How lovely God is Pt 29: God shows no favoritism

5But 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.  6God “will repay each person according to what they have done.”  7To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.  8But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.  9There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.  11For God does not show favoritism.

Jewish Law required that all adult men travel to Jerusalem three times every year to worship in the Temple.  One of those was Shavuot (Pentecost).  At the Shavuot 50 days after Jesus’ resurrection, the disciples were cowering in the upper room when the Holy Spirit appeared to empower them for ministry.  Later, Peter delivered a powerful sermon to the crowds which had gathered for the festival and in those thousands of people were Jews who had come from Rome.

Rome at the time was an international city, the New York of the day, mostly Gentile with a minority of traditional Jews.  When the coverts to this new sect called Christianity arrived back home, immediately conflict arose as the coverts began teaching the Jesus was the New Way.  Paul wrote Romans some 25 years later intending to address this conflict and specifically to address the conflict over the interaction between Mosaic Law and The Way (which is what Christianity was then called).

At the End of Days we receive our reward

Paul’s words in Romans 2 cut through one of the most persistent human assumptions: that proximity to religious privilege somehow shields us from God’s judgment.  Writing to this mixed audience of Jews and Gentiles in Rome, Paul insists that every person—without exception—stands before God on the same ground.  The day is coming when God will judge “each person according to what they have done” (Romans 2:6).  This is not a denial of grace, nor is it an argument for salvation by works.  Rather, Paul is exposing a hardened heart that presumes upon God’s patience.  He warns that stubborn refusal to repent is not neutral; it actively stores up wrath for the day of judgment (Romans 2:5).  God’s patience is meant to lead us toward repentance, not to provide cover for self-confidence or moral superiority.

Scripture consistently affirms that God’s judgment is real, personal, and unavoidable.  Ecclesiastes reminds us that “God will bring every deed into judgment” (Ecclesiastes 12:14).  Jesus Himself speaks of a final accounting, when hidden things are revealed and every life is weighed (Matthew 12:36).  Paul’s point is simple but unsettling: no one coasts into eternity on religious reputation alone.  This truth invites sober self-examination.  It asks us whether we are relying on God’s mercy while quietly resisting His authority.  God’s patience is not permission to delay repentance.  Instead, it is a gracious window calling us to respond while there is still time.

When those following God will receive eternal blessing

Paul moves next to a promise that is as strong as his warning.  God “will give eternal life to those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality” (Romans 2:7).  At first glance, this language may feel uncomfortable, especially to readers shaped by Paul’s teaching on justification by faith.  Yet Paul is not contradicting himself.  He is describing the visible fruit of a transformed life.  Those who genuinely belong to God will demonstrate perseverance—a settled direction toward God’s glory rather than self-exaltation.  Scripture repeatedly links eternal life with a life oriented toward obedience.  Jesus says that a tree is known by its fruit (Matthew 7:16–20), and James insists that living faith always expresses itself in action (James 2:17).  Paul is not suggesting that good works earn eternal life.  Rather, they reveal where our allegiance lies.  A life persistently oriented toward God reflects a heart already reshaped by grace.  

God’s reward is not begrudging or reluctant.  He delights to honor those who seek Him sincerely.  Glory, honor, peace, and eternal life are not abstract ideas—they are the culmination of restored relationship with God Himself.  And the good news is that weary believers who feel unnoticed or undervalued are encouraged knowing God sees and rewards.  God sees faithfulness that others overlook.  Perseverance matters.  Every act of obedience, however small, is caught up in God’s larger promise of eternal life.

But those who have denied Him will find anger and wrath

But the flip side of this coin is true also.  For those who are “self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil,” there will be “wrath and anger” (Romans 2:8).  This is not an emotional outburst from God but His settled, righteous response to persistent rebellion.  Modern readers often struggle with the language of divine wrath.  Yet Scripture consistently presents God’s anger as the moral counterpart to His love.  A God who never judges evil would not truly be good.  God’s wrath is directed toward those who knowingly suppress the truth and choose injustice over obedience (Romans 1:18).

Paul emphasizes that judgment will involve “trouble and distress for every human being who does evil” (Romans 2:9).  The universality is striking.  Neither cultural sophistication nor religious familiarity provides immunity.  Jesus echoes this reality when He warns that many who claim religious credentials will still face rejection if they do not truly know Him (Matthew 7:21–23).  This section dismantles any notion that God’s grace trivializes sin.  Divine patience does not negate divine justice.  God delays judgment not because sin is insignificant, but because He desires repentance (2 Peter 3:9).

This is a difficult truth, but a necessary one.  It calls us to speak honestly about sin, repentance, and accountability.  Loving people well includes warning them of real spiritual danger—not as condemnation, but as compassion rooted in truth.

And heritage means nothing

The statement that  “God does not show favoritism” (Romans 2:11) would have shocked the traditional Jews in Rome.  Heritage, ethnicity, covenant history—none of these grant automatic standing before God, but all of these were normal assumptions of the Jews.  Mosaic Law taught that they had special standing with God, and that Gentiles were sub-par.  The lack of favoritism one of the most radical claims in the New Testament.

Throughout Israel’s history, God had repeatedly warned against relying on lineage rather than obedience.  John the Baptist confronts this mindset directly: “Do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’” (Matthew 3:9).  Paul continues this prophetic tradition, insisting that privilege without obedience increases responsibility, not security.

At the same time, this declaration is profoundly hopeful.  If heritage does not secure favor, neither does heritage exclude it.  Gentiles are not second-class recipients of grace.  The same standards apply to all, and the same mercy is offered to all who repent and believe (Acts 10:34–35).  Paul’s argument anticipates his later declaration that “there is no difference between Jew and Gentile” because the same Lord is Lord of all (Romans 10:12).  God’s impartiality is not cold neutrality; it is just, generous fairness rooted in His character.  This truth dismantles spiritual pride and heals spiritual insecurity.  We are not accepted because of where we come from, but because of whom we trust.  God invites us to lay down every false confidence and stand before Him solely on the ground of His grace.

What about me?

God is patient, just, and utterly impartial.  He sees through religious appearances, cultural assumptions, and inherited identities.  Every person will receive what their life reveals—not because God is harsh, but because He is true.  Humans are used to the concepts that decisions have consequences, and that every choice is a domino leading to another choice.

So believer, what would an outsider say about your life?  Does your life appear generally consistent with God’s precepts or are you hypocritical?  This passage is not meant to terrify the repentant believer.  It is meant to awaken the complacent and reassure the faithful.  God’s impartial judgment is good news because it confirms that His grace is genuinely available to all, and His justice is never arbitrary.

The invitation remains open.  God’s kindness still leads toward repentance.  The question is not whether God shows favoritism—He does not—but whether we will respond humbly to His grace while there is still time.