God’s Impartiality - Romans 2:6-13
Scripture Reading:
The Impartial God | Romans 2:6-13
TEXT
6 He will judge everyone according to what they have done. 7 He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. 8 But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. 9 There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. 10 But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favoritism. 12 When the Gentiles sin, they will be destroyed, even though they never had God’s written law. And the Jews, who do have God’s law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it. 13 For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight.
1. What attitudes and actions characterize the God described in the passage?
2. How can we recognize God’s impartiality and apply it to how we connect and relate to people?
3. What does Paul mean when he differentiates the “doers of the law” and not just the hearers?
Topical Study: God’s Impartiality
A. God will judge the moralist because their works also fall short of God’s perfect standard.
Who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness; indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace to everyone who works what is good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
a. Will render to each one according to his deeds: This is an awesome and fearful thought, and it condemns the moralist as well as the obvious sinner.
b. Eternal life to those: If someone genuinely did good at all times, he could merit eternal life of his own accord – but there is none, because all, in some way or another are, have been, or will be self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness.
c. Indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil: Because all fall short of this standard of God’s constant goodness, God’s wrath will come to all who do evil – without respect to whether they are Jew or Gentile.
i. This judgment comes to the Jew first. If they are first in line for the gospel (Romans 1:16) and first in line for reward (Romans 2:10), then they are also first in line for judgment.
ii. The word indignation comes from the idea of “boiling up,” thus having the sense of a passionate outburst. The word wrath comes from the idea of a swelling which eventually bursts, and applies more to an anger that proceeds from one’s settled nature.
B. God’s judgment upon the Jewish man.
1. (11-13) God’s principle of impartiality.
For there is no partiality with God. For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified;
a. For there is no partiality with God: The word translated partiality comes from two ancient Greek words put together – to receiveand face. It means to judge things on the basis of externals or preconceived notions.
i. Some ancient rabbis taught that God showed partiality towards the Jews. They said: “God will judge the Gentiles with one measure and the Jews with another.”
b. For not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified: God’s righteous judgment is not withheld because someone has heard the law; it is only held back if someone actually doesthe law.
i. The Jewish person – or the religious person – may think that he is saved because he has the law; but has he kept it? The Gentile may think that he is saved because he does not have the law, but has he kept the dictates of his own conscience?
ii. “People will be condemned, not because they have the law or do not have the law, but because they have sinned.” (Morris)
c. As many as have sinned without law will also perish without law: Judgment for sin can come with or without the law.
Apply
□ What are some benefits of impartiality??
□ How do you think impartiality extends the kindness of God expressed to us towards others?
□ What kinds of virtues can we cultivate in us that will breed impartiality?
Commentary
In the traditional view of judgment, God “will repay according to each one’s deeds: to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life” (verses 6-7). If we take this out of context, it suggests that people can be saved on the basis of good works. But as Paul will soon argue, no one is good enough to earn eternal life through their works. This verse is part of the view that Paul is critiquing — he is not endorsing it. He is showing that this view of God’s judgment leads only to universal condemnation and despair. It is not good news.
“While for those who are self-seeking and who obey not the truth but wickedness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be anguish and distress for everyone who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek” (verses 8-9). This is where Paul wants to go — applying this Jewish worldview to the Jews. If God is in the business of applying righteous punishment on all sinners, he will do it for the Jews as well as the Gentiles, because “God shows no partiality” (verse 11).
God will give “glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek” (verse 10). Paul will soon say that all have sinned; no one deserves glory, honor and eternal life.
In these verses Paul is describing a judgment of rewards that will never happen, because no one will ever qualify in this way. This is not a “straw man” that doesn’t exist, or a hypothetical situation that Paul made up just for the sake of argument — it was a view being taught by some people in the first century. Paul is showing that this religious belief is wrong; the gospel reveals that God envisions a much different outcome for humanity.
That God’s judgment is impartial is seen in that both Jew and Gentile have law and that both are judged on the same basis, i.e., works (2:5-11).
1. Jews who are hard-hearted and unrepentant are storing up wrath for themselves—a wrath they will receive on the day of God’s righteous judgment (2:5).
2. God will reward each one according to his works (2:6)
3. There will be eternal life for those who by perseverance in good works seek glory, honor, and immortality (2:7).
4. There will be wrath and anger to those who live in selfish ambition and do not obey the truth, but follow unrighteousness (2:8).
5. There will be affliction and distress for those who do evil, and glory, honor, peace, for everyone who does good (2:9-10).
Equal treatment under the law
“All who have sinned apart from the law [Paul is referring to Gentiles here] will also perish apart from the law, and all who have sinned under the law [Jews] will be judged by the law” (verse 12). No matter who you are, if you sin, you will be condemned. This would be terrible news, if it weren’t for the gospel. The gospel is news we desperately need, and news that is very good — but it is especially good when we see how bad the alternative is.
Verse 13: “For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but the doers of the law who will be justified.” Paul is not saying that people can actually be declared righteous by their obedience — he says that no one can be declared righteous in this way (3:20). Is he inconsistent, as some scholars claim? No, not when we realize that these words are not his own view, but the view he is arguing against. He is showing that this way does not work. The gospel reveals something; the word “reveals” indicates that it was different from the previous Jewish view.
6. God is impartial (2:11).
II. God’s impartiality in judgment is seen in that both Jew and Gentile alike are to be judged equally and fairly (2:12-16).
A. The fact that God is impartial is demonstrated in the manner of his judgment: those who sin apart from the law will be judged apart from the law and those who sin under the law will be judged by the law and only those who do the law will be declared righteous (2:12-13).
1. All who have sinned apart from the law will also perish apart from the law (2:12).
2. All who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the law (2:12).
3. Those who hear the law are not righteous before God (2:13).
4. Those who do the law will be declared righteous (2:13).
Footnotes:
https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/romans-2/amp/
https://bible.org/seriespage/5-study-and-exposition-romans-21-16
