Romans 2:6-11 “Impartial”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

[…God] ⁶who will give back to each according to the works of him; ⁷eternal life to the ones seeking glory, honor, and immortality according to endurance of good work, ⁸or wrath and anger to the ones also disobeying the truth out of contentiousness but obeying the unrighteous; ⁹trouble and affliction upon every soul of man practicing  the evil, to Jew first but also to Greek, ¹⁰but glory, honor, and peace to the every one working the good, to Jew first and also to Greek, ¹¹for there is no partiality from God. 

I’m so glad I finally got to study these verses. They’ve always bothered me because they seem to be saying that it’s works that determine heaven or hell. However, what I now realize from taking the time to really ponder it is that it all has to be understood in its context. Once again, the whole point of 2:1-17 is that even moral people are condemned and the proof of it is their willingness to judge others. The point of verses 6-11 is simply that God’s judgment is impartial. The moralist thinks because they can judge people they perceive as “less moral than themselves,” therefore, somehow they don’t have to grapple with the reality of their own sins.

The whole point of the passage is, “You won’t get away with it. God’s judgment is impartial.” As the young student once observed, “He don’t grade on no curve.” Verse 7 says “To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, He will give eternal life.” Any honest person reading those words will not puff their chest and say, “Yup, that’s me!” I can’t lay any claims to “persistence in doing good” or being a person who has always sought “glory, honor, and immortality.” An honest person will say, if that’s the standard I’m in trouble!

And that is precisely the Lord’s point. He hasn’t given us the hope of the Gospel yet. First He has to convince us we need it! And some of the hardest people to convince of their need are those who are quite sure they’re “better” than others. As the Pharisee said, “I thank Thee, Lord, I am not like other people … like this tax collector.” And the Pharisees are alive and well today. They need to read Romans 2.

The problem of course with most of them is that they will read the chapter and still think it applies to someone else. However, that is where the Holy Spirit has to enter. It’s His job to convict the world of sin and righteousness and judgment. Only He can open our blind eyes to see the truth.

And the truth is that God’s judgment will be impartial. No one will be able to escape the truth of who they are and what they’ve done …unless the Lord Himself provides an answer!

We’ll get there. We just need to keep reading!

Romans 2:5 “More Reality”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

⁵But because of the stubbornness of you and unrepentant heart, you are storing up to yourself wrath in [the] day of wrath and revelation of [the] just judgment of God.

In verse 4, I was pondering the reality of God’s kindness, tolerance, and patience. Those attributes are a rock of truth which remain true regardless of whether a person chooses to believe them or not. Those who do believe them are drawn to Him “by the cords of His love,” while those who refuse to believe live their lives in a delusion. His love is a fact and it is offered to all who live, while they live, that they might see Jesus in His beauty, accept His forgiveness and live forever. As love always is, however, though it is offered, it must be received. In v. 4, people were presuming on His love and patience, however, and utterly missing that its purpose was to give them the chance to repent and be saved.

In v. 5, we learn what may be the single most important truth that any human being could grasp: “The day of the Lord will come.” It will come. What we learn in v. 5 is that, not only are people wasting their chance to be saved, they are actually accumulating a swelling account of sin which will finally burst on the day when the Lord calls them into account. That is reality. In v. 3, He asked the question, “Do you think you will escape God’s judgment?” The love He offers is reality, but so is the Day of Judgment. To live like there will be no such day is to deny what may, again, be the single most important truth of human existence. To do so then commences a lifetime of self-delusion and denial of reality, while the fact remains from v. 2, “God’s judgment is based on truth.” We may choose to live in delusions, but God’s judgment itself is a fact and it will be based on the truth.

What does Paul call the problem here in this passage? “Your stubbornness and unrepentant heart.” In v. 4 he spoke of people “not knowing” or “not realizing.” In v. 5, we learn the source of their apparent ignorance – they are stubborn and don’t want to turn from their pride and lust. What should be a horrifying thought to us all is to realize that Paul is speaking to “moral” people! Once again, Paul is not here speaking to the people of chapter 1, the moral degenerates of our world. He is speaking to people who might appear to be the most upright people in town, people who consider themselves a step above the gross immorality of chapter 1. He is speaking to us.

The bottom line is, if you or I can read chapter 1 and say, “That’s right, Lord, those people deserve Your judgment,” we’ve already proven that we ourselves deserve His judgment too. The question then is not, “What about them?” The question is, “What about me?” If reality says the Day of the Lord will come, that no one including me will escape God’s judgment, that on that Day, the entire truth about my life will be revealed, regardless of whether I was “more” moral than someone else, where will I stand? The answer that any honest heart will confess is “condemned.” The real truth is that no matter how moral I may want to appear, I am myself a sinner, I am myself a transgressor. The truth is I myself have spurned His love and wasted my life.

This is a horrible place to find oneself, but it is the undeniable truth we all must face. This is precisely where Paul wants us to be. Unless we allow the Lord to bring us guilty and hopeless before Him, us “moral” people will be quite assured the answer is, “We’ll do better.” If we would stand before the Lord in truth, we would know that won’t work. Even if we could do “better,” the truth of the sins already committed will still remain.

The question then remains, “What shall wash away my sins?” and the answer from the Gospel is, “Nothing but the blood of Jesus.” Even His very name “Jesus” means “Savior,” “for He shall save His people from their sins.” For those who will face the truth and flee to Jesus, Paul will triumphantly announce in 8:1, “There is, therefore, no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus!”

It is an enormous comfort of my own life that on that day when “the books are opened,” I will face a very different judgment than the rest of the world. For the rest of the world, the truth will simply be the truth, in all its condemning horror. But for those of us who, in this life, have fled for refuge to Jesus, His blood will cover all my sin. For us, His judgment is called not the “Great White Throne,” but rather the “Bema Seat of Christ,” described in I Cor. 3:12-15. At the Bema seat, my whole life, all my “works,” will first pass through the fire of His judgment where all my sins are “burned up,” so that all which remains are the few things I did right, my tiny accumulation of what the Lord calls, “gold and silver and precious stones.” Now what (little) I did right will be judged, not to condemn me, but rather to reward me. Again, where is the truth of my sins? Covered by the blood of Jesus and cast away “as far as the east is from the west.”

For those who flee to Jesus, the words of the old hymn will forever be true:

My sin, oh the bliss, of this glorious thought,

My sin, not in part, but the whole,

Is nailed to the Cross,

And I bear it no more.

Praise the Lord,

Praise the Lord,

O my soul!

The truth is there will be a Day of Judgment. But God’s heart is not that we all be condemned, but rather that we should all be saved. “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved!”

Today is the day of opportunity. God’s love is offered. Each of us is, at this very moment, choosing how to respond to that love.

I pray anyone who stumbles across these feeble scratchings would face the truth and flee to Jesus – our only hope!

Romans 2:4 “Reality”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

⁴or are you despising the riches of His kindness and the tolerance and the patience, not knowing that the kindness of God is leading you into repentance?

In verse 3, Paul just asked if we might be a person who thinks they’re going to escape God’s judgment. Then here in v.4, he asks a question which not only needs to be answered, but also teaches us volumes about both God and us.

I hardly know where to begin.

First of all, let’s think about what this verse teaches us about God. The verse tells us it’s possible we are despising “the riches of His kindness and the tolerance and the patience.” Now wait a minute! We’re in the middle of a passage on God’s judgment. Just as I noted in chapter 1, what we expect to see painted before us is a furiously angry God hurling lightning bolts at pathetic fleeing sinners, right? Yet what are the words we’re hearing? “Riches of His kindness.” “Tolerance.” “Patience.” And what is the problem in the passage? People are despising these riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience. In other words they’re disregarding them. They’re acting as if they aren’t true.

What this verse teaches us is that God’s kindness is reality. God’s kindness and tolerance and patience are a rock of truth in which we all live. Paul alluded to this in Acts 14:16,17, speaking to the Lycaonians “In the past, He let all nations go their own way. Yet He has not left Himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; He provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” God’s kindness is a rock of truth in which we all live. People have the choice to believe it or not, appreciate it or not, but that doesn’t change the fact it is the truth. To not acknowledge it is to live in an unreal world.

It is worthwhile to also ponder these words. First of all note it is all given us as “riches.” Kindness is kindness. That is what God showers on all of us. “He makes His sun to shine on the evil and the good.” Then there is His tolerance. That is literally what the word means. It is the sense of “holding back.” While He is showering the world with kindness, what are we doing? Spitting in His face, spurning His love, and murdering His Son. We deserve the furiously angry God, but what does He give us? Tolerance. He holds back. And then there is His patience. The word expresses the OT idea that He is “slow to anger.” II Peter 3:9 tells us specifically that the reason for His tolerance and patience is “that all should have room for repentance.”

He wants us to come to repentance. He wants us to realize we’re living in an unreal world and spurning the riches that He offers. But then notice that this kindness of the Lord “leads” us to repentance. Notice it doesn’t say, “Drives” us. God’s kindness is like a hand reaching out, inviting us. All the riches He offers invite us to draw near Him. In Hosea 11:4, the Lord says, “I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love…” The Lord’s kindness is intended to actually melt our hard hearts, to cause our walls to drop, to make us want to know Him. Jesus was the living embodiment of all of this, of course. Why did the tax collectors and “sinners” crowd around Him? Because His love drew them. The Pharisees’ vindictiveness pushed them away from God. Jesus’ love drew them to Him.

That’s the kind of God He is, and what do we do in response? We “despise” those kindnesses and live in willful ignorance of them, “not knowing that the kindness of the Lord is leading you to repentance.” People too often presume upon all of God’s kindness and patience and take it as if their sins are somehow excused. That is, in reality, “despising” His kindness. In fact, that very kindness is allowing us the opportunity to come to our senses before it’s too late. May the Lord help anyone reading these words to realize His kindness is the truth. May you let His love draw you to His side. May you really comprehend that it was love that put Jesus on the Cross and that He went there willingly so your sins could be paid for and all of God’s riches could be yours for all eternity.

And may we all be like Jesus, so that this kindness and tolerance and patience somehow shines out of our hearts and lives and words and allows the Lord to draw others with “the cords of His love.”

Romans 2:3 “Thinking”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

³But do you think this, O man, the one judging those practicing such things and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?

Like verse 1, Paul specifically addresses these words to “O man.”  I also think it notable that Paul is speaking in 2^nd person singular verbs. In other words, though his words may apply to the entire human race, he is addressing each of us as individuals. Also, I think the very use of the appellation, “O man,” is very deliberately intended to demonstrate that Paul is speaking to everyone, everywhere, in every age. Are you human? Then these words apply to you.

I should probably note here that, in my opinion, commentators all down through the ages have needlessly spilt a lot of ink asserting that these verses were meant primarily for the Jewish people. I totally disagree with that position. Twice in the first three verses, Paul addresses, “O man.” All men, Jews or Gentiles, can be judging moralizers. Though the Jewish people may have been notorious for this sin, it certainly is not unique to them. As Paul would develop the case against man (ch.1-3), he must address not only the profligate (ch. 1) and the moralizing Jew (2:17-3:8), but the moralizing Gentile as well (2:1-16). Us Gentiles are just as adept as any Jew at judging others while we justify ourselves. In my mind, addressing 2:1-16 to only Jews has no support from the text itself but also distracts from man’s universally characteristic practice of this judging others to justify ourselves. All people everywhere need this sin exposed if they are to see their own need of a Savior, and so these words are addressed to “O man...”

My next thought looking at this verse is that it ought to be a very probing question. “Do you think you will escape the judgment of God?” I would guess every single human being would answer that question, “Oh, no, I wouldn’t think that! Of course we must all appear before God in judgment!” Really? What the very question reveals is the sad perversion of our fallen minds. The plain import of the text (and reality) is that is exactly what we’re thinking – that, while others should be held rigidly to (our) high moral standards, somehow we won’t be. We are seriously deluded, yes, blinded, to the very thoughts which are sealing our doom.

How much good it would do every human being to sit and just ponder over this one simple question, “Do you think this, O man, the one judging those practicing such things and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God?” Do you really think that somehow you yourself will escape the white hot, bright light of truth when God judges your life, especially when you have proven yourself quite skillful at doing the same to others? Yes or no? Will you escape? Do you here today honestly want to maintain that your heart and mind and life are totally free of the very sins you condemn in others? Yes or no?

Sadly for the human race, few will ever slow down long enough to ponder such questions. The deceitfulness of sin, the desperate wickedness of our hearts, and the deceptions of our Enemy, guarantee many will go to their grave having never paused to ponder these simple questions.

Of course, this is specifically a work of the Holy Spirit, to convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. Until He intercedes, we all go on being hopelessly “wretched, poor, pitiful, blind, and naked.”  But could I suggest that one of the reasons many people might resist pondering this matter of judgment is that they sense no hope? In other words, they fear to broach the subject already anticipating its awful outcome. And may I suggest that this is precisely where you and I enter the picture? Is it possible that Jesus has spread us all over the world and mixed us right into the population, then very specifically called us to love God and love people, in order that we might be a living testimony to grace? In other words, is it possible that our unconditional love which we show to people, even in their failures, could be used by the Holy Spirit to plant within people’s minds the possibility that there is an answer beyond judgment? That there is a love that somehow supersedes their sins?

I think the answer is yes. And then may I add that when we instead become the same moralizing judges, we actually rob our world of the very hope we were supposed to give them. Our place here is to demonstrate grace. Even Jesus said, “I did not come to condemn the world, but to save it.”

May we all go and do likewise.

Romans 2:2 “Simple”

As always, here’s my fairly literal translation of these verses:

²But we know that the judgment of God is according to truth upon those practicing such things.

I’ve been pondering this verse for a while, wanting to make sure I don’t run past something, but I believe it really is as simple as it looks. That said, it is interesting that Paul starts with “we know.” Early in this logical development of the Gospel itself, Paul says “we know.” I believe he is stating something that is universally known and that is this simple fact that God judges according to the truth.

I haven’t exactly thought about this before, yet I would say, yes, it is true. Everybody knows that. I would guess even an atheist would say, “I don’t believe there is a God, but if there is He would judge people according to the truth.”

So here we are with something everyone “knows.” However, in our fallen, adamic brains, we fail to connect that truth with reality. In these first two verses of Romans 2, what are people doing? They are taking this truth and using it against other people. Oh, yes, we can see so clearly how other people need to be judged. We are quite convinced that the Lord will hold them accountable for the exact words they said, for the real intentions of their hearts, for what they really did. No doubt about it. They’ll get their “just deserts” one of these days!

But, what about me? I would suggest that is a part of the Gospel’s work – to somehow turn the gun of conviction on our own hearts – to suddenly arrest me and cause me to realize that the Lord knows the truth. That, of course, is a horrible place to find yourself – guilty under the bright white light of truth. Who am I really? What have I really done? What have I said? I think any honest person would immediately say their heart stings under the very thought of such introspection.

Yet, like a skillful surgeon, the Gospel only hurts us that it might help us. Whether we like these awful realities or not, the truth is still the truth, even if it’s ugly. But while the Gospel would show us our dark ugly hearts, it does so with its arm around our shoulder, pointing to Jesus. There is an answer. There is a solution. There is hope. Paul will get to it by chapter 3, but we will never value the hope of chapter 3 until we face the harsh realities of chapters 1 and 2.

Those who have allowed the Lord to show us who we really are, then to bring us to Jesus, all would sing together:

All that I have,

yea all that I need,

yea all that I plead

is Jesus

Simple.