“To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.”
– Romans 2:7
Hi James and Ellen,
Have you ever been judged by another kid – or by a guy or gal, for something that you said or did? Have you ever judged another kid – or a guy or gal, for something that he or she said or did? Do you think that other kids – or guys and gals, have the right to judge you for what you say or do? Do you think that you have the right to judge another kid – or a guy or gal, for what he or she says or does? In the letter that he sent to the guys and gals who were adherents in the Christ-follower fellowship that was in the city of Rome, Paul articulates in Romans 2 God’s role in implementing and making judgment calls. The Christ-follower guys and gals who were living in the city of Rome and who would read the letter that Paul was sending them – which is known today as the Roman Letter, were mainly Jews – or God’s specially chosen guys and gals. Because they knew that they were God’s specially chosen guys and gals, the Jews thought of themselves to be superior to the guys and gals who were not Jews. A guy or gal who was not a Jew was referred to by a Jew as being a Gentile. Guys and gals who were Jews considered the ‘law’ – or the rules and regulations, that God – over 1,500 years earlier, gave to His specially chosen guys and gals through Moses at Mount Sinai, to be their exclusive guide on how to live life on planet Earth. Because non-Jewish guys and gals did not value their ‘law’, guys and gals who were Jews really believed that they had a ‘leg up’ spiritually, morally and ethically on Gentile guys and gals. Before he wrote his Romans Letter, Paul advocated that the Good News was also for Gentile guys and gals. Paul had internalized early on after his unexpected, incredible conversion that the death of Jesus Christ on a cross was the ransom payment for each guy, gal and kid who God – as God the Spirit, individually would lead to and through the faith/grace door as he or she is being led by God – as God the Spirit, to believe in Jesus Christ as his or her Lord and Savior. Paul’s unequivocal credence to all that happened through the inhumane suffering and unwarranted death of an incarnate guy on Golgotha Hill led Paul to unconditionally accept as being an absolute that God – as God the Spirit, will just as quickly lead a guy, gal or kid who is a Gentile to and through the faith/grace door as God – as God the Spirit, was at this time leading guys, gals and kids who were Jews – or God’s specially chosen guys and gals, to and through the faith/grace door. Your grandpaa thinks that Paul’s Roman Letter is by far the optimum apologetic for a Christ-follower guy or gal to use to defend his or her faith.
Paul apparently had been made aware of what was taking place among the Christ-follower guys and gals who were Jews who lived in the city of Rome. It appears by what Paul wrote that he knew that Christ-follower guys and gals who were Jews really did think that they had the right to pass judgment on Gentile guys, gals and kids – who these Jews genuinely thought were inferior to them because Gentile guys and gals did not have the ‘law’ like they did. Because you explicitly came to the realization that as God – as God the Spirit, was leading you to and through the faith/grace door that you were too confess your sin filled nature to God – as God the Father, do you think of yourselves to be superior to kids – and to guys and gals, who have not been led by God – as God the Spirit, to and through the faith/grace door? Do you think that Paul may have been venting some on the guys and gals who were Jews – who were now calling themselves Christ-followers, when he confronted them for calling themselves Jews, for relying on the Mosaic law, for bragging about their elite relationship with God, for believing that they were the real guides for the spiritually blind and for thinking that that their lives lit the way for guys, gals and kids who were living in the dark when in reality, they were instructing only the foolish and only teaching infants about faith? Do you think that Paul may have heard that the Christ-follower guys and gals who were Jews and who were living in the city of Rome were enforcing their ‘law’ based teachings on the non-Jewish Christ-follower guys, gals and kids while at the same time they were refusing to be discipled or mentored by another guy or gal in their Christ-follower walk? Do you think that Paul knew that Christ-follower guys and gals who were Jews who were living in the city of Rome were preaching against thievery while they themselves were stealing, teaching against having immoral relationships while they themselves were having illicit affairs and ranting about having to abhor idol gods while they themselves were dishonoring God through the lifestyle examples that they were modeling before Gentile guys, gals and kids.
Paul begins this chapter by stating that no Christ-follower guy, gal or kid has an excuse to pass judgment on another guy, gal or kid because – per Paul, when he or she passes judgment on another guy, gal or kid, he or she is condemning himself or herself for the very same thing. Paul was convicted – as all guys, gals and kids who are Christ-followers are to be, that God is Who judges – that He will judge per His written Word, per our earthly deeds and per the creation light that a guy, gal or kid has. To survive today among planet Earth’s manipulative, bullying and corrupt guys and gals and kids is to practice doing what God expects you to do – which is to cultivate a mindset of accepting other guys, gals or kids while at the same time having zero tolerance for their wickedness. Paul says in verse 7, “To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.”
Romans 2 (1141)