Though we are now in March and it is no longer Black History
month, I was reminded this past week of a famous quote by Martin Luther that
successfully introduces the crux of today’s passage. In his famous speech
entitled “I Have a Dream,” Luther dreamed of a country in which his four
“little children will one day be judged not by the color of their skin but by
the content of their character.” Whether or not this destiny has been fulfilled
yet or not is still up for debate in our nation today—a nation that seems eager
to distinguish between all kinds of groups and subgroups based on everything
from race to gender to sexuality to age to political affiliation to church
membership to generation etc. Luther’s idea—the idea in which character matters
most—seems far-fetched as we look out at our world. It sure would be nice if
there really was no partiality or prejudice.
However, this may not be as far off as one thinks. In fact,
there is One who always deals justly and fairly with all men and women—God. The
holiness of God as witnessed in his relationship to the world is the subject
Romans 2:6-11. Therein, Paul provides three pairs of teachings that tell us
much about God and two groups of people. As it pertains to how God relates to
the people of the world, there is only one thing that matters and it has
nothing to do with what the world seems so preoccupied with.
1) Two
Characteristics of God-2:6 & 11
As Paul continues his analysis of the human need for
salvation, he introduces a basic principle of
divine judgment that together
with verse 11, fence in the contents of verses 7-20. The principle is this: God
is a God “who will render to each person according to His deeds” (2:6). This
teaching is consistent with what the Bible says elsewhere.
Psalm 62:12-“And lovingkindness is Yours, O
Lord, for You recompense a man according to his work”
Proverbs 24:12-“…will He not render to
man according to his work?”
Matthew 16:27 –“For the Son of Man is going
to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will
then repay every man according to his deeds.”
One might ask, “I thought Paul, more than most, emphasized
the idea that the sinner is saved by faith?” This is true and Paul will affirm
this later (see Rom. 3:18). However, for now Paul is not teaching how we are
made right with God, but “how God judges the reality of our faith” (Mounce, Romans, 91). In other words, faith is an
amorphous and ethereal quality that, in and of itself, is difficult to pin
down. However, the deeds that result from the faithful (or the lack of deeds
witnessed in the faithless) betray of the reality and quality of the faith in
question. Jesus seems to indicate the same when he taught the following in
Matthew 25:31-46.
Matthew 25:31-40-“31 “But
when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him,
then He will sit on His glorious throne. 32 All
the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from
one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; 33 and
He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left. 34 “Then
the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My
Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of
the world. 35 For I was hungry, and you gave
Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to
drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked,
and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison,
and you came to Me.’ 37 Then the righteous will
answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and
give You something to drink? 38 And
when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You?39 When
did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 The
King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that
you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the
least of them, you did it to Me.’”
Here, as in Romans 2, the deeds performed betray the faith
within. A.M. Hunter writes “a man’s destiny on Judgment Day will depend not on whether
he has known God’s will but on whether he has done it” (Hunter, Romans, 36). Those who “do it” (that is
God’s will) reveal that they really have faith.
The first thing that the audience learns about God in this
passage is that God is a God who judges the deeds of mankind. He is uniquely
qualified to do this because He is the standard by which all things, people,
and actions are measured.
Acting as the other bookend of this short passages is
another divine quality—impartiality—“for there is no partiality with God”
(2:11). This divine quality, along with the one found in verse 6 form an inclusio that holds the remainder of the
passage together. In verse 6 we learned that God casts judgment and in verse 11
we learn that He does this without partiality.
In other words, God is not a respecter of ethnicity, race,
culture, geographic location, socio-economic status, family heritage, etc. God
is interested most in character and how it manifests itself in performance.
This is antithetical to how many people fill quotas and
assign worth today. In a world that is partial to this or that group, God shows
no impartiality and allows the works of men and women to speak for themselves.
These two divine qualities—that God is a judge and that he
judges without partiality—successfully establish the domain in which people are
allowed to live and pursue two different destinies. EVERYONE is allowed a
choice in the matter and EVERYONE will be judged accordingly—(without
partiality).
2) Two Competing
Lifestyles-2:7-8
The first dichotomy that exists in this domain involves
lifestyle. In the grand scheme of things there are ultimately two ways to live.
The first is a life of faithful perseverance in doing good—“to those who by perseverance
in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life” (2:7).
The verb “seek” is a present participle that describes the type of person who
will stop at nothing to find/obtain a desired object of person. It invokes the
idea of a consistent quality or lifestyle.
Therefore, another translation of
this might read “those who by perseverance in doing good make it their habit to
strive for glory and honor and immortality.” These direct their lives toward
those activities that help others (“doing good”), result in divine glory
(“glory”), are honorable before God and men (“honor”), and reverberate beyond
this life (“immortality”). These are those who endorse the kind of thinking
that is portrayed in passages like Philippians 4.
Philippians 4:8-“Finally brethren, whatever is true,
whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely,
whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy
of praise, dwell on these things.”
The people who persevere in dwelling on these things and act
accordingly betray faith in God and will receive “eternal life” (2:7). This
“eternal life” describes not only the longevity of existence received, but
something of its spiritual and existential quality. Those who endorse lifestyle
#1 demonstrate that they have faith in Jesus Christ and, as a result, have God
as their Father.
Lifestyle option #2 is quite different—“but to those who are
selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath
and indignation…” (2:8). Instead of being guided by a desire to seek the good
of others, these desire only/ultimately what is good for themselves. Instead of
pursuing glory, honor and immortality, these are disobedient and
unrighteousness. Such people were described in Romans 1 as suppressors of truth
and those who were handed over to their own wicked desires. Others that fit
this lifestyle practiced these traits behind the façade of religion—just like
those mentioned in Romans 2:1-5. All who endorse this lifestyle betray a lack
of faith in Jesus Christ and, as a result, have Satan as their father.
John 8:42-47-“Jesus said to them, ‘If God were
your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come
from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent
Me. 43 Why do you not understand what I am saying? It
is because you cannot hear My word. 44 You
are of your father the devil, and you want to do the
desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not
stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he
speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a
liar and the father of lies. 45 But
because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. 46 Which
one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe
Me? 47 He who is of God hears the words of God; for
this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.’”
In both John 8 and Romans 2, one’s sonship/daughtership is
dependent on what one does with the truth. God’s children embrace the truth;
Satan’s children ignore and disobey the truth.
Such a lifestyle does end in any quality of life whatsoever.
Instead, according to Romans 2:8, “wrath and indignation” await those who entertain
this option.
3) Two Contrasting
Destinies-2:9-10
Corresponding to each of these lifestyles are two distinct
destinies. First, Paul says that the evil will find tribulation--“there will be
tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first
and also of the Greek” (2:9). “Does” as it is used in this verse describes a
person who habitually seeks to accomplish evil with thoroughness.” This is not
someone who periodically gives into temptation. This is someone who consistently
does evil—someone “who [is] selfishly ambitious and do[es] not obey the truth,
but obey[s] unrighteousness” (2:8). At present, these endorse sin and
experience the tribulation and distress that comes with it. Evidence of this
can be seen in the prescription drug crisis, rise in divorce rate, alarming
credit card debt figures, and new industries that have been invented to relieve
stress—yoga, sleeping pills, vacations, mindfulness, etc. Though these and
other methods of finding respite from distress might bring temporary relief,
ultimately, these are unable to quell the very real tribulation that awaits
those who “do evil.”
Notice to that such tribulation, like God’s judgment is not
a respecter of persons. Paul continues and says “of the Jew first and also to
the Greek” (2:9). In other words, ANYONE who endorses the lifestyle described
in verse 8 will receive, both presently and eschatologically, distress and
tribulation. Jews receive it “first” in the sense that, having been given the
Law of God, they should have known better. Though without the formal Law of
God, the Gentiles are still guilty and receive the same as the Jews with the
Law.
Unlike those who disobey the truth and, in so doing, know a
life of distress and tribulation, Paul finally highlights the destiny of the
faithful—“but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jews
first and also to the Greek” (2:10). Those who prove themselves to be children
of God through their good works will receive glory and honor and peace from the
Lord. Glory ultimately comes at the end
when the believer will be made like Christ. Honor is known presently as the
believer stands for God in a corrupt world. The promise of peace provides the
believer with hope for what is to come and relief from what is faced today.
“Those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and
immortality,” (2:7) will know all of these wonderful blessings.
Such blessings are not exclusive to any nation, people
group, or social class. Just like the potential wrath experienced by the evil
doer, these blessings are available “to the Jew first and also to the Greek”
(2:10). The Jew first because God first revealed himself to the Jewish people,
rendering salvation available to them before anyone else. To the Greek because
salvation has been made available to everyone in the world following the
ministry of Christ.
The whole passage is one cohesive whole that works in a
sophisticated way to tell us something about God and two categories of people
alive in the world today:
2:6-God judges all according to deeds
2:7-The faithful persevere in
doing good
2:8-The selfish obey unrighteousness
2:9-The evil will find tribulation
2:10-The
faithful will attain honor and peace
2:11-God is
impartial
This structure is known as a chiasm. In this particular
example of a chiasm, Paul means to accentuate what comes in the middle and what
is found at the beginning and the end. First, as it pertains to the context of
Romans 2, Paul is hoping that the reader remembers that the selfish and evil
(of any kind) will be found guilty and judged if they remain without Christ.
This continues the theme that is introduced in 1:18--all are guilty and in need
of the salvation that only Jesus can provide. Second, Paul is hoping to teach
the church that God has the same scale for all people—He judges deeds and, by
proxy, the heart of a person. Those who do good prove to be men and women of
faith and have God as their father. Those who do evil prove to be men and women
of unrighteousness and have Satan as their father.
So What?
The one thing that matters to an impartial judging God is faith. Those who have it do good deeds
and persevere toward honor and glory. Those who do not have it obey
unrighteousness and will ultimately find distress and tribulation. God does not
care where you are from, how much you have to offer by way of money or talent,
who your family is, your ethnicity, etc. He cares about your character and my
character and whether or not it is a character of faith in Jesus Christ.
Concerned that such a character is not found in you? Look at
your deeds. Is your life a life lived in perseverance, for God’s glory,
honorable, and focused on what is eternal? Or, is it a life that is
characterized by selfish ambition, unrighteousness, distress, and deserved
tribulation?
No comments:
Post a Comment