ROMANS: ACCORDING TO OUR DEEDS

[Doug]

(Romans 2:5 KJV) But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;

(Romans 2:6 KJV) Who will render to every man according to his deeds:

The judgment of God is according to our deeds as found elsewhere in scripture:

(Psalm 62:12 KJV) Also unto thee, O Lord, [belongeth] mercy: for thou renderest to every man according to his work.

(Romans 2:7 KJV) To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

Israel had to trust the Lord and keep the commandments to have life (Matthew 19:16-17) and to dwell in the land:

(Psalm 37:3 KJV) Trust in the LORD, and do good; [so] shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

God has declared there is none that does good:

(Psalm 14:3 KJV) They are all gone aside, they are [all] together become filthy: [there is] none that doeth good, no, not one.

The Jew will be first to bear judgment:

(Romans 2:8 KJV) But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,

(Romans 2:9 KJV) Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;

The Jew will be first for glory:

(Romans 2:10 KJV) But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:

Whether Jew or Gentile, none are righteous:

(Romans 3:9 KJV) What then? are we better [than they]? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;

(Romans 3:10 KJV) As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:

Israel would be judged first as to whether they did good or evil:

(Ezekiel 18:30 KJV) Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord GOD. Repent, and turn [yourselves] from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.

(Ezekiel 33:20 KJV) Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. O ye house of Israel, I will judge you every one after his ways.

(Romans 2:11 KJV) For there is no respect of persons with God.

That God is no respecter of persons is found in the prophets:

(Deuteronomy 10:17 KJV) For the LORD your God [is] God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:

It is also found in Paul:

(Colossians 3:25 KJV) But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.

 

[grumix8]

works are needed but faith is really important, Romans explain so much of what salvation by faith and what the works are needed. Really works are need to show faith in your life but the most important one is submitting your will to G-d.

 

[Lamb]

works are needed but faith is really important, Romans explain so much of what salvation by faith and what the works are needed. Really works are need to show faith in your life but the most important one is submitting your will to G-d.

God doesn't need to see your works in order to know whether or not you have faith and the reason for that is because God is the one who gives the gift of faith in the first place.

 

[hedrick]

Note the way in which deeds are described in Rom 2. "But by your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath", "to those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality,"

Unlike the "works" he criticizes, which are in their essence legal, these deeds are described by the motivations that drive them. In this, he agrees with Jesus, who also focuses on motives.

I would argue that faith or faithfulness (the word means both) is something like an orientation, and that the descriptions in that part of Rom 2 are of faith in action. Remember that Paul uses Abraham as a model for faith, but in Rom 4 includes his faithfulness in action as part of the description of his faith.

What distinguish this faithfulness from Paul's idea of works is that

• They come from love for God and neighbor, and not law
• They don't earn God's love for us; they are a response to it