Romans Part 08

Paul explains that God "will render to each one according to his deeds" in Romans 2:6. God judges impartially and according to truth. Eternal life is given to those who patiently continue doing good and seek glory, honor, and immortality. This requires ongoing faithfulness over a lifetime. Seeking is an action word. Eternal life is not presented as a one-time moment detached from the life that follows. Rather, salvation is a process God leads us through. Faith must continue. Repentance must continue. Obedience must continue. Overcoming must continue. Those seeking eternal life must patiently continue in doing good according to God's Word.

Paul then presents the contrast. Those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but instead obey unrighteousness, will receive indignation, wrath, tribulation, and anguish. This judgment applies to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Just as the opportunity for salvation is extended to all, accountability before God also extends to all.

Paul summarizes this principle by declaring, 

"For there is no partiality with God." 

God does not judge based on ethnicity, background, family, neighborhood, culture, or social status. Sin is the issue, and righteousness is the issue. Both Jews and Gentiles are accountable before God because God judges according to the same standard. This directly confronts cultural relativism. A culture does not get to define righteousness for itself. God has established His law and His standard, and He judges without partiality.

Paul then distinguishes between those who have sinned without law and those who have sinned in the law. "Without law" refers to Gentiles who did not grow up with access to God's written law. This does not mean God's law did not apply to them. Since sin is the transgression of God's law, sin still implies a real standard. Gentiles who sinned without the written law will perish, and Jews who possessed the law will be judged by the law.

This also clarifies that God does not judge people merely according to whatever their culture taught them was right or wrong. A person may be raised in a culture with deeply distorted moral values, but that does not make evil righteous. God's standard remains true even where human understanding has become corrupt.

Paul concludes this section by emphasizing that hearing the law is not enough, and knowing the law is not enough. 

"The doers of the law will be justified." 

This connects directly back to Romans 2:7 and the call to patiently continue in doing good. God's people must practice His way of life, not merely hear His law or claim association with it. Genuine faith is demonstrated through a life of continuing obedience to God.

The word justified is a legal term. In a common-sense way, it means to be declared righteous, made righteous, or placed in a right relationship before God. One way to recognize a person whom God is justifying is that he is actually doing the law of God. Paul will later explain justification by faith in greater depth, but faith must be living faith. It cannot be separated from obedience.  

Epistles of Paul is a course taught at ABC by Mr. Steve Myers. Recordings from the 2023–2024 class year are available on the ABC website. 

UYA Team | uya@ucg.org  

United Young Adults (UYA) primarily serves the 18–32-year age group for the United Church of God. There are three main areas of contribution to the lives of young adults: Promoting Spiritual Growth, Developing Meaningful Relationships and Making the Most of Your Talents. The Know Your Sword series is a daily expository message introducing God’s Word from a trusted perspective.