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Romans 2:10 – Peaceful Reward

Posted on September 16, 2009 by admin

Romans 2:10

but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works 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 “works” 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 every man who is 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 peace? Then, get to work!

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Romans 2:7 – Continual Good Works

Posted on September 10, 2009 by admin

Romans 2:7

eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for 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 “patient continuance” 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,

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2 Peter 1:17 – A Father Well Pleased

Posted on April 27, 2009 by admin

2 Peter 1:17

For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Truth to Learn

God the Father is, and has always been, pleased with His Son.

Behind the Words

The word “honor” is a translation of the Greek word timē, which also occurred back in verse 4 of this chapter. It refers to “having value.” In verse 4 it was used in reference to the promises that have been given to us and there it was translated as “precious,” i.e. very valuable. In today’s verse it is translated as “honor.” According to The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, the word honor means, “High respect, as that shown for special merit; esteem” but this doesn’t quite carry the same sense as the Greek word. It is more than respect or esteem, it is recognition of His value in the order of creation, He is preeminent, that is, the highest, most valuable, and greatest!

The word “glory” is from the Greek word doxan, which refers to “glory, dignity, or honor.” There is a subtle but distinct difference in these two words that Peter used (glory and honor). The first refers to His worth as a being and the second refers to recognition for what He has done.

The word translated “Majestic” is from the Greek word megaloprepēs, which is a compound made up of megas, meaning “great or big” and a form of prepō, meaning “that which is right or proper.” In English, this word implies something “resplendent, glorious, magnificent, or majestic.”

Meaning Explained

Peter has just talked about his eyewitness account of the transfiguration of Christ on the mountaintop. In today’s verse he recounts some of the details of that event. Before we talk about his details, however, let’s look at the word translated “transfigured” from Matthew 17:2. It is the Greek word metamorphoō, which is a compound word made up of meta, which means “a change of place or condition” and morphoō, which means “to form.” So Matthew is telling us that he didn’t simply change appearance, he actually changed in form on that mountaintop.

In today’s verse Peter tells us that Jesus Christ received “honor and glory from God the Father.” He then tells us how glory and honor were bestowed on Jesus. There was an audible voice carried forth from the majestic (or magnificent) glory saying, “This is my son – the beloved, with whom I was well pleased” (literal translation). Jesus received glory in that God the Father referred to Him as “my Son” (the Son of God), and He received honor from God the Father when He proclaimed, “with him I was well pleased.” This does not mean that the Father is no longer pleased with the Son. Rather, it means that He has been pleased with the Son of God since eternity past.

Application

Although we will never attain the same position as Jesus (i.e. we will never be God), we who have accepted Christ as Savior have had His righteousness bestowed upon us and we have been adopted into the same family. And, if we are faithful and diligent in our efforts for Him during this life, we may someday hear, “Well done good and faithful servant!”

Is that what you want to hear from your Heavenly Father?

In God’s service, for His glory,

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