June 12, 2013 A Very Good Life

Read Romans 2 A Very Good Life Rom 2:9-11 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10 but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. PAUL is very direct with his words. Some find this offensive to hear about punishment and to be accused of doing and even being “evil”. But two realities of life are these: Evil exists. Good exists. We must know this and accept it. And we must know the difference, or we will be eternally trapped in evil’s darkness and suffering. I don’t know why this is so hard to understand. A simple illustration of this is balancing a checkbook. If you make a subtraction error, the checkbook is out of balance. You have made a mistake. When you correct the mistake and subtract correctly, your checkbook balances. When you make a mistake in life, you are out of balance—too much to drink, too lazy to work, too busy to read God’s Word, too corrupt to honor your marriage, too violent to live in peace with others, too busy to be at home. Evil breaks down families and communities. Evil fills the jails. Yet, people say, “It’s all relative. Each action we take needs to be understood in its own context.” What does God say to that attitude? He condemns it. He judges it. He says, “Obey my commands.” Yes, the language is direct. Love the Lord’s commands. Do good for him and for others. Live in faith that Jesus is your Lord, and you will live in glory, honor and peace. It’s True! God is very direct. After all, it’s a matter of life.