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,
Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved