Standing vs Relationship

Romans Bible Study #3

2:1-29

READ: Romans 2:1-11 ¹ Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. ² We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. ³ Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? ⁴ Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? ⁵ But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.

⁶ He will render to each one according to his works: ⁷ to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; ⁸ but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. ⁹ There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, ¹⁰ but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. ¹¹ For God shows no partiality.
Hodge: The Jews expected their standing with God to be enough to save them, not the quality of their personal character. Paul, using the all inclusive O man, in v. 1, to include both Jew and Gentile in those who have sinned.

Bruce: The Jews, because of their unique position with God, are first to receive salvation, but also first to receive judgement.

Amos 3:1 – You only have a I known of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities. God personally revealed Himself to the Jews, giving them privilege, but God expected them to respect that privilege by being obedient.
Q #1: How do Christians or those who 'think' they are Christians run the risk of falling into the same trap as many Jews have?
Q #2: How do you know whether or not you are truly saved?
Q #3: The following statement is a paraphrase of Stott: You will be saved by your faith and judged by your works. Don't reverse the two or you find yourself in a position in eternity that you will not like. If you think that God's kindness will protect you from the fires of hell, you presume too much. His kindness (v. 4) should lead you to repentance, not be a license to live like you are a child of hell and rather than a grateful child of the living God.

-Show attached Calvin's chart:

Calvin: Shows the chiasm (the word order of a line that is the reverse order of its predecessor: e.g. Ps 118:25 Save us, we beseech thee, O Lord! O Lord, we beseech thee, give us success.) that Paul used to explain the favored position of the Jews, and God's fairness in dispensing judgement to all.
-In the ancient world, many times when Gentiles came to belief in Yahweh, they were encouraged not to become Jewish prosolytes because the Jews believed God would not be so severe in His judgement on them if they just remained God-fearers.
Q #4: What does that tell you about the Jewish perception of God? What is yours?

-Read the BAR article, “Theology vs. Law...” (Jan-Feb 2015; Jonathan Klawans; p. 26).