Theology for Everybody: Romansنموونە

There’s a lot of talk about partiality these days. As sinners, we’re always looking for ways to excuse our behavior by identifying ourselves as victims rather than repenting of our behavior as villains. The result is that everyone ends up judging everyone else and being partial in judging themselves and others who are like them.

When something goes bad for us, we like to say that the other side cheated to prove to ourselves and others that they were bad people. When something goes well for us, we like to say we overcame great odds to prove we were good people. Either way, we are the good people. On the playground, kids say this in the form of “That’s not fair!” When they get older, they go to college to learn about critical theory and social justice, which is a fancier way of saying, “That’s not fair!”

When all is said and done, everyone will have to give an account to God for what they have said and done. When we die, we will not stand before a mirror or a critic, but rather the Creator who made us to mirror Him. Thankfully, God cuts through all this nonsense and alone judges without partiality.

Ultimately, it’s not about men versus women, blacks versus whites, Democrats versus Republicans, or rich versus poor. For God, it’s about Him versus unbelievers. There will be a twofold judgment: one for non-Christians and one for Christians. God says the self-righteous folks, including the religious, “holier than thou-ists,” will be judged both by His Word and by their own standards they used to judge others. That’s a scary reality for anybody. For the non-Christian, God will judge them and then punish them justly and impartially forever in hell.

If you believe in and belong to Jesus Christ, God’s judgment of you already took place at the cross. There, your Savior died in your place for your sins, enduring God's wrath and giving you God's love. The judgment that awaits you at the end of time differs from the one awaiting unbelievers. It is one of rewards.

You do not earn your salvation, but you do earn your rewards. Rewards from God are sometimes internal (e.g., a clear conscience, lifted burden, emotional health in the Spirit) and sometimes external (e.g., financial provision, reconciled relationships, a fruitful life), but they are always eternal. For the Christian, we need to pay less attention to all the people judging us and pay more attention to Jesus, our Judge, as we seek to live in such a way that when we see Him, we will hear, “well done, good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21).

Today’s Reflection

How does a promise of eternal reward motivate obedience and submission to God in this life?