Romans chapter 2

vs 1

Ie we're all in the same boat.

vs 2

That is, God doesn't judge people because he doesn't like them - he judges them because he knows everything, and knows therefore your imperfections. Such things is sins I believe, not judging, as could be read.

vs 3

If you haven't cottoned on yet, it should be clear that Paul addressed humanity from one aspect - that of sexually deviant idolators who have ignored God and his ways - first. Now, he is looking at those people who sit back in judgement on the pagan lifestyle. He wants to remind them that they too are judged and found wanting.

vs 4

This is an interesting verse. There may be those people who recognise God's righteous requirements, but Paul is saying that their ability to recognise them was not given them to judge others, but as a gracious step to allow them to repent of their own failings. However, the person Paul is talking to now does not accept grace and forgiveness - they think themselves above it.

vs 5

This person doesn't believe that they need grace, and they seem to think that they are in the winning position when it comes to God and righteousness. Big mistake - "storing up wrath" is quite a good term. It would be like finding landmines in your back yard, and every day you do you aren't sure what to do with them, so you put them in your attic.

vs 6

Scary thought, because so far it would seem that everyone is going to get punished.

vs 7

Note that this verse does not say "those who continually do good without fail", but rather "those who try and do good with persistance" - that is, you don't give up even if you do fail.

vs 8

And that is the problem with people who think they don't need forgiveness or repentance - they are deluding themselves, but also denying the truth.

vs 9

This Jew then gentile formula is a strong one in Romans. What does it tell us? That Jews and gentiles are in the same boat when it comes to God. Revolutionary teaching - even now there are people who which to separate the two. I will point out that Paul does separate them too - Jews first, then gentiles. I guess some of us are more interested in outcomes.

Trouble and distress is for everyone who does evil. That is, it's for everyone, right?

vs 10

Jew first again.

Now who does good? In the same way that it is impossible to imagine someone who never does anything wrong, it's also kinda impossible to imagine someone who never does anything right. The real problem with these verses for us is that, if we read them as being conditional verses, then we get this idea that the effect is causal - that someone who does more evil than good will have more trouble and distress, and someone who does more good than evil will have more glory, honour and peace.

Of course, when we look around at reality, we realise that this is not so. Ecclesiastes teaches us that well. Job teaches us that well.

If we then decide that we're going to read it eternally and consider this a statement about punishment, then we are stuck with a different conundrum - that everyone is evil, so we're all headed for trouble and distress. No one is good, so their rewards are redundant.

Or is it possible... is it just possible... that Paul is actually linking in an active attitude rather than a functional setting? Like I said with vs 7 - perhaps it's not about your actions, but about your attitude towards the truth, which informs your actions.