Lessons #57 and 58
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+ 1. It is best to use this note after you have listened to the lessons because there are +
+ comments given in the actual delivery not in the note. +
+ 2. The Bible abbreviations are as follows: CEV =Contemporary English version, +
+ CEB = Common English Bible, ESV= English Standard Version, +
+ GW = God’s Word, ISV = International Standard Version, +
+ NAB=New American Bible, NASB= New American Standard Bible, +
+ NEB= New English Bible, NET = New English Translation, +
+ NLT = New Living Translations NJB = New Jerusalem Bible, +
+ NJV = New Jewish Bible, TEV = Today’s English Version. +
+AMP = Amplified Bible, UBS = United Bible Society +
+ HCSB = Holman Christian Standard Bible +
+ 3. Notes have not been edited for grammatical errors. +
+ 4. Text is based on 1984 edition of the NIV +
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Inevitability of God’s judgment (Rom 2:3-6)
3 So when you, a mere man, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment? 4 Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance? 5 But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 God “will give to each person according to what he has done.”
The section that we are considering, as we stated previously, concerns Apostle Paul’s discourse on judgment for hypocrisy, stubbornness, and lack of repentance. Consequently, the message of this section as we stated in our previous study is You can avoid God’s judgment by not being a hypocrite and by embracing His goodness through repentance. Our last study was focused on the clause of Romans 2:4 not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance. We specifically started to examine what is meant by repentance. Recall we defined repentance as a change of mind about God that stems from a state of sorrow about one’s sin that leads to a resolution to turn away from sin. We began to expound on this definition. We made a first assertion that repentance involves a state of sorrow about one’s sin or failure. We examined several situations that confirm this assertion. So, we proceed with a second assertion in relation to the subject of repentance.
A second assertion is that repentance involves turning away from sin. Because some think sin is not directly asserted as the object of the word “repent,” they have difficulty linking repentance with sin. But the Bible is filled with linkages between sin and repentance. In the book of Job, we find a direct link between sin and repentance, for we read in Job 36:10:
He makes them listen to correction and commands them to repent of their evil.
The word “repent” is rendered “to turn from” in some English versions since the Hebrew word (šûḇ) used here in Job 36:10 means “to turn, to return” but as we have previously indicated, the Hebrew word used is one of the two Hebrew words we had already indicated express the concept of repentance. The word “evil” is rendered “iniquity” in the Authorized Version and some other English versions. This is because the Hebrew word (ʾāwěn) that means “evil” also means “wickedness,” “iniquity,” that is, “an act (of many kinds) which is morally evil and corrupt, and damaging to one’s relationship to God and others, according to a standard.” So, evil as used in Job 36:10 is the same as sin. Hence, there is a direct link between repentance and sin. It is not only in Job do we find this direct link between repentance and sin in the OT Scripture, but we also find it in the book of Prophet Isaiah for we read in Isaiah 59:20:
"The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins," declares the LORD.
The word “sins” is rendered “rebellion” in some English versions. This is because the Hebrew word (pěšǎʿ) used has that meaning but it also means “crime,” “sin,” “transgression,” that is, “what is contrary to a standard, human or divine, with a focus on the rebellious nature of the sin.” Again, there is a direct link between repentance and sin.
When we come to the NT, we note an indirect link of repentance and sin when Jesus referred to the effect the preaching of Jonah had on the people of Nineveh. This is what He said as recorded in Matthew 12:41:
The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here.
Jesus stated that the people of Nineveh repented but He did not specify what they repented of and how they did that. However, we can learn of what the people repented of and what that means to them by referring to the book of Jonah. The section that is of particular interest to our study is Jonah 3:5–10:
5 The Ninevites believed God. They declared a fast, and all of them, from the greatest to the least, put on sackcloth. 6 When the news reached the king of Nineveh, he rose from his throne, took off his royal robes, covered himself with sackcloth and sat down in the dust. 7 Then he issued a proclamation in Nineveh: “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Do not let any man or beast, herd or flock, taste anything; do not let them eat or drink. 8 But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth. Let everyone call urgently on God. Let them give up their evil ways and their violence. 9 Who knows? God may yet relent and with compassion turn from his fierce anger so that we will not perish.” 10 When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he had compassion and did not bring upon them the destruction he had threatened.
The Hebrew verb (šûḇ) that we said conveys the sense of repentance or that means “to repent” is used twice in this passage. It is used in verse 8 where in the NIV it is translated “give up” but a more literal rendering is “turn from.” Again, the same Hebrew word is used in verse 10 but this time the translators of the NIV rendered it “turned from.” Now, in each case the object of the Hebrew word that also means “to repent” is clearly sin. For, in verse 8, the people of Nineveh were commanded to turn away from their evil ways and their violence. In verse 10, the people actually turned away from their evil ways. The word “evil” is translated from a Hebrew word (rǎʿ) that also means “wrongdoing.” Hence it should be clear that what they repented of was their sins.
We should also notice that the people of Nineveh had covered themselves with sackcloth. Sackcloth is worn in time of mourning or sorrow. Hence, the people of Nineveh were overwhelmed with sorrow, which we say is an element of repentance. But they also turned away from their sinful conducts. These two actions form what Jesus referred to as repentance of the people of Nineveh. The point is that there is a link between “repentance” and “sin” in Jesus’ statement recorded in Matthew 12:41
Another passage that shows the connection of repentance and sin is Acts 8:22:
Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord. Perhaps he will forgive you for having such a thought in your heart.
This was the case when Simon, the former magician, had offered Peter money to get some of his spiritual gift that was evident in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Samaria. Peter rebuked him and commanded him to repent of his wickedness. In effect, the apostle commanded him to repent of his sin. So, we have a direct link between repentance and sin. Apostle Paul also made a direct link between repentance and sin in that he wrote the Corinthians to repent of some sins he named in 2 Corinthians 12:21:
I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery in which they have indulged.
The passages we have cited clearly indicate that the object of repentance is sin, and that repentance involves turning away from sin. But let me provide more passages that indicate that repentance involves turning away from sin. Prophet Ezekiel commanded Israel to repent and he followed it up with the instruction to turn away from sin as we read in Ezekiel 14:6:
"Therefore say to the house of Israel, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Repent! Turn from your idols and renounce all your detestable practices!
And we read in Ezekiel 18:30-31:
30 "Therefore, O house of Israel, I will judge you, each one according to his ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. 31 Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel?
With these additional passages, we have provided the proofs to support our second assertion that repentance involves turning away from sin.
A third assertion in connection with the meaning of repentance is that it involves a change of mind about God. The support for this assertion is Acts 20:21:
I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
The phrase to God in repentance is rendered repentance toward God in the NASB and the NET. But a literal translation of the Greek phrase is repentance with respect to God. The sense of the phrase is that some people direct their action of changing of their minds in a friendly way towards God. Hence, we know that God is indeed the object of repentance.
Our effort to expound on the definition of repentance should cause us to recognize that true repentance, based on the information we have in the Bible, involves turning from sin and turning towards God as well as changing of one’s mind about God. Again, let me reiterate our definition of repentance. It is a change of mind about God that stems from a state of sorrow about one’s sin that leads to a resolution to turn away from sin.
It is important we understand the nature of true repentance and how it comes about. You see, it is possible for a person to feel sorrow for the person’s sin or regret the person’s sin because of the pain that it produces; such cannot be considered true repentance that we are concerned with. We are saying that genuine repentance is not brought about by either an external or internal psychological stimulus. It is a failure to understand this truth that causes many preachers or evangelists to use fear to attempt to produce repentance so that people could make a decision for salvation, as they say. The truth is that people could witness events that are terrifying but that would not really produce genuine repentance. This is evident from the description of the attitude of people in the period of God’s future judgment that in spite of all the misery and pain they would witness, they would refuse to repent as we read in Revelation 9:20-21:
20 The rest of mankind that were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood — idols that cannot see or hear or walk. 21 Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.
But that is not all. True repentance would not come to a person because the individual is provided with overwhelming evidence that should cause the person to repent. I mean you can provide information from the Scripture that shows a person why the individual should repent and turn to God in faith and still the person would not repent. Or a person may witness great miracles and still not repent. This point is underscored by our Lord Jesus when He denounced the cities that witnessed His miracles, but the people did not repent as we read in Matthew 11:20:
Then Jesus began to denounce the cities in which most of his miracles had been performed, because they did not repent.
It is in keeping with this point that Jesus described the conversation between the rich man and Abraham in Hades. The rich man had asked Abraham to send someone to go and warn his brothers so that they would not come to the place of torment he was in. But Abraham responded that if they could not listen to the preaching of the word of God even sending someone from the dead would not produce genuine repentance with them as we read in Luke 16:30-31:
30 "'No, father Abraham,' he said, 'but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' 31 "He said to him, 'If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.'"
The point is that witnessing of miracles or something unusual would not bring about genuine repentance in a person.
If neither fear nor miracles could produce genuine repentance, what then brings about genuine repentance? It is God who gives repentance to anyone. There are ample passages in the Bible that convey this truth. When the Jewish authorities forbade the apostles from preaching Jesus Christ, Peter responded by saying to them that God exalted Jesus so that He will give repentance to Israel as recorded in Acts 5:31:
God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel.
On another occasion when Jewish Christians displayed prejudice against Gentiles because Peter had gone to preach to them, he defended his action. On hearing his explanation, the believers praised God with the assertion that God is the one who granted them repentance in Acts 11:18:
When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, "So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life."
Apostle Paul understood this truth as evident in his epistle to Timothy. In his second epistle to Timothy, the apostle encouraged him to continue to instruct even his opponents hoping that God would grant them repentance in 2 Timothy 2:25:
Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth,
This fact that God grants repentance, and that the Bible commands repentance have caused some to teach that repentance is not a step which precedes salvation but something that comes as a result of it. Really, repentance precedes salvation but what happens is that God grants it, and the Holy Spirit aids the unbeliever through the preaching of the gospel to come to genuine repentance and then to believe in Jesus Christ so as to be saved.
Speaking of genuine repentance, we should be clear that when there is genuine repentance, it is reflected in a person’s lifestyle. If it were not so, we would not have the commands that imply that repentance is evident in lifestyle. John the Baptist after preaching his message of repentance, urged the people to reflect their repentance through their actions as we read in Luke 3:8:
Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
Apostle Paul also indicated that he instructed those who believed to demonstrate their repentance through their lifestyle as we read in Acts 26:20:
First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.
By the way, part of demonstrating genuine repentance is making of restitution where it is possible. Restitution was required in the Scripture as part of confession of sins and so of repentance as recorded in Numbers 5:5–7:
5 The LORD said to Moses, 6 “Say to the Israelites: ‘When a man or woman wrongs another in any way and so is unfaithful to the LORD, that person is guilty 7 and must confess the sin he has committed. He must make full restitution for his wrong, add one fifth to it and give it all to the person he has wronged.
By the way, confession is admission of wrongdoing and so it is not the same as repentance but a result of repentance. It is because of the fact that restitution is part of repentance that caused Zaccheus to say to the Lord Jesus, following His visit to his house and his implied repentance, that he was willing to make restitution as stated in Luke 19:8:
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.”
To end this consideration of repentance, let me add that because repentance is an element of conversion that we should not be surprised that there are two kinds of repentance. A first type is that which occurs at the point of salvation. The second type is that which occurs frequently in the life of believers. Believers should continue to repent of sins and turn to God as well as to prove their repentance through their lifestyle. It is because of the necessity of believer’s continued repentance that caused the Lord Jesus to give the command to repent to the church in Ephesus as part of the letter to the seven Asiatic churches as stated in Revelation 2:5:
Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
This command applies to us so we should continuously repent of our failures since continued repentance ensures the believer is in constant fellowship with God. Sin disrupts fellowship with God but when it is confessed as part of repentance, the believer is restored into fellowship with God. We should be careful to recognize that repentance that involves confession of sins may not remove the effect of sin under certain situations. This we note from the fact that David repented and admitted his sin of adultery and murder but that did not keep him from punishment for his sins as implied in 2 Samuel 12:13–14:
13 Then David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the LORD.” Nathan replied, “The LORD has taken away your sin. You are not going to die. 14 But because by doing this you have made the enemies of the LORD show utter contempt, the son born to you will die.”
We are saying that repentance may not reverse the effect of sin or put another way, repentance would not alter the spiritual law of sowing and reaping. Let's say that a woman gets involved in sexual sin and then repents and confesses that sin, such repentance would not necessarily keep her from being pregnant.
We have considered the doctrine of repentance because of the clause of Romans 2:4 not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance. So, we ask what repentance did the apostle have in mind? The context indicates that the repentance that needs to happen is that the hypocrites should change their minds first about their understanding of the purpose of God’s goodness to them and then to change their minds about their assessment of their actions. They have not recognized that they sin as those they condemn, so if there is repentance, they would recognize that they themselves are doing the same things they condemn others. Hence, we can state that the repentance in our passage of study is about God and about sins. In any event, the second point the apostle conveyed to believers in this passage of Romans 2:3-6 is that God’s goodness provides a way out of His judgment through repentance. This brings us to the third point of the apostle in the section that we are considering.
The third point the apostle conveyed to believers in this passage of Romans 2:3-6 is that rejection of God’s goodness guarantees His punishment/wrath. This third point is derived from what the apostle wrote in Romans 2:5-6. He alerts the reader that what he was about to state beginning in verse 5 contrasts to what he communicated in verse 4 which is the purpose of God’s goodness shown to hypocrites in this case, Jewish hypocrites. He signaled this contrast because of the word but that begins verse 5. The conjunction “but” is translated from a Greek particle (de) that is routinely translated “but” in our English versions, as done in majority of our English versions in our present verse, to reflect a contrast between clauses but when a simple connective is desired, without contrast being clearly implied, it may be translated “and” or “now” or “so” and in certain occurrences the particle may be left untranslated as is the case with our verse in the Revised edition of the NAB, and the NJB. In our passage, the apostle used it to contrast what he said in the preceding verse and what he was about to state beginning in verse 5.
Apostle Paul preceded the result of rejection of God’s goodness that should lead to repentance with a declaration that provides the grounds for what God would do to the people who reject His goodness. The reason for using the word “grounds” is because of the word because in verse 5 is translated from a Greek preposition (kata) that may be used as a marker to introduce the norm which governs something and so may mean “in accordance with” but it can also mean “because of, as a result of, on the basis of.” Although some of our English versions, such as the CEB and the CEV, among few others, did not translate our Greek preposition, it is used in our passage to establish the grounds or reason for God’s action to those who reject His goodness that should lead to repentance.
It is because of lack of repentance that what the apostle stated as God’s action will take place. This we state because of the phrase of Romans 2:5 because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart. It appears the apostle described two conditions of the hypocrite in this phrase, but the apostle probably meant one thing as we will explain. The word “stubbornness” is translated from a Greek word (sklērotēs) that appears only here in the Greek NT; it means “stubbornness” or “hardheartedness,” that is, “a resolute, unfeeling adherence to one’s own ideas or desires.” The Greek word is used to translate a Hebrew word (qešî) that appears also once in the Hebrew text where it is used with the meaning of “stubbornness” to describe Israel’s unwillingness to obey God’s commands as it is used in Moses’ intercessory prayer for Israel in Deuteronomy 9:27:
Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Overlook the stubbornness of this people, their wickedness and their sin.
This aside, as we have stated, the Greek word translated “stubbornness” in Romans 2:5 appears only once in the Greek NT, so it is likely that the apostle used the second phrase of Romans 2:5 and your unrepentant heart to further explain what he meant by “stubbornness.” For one thing, the word and is translated from a Greek particle (kai) that is often translated “and” in our English versions as a marker of connection between single words or clauses, but the conjunction has several usages. It may be used as a marker of introduction of a result that comes from what precedes and so may be translate “and then, and so.” It may be used to emphasize a fact as surprising or unexpected or noteworthy, leading to the translation “and yet, and in spite of that, nevertheless.” It may be used as a marker of emphasis where there is a stress on what is said and hence means “indeed, certainly.” It may be used as a marker to indicate an additive relation that is not of equal rank and significance to another clause, in which case, it means “also, likewise.” Still the word may be used as a marker of contrast so that it means “but.” In our passage of Romans 2:5, it is used as a marker of explanation of what preceded its use so that it may be translated “that is” or “namely.” Hence, the apostle used it to explain what he meant by stubbornness using the phrase unrepentant heart.
The word “unrepentant” is translated from a Greek word (ametanoētos) that appears only here in the Greek NT; it means “unrepentant” in the sense of “characterized by a refusal to abandon any pagan or self-righteous disposition for a new disposition characterized by trust in Jesus for salvation and an accompanying holy life.” The word “heart” is translated from a Greek word (kardia) that may refer to “the center and source of physical life” as what Apostle Paul indicated to the audience in Lystra he preached to, that God satisfied them with food and filled them with joy as recorded in Acts 14:17:
Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.”
The word may refer to heart “as center and source of the whole inner life, with its thinking, feeling, and volition.” Thus, in some contexts, the word means “mind” as it is used to describe where doubts originate or exist in a person when Jesus Christ assured His disciples that His resurrection was for real as narrated in Luke 24:38:
He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds?
In our passage of Romans 2:5, the word is used in the sense of “the seat of a person’s thoughts (mind), volition, emotions, and knowledge of right from wrong (conscience).” Thus, the phrase unrepentant heart refers to a person that refuses to change the individual’s wrong thoughts about the person’s self-righteous stand. This in effect explains further what a stubborn person is in the context of Romans 2:5.
The problem with such a person is that the individual’s refusal to repent assures the person will be the recipient of God’s punishment/wrath as stated in the next clause of Romans 2:5 you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath. The expression “storing up” is translated from a Greek word (thēsaurizō) that may mean “to store up,” that is, to keep some material thing safe by storing it as it is used in Jesus’ description of the fate of someone who stores up his material wealth but ignores the spiritual as stated in Luke 12:21:
“This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich toward God.”
The word may mean “to save up” of money or wealth as it is used to describe what is not expected of children with respect to their parents in that they are not to save up money for their parents instead it is the other way round according to 2 Corinthians 12:14:
Now I am ready to visit you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.
The word may mean “to hoard” wealth as it is used in the denouncing of the rich that ignore paying the wages of their workers because they want to hoard wealth as stated in James 5:3:
Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.
The word may mean “to reserve” as it is used to describe the coming judgment of God on the present heavens and earth as we may gather from 2 Peter 3:7:
By the same word the present heavens and earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
In our passage of Romans 2:5, the word means “to store up,” that is, “to do something that will bring about a future event or condition.” The apostle used a present tense in the Greek implying that each time a person that has rejected the goodness of God that is intended to lead to repentance, acts in a manner that conveys the person refuses to repent, that individual stores up for the future an event that is not beneficial to the person described in the verse we are considering as in the phrase of Romans 2:5 wrath against yourself.
The word “wrath” is translated from a Greek word (orgē) translated “anger” in the sense of intense feeling of displeasure with focus on emotional aspect as it is used to describe human anger believers should get rid of in Ephesians 4:31:
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.
However, the word also means “wrath” in the sense of strong indignation directed at wrongdoing, with focus on retribution. Thus, when the word is used of God it can refer to His indignation as it is used to describe the state of an unbeliever in relation to God in John 3:36:
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.”
The sentence God’s wrath remains on him may be translated the indignation of God remains on him. The word in connection with God is used to describe the result of wrath, that is, punishment of sin, as in Romans 4:15:
because law brings wrath. And where there is no law there is no transgression.
Here in Romans 4:15 “wrath” has the sense of “punishment” as reflected in the NLT or “retribution” as in the REB. The word can mean “judgment” in connection with God. It is in this sense that the Greek word is used in describing God’s future judgment in 1 Thessalonians 1:10:
and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
The word “wrath” here has the sense of judgment although in reality this meaning of judgment is not sufficient to convey its meaning with respect to God since the word also is concerned with God’s reaction towards sin. It is probably for this reason that the translators of the NEB used the phrase terrors of judgment in their translation of 1 Thessalonians 1:10. In effect, the meaning “wrath” with respect to God does not refer simply to God’s feelings with respect to sin but also to His action in judging and punishing humans for their sins. Thus, in some context, the word means “punitive judgment.” It is in this sense that the word is used for God’s future punitive judgment in 1 Thessalonians 5:9:
For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The standard Greek-English lexicon of BDAG suggests that the sentence God did not appoint us to suffer wrath could be translated God has not destined us for punitive judgment; in this way, it is clearer that our Greek word has the meaning of punitive judgment. In our passage of Romans 2:5, the word is used with the meaning “wrath” or “punishment,” that is, “the punitive outworking of God’s righteous indignation at sin.”
God’s punishment or wrath in view in our passage is described as a future event described in two ways. The first description is concerned with the specific time of the event in the phrase of Romans 2:5 for the day of God’s wrath. Literally, the Greek reads on (the) day of wrath. The difference between the phrase of the NIV and the literal Greek reading is due first to the fact that the word God is not in the literal translation. Certainly, God’s wrath is in view, but the Greek sentence has the word “God” at the end of the verse hence the literal translation. Furthermore, the word for of the NIV is translated from a Greek preposition (en) that literally means “in” although it has other usages. In our passage, it is used to denote time so that the meaning “on” or “in” is most appropriate. That aside the phrase the day of God’s wrath or literally day of wrath refers to the time of God’s punishment as He judges those in view. It is the same as the phrase the day of Yahweh’s anger referenced several times in the OT Scripture, for example, in Zephaniah 2:3:
Seek the LORD, all you humble of the land, you who do what he commands. Seek righteousness, seek humility; perhaps you will be sheltered on the day of the LORD’s anger.
When the apostle used the phrase, we are considering, he was most certainly thinking of the day of Christ’s return from heaven when the dead in Christ will be resurrected and His judgment leading to punishment of unbelievers will occur.
The second description of the future events the apostle had in mind in the passage of our study is associated with God’s righteous judgment as given in Romans 2:5 when his righteous judgment will be revealed. Literally, the Greek reads and of (the) revelation of (the) righteous judgment of God. Majority of our English versions used the word “when” to translate the Greek particle (kai) that is often translated “and” in our English versions although it has other usages. It does not seem that the apostle used it here in the sense of time. He probably used it to provide a further explanation of the day of wrath, that is, that it is a day of revelation of righteous judgment of God. We say this because, if the apostle was concerned with time, it seems to me he would have used a Greek word (hote) that means “when, that is, a point of time which is roughly simultaneous to or overlaps with another point of time” that he used few verses later when he spoke of the same concept of the second coming of Jesus Christ and so of God’s judgment in Romans 2:16:
This will take place on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
That aside, the apostle was concerned to say more about the day of wrath so that he described it as a day characterized by revelation of God’s righteous judgment as in the literal translation of Romans 2:5 revelation of (the) righteous judgment of God or as in the NIV when his righteous judgment will be revealed. As the literal translation implies, there is no Greek verb used instead we have a Greek noun (apokalypsis) that literally means “uncovering”, but this meaning does not appear in the NT; instead, the meaning is “revelation, disclosure.” The word can be used in the sense of communicating knowledge or truth that was not previously known to an individual by God through vision or any other supernatural means of communication. It is in this sense that Apostle Paul used the word to describe the various communications he received from the Lord Jesus Christ in 2 Corinthians 12:1:
I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord.
It is because of this special communication from God to the apostle that he went to meet with the leaders of the church in Jerusalem, as he stated in Galatians 2:2:
I went in response to a revelation and set before them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. But I did this privately to those who seemed to be leaders, for fear that I was running or had run my race in vain.
The Greek word is used to describe the disclosure of secrets that belong to the last days. It is in this sense that the word is used with the disclosure of the relief, suffering believers will receive when Christ returns as stated in 2 Thessalonians 1:7:
and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.
The translators of the NIV and many of our English versions translated the Greek noun as a verb in their use of the word “revealed.” Actually, the clause when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven is more literally at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven. Our Greek word can also be used for revelation of truth as the word is used by Simeon during the dedication ceremony of the baby Jesus in Luke 2:32:
a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.”
In this context, it is salvation that is described by the phrase a light for revelation to the Gentiles. The phrase means that salvation is a light that reveals the true knowledge of God to Gentiles who are in spiritual darkness. In our passage of Romans 2:5, the word is used in the sense of “revelation,” that is, “the disclosure of secrets belonging to the last days.”
The revelation or thing disclosed is described in the phrase of Romans 2:5 righteous judgment. The expression “righteous judgment” is translated from a Greek word (dikaiokrisia) that appears only here in Greek NT; it means “just condemnation,” that is, “the act (and consequences) of condemnation by a fair and just judge.” This righteous judgment is one that characterizes God. The apostle used the word “God” probably in a general sense of the supreme creator although it is possible that he was also thinking of Jesus Christ since He is the One that is stated in the Scripture to be responsible for all future judgments as implied in John 5:22:
Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son,
Anyway, it is important to recognize that the apostle wants us to understand that when people remain unrepentant in that they do not respond to God’s goodness, such individuals are storing for themselves God’s righteous judgment that will take place when Christ returns.
In any case, the apostle ends his discourse on the inevitability of God’s judgment on those who reject His goodness by reminding us that God’s judgment accords with His justice. It is this fact, he stated in Romans 2:6 God “will give to each person according to what he has done.” The translators of the NIV used the word “God” to begin this verse because they interpreted correctly Greek relative pronoun (hos) that means “who” but here refers to God mentioned in Romans 2:5. The concept of God’s justice is implied in the clause will give to each person according to what he has done.” The clause is a verbatim from the Septuagint of Psalm 61:13 (English Bible 62:12) and Proverbs 24:12. For example, the Englis Bible reads in Psalm 62:12:
and that you, O Lord, are loving. Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done.
It is because it is believed the apostle quoted from the Septuagint that the translators of the NIV used quotation mark in the last clause of in Romans 2:5 “will give to each person according to what he has done.”
The word “give” is translated from a Greek word (apodidōmi) that may mean “to give back, return” as when Jesus returned the scroll that he read from while in a synagogue as recorded in Luke 4:20:
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him,
The word may mean “to meet a contractual or other obligation” hence means “to pay” of wages of workers as it is used in Jesus’ parable of workers in a vineyard narrated in Matthew 20:8:
“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’
The word may mean “to recompense, whether in a good or bad sense.” In a good sense, it may mean “to reward” as that which the Lord Jesus will give when He returns according to what is stated 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 he has done.
In our passage of Romans 2:6, it is used with the sense of “to recompense,” that is, “to reward or punish (whether tangibly or intangibly) based upon what a person deserves.” The recompense or reward is said to be according to what he has done or literally according to his works. “Work” here refers to act or deed of a person that can be good or bad. The idea of recompensing someone in accordance with the individual’s deeds is a description of God’s justice. His fairness in judgment requires for Him to punish people in keeping with their deeds. Of course, we should remember that since the concern here is with those who reject God’s goodness, their deeds are what sum up their unbelief since that is the only sin that sends someone to eternal suffering in the lake of fire. In any event, the third point the apostle conveyed to believers in this passage of Romans 2:3-6 is that rejection of God’s goodness guarantees His punishment/wrath. Let me end with the reminder of the message of this section which is You can avoid God’s judgment by not being a hypocrite and by embracing His goodness through repentance.
10/18/24