The Church At Brierfield

but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.

In the previous verse, God promises eternal life to those who seek well-doing. In this verse, He promises wrath and fury to those who seek their own selfish ways that are contrary to truth and righteousness.

Self-seeking people are those who live their life by their own rules and for their own purposes.  Their manner of life is leading them away from God.  In fact, their lifestyle is resistant to God and the way He expects us to live our lives.  They tend to become contentious and hostile when told that their lifestyle is contrary to truth and righteousness.

Self-seeking people refuse to live in line with truth.  God is the source of truth.  He reveals it to us through the Holy Spirit and the bible.  When we refuse to obey the truth, which He has clearly revealed to us, then we are self-seeking.

While self-seeking people refuse to obey the truth, they are quite willing to obey unrighteousness.  They have actually become convinced that their unrighteousness is right and true.  Unrighteousness is any act that is contrary to laws and standards of right and wrong.  God is the ultimate standard of righteousness.

God’s response to self-seeking people is scary.  Wrath is a hot, fierce and explosive anger.  Fury is an ongoing angry disposition toward someone that results in punishment for wrong doing.  Now matter how you look at it, this is not where we want to be in our relationship to God.

Romans 2:7 – Romans 2:9

to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life;

God is looking for consistency in people’s lives.  He wants us to do things that are good and beneficial to ourselves as well as to others.  We are to do good constantly and continually throughout our lives, showing endurance and perseverance in well doing without giving up.  The test of our patience in well-doing comes during difficult times and in dealing with difficult people.

Our motivation for doing well should be our desire to find glory, honor and immortality.

Glory in this life means that God and other people have a good opinion of us and our lifestyle.  Ultimately though, the glory we seek is that state we will enter into when Jesus returns and we are with Him, fully experiencing Him and His life in us.

Honor is the recognition we receive for patience in well-doing.  It is the value God places on the lifestyle we live.  Our desire should be to hear Him say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Immortality may be better translated incorruption, purity or sincerity.  It is a lifestyle that is beyond reproach and results in a clear conscience before God and other people.

God’s reward for those who endure in well doing is eternal life.  This is the kind of life that God experiences and He is the only one that can give it to us.

Romans 2:6 – Romans 2:8

He will render to each one according to his works:

God is an impartial judge.  He is not influenced by race, nationality, religion, gender, appearance, education or class.  At the final judgment, He gives to each and every person exactly what they deserve based on how they live their lives.

Romans 2:5 – Romans 2:7

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.

The first four verses of this chapter have addressed the moral person who judges other people’s sins while sinning themselves.  Of course this covers all moral people because “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”  (Rom. 3:23)

The moral judge who does not recognize and admit their own sin has a “hard and impenitent heart.”  A hard heart is a stubborn heart that refuses to submit to God’s standards of morality and to admit it’s own sinfulness.  Impenitent means refusing to acknowledge and repent of sin.  An impenitent heart is completely lacking of remorse for sin.  An impenitent person will defend their sin, claiming that God’s standards are not relevant.

As a result of their stubbornness, they are storing up wrath for the future just like we store up money in bank accounts for future needs.  On the “day of wrath”, when God judges mankind, this stored up wrath will be revealed.  It will be a horrible day for those whose hard hearts have kept them from repenting of their sins.

Romans 2:4 – Romans 2:6

Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?

In the previous verse, Paul asked the moral person if they thought they could somehow escape from the judgment of God.  No matter how moral we are, we can’t fully live up to the law of God.  As a result, we cannot escape His judgment.

God’s kindness, forbearance, and patience toward us as sinners is amazingly great.  We deserve His judgment and wrath everyday.  Each moment that we continue to live is evidence of His excessively rich mercy toward us.

Paul now asks the moral person, who thinks they are acceptable to God, if they are taking God’s kindness, forbearance, and patience lightly.   Are they thinking they deserve His kindness when they really don’t?

Instead of making us overconfident in ourselves, thinking His kindness is evidence of our righteousness, it should lead us to repentance.  God’s patience is intended to give us a chance to realize that we are sinners, admit our sin to God and believe on Jesus to save us from our sin.

Romans 2:3 – Romans 2:5

Do you suppose, O man–you who judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself–that you will escape the judgment of God?

The implied answer to this question is no.  Yet, people suppose everyday that the answer is yes.  Believing that because they live a moral life God will not judge them.  They recognize it is wrong when people steal, murder or commit adultery.  They don’t do these things themselves but they do other things that God says are sins.  From His perspective they are doing the same kinds of things.  As a result, they will not escape the judgment of God.

We do not escape the judgment of God by recognizing the difference between right and wrong.  We escape His judgment by recognizing and believing in Jesus, the Son of God.

Romans 2:2 – Romans 2:4

We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who do such things.

What things?  The things mentioned in verse 1, correctly judging the wrong doings of others while doing wrong also.  We can be confident and sure that the judgment of God will condemn all religious and moral people who agree with God’s law at one point and violate it at another point.  All of our goodness is not capable of making us acceptable to God.  In fact, it tends to make us unacceptable because we reveal our knowledge of good which justifies God in condemning us for our sin.  Only believing in the death of Christ to pay the price of our sin can make us acceptable before God.

Romans 2:1 – Romans 2:3

Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.

It is a common belief that people who are good and moral in this life will surely be accepted by God.  He would not condemn a moral person to hell, would He?  The thinking is that their morality justifies them before God.

Yet, the truth is that their morality actually condemns them.  By agreeing with God’s law at any point we show knowledge of His law and become responsible for all of it.  Then when we break His law at any point we are condemned by it.  When we say someone’s act of murder is wrong, we condemn ourselves at every point that we break God’s law, even though we never commit murder.

The only way a person can become acceptable to God is by believing on Jesus Christ, His Son, who alone has fulfilled the law at every point.  Jesus took upon Himself our sins so that we can be made acceptable to God by His righteousness.  He died on the cross for us so that we can live through Him.

Romans 1:32 – Romans 2:2

Though they know God’s decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them.

From the very beginning, God said that death is the punishment for sin.

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”  (Genesis 2:16, 17)

Even though people know the consequences of their actions, they continue to sin in willful rebellion against God.

In addition to sinning against God themselves, they also encourage others to continue in their sin.  Knowing that God has decreed something to be sin, they tell people that their sin is alright.  God has strong warnings for people who tell others that their sin is actually something good, right and commendable.

Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!  Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!  (Isaiah 5:20, 21)

Romans 1:31 – Romans 2:1

foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless.

In verse 29 a list was started of the kinds of sin people’s lives are filled with when God gives them over to the control of their sinful minds.  The list is continued in verse 30 and finished in this verse.

Foolish is to be without understanding or discernment.  Foolish people are those who do not comprehend the reality and importance of a right relationship with God.  They think that their ways are right whether they agree with God’s ways or not.  They think that God’s ways are foolish and ignorant.

Faithless is to be untrustworthy and a breaker of promises.

Heartless is to be without the natural kinds of love and affection that people have for each other.  It especially applies to the relationship between parents and their children.  Heartless parents will not love and care for their children as they should and vice versa.

Ruthless is to be without mercy or compassion for others.

Romans 1:30 – Romans 1:32