In the first chapter of Romans, Paul lays the foundation for his subsequent argument, mainly, we, as humans, have no excuse before God when it comes to sin.
“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.” - Romans 2:1
This is a condemnation of hypocrisy, a condemnation of a “plank and speck” type, a condemnation similar to that handed down by Christ to the teachers of the law. It is interesting to note that the only person worthy of judging another was Christ, for He was sinless, but instead of judgment, Christ honored His Father by reserving that privilege for Him.
“If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. What I say, therefore, I say as the Father has told me.” – John 12:47-50
Yet even though Christ reserved His judgments, He still had the authority to judge.
“You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. Yet even if I do judge, my judgment is true, for it is not I alone who judge, but I and the Father who sent me.” – John 8:15-16
And finally, in all of His judgment, Christ sought to aline Himself with the will of the Father, in order to bring Him glory.
“I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgment is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of him who sent me.” - John 5:30
Call me crazy, but I think Christ just exemplified the perfect approach to judgment, and it’s a lesson we need to take to heart: God has the right to judge, God’s Word has the right to judge, but we do not. When we judged as sinners, we are condemning ourselves, when we judge as believers, we are robbing God of his proper glory. “The LORD rebuke you…” (Jude 1:9)
Perhaps it was out of our insecurity that we, when sinners, were so quick to judge. We were so afraid to look back at ourselves. At times, we even treated with contempt the very forbearance, patience, and kindness God showed us before we knew Him.
“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?” - Romans 2:4
Leading to repentance…here it is…the reason we were not all dead and burning in hell at that very moment…that very first moment we sinned…and this is the reason: Even in our former rebellion, God was patient.
“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.” - Romans 2:5
They were obstinate, they were unrepentant. They new the truth, but they chose their own way. That is why they deserve the just wrath of God. That was Paul’s point in his introductory chapter (Romans 1). And this…is the point where Paul makes a statement that seems very out of place:
“He will render to each one according to his works…” - Romans 2:6
Stop.
Did you read that too?
Was it not Paul himself who stated in Chapter 1 “The just shall live by faith?” (Romans 1:17) Why is he now mentioning works? Is Paul making a salvitic statement?
First, a good working definition for “render” and “works” is needed in order that Paul statement be properly understood. The Greek word for “render” is apodidomi. Thayer’s Lexicon defines apodidomi, in the sense it is being used in Romans 2:6, as “requite, recompense in a good or a bad sense.” The Greek word for “works” is ergon. Thayer’s Lexicon defines ergon, in the sense it is being used in Romans 2:6, as “(to recompense one in accordance to their) works.” The key word here seems to be “recompense.” In the positive sense, recompense is understood as rewarding someone for services rendered. In the negative sense, recompense is understood as making restitution for damage or injury. In the neutral sense, it simply means compensation.
A concrete example of how these words are also used by Paul can be found in 2 Timothy 4:14, where Paul states, “Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds.
It is quite obvious in this passage that this Alexander did some work which was purposely damaging the ministry of Paul (what he was exactly doing is somewhat of a debate among scholars). Paul, however, does not seek immediate justice from man, but is confident that God will serve the justice due for the wrongs done.
Returning to Romans 2, we see that what we seek plays a vital role in what we obtain. Those “who by patience in well-dong seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.” (Romans 2:7) But those “who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.” (Romans 2:8) Again in Romans 2:9, tribulation and distress falls on “every human being who does evil”, and in Romans 2:10, there is glory, honor, and peace “for everyone who does good.”
It is important to note here that those who do not seek God are not justified by the excuse that they didn’t know Him, for in chapter 1, Paul has already presented the argument that shows this line of reasoning doesn’t hold. Pointing again at verse 8, they are not disobeying a mystery, but a revealed truth!
So where is Paul going with this? I believe Romans 2:11 gives us the answer: “For God shows no partiality.”
What you sow, that shall you reap! (Job 4:8, Galatians 6:7)
God shall not be mocked!
God’s justice shall not be mocked!
God’s mercy shall not be mocked!
There is no excuse, there is no loophole!
“For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.”- Rom 2:12
“For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.” - Rom 2:13
God has shown no partiality. He has rendered each according to their works, for under the law, all justification preceded from doers…from works.
If we were to stop here, our doctrine would be in danger of heresy. Therefore it is necessary to peek ahead into Romans 3:23, which states: “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”
In Romans 2:12, Paul states, “all who have sinned”, and in Romans 3:23, Paul states “all have sinned.” Therefore, according to Romans 2:12, all shall either perish or be judged.
The law…death…
We have fallen short, we have failed, but where we have failed, Christ succeeded. This is where the necessity of Romans 2:6 and Romans 2:13 arises, and this is where the necessity of God rendering each according to their works comes to full fruition. Without this truth, Christ’s perfect life is meaningless. This is the justification to be found in works, but this justification is unattainable to a sinner. Only Christ overcame, only Christ was sinless, and God rendered to Him the just recompense of His act, glorification, and rendered also to Him anything for which He asked.
And what did Christ ask for?
“Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.” - John 17:24
He asked for us, a miserable bunch of sinners…he asked for us…
“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” – Romans 5:8
We are Christ's compensation.
May we stand amazed.
Amen.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Monday, March 10, 2008
Romans 1
...to Rome. (Part 1 of ?)
“Everyone soon or late comes round by Rome.” – Robert Browning, English Victorian poet
This final entry (or more correctly entries) has possibly been the hardest to concisely place in a means adequate of it’s importance, both in the life of the man from Tarsus, and also in the ramifications it rightly carries as being the most important book in the New Testament aside from the Gospels and Acts (respectively).
It is fitting, then, that this man be named.
I have strayed from a name until this point for the empathetic purpose of placing myself in this man’s shoes. I have been called by Christ (Tarsus), and have publically been called Christian (Antioch), but I have yet to reach the full fruition of my faith, the very thing this man from Tarsus received in his final missional journey to Rome. When I say fruition, I do not necessarily refer to passing from this life to the next, but moreso the ability to see that the garden God has grown through my planting. This man from Tarsus was able to see (to his exceeding joy; Philippians 4:1) this fruition, and, Lord willing, someday I will be able to see the same.
His name was Paul, and he was an apostle to Jesus Christ.
“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 1:1-7)
The encouragement of this opening greeting, in its foundational doctrine, bears with it the advent of one of the hardest eras of Christianity- the persecution of the Christians by the Roman emperor Nero.
“…your faith is spoken of throughout the world.” (Romans 1:8)
Paul knew what it meant to be persecuted, almost as well as he formerly knew how to persecute. Perhaps it is fitting irony that his life, as it is believed, was ended on the command of Nero himself.
Paul knew the inevitability of that potential persecution that lay in store for him in Rome. “I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also… for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” (Romans 1:15-16)
The gospel of Christ, a power leading unto salvation, a portrayal of the righteousness of God.
God, by His very righteous nature, condemns the sinner- a condemnation unto death. It is important to say “by His very nature,” for it saves from any contradiction, and it paints vividly the “God-ship” of God. We see, as with the Ark of the Covenant, the severity of this righteousness. To touch the ark, as a sinful being, meant certain and instant death, much like looking on the face of a Holy God (Exodus 33:23).
I see it as a grace that God commanded Moses to construct a veil between The Holy of Holies and the rest of the tabernacle. As we well remember, the nation of Israel quaked when God descended to earth at Mount Sinai. In Revelations, we read that men will wish for mountains to fall on them to hide themselves from the “wrath of the Lamb.” (Rev. 6:16) Paul draws from these truths when he states, “…the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.” (Rom. 1:18) The Greek word Paul uses for “reveal” may also be translated as “lay open that which has been veiled.” The veiling of wrath brings imagery of temporal grace, yet when this veil is removed, Paul makes it clear that the wrath of God is due to the unrighteousness caused by the suppression of truth.
As Pontius Pilate so aptly put it, “What is truth?” (John 18:38)
In Romans 1:19 we see “what may be known of God is manifest in them.” Interestingly enough, the word for “know” (gnōstos) here can be understood as a “common perception”, or “common knowledge.” The word “manifest” may also be translated as “made evident.” In Romans 1:20, we see that God’s invisible attributes are “clearly” seen, and in verse 21, we see that they “knew” (ginōskō) God. Both highlighted words imply a certain degree of "thorough perception."
In other words, the common (and I would argue intrinsic) understanding of God leads to an evidential, thorough perception.
Think of it this way: if God had not revealed Himself in a way common to all men (i.e. through nature, testimony of our conscious, Jesus Christ), evidential perception would not be distorted, for there would be no truth to suppress. If there was no truth to suppress (and truth is a prerequisite for righteousness) then Paul would have no grounds for his statement. Therefore, Paul lays out his argument, beginning with the perception of God made evident, and only then makes his condemnation on those who suppress the common knowledge of God when He has been made evident in them, and all of this pointing to the righteousness of God….in all of this, God has done right…
All who reject stand condemned, and all have rejected, therefore all stand condemned.
“Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” (Romans 1:24-25)
“And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.” (Romans 1:28)
It would be very hard for me to reconcile these two verses. To give someone up to something, especially something that will inevitably reap terrible repercussions, is never an easy thing to do. Perhaps this is why God proclaims in Ezekiel:
“Say unto them, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” Ezekiel 33:11
The two condemning words in Romans 1:24-25, 28 are “because” and “since.”
“…because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie…”
“…since they did not see fit to acknowledge God…”
And the most condemning verse of them all …
“Although they know (epiginōskō; recognition, associated with) God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.” (Romans 1:32)
For why will ye die…?
For why will ye die…?
Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways!
Do you not know that it is God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death?
“The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.” (1 Corinthians 15:56)
Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways!
See, has not Christ torn back the veil?
“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us…” (Gal. 3:13)
Flee to Him, flee to the mercy seat.
Dead men walking…may Christ have mercy…
NOTE: As I have repeatedly inferred, the original post length for Romans was about 3 posts, but now it is looking as if it may be much longer, bear with me on this one. I'd love to hear your comments!
“Everyone soon or late comes round by Rome.” – Robert Browning, English Victorian poet
This final entry (or more correctly entries) has possibly been the hardest to concisely place in a means adequate of it’s importance, both in the life of the man from Tarsus, and also in the ramifications it rightly carries as being the most important book in the New Testament aside from the Gospels and Acts (respectively).
It is fitting, then, that this man be named.
I have strayed from a name until this point for the empathetic purpose of placing myself in this man’s shoes. I have been called by Christ (Tarsus), and have publically been called Christian (Antioch), but I have yet to reach the full fruition of my faith, the very thing this man from Tarsus received in his final missional journey to Rome. When I say fruition, I do not necessarily refer to passing from this life to the next, but moreso the ability to see that the garden God has grown through my planting. This man from Tarsus was able to see (to his exceeding joy; Philippians 4:1) this fruition, and, Lord willing, someday I will be able to see the same.
His name was Paul, and he was an apostle to Jesus Christ.
“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, including you who are called to belong to Jesus Christ,
To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints:
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Romans 1:1-7)
The encouragement of this opening greeting, in its foundational doctrine, bears with it the advent of one of the hardest eras of Christianity- the persecution of the Christians by the Roman emperor Nero.
“…your faith is spoken of throughout the world.” (Romans 1:8)
Paul knew what it meant to be persecuted, almost as well as he formerly knew how to persecute. Perhaps it is fitting irony that his life, as it is believed, was ended on the command of Nero himself.
Paul knew the inevitability of that potential persecution that lay in store for him in Rome. “I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also… for I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.” (Romans 1:15-16)
The gospel of Christ, a power leading unto salvation, a portrayal of the righteousness of God.
God, by His very righteous nature, condemns the sinner- a condemnation unto death. It is important to say “by His very nature,” for it saves from any contradiction, and it paints vividly the “God-ship” of God. We see, as with the Ark of the Covenant, the severity of this righteousness. To touch the ark, as a sinful being, meant certain and instant death, much like looking on the face of a Holy God (Exodus 33:23).
I see it as a grace that God commanded Moses to construct a veil between The Holy of Holies and the rest of the tabernacle. As we well remember, the nation of Israel quaked when God descended to earth at Mount Sinai. In Revelations, we read that men will wish for mountains to fall on them to hide themselves from the “wrath of the Lamb.” (Rev. 6:16) Paul draws from these truths when he states, “…the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.” (Rom. 1:18) The Greek word Paul uses for “reveal” may also be translated as “lay open that which has been veiled.” The veiling of wrath brings imagery of temporal grace, yet when this veil is removed, Paul makes it clear that the wrath of God is due to the unrighteousness caused by the suppression of truth.
As Pontius Pilate so aptly put it, “What is truth?” (John 18:38)
In Romans 1:19 we see “what may be known of God is manifest in them.” Interestingly enough, the word for “know” (gnōstos) here can be understood as a “common perception”, or “common knowledge.” The word “manifest” may also be translated as “made evident.” In Romans 1:20, we see that God’s invisible attributes are “clearly” seen, and in verse 21, we see that they “knew” (ginōskō) God. Both highlighted words imply a certain degree of "thorough perception."
In other words, the common (and I would argue intrinsic) understanding of God leads to an evidential, thorough perception.
Think of it this way: if God had not revealed Himself in a way common to all men (i.e. through nature, testimony of our conscious, Jesus Christ), evidential perception would not be distorted, for there would be no truth to suppress. If there was no truth to suppress (and truth is a prerequisite for righteousness) then Paul would have no grounds for his statement. Therefore, Paul lays out his argument, beginning with the perception of God made evident, and only then makes his condemnation on those who suppress the common knowledge of God when He has been made evident in them, and all of this pointing to the righteousness of God….in all of this, God has done right…
All who reject stand condemned, and all have rejected, therefore all stand condemned.
“Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” (Romans 1:24-25)
“And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done.” (Romans 1:28)
It would be very hard for me to reconcile these two verses. To give someone up to something, especially something that will inevitably reap terrible repercussions, is never an easy thing to do. Perhaps this is why God proclaims in Ezekiel:
“Say unto them, as I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?” Ezekiel 33:11
The two condemning words in Romans 1:24-25, 28 are “because” and “since.”
“…because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie…”
“…since they did not see fit to acknowledge God…”
And the most condemning verse of them all …
“Although they know (epiginōskō; recognition, associated with) God's righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them.” (Romans 1:32)
For why will ye die…?
For why will ye die…?
Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways!
Do you not know that it is God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death?
“The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.” (1 Corinthians 15:56)
Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways!
See, has not Christ torn back the veil?
“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us…” (Gal. 3:13)
Flee to Him, flee to the mercy seat.
Dead men walking…may Christ have mercy…
NOTE: As I have repeatedly inferred, the original post length for Romans was about 3 posts, but now it is looking as if it may be much longer, bear with me on this one. I'd love to hear your comments!
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