Romans 2:1

Romans 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.

In the passage above Paul is referring to the practice of people judging the activities of other people. Man has an amazing ability to discern, judge, and condemn other people for activities that they themselves also commit. How many times have we excused our own sinful practices or seen others do likewise by saying, “Well that’s different?” It is different because fallen sinners see many reasons to justify themselves for doing the very same thing they condemn other for doing. People judge others as being liars, but see themselves as stretching the truth just a little bit. They judge others that steal as thieves but themselves as lucky when they leave a store and realize the clerk gave them too much change.

That is why impartial judges are required in many human endeavors such as baseball. If the pitch in the photo above is on the borderline, the batter will see it as a ball and the catcher will see it as a strike. Therefore, an umpire is required to give an impartial ruling. The fact that judges, referees, and umpires are needed in the world confirms the point that Paul is making in this verse. By recognizing and judging sin in others, a person is condemning sin. Therefore, any similar sin that a person has in his own life is self-condemned. Paul is stating plainly and bluntly that all men are sinners, and by judging others they are basically giving a confession of their own sin.