"But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God. For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law; for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified." - Romans 2:3-13

Wow! I apologize for the gaps in-between the last few blogs... God's been doing a work in me, and it's left me less than energetic about blogging. But it's all good, because times of brokenness and reliance upon Christ cause us to become more devoted to Him and become less amused with ourselves and our own abilities. When you're brought to the edge of yourself and the love of Christ and His abilities continue to stretch out in front of you... You realize the smallness of self and the enormity of God and of His love for us.

I just want to touch, really quickly, on a single verse in this passage... "For there is no partiality with God." Amen to that! Isn't it great that no matter what we do we cannot earn, nor detract from, God's love for us???

I was recently struggling with this very concept... Have you ever felt outside of the grace of God? It's not a pretty place to be! Of course, we know from Scripture that God will never fail us or forsake us (Deut. 31:8). But what's happening, then, in those times when we feel so far off? Guilt! Shame! It's quite simple really, we are judging our character by the standards of Scripture and realizing that we have fallen short... again! It's important, at this point, to remember the grace of God. We CANNOT be good, but Christ is our good, instead. He paid the penalty of ALL of our shortcomings, past, present and future! The hope we have is in HIM!

So, forget about the partiality that we humans struggle with, because it doesn't exist with God. Nor should we have partiality, it shows that we are basing our response to others on their ability to perform well. This is not the love of Christ.

Really quick, though, here's what I'm not saying.... I'm not saying that this is applicable in, say, the workplace. Should the boss give everyone a raise so as to not show partiality to those who perform well? Of course, in a situation like that, there is reward for good behavior and correction for bad behavior. But this is because these institutions are run by fallible humans, who are working for money, which has nothing to offer us in eternity and can actually become a god to some of us, if we're not careful.

What I am saying is this... in your workplace, home, school, etc. treat everyone with the love of Christ. Don't evaluate their worthiness of your good treatment towards them. Remember what you have to offer God? Nothing. So, keep that in mind when you are showing kindness and the love of Christ to others. They might not have anything to offer you, but that's okay. You have everything that matters, Christ, to offer them!

I don't think I'm doing a very good job of explaining what I am thinking... but unfortunately that's all I have time for today. I'll probably revisit this idea tomorrow and try to make more sense of it.

In conclusion, we can rest in the assurance that we are children of God and that His love for us is not portioned out according to our worthiness, but rather according to the fact that He has decided to love us and that His love never fails. We have been called out of our sins, and He has given us the greatest gift, eternal life! I hope this is as encouraging to you as it has been for me... to know that my past failures aren't going to affect my grade with God, but that Christ's blood is all that matters when I stand before Him.

Look at verse 4 again... "Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?"

It is the kindness of God, which we see, in light of our unworthiness, which causes us to fall on our faces and cry out for mercy... We cry out for forgiveness, not because of our own understanding, but because God revealed to us the greatness of His love for us!

It is this same kindness which birthed forth the Savior... Jesus' death was the kindest act of God towards us. It was the only way that we could be saved from our sins, and He accomplished ALL of it. We had no part in our salvation. He simply chose to express His kindness towards each of us! What an awesome concept!

So, don't get caught on the flipside! Don't sit there with a stubborn and unrepentant heart, as Paul continues on to say. God's righteous judgment will be poured out on the stubborn one who says in his heart, "There is no God."

The contrasts are given... which side are you on?

Grace and Peace!

Questions or Comments? E-mail me at afflquestions@yahoo.com .