7 To those who go on with good works in the hope of glory and honour and salvation from death, he will give eternal life:
And those in the good earth are those who, having given ear to the word, keep it with a good and true heart, and in quiet strength give fruit.
But has now been made clear by the revelation of our Saviour Christ Jesus, who put an end to death and made life unending come to light through the good news,
For this body which comes to destruction will be made free from the power of death, and the man who is under the power of death will put on eternal life. But when this has taken place, then that which was said in the Writings will come true, Death is overcome by life.
For the reward of sin is death; but what God freely gives is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.
For this cause, my dear brothers, be strong in purpose and unmoved, ever giving yourselves to the work of the Lord, because you are certain that your work is not without effect in the Lord.
Have no fear of the things which you will have to undergo: see, the Evil One will send some of you into prison, so that you may be put to the test; and you will have great trouble for ten days. Be true till death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has ears, let him give ear to what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not come under the power of the second death.
So that the true metal of your faith, being of much greater value than gold (which, though it comes to an end, is tested by fire), may come to light in praise and glory and honour, at the revelation of Jesus Christ: To whom your love is given, though you have not seen him; and the faith which you have in him, though you do not see him now, gives you joy greater than words and full of glory:
Go on waiting calmly, my brothers, till the coming of the Lord, like the farmer waiting for the good fruit of the earth till the early and late rains have come. Be as calm in your waiting; let your hearts be strong: because the coming of the Lord is near.
And so, when he had been waiting calmly for a long time, God's word to him was put into effect.
So that you may not be slow in heart, but may take as your example those to whom God has given their heritage, because of their faith and their long waiting.
I have made a good fight, I have come to the end of my journey, I have kept the faith: From now on, the crown of righteousness is made ready for me, which the Lord, the upright judge, Will give to me at that day: and not only to me, but to all those who have had love for his revelation.
To whom God was pleased to give knowledge of the wealth of the glory of this secret among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:
And let us not get tired of well-doing; for at the right time we will get in the grain, if we do not give way to weariness.
For which cause we do not give way to weariness; but though our outer man is getting feebler, our inner man is made new day by day. For our present trouble, which is only for a short time, is working out for us a much greater weight of glory; While our minds are not on the things which are seen, but on the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are for a time; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
And to make clear the wealth of his glory to vessels of mercy, which he had before made ready for glory,
For our salvation is by hope: but hope which is seen is not hope: for who is hoping for what he sees? But if we have hope for that which we see not, then we will be able to go on waiting for it.
But glory and honour and peace to all whose works are good, to the Jew first and then to the Greek:
Because of what he said, a number of the disciples went back and would no longer go with him. So Jesus said to the twelve, Have you a desire to go away? Then Simon Peter gave this answer: Lord, to whom are we to go? you have the words of eternal life; And we have faith and are certain that you are the Holy One of God.
The Lord is good to those who are waiting for him, to the soul which is looking for him. It is good to go on hoping and quietly waiting for the salvation of the Lord.
Be waiting for the Lord, and keep his way; and you will be lifted up, and have the land for your heritage: when the evil-doers are cut off, you will see it.
Let your hope be in the Lord: take heart and be strong; yes, let your hope be in the Lord.
Still the upright keeps on his way, and he who has clean hands gets new strength.
And this is the hope which he gave you, even eternal life.
But be glad that you are given a part in the pains of Christ; so that at the revelation of his glory you may have great joy. If men say evil things of you because of the name of Christ, happy are you; for the Spirit of glory and of God is resting on you.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Romans 2
Commentary on Romans 2 Matthew Henry Commentary
Chapter 2
The scope of the first two chapters of this epistle may be gathered from ch. 3:9, "We have before proved both Jews and Gentiles that they are all under sin.' This we have proved upon the Gentiles (ch. 1), now in this chapter he proves it upon the Jews, as appears by v. 17, "thou art called a Jew.'
Rom 2:1-16
In the former chapter the apostle had represented the state of the Gentile world to be as bad and black as the Jews were ready enough to pronounce it. And now, designing to show that the state of the Jews was very bad too, and their sin in many respects more aggravated, to prepare his way he sets himself in this part of the chapter to show that God would proceed upon equal terms of justice with Jews and Gentiles; and now with such a partial hand as the Jews were apt to think he would use in their favour.
Rom 2:17-29
In the latter part of the chapter the apostle directs his discourse more closely to the Jews, and shows what sins they were guilty of, notwithstanding their profession and vain pretensions. He had said (v. 13) that not the hearers but the doers of the law are justified; and he here applies that great truth to the Jews. Observe,