Romans 2:5–11
Summary:
No escape from judgment.
2:5. But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
2:6. who “will render to each one according to his deeds”:
2:7. eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality;
2:8. but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness indignation and wrath,
2:9. tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek;
2:10. but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
2:11. For there is no partiality with God.
Comments:
Hard hearts. Never a good thing with God. At times he has hardened hearts, always those who were enemies of Israel. God then used those heard hearts to be easily broken and defeated. Israel had a case of hard heart and they found themselves in exile and captivity in Babylon. Please keep your heart from getting hard, it will only bring God’s wrath upon yourself. It is the only treasure that will await you. Those aren’t my own mere mortal words. It’s a well documented judgement of God.
God knows the works of each of us. Many people think if their works are good enough, they make it to heaven. How good is good enough? Can you really trust that method? There is only one way to heaven, that’s Jesus.
Now, if we seek, patiently, to do good, it is a sign that we will make it to heaven. It’s not the work that does it, but the work is the proof, the reflection of our inner, changed attitude. An inner desire to do well for God.
Those who are rebellious, and broken into their own little groups, and serve themselves, and not the truth, they are doomed. God’s wrath is their only reward. Tribulation and anguish of the soul. It doesn’t matter whether the person is Jew or Greek. Meaning one of the group of people known as God’s chosen ones, or if an outsider.
Glory, honor, and peace awaits any person who does do those good things. Keep a soft heart toward God. Stay obedient to him. It doesn’t matter whether if you are an insider or outside of the traditional chosen group. God doesn’t regard who you are, or who you came from. He cares for people who choose to live right. It doesn’t matter if you claim a label of Christianity, or any other religion, or denomination. Even if you don’t claim to be any religion at all. God’s judgements will go well for people who seek after him and live according to his ways, and against those who don’t.