On The Sixth Day #10

Romans 2.1 – 11 God's Coming Judgment Will Be Completely Impartial

So you have no excuse, anyone, whoever you are, who sits in judgment! When you judge someone else, you condemn yourself on whatever grounds you judge another, because you who judge practice the same things. We know that God's judgment truly falls on those who do such things. And do you think, whoever you are, when you judge those others who do such things and still do them yourself, that you will escape God's judgment?

Or do you despise the riches of God's kindness, forbearance, and patience? Don't you know that God's kindness is meant to bring you to repentance? But because of your hard-heartedness and your refusal to repent from your heart, you are storing up anger for yourselves on the day of anger, when God's just judgment is revealed! God will repay
everyone according to their works.

He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. ⁸But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.

• vv. 1-5: 'You' is singular in the Greek. Here, the 'you' is a hypothetical complacent Jew, who feels superior to Gentiles and in no danger of judgment. Paul adopts a popular Hellenistic style called a diatribe, in which a writer tries to win over an audience to his views by portraying a debate between himself and a hypothetical opponent.
  
• vv. 6-11 Paul uses a chiasm (the left half of an "X" arrangement) to make his point:
  
  • A God judges everyone the same (2:6)
    
  • B Life is the reward for doing good (2:7)
    
  • C Wrath is the penalty for evil (2:8)
    
  • C' Wrath for doing evil (2:9)
    
  • B' Life for doing good (2:10)
    
  • A' God shows no favoritism (2:11)
    
• 'live for themselves' translates a rare Greek word (eritheia) that seems to convey the idea of selfish ambition or strife. Using this word, Aristotle scolded the politicians of his day for seeking public office for selfish gain rather than from a desire to serve the people (Aristotle, Politics 5.3; see also 2 Cor 12:20; Gal 5:20; Phil 1:17; 2:3; Jas 3:14, 16).
  
  • is this a warning not to seek salvation for one's self and to ignore God's purpose of renewing/refreshing [saving] all creation?
    
    • my personal salvation has a larger purpose
      
    • and it somehow depends on my serving that purpose
      
• Matthew 7:1 – 2 ... "judge not ... you will be judged by the standard you use"
  
• everyone – without exception – has done these things
  
• and if judge others and actually do the same things you condemn -- you will not escape God's impartial judgment
  
• but "I'm saved" -- kinda forgiven in advance, you think – so I'm okay
  
  • your unrepentant heart,
    
  • you are storing up wrath
    
  • God's righteous judgment will be revealed
    
• will reward
  each one according to his works
  
  • is that really what it says? WORKS???????
    
  • eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and immortality
    
  • wrath and anger to those who
    
    • live in selfish ambition
      
    • do not obey the truth
      
    • follow unrighteousness
      
• judgment WILL come – no more second chances
  
• all evil doers will be afflicted and distressed
  
• glory and honor for those who DO good
  
• in both cases: to the Jew first, then the Greek [non-Jew]
  
• NO Partiality with God
  
  • He loves and will save any and all who do as He says
    
  • He will let anger and wrath and judgment be for those who do evil
    

This is Paul's clearest outline of final judgment:

• if human beings insist on being not human – God has no choice
  
• His commitment is to putting things to rights through His love [agape]
  
  • those who are part of it are also part of the new creation
    
  • those who insist on evil CANNOT be part of what is set right
    

(Source material from N T Wright, John Wesley, Martin Luther, ESV Study Bible, Orthodox Study Bible, NLT Study Bible, et. al.)