment. (J. Lyth, D. D.)

No escaping God’s judgment

I. The Jews thought to escape it, on the grounds of--

1. Their relation to Abraham.

2. Their possession of the law.

3. Their circumcision.

4. Benefits already received.

5. Their own good works.

6. The merits of their ancestors.

7. Their ceremonies such as the Day of Atonement, etc.

II. Men in general think to escape it. With as little reason, through--

1. Wealth, power, or exalted position.

2. Poverty or insignificance.

3. Religious profession, Church membership, or sacred office.

4. Personal conduct.

5. Pious ancestry.

6. Practice of religious rites.

7. Prayers, fastings, almsgivings.

8. Afflictions.

III. The impossibility of this.

1. The Jews were solemnly warned that they should not escape (Amos 9:1; Psalms 50:7).

2. The only escape is through Christ (Acts 4:12), just as the only refuge from the flood was in the provided ark (1 Peter 3:20).

3. The guilty flee, the pardoned alone escape the judgment of God. (T. Robinson, D. D.)

The gradual but inevitable advance of Divine judgment

Slow goes the hand of justice, like the shadow on the sundial; ever moving, yet slowly creeping on, with a motion all but imperceptible. Still stand in awe. The hand of justice has not stopped, although imperceptible it steadily advances; by and by it reaches the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth hour. And now the bell strikes. Then unless you have fled to Christ, the blow which was so slow to fall, shall descend over the head of impenitence with accumulated force. (T. Guthrie, D. D.)