Reflections On Romans

Paul continues his argument in this section that no one is in any position to judge others, because each group, Jews and Gentiles, is indicted according to its own group’s accountability before God. He masterfully focuses here on the Jew’s special, primary status, in being judged by God to receive distress for doing evil and also in receiving God’s honor and peace for doing good. Though the groups in Rome may be in tension with each other, under God they have unity in that each is under God’s judgment. Paul in effect is dissolving barriers between them in arguing down accusations against each other, in effect setting up the need each group has for the gospel of Christ. Diverse as they may be, they have something in common.

It is striking to look at Paul’s description of the nature of God. God will judge, but first God gives the “riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience.” God is a

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God righteously judges: we are not to judge ( v.

There exist at least one parallelism and some contrasts in Paul’s words that spell out godliness for his hearers:

God is patient: those who patiently do good will receive eternal life (v. This is a God who longs for us to enjoy God.

This is good news for those who are on the receiving end of injustice. 13),

“glory…for everyone who does good” (v. There is no room for any of us to accuse any others when we realize the standard of justice God sets, as seen first in the Law and then fulfilled in Christ.

We have “secret thoughts”; God knows and will accuse or excuse accordingly

(v. It does not matter what those in power say they do or don’t do, but rather it is their actual deeds for which they will be judged by God. God is not mocked by the words we use. The ones who do justice will be justified (v.

We are judged, not by what status or group we belong to, but on how our actions mirror God’s justice, which must have been fighting words in imperial Rome in the first century.

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