January 20 Click on verses for Full Scripture

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Today's Pathway: Romans 2:6-11 Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God.

In today's passage Paul speaks of some characteristics of the judgment of God. First, in verse 6, he reiterates that judgment will be based upon the life that the individual has led. What a man's name is, or what his background may be, does not come into play as far as God's justice is concerned. Paul reiterates this in verse 11 by stating that there is "no respect of persons with God". "Respect of persons" is one word in the Greek language. It literally means, "to receive the face", which carries the idea of looking to see who someone is before making a decision about him. My father used to tell this story about working in a neighborhood grocery store as a boy. A woman came into the store and asked my dad how much tomatoes cost. He didn't have the answer, so he called down into the basement to ask the owner. The owner's response was "Who wants to know?". When it comes to God's dealings with men, He will never show favoritism. Verses 9 and 10 specifically mention that, even though the Jews are God's chosen people, they will be treated exactly the same way as the Gentiles. God is always consistent in His justice. This should serve as an example for us, that we should be consistent in our dealings with others, and should also motivate us to behave ourselves properly because God will judge us appropriately.

In verses 7-10 Paul discusses the basis for God's judgment. Those who are doing right are mentioned in verses 7 and 10. It should be noted here that Paul is not teaching salvation by works. He is not saying that doing good deeds will grant someone eternal life, for that would contradict the clear teaching of Ephesians 2:9, which says that salvation is "not of works, lest any man should boast". However, believers should be giving evidence of their salvation through their lives. In verse 7 Paul first mentions the Christian's endurance. It's not easy to be a believer. There are manifold temptations, as well as external pressures and oppositions that would make it easy to turn away from a Biblical lifestyle. But, we should be willing to "hang in there" and keep doing what we know we should. Secondly, Paul mentions the Christian's focus. We should be seeking "glory and honor and immortality". This is not our glory, but the glory of God. We are not seeking to be honored, but to honor God. We are seeking that which is immortal as opposed to that which is temporal. We know that we have eternal life, and we look forward to the day when we are finally with the Lord. In verse 10 he sums it up this way: "to every man that worketh good". What is the reward for all this? Glory, honor and peace. Someday we will be with the Lord in glory. We will receive the rewards for our service to Him. We will have peace, both in this life and in eternity.

The opposite is true for the unbeliever. In verses 8-9 these people are contentious, which "usually conveys the idea of building oneself up by tearing someone else down, as in gambling, where one person's gain is derived from others' losses." They are concerned only with themselves. Because of that they do not obey the Truth, but they obey unrighteousness, and do evil. What is their end result? God is angry with them, and brings tribulation and anguish upon them. And, if they do not come to faith in Christ, they will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire.

God is watching, and He will judge righteously.

Pastor Mark J Montgomery