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Author: Will

Romans 2:16 – No More Secrets

Posted on August 21, 2017 by Will

¹⁴for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, ¹⁵who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) ¹⁶in the day when God judges the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel.

Truth to Learn

Even the hidden thoughts and actions of the unsaved will be judged by our Savior.

Behind the Words

The word translated “accusing” in verse fifteen is translated from the Greek word katēgoreō, which is a legal term that means “to speak openly against, that is, to condemn or accuse.” It is what the plaintiff does in a court of law.

“Excusing” in verse fifteen is from the Greek apalogeomai, which is also a legal term. This word means “to defend or speak or plead on behalf of oneself or another before a tribunal.”

The word “secrets” in today’s verse is the Greek word kruptos, meaning “something that is hidden or concealed.”

Meaning Explained

We’ve included the previous two verses with today’s so that you will see the context of today’s verse. Remember, we are talking about the fact that even the unsaved (Gentiles) do some good things, and they know the difference between good and bad as evidenced by their consciences. Yesterday’s verse indicated that the Gentiles will be accusing and excusing one another, and today’s verse tells us when that accusing and excusing will be going on.

Paul is clearly talking about a legal setting where judgment will take place. In today’s verse he tells us when that will be. It is “in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ.” This may be a reference to a verse in Ecclesiastes. At the end of Solomon’s search for the meaning of life he concluded:

Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God and keep His commandments, for this applies to all. For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, whether good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14)

And in his first letter to the Christians at Corinth the Apostle Paul warned them not to be judgmental, because our Lord is coming who will judge even the hidden things of the heart:

Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. (1Cointhians 4:5)

Paul is talking about those who deny that God exists even though there is ample proof of His existence and His power. These will stand before the One they have denied and they will have to explain their actions as well as their thoughts. And on that day even their own consciences will condemn them. They will be without excuse! And … they will be without a savior!

Application

We too will stand before the Judge, but it will not be for condemnation. We will stand before the Bema Seat of Christ where our works will be judged to determine our rewards. The fire will destroy all that was not done for His glory, and what is left is all we will have to show for this life.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 2:15 – Conscience Conviction

Posted on August 18, 2017 by Will

who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also giving witness, and their thoughts between themselves accusing or even excusing)

Truth to Learn

Our conscience is more effective at controlling our actions than any set of rules.

Behind the Words

The word translated “conscience” is suneidēsis, which is made up of sun, meaning “together” and a form of eidō, meaning “to know.” It is that part of our mind that knows, along with our heart, whether something is right or wrong.

“Bearing witness” is from summartureō, which is made up of sun, meaning “together” and martureō, meaning “to witness.” In this verse Paul says the conscience is witnessing together with the heart, where the natural law is written.

Meaning Explained

Paul is continuing on from the previous verse where he said that even though the Gentiles don’t have the Law of Moses, they still do things that are good. In today’s verse he is saying that when they do good things their conscience is clean because they know that they have done good. Likewise when they do not do what is right, their conscience witnesses to their heart that what they have done is not right.

This is a significant statement from Paul because, as he said in the first chapter of this epistle, the natural man knows and understands the nature and power of God simply from the creation around him. Now he is saying that the natural man knows, instinctively, the difference between right and wrong. He even goes one step further saying that those without the Law recognize when another person does good or bad and as a result they either accuse or excuse one another. There is a law written in our hearts, to which our conscience bears witness, and it teaches us the difference between good and bad.

Do you remember when the Scribes and Pharisees brought to Jesus a woman who was caught in the act of adultery? The Law demanded that in such a case the woman was to be stoned to death. Jesus initially responded by bending down and writing in the dirt with his finger, pretending not to hear them. As they continued to press him about it he responded by saying:

He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first. (John 8:7b)

Do you remember what happened next?

Then those who heard it, being convicted by their conscience, went out one by one, beginning with the oldest even to the last. And Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst. (John 8:9)

Do you see that? They were not convicted by the Law, they were convicted by their own consciences.

Application

We all know when we have done right and when we have done wrong, even if we don’t know everything taught in the Bible. It’s true that there are some people who don’t seem to have a conscience. They actually have one, but they have denied it for so long that it has become ineffective at directing their actions. But they are not free of their conscience, they are trapped by their sin nature and their conscience has become ineffective.

Is your conscience still working effectively?

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 2:14 – Moses’ Law vs. Natural Law

Posted on August 17, 2017 by Will

for when Gentiles, not having the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law unto themselves,

Truth to Learn

Even those who don’t know the Law can do some good.

Behind the Words

“Gentiles” is translated from the Greek word ethnos, which generally refers to “a tribe” or “a nation.” In Jewish writing it nearly always refers to “non-Jewish people” or “Gentiles,” though it is sometimes translated as “nations.”

The word translated “by nature” is the Greek word phusis, derived from the verb phuō, meaning “to produce from seed.” Phusis refers specifically to “natural birth” and has come to mean “that which is part of a person’s nature.”

Meaning Explained

Paul is now showing the Jewish Christians in Rome that having the Law and living by it is not sufficient reason to feel confident. As he said in the previous verse, simply hearing the Law is not good enough to demonstrate a person’s righteousness; instead one must be a doer of the Law.

Lest we get confused here, Paul is not claiming that any of us can be justified by obeying the Law of Moses or the Ten Commandments. As he will point out later, there is no one who keeps the whole Law, and if we break one of the commandments, then we are guilty of all of them. The only one to keep the whole Law is Jesus Christ. For that reason, he is righteous. In the next chapter of this letter Paul will quote from Psalms 14 as he informs his readers:

As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one;” (Romans 3:10)

Yet, somehow the Jews believed that it was possible to keep the Law. This is precisely the notion that Paul is in the process of systematically proving false. To the Jew, and therefore to most of the early Christians, the Law was supreme and keeping the letter of the Law was paramount. That’s how they gauged how good they were.

What Paul is saying in today’s verse is, even though the Gentiles do not have the Law (the Old Testament), they still do some good things. And by doing so they demonstrate that there is a natural law that governs man independent of the revealed Law in the Old Testament. In the next couple of verses Paul will proclaim that the Great Judge will judge the Gentiles according to that natural law, and their consciences.

But salvation (being righteous) can only come by faith. Man is capable of doing good things, but not enough to satisfy a perfect, righteous, holy God. Whether it is the Law of Moses or the natural law, man is incapable of satisfying it completely. And Christians today sometimes develop a mindset that we are good Christians if we keep all the rules of the church. That really is no different from the early Christians believing that they could be saved by keeping the Law.

Application

Obeying God is good. It’s what He wants us to do. It’s what we ought to do, but it won’t save us because we can never be good enough. That’s why we need the grace of God, and that’s why salvation can only come through faith. As Paul will tell us later in this letter, God does not look favorably on the Christian who lives by all the rules; He looks favorably on the Christian who lives by faith.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 2:13 – Walk the Walk!

Posted on August 16, 2017 by Will

(for not the hearers of the law are just with God, but the doers of the law will be justified;

Truth to Learn

God wants us to be doers, not just hearers.

Behind the Words

The word translated “hearers” is akroatēs. There is another Greek word, akouō, which means “to hear with attention,” that is, “to listen.” But the word that we have in the current verse, akroatēs, means “to listen to something for pleasure, such as a piece recited or sung.”

“Just” is from the Greek word dikaios, an adjective that means “righteous, just, or one who conforms to all the rules.”

Meaning Explained

In the past seven verses Paul has described the judgment that will be meted out to the just and the unjust, the righteous and the unrighteous, independent of who their ancestors were and independent of what they look like because God is not a respecter of outward appearance. He also told us that those who have sinned without the law will perish without the law and those who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law.

Now he makes his next great statement: it’s not the hearers that will be saved (justified before God) but the doers of the Law. These Roman Christians apparently took delight in hearing the Scriptures being read to them. But, it doesn’t matter if you hear the law being read every weekend as these Roman Jews have for years. And it’s not the ones who have been reading their Bibles every day for years who will be justified before God. We are not commanded to read our Bibles or even to listen to good sound doctrinal teaching. We are told to put the teaching into practice.

If you love Me, keep My commandments. (John 14:15)

We are admonished in a number of passages in the Bible regarding the importance of doing rather than simply hearing. Here are some of them:

But become doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. (James 1:22)

Not everyone who says to Me, Lord! Lord! will enter the kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven. (Matthew 7:21)

Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on a rock. (Matthew 7:24)

Whoever comes to Me and hears My Words, and does them, I will show you to whom he is like. (Luke 6:47)

And you shall keep My statutes and My judgments, which if a man does, he shall live in them. I am Jehovah. (Leviticus 18:5)

Application

It’s amazing how many times we are admonished to put action to our faith. Clearly, it is important for us to be reading and studying our Bibles every day in order to learn the truths that God has for us. But reading and studying alone are not good enough.

We’re not commanded to read the words and talk the talk.

We’re commanded to read the words and walk the walk!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 2:12 – With or Without the Law

Posted on August 15, 2017 by Will

For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned within law will be judged by law

Truth to Learn

We have all sinned and are unrighteous, deserving of God’s condemnation.

Behind the Words

The expression “without law” is from the Greek word anomōs, which is a compound word made up of the privative a, implying negation and a form of nomos, meaning “law.” Although it can refer to any law in general, in the Biblical text it is almost always a reference to God’s revealed law as contained in the writings of Moses and the prophets.

“Perish” is translated from the Greek word apolountai, which is made up of apo meaning “away from” or “completely” and a form of ollumi, meaning “to destroy.” Hence, “utterly perish” would be a good translation of this word.

Meaning Explained

Paul is now giving further explanation to what he said in the previous verse (Romans 2:11,) the fact that God is not a respecter of persons. And, we saw that verse 11 was an explanation of the repeated phrase, “to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” God will not take into account who our parents or other ancestors are when He judges us. All He will be concerned about is whether we are righteous or not. Also, keep in mind what Paul will tell us later in Romans:

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one. (Romans 3:10)

Righteousness, in God’s view, is the characteristic of always doing what is right. Since we don’t always do what is right, we are unrighteous, whether we are Jewish or Gentile. As Paul is talking to the Jewish Christians in Rome, he is telling them that those who have sinned without law will perish without law (because they are unrighteous). He is saying that those who do not have the Law as laid out in the Old Testament will perish (into the lake of fire) without the law.

At this point the Jewish believers are likely to get a bit prideful knowing that they do, indeed, have the Law. So Paul drops the other shoe. He tells them that those who have the Law and transgress the Law will be judged through the precepts laid out in the Law. Since there is only one who satisfied all the Law (Jesus Christ, the righteous one), Paul is telling these Jews that they are just as condemned (and unrighteous) as the Gentiles who commit sin apart from the Law.

This particular treatise of Paul’s is going to show that obeying rules and statutes is impossible for sinful man to do whether he is a Jew or a Gentile. He will, in fact, eventually demonstrate to these Roman Christians that all of us are sinners and worthy of death apart from the grace of God. In other words, if God does not get involved in our lives and save us through His grace, we will all justly be sentenced to the lake of fire.

Application

Deep down inside we all know that we are unrighteous in and of ourselves. Thanks be to God that He declares us righteous when we believe the good news about His Son.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 2:11 – The Impartial Judge

Posted on August 14, 2017 by Will

For there is no partiality with God.

Truth to Learn

God judges based on truth, not on appearance.

Behind the Words

“Partiality” comes from the Greek word prosōpolepsia, which is made up of prosōpon, meaning “face” or literally, “that part of the face at or around the eyes,” and a form of lambanō, meaning “to receive.” So, literally it means that God is not a receiver of faces. By implication it means that He does not treat people differently simply based on personal characteristics.

Meaning Explained

Paul ended each of the previous two verses with the phrase, “to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” The reason for this expression is to remind the Christians in Rome, who are mostly converted Jews, that their heritage is not something to boast about. God will judge all people alike with one exception: those who rejected His offer of salvation will receive condemnation, and those who accepted His offer of salvation will receive mercy.

Why does He treat Jews and Gentiles alike? Paul tells us in today’s verse, “for there is no partiality with God.” Samuel the prophet was sent by God to anoint the next king of Israel. When he first saw the eldest son of Jesse, he was sure that this was the one God had chosen. God told him otherwise:

But Jehovah said to Samuel, Do not look on his appearance, nor to the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For man does not see as He sees. For man looks on the outward appearance, but Jehovah looks on the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)

That’s exactly what Paul is saying in today’s verse. God will judge us all based on the righteousness that we possess no matter how hard we try to impress Him with our good works. We can go to Church every Sunday, read our Bibles, and pray daily. We can give to the poor and even work for a poor Christian organization and look at our low wage as “a ministry for God.” But if we are not declared as righteous in God’s Book of Life then we will be judged with all the other unrighteous ones at the Great White Throne judgment. If, on the other hand, we have recognized our sinfulness and we have humbled ourselves before God, accepting the blood of Christ as payment for our sins, then God declares us as righteous and we will not appear at the Great White Throne judgment. Instead, we will appear at the Bema Seat judgment where we will receive rewards for the good works we have done.

One final note: the works that we get rewarded for may not be the works that we expect to get rewarded for. Only those things which are done for Him, that is, to give Him glory, will be rewarded. These things that we do for ourselves (even if we claim that they are for Him) will not result in rewards. It’s sort of a catch-22. If we do any deed for the purpose of getting rewarded for it, we won’t get a reward for it. On the other hand, the selfless things that we do in obedience to God, strictly for His glory, because He is deserving, these are what will result in rewards.

Application

If you want to bless God, then serve Him humbly and faithfully. If you want God to bless you, then serve Him humbly and faithfully.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 2:10 – Peaceful Reward

Posted on August 11, 2017 by Will

but glory, honor, and peace to everyone working what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Truth to Learn

If we are working for God now, He will reward us later.

Behind the Words

The word translated “working” is the Greek verb ergodzomai, based on the noun ergon, meaning “work.” Ergodzomai means “to work or labor at something.” It implies putting effort into doing something. It is expressed here as a participle (working) which implies ongoing action.

The word translated “good” is to agathon, which literally means, “the good.”

Meaning Explained

Paul has just declared that the unrighteous will receive tribulation and anguish at the Judgment. In contrast, like in verses 7 and 8, he now declares what the righteous will receive.

Paul says, “to everyone working the good,” The implication is that this is someone who is continually laboring to do good. Doing what is right is not something that comes naturally to any of us because of the sin nature that we all inherited from Adam. It is only by the power of the Holy Spirit that we are even capable of doing anything truly good. And, as we all know, it takes work to continue to do good, especially when it seems that we only get taken advantage of when we do.

There is a beautiful promise to all Christians, however, in this verse. Paul tells us that those of us who continue to labor at doing good, in spite of what the world does to us, will receive glory, honor and peace from the great Judge when we stand face to face with Him.

We are not to go through this life seeking to gain glory for ourselves, and we are not to be seeking our own honor. But, if we are seeking to bring honor and glory to God through our good works, God will one day give us both honor and glory. And, on top of it all, He will give us peace. The unrighteous will not have peace. They will have tribulation and anguish, and they will be separated from the presence of God for all of eternity.

This is one of those verses that I think we all should have committed to memory for those times when we get tired of trying to do what God wants us to do; when we feel like it’s just no use; when life seems to be going downhill with no end in sight. Remember, this promise is not to just anyone! It only applies to those who have been declared righteous by God. That is, it only applies to those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. And, according to Paul in the book of Ephesians, the whole reason for us being saved is so we can do good works for God:

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)

Application

We are not saved by our good works; we are saved only by the grace of God. But we are saved and commanded to do good works while we are here on this earth. And when we continuously labor to do those good works, He will reward us for it with glory, honor, and peace!

Do you want glory, honor, and peace? Then, get to work!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 2:9 – Payment for Worthless Deeds

Posted on August 10, 2017 by Will

tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who accomplishes evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek;

Truth to Learn

Tribulation and anguish are coming to those who reject God.

Behind the Words

The words “tribulation and anguish” are interesting in that, for three of the four times they are mentioned in the Bible they are mentioned together. The word “tribulation” is from the Greek word thlipsis, which literally means “pressure.” However, by application it means “that malevolent external force that is applied to a man.” In other words, those bad things that happen to us that cause us extreme stress.

“Anguish” is translated from stenochōria, which literally means “a narrow place,” but symbolically it means “great distress.” Though tribulation and anguish may seem to be the same, thlipsis is the external force and stenochōria is the resultant internalization of the stress.

The word, “accomplishes” is from the Greek katergodzomai, which means “to continually carry out a task until it is complete.”

“Evil” is from kakos, which means “bad” or “worthless.” It refers to those deeds which God considers of no value.

Meaning Explained

Paul has just told us that those who have been declared righteous and who are seeking God’s glory and honor will receive eternal life. Meanwhile, those who reject the truth of Christ, those who are more concerned with self than doing what is right, will receive the anger and wrath of God. He now reiterates these points, as if to make a clear statement that there is a distinct difference between what will happen to the unrighteous and what will happen to the righteous.

Tribulation and anguish, according to Paul, are what comes to him who, “accomplishes evil” during his life here on earth. The implication is that the worthless actions of the unrighteous were not just occasional during their lives; rather the selfish acts of unrighteousness were continual until their lives were ended. It may seem harshly judgmental to think of the unsaved as never doing anything good. However, from God’s perspective “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” That is to say, the deeds of the unsaved are worthless.

Paul now makes a very clear point to the Roman Christians, who were mostly converted Jews. They had a tendency to be proud of their Jewish heritage and of their faith. He tells them that this condemnation will come on (the unsaved) Jews and Gentiles alike. In fact the judgment will come on the Jews first (or primarily) then on the Gentiles as well. This is a strong condemnation regarding their pride, which is not a godly trait.

Application

We Christians need to be very careful that we don’t get prideful in our salvation. After all, we’re not saved because of anything that we did. Our salvation is because of what God has done for us and to us. After all, without His gift of grace, none of us would be saved. When we become prideful in our salvation we are taking the credit away from Him, and it is credit that only He deserves!

Let’s humble ourselves and praise Him for what He has done!

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 2:8 – Self-serving Fools

Posted on August 9, 2017 by Will

but to those who are self-seeking and do not believe the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath,

Truth to Learn

Those who selfishly reject God will experience His wrath.

Behind the Words

The word translated “self-seeking” is eritheia. It is based on a noun that means “to work for hire” or “to work for a wage.” The verb form is usually in the middle voice meaning that it is something that is done to (and by) oneself. When used as a noun in a negative sense, as it is in today’s verse, it refers to “someone who is seeking his own good.” It is sometimes translated as “contentious.” Clearly, it is used here in reference to someone who is only looking out for himself or herself.

The word translated “do not believe” is the Greek word apeitheō, which is made up of the privative a, meaning “not” or “without” and a form of peithō, meaning “to convince or persuade.” Hence, apeitheō refers to “one who is not allowing himself or herself to be persuaded or to believe.”

The word “obey” is also translated from the root peithō. It is expressed here as a participle in the middle voice, so it could be translated here as “convincing themselves.”

Meaning Explained

We talked in the previous verse about the judgment of the righteous ones who will receive everlasting life because of their belief in the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the cross. Today’s verse gives a contrasting picture of the unrighteous unbelievers (all unbelievers are unrighteous in God’s eyes).

We could translate the opening part of this verse as, “but to those who are self-seeking and not being persuaded by the truth but persuading themselves by unrighteousness …”

Whereas we, through our patient endurance, will receive eternal life, those who are self-seeking and not persuaded by the truth will receive the anger and wrath of God. We see here another example of Paul’s frequent play on words. They are not persuaded (apeitheō) by the truth, so they persuade themselves (peithō) by unrighteousness.

Do you see the attitude of the unbeliever in this verse? Those who reject the good news of Christ’s death on the cross in payment for their sins, refuse to believe. They refuse to be persuaded that they are sinners and need salvation. Why? Because they are self seeking and unwilling to submit themselves to the truth and to the God of truth. Remember what Paul said in the previous chapter of this letter?

because, having known God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were they thankful, but their reasonings became futile, and their foolish hearts were darkened Professing to be wise, they became fools, (Romans 1:21, 22)

And what will these self-serving fools receive when they stand before the God of creation? The wrath and anger of the Almighty, Holy, Righteous GOD whom they deny!

Application

We have the antidote for this wrath; it’s called the gospel message, and we need to proclaim it to everyone who will listen. It’s not up to us to force anyone to believe, but it is up to us to proclaim the truth, whether they believe it or not.

In God's service, for His glory,

Romans 2:7 – Continual Good Works

Posted on August 8, 2017 by Will

eternal life to those who with patience in doing good seeking glory, honor, and immortality;

Truth to Learn

We are to be continually doing good works for God.

Behind the Words

There are two Greek words, men and de, which are not often translated. They are used together to indicate a comparative contrast between two things. When used in this manner they can be roughly translated as men = “on the one hand” and de = “on the other hand.” The word men appears in this verse and the word de appears in the next verse. Hence, Paul is contrasting these two groups of people.

The word translated “patience” is hupomonē, which is made up of hupo, meaning “under” and a form of menō, meaning “to remain.” Hence, it literally means “to remain under.” It is a picture of a beast of burden which chooses to remain under a heavy load rather than rebelling and shaking off the heavy load.

Meaning Explained

Abraham, though not righteous in himself, was declared righteous when he believed God (see Genesis 15:6). Paul will talk more about Abraham’s faith in the coming chapters of Romans. The important thing to note is that Abraham did not earn his righteousness, it was declared so by God when Abraham believed. It is the same with us. When we believed the message that we are sinners deserving of death and that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for our sins, God declared us righteous. The second chapter of Ephesians declares that as a result of this salvation by grace, through faith, we will produce good works which God before ordained for us to do.

This is all necessary background to understanding today’s verse. You see, today’s verse does not refer to the same judgment event as the previous verse (or the following verse). This verse is referring to the Bema Seat Judgment at which all believers will appear. It is a judgment where we will receive rewards for the righteous works we have done since salvation. These works did not earn us our salvation, they are the evidence of our salvation.

In the previous verse Paul told us that the Great Judge "will render to each one according to his deeds." Now he tells us what will be handed out to these two contrasting groups of people. In today’s verse he talks about those who patiently continue to do good, who are seeking glory, honor and immortality. That pretty much describes a committed Christian, and today’s verse tells us what they will get – eternal life. In the next verse he will tell us what the other group of people will get.

Remember that Paul is contrasting the wicked and the righteous. He is not giving a treatise on faith verses works (he will get into that later in the letter.) The point he is making is that the saved will get eternal life, while the wicked unrighteous ones will get something entirely different.

Application

As born-again Christians, God expects us to be doing good works that will build up the body of Christ. At the end of this life He will reward us for these faithful works. Will your works for the body of Christ be worthy of reward?

In God's service, for His glory,