Romans 2 - Part II

"But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render everyone 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.  For there is no partiality with God."  Romans 2:5-11 

Salvation is truly about one coming out of the dead class of people into God's living class.  And again, there truly are on this planet only two classes of people.  It is worth repeating.  Those in Adam and those in Christ.  Now we Christians sometimes like to class within the class, but that is truly not how it is, according to God's economy:  For we bear fruit of the Life imparted to us - not compare flesh and fleshly ideas.  

A glorious thought though, is that I can't be any more righteous than the day I received Christ - more fruitful yes, but not more righteous, because Jesus is Righteousness and He is complete. 

Therefore as a reminder, ALL righteousness, fruit, life, goodness is Jesus Christ alone and coming from Him.

Now in the old man, as Paul writes and describes in Romans 2, there were Jews and Gentiles:  Jews, the Circumcised - Gentiles, the Uncircumcised.  This is how the "flesh" is partly described in Adam and in God 's sight.  Flesh and its works are also described in Galatians 5 which is about ALL mankind.

Paul continues in Romans 2 (and soon Romans 3) this corrupted, evil condition of the old creation - old man.  There is no dressing him up.  The default of the old creation is also, to be religious.  Do something "good," and compare yourself with others, especially with God.  Paul is stating that this is evil.  This so-called "good" is evil dressed up - it is corrupted.  Maybe  not in man's eyes but before God, He could chop it up in a second and find evil and corruption.

Jews had the law of commandments, the miracles and signs of God, and much more, but the Gentiles did not.  Gentiles were considered dogs who could only hope for the crumbs of God's mercies.  But God expounds to Paul by revelation that ALL men are evil in the flesh.  This is why God has him write:  "There is NO partiality with Him."  And, "In my flesh dwells no good thing." 

So now we know by this letter the condition of ALL mankind.  Titles don't cut it - only God's provision for all mankind.  And God has given the remedy of His Son.  Through faith, believing, the work of salvation begins inside a person's heart.  The SEED of the New Man, Christ Jesus is placed into the human spirit.

After the fall with Adam and Eve, when they had Cain and Abel, they must have instructed them as God had instructed the parents.  Faith began in the garden. So did religion.  Abel is listed in the faith chapter of Hebrews 11.  

Adam and Eve were called upon to believe God's remedy, God's way of providing for their loss of life.  They were alive physically as we all know, but they lost the life of God within their spirit - the true life. 

But they, like throughout the Old Testament could not yet experience being "born again" by God's Spirit because Christ had not yet died and suffered for all of mankind.  Christ was however, with God, "slain before the foundation of the world."  And of course, Jesus existed before He came to earth. Therefore, in the Old Testament people were credited "righteousness" by God through faith.  We find that list also in Hebrews 11.

The people of the Old Testament were taught to bring sacrifices and blood had to be shed.  And it had to be continual as we see with Moses and the children of Israel.  This is why when God uses the phrase in Hebrews concerning Jesus  Christ and his precious sacrifice for us  - "once for all," we should jump for joy.  Let's jump high, because this is awesome!  I can see why believing God is absolutely powerful and essential  to the human heart.

When Cain and Abel brought their offerings, as we know, Cain's offering was fruit - Abel's was the firstborn of flock and its fat - God received and respected Abel's but not Cain's.  

This to me, reveals what the fall did to man's heart.  "But in accordance with the hardness and impenitent heart..."  So again, religion started in the garden.  The hard heart - the sinful, dead heart saying to God, "I can bring you something you'll like.  I want to do it my way (does not require faith).  I am sure you'll like MY righteousness."  The old man became a substitute for the great, "I am" of God.

And for thousands of years as we see in the Old Testament, religion, idols, creations of all kinds by man has been devised to substitute for "believing God."  It's happening today.  But it happens also in the believer's sanctification - substituting other ideas and things for the Life of God's dear Son being formed in us and bearing fruit through a walk of faith.  "We walk by faith, not by sight." 

God is calling us to believe Him - believe what and who the believer truly is in Christ Jesus - "labor" to enter and appropriate the precious and great salvation of God in His Son.  Romans will tell us more.

Oh, His unspeakable gift, 

Sue Gaither