Thanksgiving in Colossians

In the second Bible study in this series on the Letter to the Colossians, titled Identification, we studied Paul’s introduction of himself and Timothy and his greeting to the church at Colossae. This greeting of Paul’s identified him as an apostle, a sent out one, of Christ by the will of God. Paul identified himself as a Christian and one who goes out to proclaim the Gospel. By this, the church of Colossae could recognize he was one to whom they should listen. Paul had credentials. Next in the greeting, Paul called Timothy “our brother.” With these two words, he identified to the Colossian believers that Timothy, too, was a believer and one who traveled with and learned daily from Paul. He was one they should consider highly, too. The people of Asia Minor, which included Colossae, knew of Timothy as one of their own since he grew up in their part of the world. The Colossians identified with Timothy as a man of Asia Minor. Paul, being from Tarsus, of Asia Minor, identified as one of their own, too. Between Paul and Timothy, their backgrounds covered people from Asia Minor who had Greek and/or Jewish backgrounds, just as the Colossian church comprised people from Greek and Jewish backgrounds. With the words of Paul’s introduction and greeting, he led the people to identify with him and Timothy and prepared them to listen and heed what he wrote to them in this letter.

With verses three through eight, Paul prayed about the Colossian brethren. This prayer was a thanksgiving to God for the faith of the Colossian Christians, love toward their brethren, and hope for their final reward. Notice, this prayer speaks of a multidimensional Christianity-upward to God, outward to other believers, and forward to eternity - shown by three words, faith, love, and hope.

Thanksgiving

To God

“We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, always praying for you…” (Colossians 1:3 [NASB])

Paul, as Jesus’ sent out one, who identified with Christ and the Colossian Christians, offered a prayer of thanks to God. The word “thanks” comes from the same Greek work from which eucharist comes. The Greek word is eucharisteo. It means to give thanks acknowledging God’s grace works well for our eternal gain and His glory. For God’s grace, Paul thanked Him. Each time a Christian partakes of communion/eucharist/Lord’s Supper, he or she gives thanks for the grace God gave him or her through Jesus Christ. The Lord’s Supper is a time of remembrance of what Jesus did for believers and thanks for His grace He gave through it. Paul said the same thing in this opening of his prayer. He remembered with and for the Colossae Christians what Jesus did for them with His life, death, and resurrection, and he thanked God for the grace He gave them, which they accepted as His gift of love.

With the phrase “to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,” Paul began reminding them of who Jesus is. He alluded to the theme of this letter - Jesus, the Son of God, fully divine. Paul prayed to God, the Father of Jesus Christ, the Son who died and rose from death to give grace, mercy, and salvation. To this One, the One in whom Paul, Timothy, and the Colossian church had faith, he interacted. In this prayer, Paul pointed anew to the supreme deity of God. Because of God’s grace works in and for the Colossian saints, Paul thanked Him. He acknowledged grace and faith come only from God. Paul prayed in faith, praying in the way the Father desires, according to the Father’s heart, that the Colossian church would be persuaded completely and be full of faith in Him. He said he prayed always for the Colossian Christians. Paul prayed according to God’s will continually and in the way He moved him to pray for them. He was connected intimately with God and, through Him, intimately connected with the Colossian believers. He identified with God as His saved and sent out one. Paul identified with the Colossian Christians, too, as one who was a sinner saved by God’s grace through Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection.

Faith and Love

“…since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love, which you have for all the saints…” (Col. 1:4 [NASB])

Paul had heard of the faith and love of the Christians in Colossae. He would have heard it from the man he discipled who was from their region, Epaphras. Because Paul spent lengthy periods of time in Asia Minor on his second and third missionary journeys, he could have learned about the believers in Colossae at those times or from the people who wrote to him. What Paul heard is for what Paul thanked God. He noted their faith, pistis, in Jesus Christ. Notice, this belief is not in one’s self to do things, such as good works, or be things. This belief is in Jesus, the One who saves people from their sins and makes them righteous. Pistis means belief and true faith in Jesus as a gift from God. This faith gift from God is what persuaded them of the truth of Jesus Christ. As they acted on this faith, it produced more faith, so they grew in their relationship with God and in their service to Him. As any believer applies what they know, hear, and receive from God, more faith grows in them. They mature and bear fruit.

This faith and its growth in a believer leads to agape love. Agape love can only come from being identified with Jesus Christ. People cannot manufacture it. This love that is true and devoted; it is pure. Nothing changes it. This love is not hot one day and cold another. Agape love is the pure love from Jesus Christ. Each characteristic of God - Father, Son, and Spirit - comes from this pure love. The agape love Paul said the Colossians showed was love “for all the saints.” These saints of which Paul wrote were other people whom Jesus made holy through the redemption He gives. The Colossian believers enacted their faith in Jesus with pure love for other believers in Jesus Christ. They showed the love of God to other Christians. This shows the Colossian believers’ identification with God. Their faith in Christ led to love of Christ pouring out from them towards the saints. They identified with Jesus and with other believers. These Colossian Christians grew in their faith and showed Christ’s love to others. They had a vertical relationship with God and a horizontal relationship with people that was Christlike, from agape love. For their faith acted upon as agape love lived out among other saints, Paul thanked God.

Hope

“…because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel…” (Col. 1:5 [NASB])

Paul began this next section talking of the third aspect of believers, hope. The first two were faith and love. Paul said in verse five, “...because of the hope…” Hope motivated the believers in Colossae. Hope without substance isn’t hope. Without substance, this describes just possibility. Hope that has a basis, a foundation, such as the Christian hope in Jesus that leads to an eternal reward, is something onto which they could be sure. The Colossian believers could trust and put their confidence in this reward, not because people told them about heaven, but because they believed unto faith in Jesus Christ and received salvation by His grace given because of His shed blood. That truth is the basis for Christian hope. Jesus never fails or lies. He is victorious over sin and death as the fully divine Son of God. The believers in Colossae held onto this hope laid up for them in heaven, which they gained when they heard and trusted in the truth, the Gospel. They lived out their faith with God’s agape love toward other believers because of the hope they had in Christ. The Colossian Christians’ faith, as God gave to them, was genuine as acknowledged by their actions of faith and because they looked toward the future of their completed salvation and acted in the present.

 

Word of Truth’s Sufficiency

“…which has come to you, just as in all the world, also, it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing even as it has been doing in you since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth…” (Col. 1:6 [NASB])

Paul is famous for his unending and complicated sentence structure. This phrase begins with the last words in verse five. It speaks of the Gospel. The word “Gospel” comes from the Greek word euaggelion, meaning the truth of the good news of the Messiah. Paul stated the Colossians faith, love, and hope came from the Gospel, the good news of the Messiah. This Gospel that came to them and which they heeded was the word of truth. Remember, God is the definition of truth, the source of truth. His character is truth. So, if something comes from Him, it is the absolute truth. Understanding this was important for the Colossian believers because they lived in a city and region bombarded by Greco-Roman gods, Babylonian gods, Greek philosophical thought, and Jewish legalism. This combination of influences with bits and pieces of ideas taken from Christianity led to the beginnings of Gnosticism. The truth from God of the good news, the Gospel, is absolute. Paul inferred no other philosophical thought or faith system is truth if it differs from God’s truth.

Paul continued explaining how they could know for sure this word of truth they received is the truth. He said a faith in the word of truth constantly bears fruit and increases. He said this word of truth is the same as what had been and was being presented in the entire world. The increase is the number of people from different tribes, nations, and tongues who believed in the truth of God. Know by its increase, its fruit. Just as it bore fruit in the Lycus River valley with actions of godly character and conduct, it was effective beyond there and bore fruit elsewhere, too. This fruit of the Gospel in believers’ lives didn’t just bud then die away, but word came of its growth and maturity. It increased and spread. So, too, did the faith of the Colossians grow richer and deeper. It matured in them. God’s truth didn’t need supplementation by other thoughts or religions. People need nothing else for the Gospel to save them when they believed in Jesus Christ. This word of truth, the Gospel, as the believers in Colossae listened to and understood it from Epaphras, is the grace of God. The Gospel preached to them, which they believed with the faith God gave them and the faith that grew and matured, is God’s truth and is sufficient for salvation from sins and receipt of eternal life with Him. Paul said no person needs to add anything to what they received from God’s sent ones to give them salvation and eternal life. Writing this in his thanksgiving to God foreshadowed what Paul's purpose was for this letter. Jesus’ sacrifice was sufficient.

Faithful to Christ

“…just as you learned it from Epaphras, our bellowed fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf…” (Col. 1:7 [NASB])

Paul identified he knew from whom the believers in Colossae heard the Gospel. The verb Paul used is a prolonged verb. What they learned began at a point in time and they kept learning, so it became a part of their lifestyle, continuing to learn from experience as they walked with Christ each day. Paul acknowledged the believers in Colossae not only believed, but they kept on believing and grew in their faith. They matured and increased, as he said in verse six. They learned and kept on learning by living with Jesus every day. Paul mentioned Epaphras because he trusted what he taught and preached to them since he personally discipled him. He knew Epaphras taught the truth of God. Additionally, by mentioning Epaphras, Paul reminded the believers of Colossae to remember and hold on to the truth Epaphras told them. Don’t let anyone water it down with other philosophical thoughts or faith systems.

Paul called Epaphras a “beloved fellow bond-servant.” This phrasing meant Epaphras was one of them; they followed Christ together. Both Paul and Epaphras identified with Christ. He called him a bond-servant. A bond-servant is someone who voluntarily submits to another person. It doesn’t occur by force, authority, or monetary debt. Epaphras, like Paul and Timothy, accepted the truth of the word, the Gospel, and voluntarily submitted to Christ as His Lord and Savior. Wherever God told Him to go and to whoever God told him to speak, Epaphras would obey. God controlled his life because he gave it to Him. By this, Epaphras was a bond-servant of Christ. Besides being a beloved, fellow bond-servant, Paul said Epaphras was faithful. This word comes from the same root word as the word “faith” in verse four, pistos. Epaphras did not begrudgingly obey God. He did not say, “I’ll do anything, except not that, God.” He was a faithful servant. Epaphras, fully persuaded of the truth of the Gospel about Jesus Christ, lived a life of growing and maturing faith upon which he obeyed God. Inspired by Jesus, he carried out His plans for each person to hear the Gospel. Epaphras lived and breathed to tell the Gospel. He became a teacher of the Christian faith as a beloved and faithful bond-servant of Christ. Epaphras’ cause, his purpose for telling others about Jesus, was three-fold. He acted because of the call Christ had on his life. Epaphras identified with Christ. He, too, acted with other men and women to make sure each person heard the Gospel. Epaphras identified with other sent out ones. Finally, he acted out of agape love for other people. He did not want any person to die without knowing the grace, salvation, and eternal life that faith in Jesus gives. He identified with unsaved people because he had been an unbeliever. Because of Epaphras’ faithfulness to Christ, the Colossian Christians could trust completely in the truth Epaphras taught them. They didn’t need new teachers or to add other things to what Epaphras taught them. Epaphras’ faithfulness to God and to the people of Colossae shows pure love, agape love. Epaphras’ and Paul’s faith, hope, and love, resulted in proclaiming the word of truth and being faithful to Christ.

By the Spirit

“…and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit.” (Col. 1:8 [NASB])

In verse three, Paul said he and Timothy had heard of the faith in Christ of the Colossian believers. He did not state from whom he gained that information. In verse eight, Paul wrote that Epaphras told them of Colossians’ faith. A young pastor reported to his mentor/discipler what was happening in the church he planted in Colossae. He wanted Paul to know what was happening in the Lycus River valley. Epaphras excitedly told what was happening in Colossae and the growth he saw in the believers. The first sign of belief in Jesus in a Christian’s life is the love that flows in and through him or her, outward to people and upward to God. Epaphras told Paul of their love. He didn’t tell them of philia love, deep friendship, but of agape love, a love for everyone that has its source in God. The Colossian believers, according to Epaphras, identified with Christ and identified with other believers. He said they did it in the Spirit. Identification with Christ and other believers is not recognizing them, but more than that. Identification is recognizing and loving them without considering their worth. Just as God loves each person. The Colossian Christians’ identification with Jesus and other believers came from love. The Colossian Christians did not love from their own capacity, but with the capacity and unselfish love of God. Epaphras told Paul of the Colossian believers’ maturing faith, Paul wrote.

Thoughts to Consider

Have you understood everything Paul said in this six-verse passage of Scripture? Paul was very precise in what he said. He packed much into his sentences with many dependent clauses. Paul, like any good teachers and mentors, began this letter and his thanksgiving to God for the Colossae church with the good news of the growth of these children of God in love, faith, and hope, the three aspects, or as R.E. O. White says, “the dimensions,” of Christian experience. He thanked God for the people of Colossae who had become Christians because of their faith, which manifested itself through the love and hope that comes from God. Paul recognized these co-heirs in Christ identified with God and with other believers. Paul briefly reminded these believers that Jesus is fully divine, and His sacrifice is sufficient for salvation. They did not need to add another philosophical thought or faith system to Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection to receive salvation and an eternal inheritance in heaven. Paul encouraged the Colossian believers further by telling them what they had heard from Epaphras came from a fellow beloved bond-servant of Christ, just as he himself is an apostle of Jesus Christ by God’s will.

Consider these questions as you process today’s Bible study.

• Has your faith in Jesus shown in love for other believers?
• Have you lived out your faith by telling someone the word of truth?
• Do you look with expectation to receive the hope God laid up for you in heaven?
• Does your faith keep you strong and steadfast in your faith in Christ?
• Have you mixed anything else into your belief in Christ because it seemed like the right thing to do, things like ancestor worship, idol worship, sacrificing animals when you sin?
• When people look at you, do they see a faith in Christ that bears fruit and mature constantly by your heart, words, and actions?
• Are you continuing to learn and grow in your faith and relationship with Jesus?
•  If you are not a believer in Jesus Christ, what keeps you from believing in Him as your Savior?

Paul wrote to the Colossian Christians to do more than boost their morale with his thanksgiving to God. He foreshadowed of the theme for this letter in his prayer we studied today. Jesus is fully divine, and His sacrifice is sufficient for the salvation of every person who repents and believes in Him as the Son of God. As always, Paul’s love for other people caused him to teach and correct them so Satan’s deceptions would not lead them astray.

Paul would later pray for these believers to have the knowledge of God’s will with spiritual wisdom and understanding, to live a life worthy of God, bearing fruit, increasing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with God’s might and power, ensuring and being patient with joy, and giving thanks to God, the One who qualified them to share in the inheritance of the saints. (Colossians 1:9-12)

For us today, we must ask ourselves if we are persuaded fully of the truth of the Gospel about Jesus Christ. Does it impel us to live a life of growing and maturing faith shown by obeying God? We should ask ourselves if we live a life worthy of God. Paul, Epaphras, and Timothy did. Where do you stand with Jesus now?

For next week, re-read Colossians 1:9-12.

If you want to talk about this Bible study or want to know about Jesus so you can receive the salvation from sins He offers, contact me through the contact form on my website. I will write back to you.

“[I] am giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.” (Colossians 1:12 [NASB])

Imperative Pleading

“Make me know Your ways, O Lord.” Psalm 25:4-8 [NASB]

The psalmist in these verses was brave. He issued imperative statements to God. Instead of thinking of verses 4-8 and 14-20 as commands to God, we should consider them as pleas from someone who feared his enemies and his own sinfulness.

Consider this idea from today’s point of view. When a child goes to his or her parent and demands ice cream or a new toy, often that demand is unfilled. If that child calls out, “Help me!” recognition is there of who the parent has been for that child in the past and what the strong connection is between them, then issues forth in a cry or plea to do what the parent does better than the child, help.

The psalmist did that. His seven imperative statements in these four verses are cries for help. Why did he cry for help? He recognized his inability to help himself. More importantly, he recognized God could help him. How did the psalmist realize God could help him? He understood this because he had life experience with God before or knew of people who did. Either way, the psalmist knew about God-His ways, truth, salvation, faithfulness, love, mercy, kindness, compassion, and forgiveness.

The psalmist recognized something else about himself besides his lack of power, wisdom, and might, and he openly admitted it. He acknowledged his sins and transgressions-his turning away from God and his rebellious life. The psalmist knew he had turned away from God. That realization means he knew God. The hymn writer had a relationship with Him but had turned his back on God and walked in his own rebellious ways. We each do that. Paul said in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.”

These things established the basis for the psalmist’s plea. For what did he ask? Did he ask for a mansion or sports car? Did he ask for a big paycheck or huge inheritance? No, at that moment, and like most of us when our backs are against the wall, the psalmist recognized his departure from God and begged for God to restore him to a right relationship with Him.

In verse four, this sinful man, whose enemies chased him, begged God to help him recognize, acknowledge, consider, and confess God and His ways. This was the first step. It was a static request for the moment to help him see God, so he could return to a right relationship with Him. The psalmist did not ask God to help him only at that time. He asked God to “teach” him His paths. This teaching is not a static once-off event, but a dynamic event that God skillfully taught, and the psalmist practiced as he walked with Him daily in His ways and in the manner of life He led. The first thing the psalmist pleaded God for was to “know” His ways. Next, he asked God to “teach” him His paths. Many of us only want help to get unstuck from the hole we cannot escape. We are like the car with a tire bogged in the mud. We try everything to get the car out of the hole. We rev the engine so much in our attempt to get the car to move that we make the muddy hole deeper and we gain no traction. The psalmist understood in his heart he needed and wanted more than a band-aid to help him out for now. He recognized his need to walk with God and learn from him daily.

For what else did the psalmist plead to God? Consider he asked God to lead him in His paths in verse four. Recognizing the paths as God’s teaching him, he recognized the truths of God, true. God is faithful and truthful. The psalmist pleaded for God to bend, mold, and lead him in His truthfulness and faithfulness so he would become like Him. He recognized his sinfulness-his lack of faithfulness and integrity to God and other people. Once again, the psalmist pleaded for God to teach him-to walk with him daily teaching him and helping him put it into practice. This requires and creates a growing relationship with the Lord. The psalmist punctuated his desire for a relationship by the end of this verse when he said, “For You I wait all day long.” This hymn writer declared his desire to be with God and grow in his relationship with Him.

The psalmist recognized another thing so many people shutter themselves not to see. He recognized and admitted God is his salvation. This hymn writer said, God is his deliverance and rescue from sin and death. With this great “Ah Ha,” the desire of this hymn-singer’s heart echoed through history. “You, O God, are my salvation. You are my strength. Teach me Your ways. I desire to be with You daily.”

With verse six, the psalmist’s recognition of his sinfulness and God’s righteousness glared in his face. He begged God to remember His compassion and lovingkindness-His deep mercy and love, and His faithful kindness and favor. The psalmist realized He did not deserve God’s kindness and favor, but he begged God to remember who He has always been. God’s grace is written through the pages of history, from Adam until God’s kingdom comes. Many times, people deserved judgment for their hateful ways, but God had mercy on them, on us, and showed kindness instead of judgment. This kindness and mercy is of what the psalmist asked God to remember and apply it to himself and his own sinfulness.

Consider a child whose parent told her not to touch the vase from the time she could walk. As she grows and can reach the vase more easily, she keeps touching it. Each time, her parent said, “No.” Finally, she is big enough to pick it up, and then drop it. That is sin. Sin separates us from God and deserves punishment. All the times the parent said “No” when the child touched it is like when God gives mercy and kindness to the sinners. The psalmist pleaded for God to have mercy and kindness on him, the same mercy He showed to people from ages past-ancient days.

With verse seven, the psalmist begged God more. This verse is a negative reiteration of verse six. He stated it for emphasis. “Do not recall or consider the sins of my youth or the rebellious acts that broke Your trust in me,” he said. The psalmist knows he sinned. He recognized God’s righteousness and begged for His mercy and kindness. The hymn writer restated verse six with a twist. He did what every person and everything is supposed to do-bring glory to God. The psalmist said, “Remember and recall all your mercies and kindness from past generations and consider them with regard to me, not that I deserve Your mercy and kindness, but so that the nations may hear again how great, merciful, and kind You are.”

Consider this possibility. When you forgive your colleague at work repeatedly and the whole company knows the problem the colleague has given you, they consider you are justified to attack that person. Is it okay to attack or deride the person? You are justified according to humanly standards. Yet, you consider the person and what he or she did, and instead you forgive him/her again. What rings out from that action? Mercy. Kindness. Wonder. Who is the colleague who would forgive so many times? Does it have to do with his/her belief in God? This worker astounded his/her colleagues. What this worker did for the colleague who kept causing problems at work is what the psalmist asked God to do for him. Forgive him for his name’s sake. More importantly, he/she pointed toward God with his/her actions. The worker forgave his colleague for God’s name sake. God received the glory.

We don’t deserve help from God. We don’t deserve God’s forgiveness, mercy, compassion, love, salvation, or grace. It’s a good thing God doesn’t always give what we deserve. Paul said in Romans 10:13, “For whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved.” The psalmist realized he was not strong enough to defeat his enemies. He understood one band-aid would not fix the problem every day. The hymn writer recognized he needed God to walk with him daily teaching him. More importantly, the psalmist recognized his sinfulness and his need for salvation that can only come from God. He begged for God’s mercy, not because he deserved it, but because of God’s fame from the past and His glory now and forever. The psalmist asked for salvation because of who God is not because of who he was. That is the basis of our salvation. We come to God knowing He is the Savior and we are sinners. We come to Him repenting and asking for His divine forgiveness and mercy. He says come.

Lord, I do not deserve Your love or mercy. I do not deserve forgiveness for all I have done wrong against You and other people. Still, I come to You anyway asking for Your forgiveness and for salvation from sin and death. Lord, You are the Savior. Please save me, remake me, and walk with me daily teaching me Your ways. Amen.

God's Truths and Judgment (part 2)

Introduction

With the start of Romans 2, Paul began specifically speaking to Jews and Greeks, not just the pagans of Romans 1. He stated four main truths of God in chapter two and emphasized them with rhetorical questions. The four main truths are in verses two, eleven, sixteen, and twenty-nine. Paul said in verse two, “And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things.” In verse eleven, he wrote, “For there is no partiality with God.” With verse sixteen, Paul emphasized God’s omniscience by saying, “God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus.” He concluded this chapter, but not the thought, by saying in verse twenty-nine, “Circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, and not by the letter; and his [the righteous person] praise is not from men, but from God.”

In the previous Bible study of Romans 2:1-4, we learned from Paul God’s truths and judgment, and truths about humankind. The four basic truths in this chapter speak of God’s righteousness, justice, and impartiality, the unrighteousness of each person, and God’s mercy and grace. In verses one through four, two statements of fact/truth occur-God bases His judgment on truth and all people are sinners. Verse one speaks on the unrighteousness of people while verse two tells about the righteousness of God and His judgments. Paul’s rhetorical questions of verses three and four point out the truths of verses one and two. The first question asks, will you or anyone escape judgment? The second question, which comes from verse four, asks, do you disregard the riches of God’s kindness? In these four verses, Paul taught the Roman saints and other hearers and readers that each person sins and those sins separate him/her from God. He explained God sees the sins of each person. This sinfulness disqualifies anyone from judging or condemning another person for his/her sins. Only a righteous person can judge and condemn and no one is righteous except God. This means only God is qualified to judge, and His judgments are right. Yet, Paul said, God wants every person to receive salvation. He said in verse four, “The kindness of God leads you to repentance.” God wants no one to perish and be separated permanently from Him because of his/her sins.

These truths led Paul to continue to lay a theological foundation in verses five through eleven. With verse five, Paul explained God’s judgment occurs because of stubbornness and the unrepentant hearts of people. He then taught God judges based on the deeds of people in verses six through ten. With verse eleven, Paul instructed again that God is righteous and impartial. God is the only qualified Judge because He is righteous. With the next Bible study, in verses twelve and thirteen, Paul explained God’s judgment is fair. He bases His judgment of each person on the revelation given to him/her. This laid the groundwork for understanding hearing God’s Laws does not make a person righteous, but instead doing them out of obedience and love, with one's heart. This statement means the Jews were not the only ones for whom God gives His grace and mercy through the Messiah. The Jews would be accountable to the Law God gave them, which they continually failed to follow. God would hold the pagans and Greeks accountable to the revelation given them through nature and God’s continual active creative process and the conscience He gives each person. Paul will finally arrive at the point where he says no person can keep the Law, or follow the natural laws and ethics God gives without a changed heart. With this overview of Romans 2:5-11, let’s delve into these verses.

God’s Judgment of an Unrepentant Heart

In Romans 2:5, Paul said,

But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.

[Note: All Bible passages are from the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise noted.]

Understand that in Romans 2:1-4, Paul said God’s judgment comes on people because of truth. The truths he spoke of are God is righteous and able to judge with fairness, and humanity is unrighteous and cannot be an impartial judge. In the next verses, he said the judgment of God comes on people because of their works/deeds. Because of something people do, Paul said people will receive God’s wrath. The actions of the people come from a stubborn and unrepentant heart, he said. Remember, Jesus said what comes from the heart of a person makes him/her unclean. A stubborn and unrepentant heart does not act righteously.

The word “stubbornness” Paul used in verse five comes from the Greek word sklerotes. Sklerotes means hardness of heart, obstinacy, and perverseness. The literal meaning of this word is “hard from being dry.” Paul gave the word greater meaning by adding the word “unrepentant” or “impenitent.” The word “unrepentant” comes from the Greek word ametanoetos. Ametanoetos means no repenting or changing of the inner man, no changing of the mind, and thinking differently. For Hebrews, hardness of heart-stubbornness-was what the rabbis and teachers preached and taught against. In Deuteronomy 10:16, Moses taught the Israelites not to be stubborn. Instead, he told them to circumcise their hearts. In Romans 2:5, Paul aligned himself with this thought. Actions against God come not just from stubbornness, but from an unrepentant or unchanged inner being-an unchanged heart. The Law of God required the circumcision of the Jews’ flesh. To be a child of God, the Holy Spirit must circumcise a person’s heart. Moses spoke of circumcision of the heart in Leviticus 26:4, too. Jeremiah said in Jeremiah 4:4, “Circumcise yourself to the LORD and remove the foreskins of your heart.” Paul joined these men with Romans 2:5 when he said the people had stubborn and unrepentant hearts. Circumcising the flesh according to the Law of God does not save a person from God’s wrath. Circumcision of the heart, that is being a child of God like Abraham by faith, saves a person. This shows itself by obedience to God that comes from love of Him by a person. Jesus said this in John 14:15 when He said, “If you love Me keep My commandments.” John the apostle said in 2 John 1:6, “And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you should walk in it.”

Paul continued with this thought of verse five and said because of their stubborn and unrepentant hearts, they stored up wrath for themselves in the day of judgment. The listeners and readers of Paul’s letter, he said, built up layer upon layer of judgment for themselves because of their unrepentant and stubborn hearts shown through their actions. The judgment for their stubbornness and unrepentant hearts is God’s wrath that comes through His righteousness. This word “wrath” comes from the Greek word orge. It means anger, passion, punishment, and vengeance. Orge is a settled anger proceeding from swelled anger that built up. It’s not an outburst, but a controlled, passionate feeling against sin. God’s mercy and kindness kept Him from punishing the sinners hoping they would turn to Him for forgiveness and salvation. People continue to sin and God’s judgment of those multiplied sins amasses and swells His anger against sin. This is God’s righteous wrath. This wrath against sin will be His righteous judgment against each person.

Paul told them when this judgment for their stubborn and unrepentant hearts would come. He said it would come on the day of wrath and revelation. The Hebrews looked forward to the day of the Lord when God would defeat their enemies and save them. They often forgot the day of the Lord would come upon all people, not just their enemies. People forget they deserve judgment, too. God will judge all people on the day of the Lord, the day of wrath and revelation. This day of revelation, Paul said, would be a revealing, an uncovering. The Greek word for “revelation” is apokalupsis. It means an unveiling, uncovering, revealing. Bible authors primarily used this word for the revelation of Jesus Christ and especially God’s will. David used it in Psalm 110:5. Paul used it in 2 Corinthians 5:10 and 2 Thessalonians 1:5. Jude spoke of it in Jude 1:6. This day of wrath and revelation would not be a time for God’s anger to run rampant like that of humans or how people imagined their false gods would punish. It would come from God’s righteous judgment, the judgment Paul spoke of in Romans 2:2. Remember, in Romans 2:2, Paul said, “And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things.” God bases His judgment on His standard of right and wrong considering His eternal morality known through natural laws, conscience, and His Laws, that is through His revelation of them and Himself.

In Romans 2:5, Paul turned the thoughts about the day of judgment and righteousness upon its head. He turned the Jews ideas backwards. Paul said, instead of them storing up treasures/rewards for themselves in heaven, their failure to recognize the need for a more radical repentance and total turning to God caused them to store up not “good” things in heaven, but “wrath.” The day of God’s judgment would bring judgment upon themselves and not just their enemies. The Jews and others who thought they did “good enough” would show their supposed “righteous” works did not meet the mark of God’s standards. People will understand they can do nothing of their own merit to earn reward in God’s kingdom. Everyone is unrighteous. Righteousness requires a heart turned toward God.

Questions for Reflection:

·         What do you do that you consider good or righteous?

·         When you consider that action, does it truly fall within the category of what God considers righteous? Maybe it’s self-serving or ego-centric.

·         Have you stopped to ask God what He wants you to do today instead of figuring it out for yourself?

·         You might think of good things to do, but God knows what is best and what truly is needed.

·         Stop and ask God for His guidance on what is best and what He wants you to do.

·         Are you storing up wrath and judgment or glory, honor, and peace from God?

God’s Judgment of Deeds

In verse five, Paul said God will judge a person based upon his/her heart. In the next five verses, he returns to teaching God will also judge people based on their actions/deeds. Paul said in verses six through ten,

Who will render to every man according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to every man who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Verse six carries forward from verse five. Paul said, God, by His righteous judgment, will give according to each person’s deeds. The two-word verb “will render” comes from the Greek word apodidomi. It means to give from, as in to return as a payment or award/reward in relation to the source of the giving back.  People get from God what they deserve. Based on a person’s actions/deeds, God will give to him/her what he/she earned on judgment day-either wrath or treasures. We understand this better when we understand the Greek word behind our English word “according.” This word, “according,” comes from the Greek word kata. Kata is something that comes down from a higher plane to a lower plane. It is a reward given from someone higher to someone lower based on his/her actions, words, and thoughts. Paul said God will give back as payment right rewards for each persons’ deeds from His righteous judgment right rewards-either wrath and indignation, or treasures. David, Solomon, and Jesus each taught this idea. David said in Psalm 62:12, “You reward everyone according to what they have done.” Solomon said in Proverbs 24:12, “If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ does not He who weighs the heart perceive of it? Does not He who guards your life know it? Will He not repay everyone according to what they have done?” Jesus said in Matthew 16:27, “For the Son of Man is going to come in His Father’s glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what they have done.” God sees each person, their deeds and heart, and will render the reward according to them.

Questions for reflection:

·         What do you deserve for what you have done? Be honest.

·         What does God offer you through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son, Jesus the Messiah?

For Seeking God’s Ways

Paul continued with verse seven explaining what God would give back to a person for his/her actions. He said, “To those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life.” This word “perseverance” comes from the Greek word hupomone. It means endurance, patient waiting for, and unswerved from a person’s deliberate purpose and loyalty to faith and piety by even the greatest trials and sufferings. A person who perseveres to God’s righteous laws in his/her heart by action and word will do good and receive a righteous reward from Him. This “doing going” describes a person’s thoughts, actions, and words that originate with God and which He empowered in the person’s life. Jesus spoke of this in parable form in Luke 8:15 when teaching about planting seeds on good soil. The writer of Hebrews spoke of this perseverance in doing God’s will and receiving His promised reward in Hebrews 10:36.

For the person who steadfastly stands for what God calls righteous, seeks out His righteous will, and seeks to bring glory and honor to Him, God will give the reward He promised, eternal life. In seeking to bring glory and honor to God, this person brings glory and honor to him/herself (Romans 2:10 & Hebrews 2:7). This person seeks God’s approval, not man’s. Peter spoke about the willingness to go through trials saying that proves their faith. He said in 1 Peter 1:7, “That the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

The reward for this steadfastness to God and His righteousness, Paul said, is eternal life. Eternal life is ageless and unending. Paul told Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:10, Christ destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. Jesus’ destruction of death by His resurrection means He has power over death and can reward it to the children of God. Though people by nature have perishable bodies, God can raise them to imperishable bodies. This means flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, but must put on the imperishable that God gives through His forgiveness of a person’s sins when they repent and believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. When a person does this, he/she inherits an imperishable body through Christ (1 Corinthians 15:42).

The reward for following God and seeking His righteousness is eternal life. Seeking God and His will in thought, action, and word is living by God’s moral standard. What people think is best may not be what God considers is best. When we seek God’s way and are God’s children, we reap the reward of eternal life.

Questions for reflection:

·         Do you seek honor and glory now while on earth?

·         Or rather, do you seek God’s best bringing glory and honor to Him?

·         If you are a child of God through faith, your eternal reward will be honor and glory while in His presence for eternity.

For Seeking Selfish Ambition

Whenever Paul taught about living God’s ways, he always juxtaposed it against the ways of sinful humanity. In verse seven, he taught about the reward for persevering in doing good and seeking God’s glory and honor. With verse eight, Paul taught about seeking to do things that puts one’s self first and God’s resultant judgment of those people who do. He said, “But to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.”

Contrasted to verse seven’s teaching about seeking to do good according to God, Paul taught about selfish ambition. “Selfish ambition” comes from the Greek word eritheia. It means seeking followers or adherents by giving gifts. A person who does this seeks fame and followers, notoriety from people. This person does not seek to bring God glory and honor, but to bring him or herself glory and honor. He or she puts his/her self-interest ahead of what the Lord declares is right or best for people. Often, this scramble for fame or followers results in harm to one or more people. Each of us has heard of people who seek fame and followers not caring that they are twisting the truth of God or potentially harming people physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. Paul spoke of this selfish ambition in 2 Corinthians 12:20, Galatians 5:20, and Philippians 1:17 & 2:3. James spoke of it in James 3:14-16. He said it does not come down from heaven but is “earthly, unspiritual, demonic.” Seeking to promote self and not seeking God’s will brings God’s judgment, the opposite of the reward Paul taught in verse seven.

Paul continued to define this person who will receive the opposite reward of eternal life. He said these people “do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness.” “Obey” comes from the Greek word apeitheo (ap-i-theh-o) and means disobey, rebel, disloyal. Its literal meaning is to refuse to allow the Lord to persuade you. These people who do not obey choose purposely to rebel against what they know the Lord wants. They turn their backs on Him and His truths. These truths of God are divine truths revealed to humankind through God’s creation and continuing creative process, through the human conscience, through the Law, and through Jesus Christ. These rebellious, disobedient people choose not to believe, to turn their backs on God, and to delight in wickedness. God will condemn them, Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 2:12. The people who seek selfish ambition obey unrighteousness. They violate God’s standards and cause His divine disapproval.

For these selfishly ambitious people, Paul taught God’s judgment would come. Just as God rightly judges the people seeking His ways, He rightly judges the selfishly ambitious. Those who seek what they want without caring about other people or God store up wrath and indignation instead of treasures in heaven for the day of judgment. Though God pours kindness on these selfishly ambitious people to lead them to repentance (Romans 2:4), they continue to walk in unrighteousness. While God in His forbearance showed these unrighteous people His kindness, they chose to live by seeking self. On God’s day of judgment, unrighteous-selfishly ambitious-people will receive His wrath and indignation. This wrath will pour out passionately against their sins in indignation that is in intense opposition against sin. God jealously loves each person and fights for each person by battling sin. He loves us so much He battles sin for us to give us the chance to seek Him and receive His forgiveness, and eternal life with Him.

Questions for reflection:

·         Do you strive always to go for the next rung on the ladder wanting more wealth or fame?

·         Does that seeking wealth and fame sometimes cause hurt for another person?

·         That self-seeking also causes hurt in your relationship with God. He wants to love you, lead you, and be in an eternal love relationship with you.

·         Self-seeking and ignoring God will bring His wrath and indignation on judgment day.

·         What keeps you from seeking God and His kingdom? Are you afraid you won’t have enough money to live on or you won’t rise above the status of your past? Give it to God. Repent. Turn to Him giving Him your life and seeking His will.

God’s Righteous Judgment

With verses nine and ten, Paul reiterated for clarity what God’s judgment would be for people who seek Him and those who choose to turn away from Him. He said in verses nine and ten, “There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to every man who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

The "tribulation" Paul spoke of in verse nine comes from the Greek word thlipsis. It means feeling hemmed in especially by internal pressure so that a person feels confined and restricted without options. The "distress" Paul spoke of is a difficult circumstance that God authorized. It causes anguish. Remember, nothing can come against a person without God’s permission. He will allow trials to grow a person closer to Him or, if a person chooses to walk away from God, they appear to be punishment. Paul said in this verse, for every person who does evil (malice that flows outward in action and word from a morally rotten character), times of feeling hemmed in without options will come. God will also allow times of distress to come to lead a person back to Him or to punish the person who does evil. Paul dictated later in Romans 8:35-39, even when people go through distressing times and times of trial, nothing can separate a person from the love of God through Jesus Christ. He is there ready to fight the battle for you and give you rest as you go through them with Him.

Notice Paul added a dependent clause to verses nine and ten. He said these judgments of God would come on the Jew first then also the Greek. Just as God’s salvation came to the Jews first then spread to non-Jews by proclamation of the gospel, so God’s judgment will fall first on the Jews then the Greeks.  Peter said in 1 Peter 4:17 “For it is time for judgment to begin with God’s household; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel?” God will judge every person, those to whom God revealed Himself first through the gospel, then to the others. No one will be exempt from God’s judgment. Paul explained the person who did evil and did not repent and turn to God will go through tribulation and distress.

With verse ten, Paul explained God’s judgment of the person who does good-what is upright, honorable, and acceptable to Him. To these people, He will give glory, honor, and peace. For the people who sought glory while on earth, they would not have it forever. For those who sought to do God’s righteous will, He would give them glory for eternity. Besides that, God would give honor to the person of righteous living. He would show them respect. To have righteous God give you honor would be like the president of a nation bowing down to you. This means you have value and respect from God and from people. The person who does good would also receive the peace of God. This peace is peace of mind and welfare. Nothing can separate you from God and His love. This peace is also a wholeness that comes from God making that person complete in and through Him. It results from God’s uniting with the person so he/she receives cleansing physically, emotionally, and mentally, and joins spiritually with Him into a wholeness. This honor, glory, and peace of God upon a person is for all who do good, the good of God empowered by Him through faith.

Once again, this judgment and reward for those who do God’s good is for the Jew first and also the Greek. Paul said this because the gospel went to the Jew first and then to the Greek, the rest of the world. God wants all people to return to Him through forgiveness and faith. He does not look at one nation, tribe, or language group and condemn them because of some characteristic. God calls all people to come to Him. Paul made this clear in 2 Timothy 2:3b-4 when he said, “God our Savior desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” God wants all people (anthropos) to receive salvation and be in a relationship with Him, the truth.

Questions for reflection:

·         Where do you stand with God? Are you doing what you want and deserve the negative judgment from Him?

·         Have you repented and turned toward God following Him with your heart and obeying Him because of your love for Him?

·         God’s heart is to be in a relationship with you.

God’s Impartial Judgment

The second main truth of Romans 2 becomes clear after Paul taught on what God considers righteous and unrighteous actions and thoughts. Paul ensured the Romans addressed by this letter understood God will judge people who did and did not have His Laws because of their actions and their hearts. Neither Jew nor Greek is exempt. With verse eleven, Paul stated unequivocally how God judged. He said, “For there is no partiality with God.”

For the people to whom Paul wrote in this letter, this truth was very significant. Remember, the Roman emperors persecuted the Jews. Later, Nero persecuted the Christians and blamed them for the great fire of Rome in July 63 A.D. The Jews of Rome bickered with the God-followers and later the Jesus-followers. The Jewish-background believers debated with the Gentile-background believers. The people of Rome who treasured peace (pax Romana) felt they had to live with no peace from these monotheistic worshipers. Each group of people felt they were more right, and judged the others. Paul said in Romans no person can judge another because each person has sinned (2:1). Only God is righteous and can judge. Therefore, God will judge all people because everyone sins.

With this section, understanding the mindset of “us” and “them” in Rome, Paul stated God judges impartially. The word “partiality” comes from the Greek word prosopolempsia. It means favoritism where the outward circumstances of a person, not his/her inner merits, determines the judgment. With God, no person would be worthier of favoritism because of being rich, high-born, or powerful. A person without these statuses are not less worthy than the rich, high-born, or powerful. With the truth about God in this verse, Paul said God would not look at the outward appearance of a person, and what he/she does or owns when making His judgment. He would look at each person’s heart. God would have no favorites-would not be prejudiced-because He loves all people and shows kindness to lead them to repentance. Moses spoke of this in Deuteronomy 10:17 when he said God does not show partiality, nor take a bribe. Luke said this in Acts 10:34 when he recorded Peter saying, “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality.” 

God is impartial. He does not show favoritism. God judges each person according to his/her heart and actions. To the person who does good, He gives glory, honor, peace, and eternal life. For the person who does evil, God will give tribulation and distress. Why does God judge this way? He wants everyone to come to know Him and be in a right relationship with Him. God rewards people who do good and righteous deeds and wants to reward all people with good things from Himself-glory, honor, peace, and eternal life.

Questions for reflection

·         Where do you stand with God?

·         Will God reward you with glory, honor, peace, and eternal life?

·         Will He reward you with tribulation and distress?

·         Each person has a choice to repent and believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. What will you choose?

Recap

In verses five through eleven, Paul taught God is impartial in His judgment. God’s judgment is righteous and that of humanity is flawed because each person is sinful. Paul said people who sin have stubborn and unrepentant hearts. They seek to serve themselves instead of considering God’s best. This can cause harm to one’s self and other people, and it causes a chasm to rise between God and that person.

Paul said God will judge each person on the day of judgment and wrath according to his/her deeds. For people who persevere in doing good and seeking to bring glory and honor to God, God will reward eternal life. The people who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but instead are unrighteousness, will receive wrath and indignation. This wrath and indignation of God will come about as tribulation and distress. In case the Jews who prided themselves on following God’s Law thought themselves better than other people and considered themselves above God’s judgment, Paul said God would judge the Jews first. God is impartial and will judge all people according to the revelation they received from Him. No one will be exempt from God’s judgment. The Jews understood this if they recalled Moses’ teaching. God looks at the heart of a person.

Conclusion and Relevance

Circumcision of the heart as Paul spoke of in Romans 2:29 is a heart that is pure and separated unto God for His will and service. Moses taught about it in Deuteronomy 30:6 when he said, “The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants so that you may love Him with all your heart and with all your soul and live.” The Jewish man circumcised his foreskin to show his agreement to the old covenant of Israel with God. Circumcision of the heart indicates being set apart to love God fully, inside and out. The Pharisees took pride in their physical heritage boasting about circumcision. John the Baptist warned them if they did not circumcise their hearts, God could raise up children for Abraham, those who were non-Jews (Matthew 3:9). Paul told the Galatians in Galatians 3:29 the true seed of Abraham are the ones who follow Abraham’s example and believe in God. Physical circumcision does not make a person a child of God. Faith does. It was why God called Abraham His child. God reckoned his faith to him as righteousness. Jeremiah told the Israelites to circumcise their hearts or God’s wrath would break out and burn like fire because of the evil they did.

Each of us does wrong, we go against God’s moral laws. No one can hide from Him. God sees everyone and everything they do. He knows where you are and knows your heart, actions, and words. After Paul wrote each section to the pagans, Greeks, and Jews, he quoted King David in Romans 3:10-12. He said, “There is none righteous, not even one. There is none who understands. There is none who seeks for God. All have turned aside, together they have become useless. There is none who does good. There is not even one.”

Not one person is sinless. We each sin. Yet, God loves us. He made a way for us to be in a right relationship with Him. That way was the perfect sacrifice for sins. It was not a pure white lamb or dove, but the death of His sinless Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus loves us so much, He took our penalty, God’s judgment, and paid the price for our sins. He chose to die in our places so we could live forever with God in His kingdom. This was God’s plan from the beginning of time. He wanted nothing to separate us from Him and provided the way for the cleansing and justification of each person. This way caused Him pain. It caused Jesus much agony, but He loves us so much He willingly died for all people. When a person turns toward God, repents, and believes in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit circumcises his/her heart.

Paul put it this way in Romans 5:6-8

For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Know this-

you are Sinful

God Loves you

Jesus Died to pay for your judgment

What will you do –

Harden your heart or

Repent and turn toward God through faith in Jesus Christ?

Recognize Self, Desire Truth: A Psalm 51:5-6 Devotional

David, after admitting his sins and repenting of them in Psalm 51:1-4, admitted in no way could he ever be anything but a sinner, a person who chooses his own way in rebellion to God’s will. He stated this in two ways.

First, David said he was born in sin, “in iniquity.” He understood, with the sin of Adam and Eve, humankind’s makeup was altered so they/we could no longer meet with God without an intermediary. Our will became tainted with self-desire instead of a desire for God. Adam and Eve, our descendants, followed their own will instead of being obedient to God. Each person is born into a sinful, disobedient being.

Second, David said his mother was sinful and so he inherited sin through her. His nature was no better than the one who gave him birth. As sinners, his mother and father conceived him. His DNA came from them and he was a born sinner.

David acknowledged all humankind was changed with the fall in the Garden of Eden by Adam and Eve. He was a sinner in that rite. David recognized he was a sinner because of who his parents were, too. He did not let this keep him away from a relationship with the God whom he had come to know and love and who, he realized, loved him.

David acknowledged God wants to be in a relationship with each person. He said, “Behold You desire truth in the innermost being.” In this verse he meant God desires we know His truth so we can correctly know Him to the depths of our soul, the part of us that communes directly with Him. When we correctly know God, then we will desire to be faithful and always commune with Him, be in His presence. We will not want to rebel and choose a way contrary to His.

Besides this, David said God would make him know wisdom when he repented and lived in relationship with Him. God would enable David to understand how to use the truth God gave Him to act and speak in the world. By opening his secret hidden place - his innermost being - to God, David stated God would purify and empower him by the Holy Spirit to know His will and think, speak, and enact it in the world. His faith in God would be visible. Nothing would be hidden from God or humankind. David would come to be known as a man after God’s heart.

That is the testimony to this day of David’s life. What keeps God from cleansing you and implanting His truth and wisdom in you? What keeps you from having a close relationship that is visibly lived out in the world? I encourage you to do as David did in the first four verses of Psalm 51 –

v  Recognize you are a sinner

v  Realize God is great and compassionate to remove your sins and the stain of your sins (your guilt) from you

v  Repent of your sins one by one

v  Then believe in the Messiah David had faith God would send to redeem each person who believed by faith in Him.

Live by faith in the world with the truth and wisdom of God.