Thursday, November 29, 2018: Romans 2:5-11

⁵ But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. ⁶ He will repay each one according to his works: ⁷ eternal life to those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality; ⁸ but wrath and anger to those who are self-seeking and disobey the truth while obeying unrighteousness. ⁹ There will be affliction and distress for every human being who does evil, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek; ¹⁰ but glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does what is good, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek. ¹¹ For God shows no partiality.

For all the Bible’s emphasis on salvation by grace through faith, it can be confusing to come to passages like Romans 2:5-11. Upon first glance, and without context, one might (wrongly) conclude that God saves people by their works, not by grace. But in today’s passage, the issue here is not salvation—it is how God evaluates all people: on the basis of truth, works, and light. The point Paul is making here is that God shows no partiality or favoritism when he judges the human race. Salvation is always by faith, not by works.

Paul uses the opposite ends of the spectrum of righteousness to illustrate his point in verses 6–11. It is obvious that there is no person who has lived completely at either end of the spectrum—totally evil or totally good. Certainly no one is totally righteous, and no one is as evil as he or she could possibly be. Therefore, all people are somewhere on the spectrum between points just shy of either end. All have sinned (Rom. 3:23), and God “will repay each one according to his works” (Rom. 2:6). This “repaying” will occur on the day of God’s wrath, when His righteous judgment will be revealed.

1. How might people today indicate that they rely on who they are or how they live, rather than on faith, to have a right relationship with God?
2. Do you exhibit any such tendency?
3. Thank God for the kindness and patience He has shown us through His offer of salvation.