Romans 2:9 - Printer Friendly

ESV: There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek,

NIV: There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile;

NASB: There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of mankind who does evil, for the Jew first and also for the Greek,

CSB: There will be affliction and distress for every human being who does evil, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek;

NLT: There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil — for the Jew first and also for the Gentile.

KJV: Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;

NKJV: tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek;

God will, in fact, judge every person according to what he or she has done. If a person is depending on their own good works to be saved—to enter into heaven—they are doomed, since their sin can never be undone or overcome by good deeds. If, on the other hand, a person is saved, judgment for their works involves heavenly rewards, instead (2 Corinthians 5:10). Paul has written that if someone were able to lead a life of consistent and ongoing good works in the pursuit of glory, honor, and immortality, God would give that person eternal life. Paul will later show that none of us are able to live that way (Romans 3:23).

By contrast, God will give His "wrath and fury" to every person who lives in selfishness and disobedience to His truth. What form will God's wrath and fury take? Paul now describes it as tribulation and distress. In other words, this judgment of God on everyone who does evil will be hard and stressful.

Notice that Paul has defined our selfish sinfulness as evil. He will go on to show that all of us are guilty of this evil. According to this universal truth that God will judge us according to our works, each of us will deserve the tribulation and distress He will deliver.

Paul adds that God's judgment will be delivered first to the Jew and then to the Greek. In this context, "the Greek" means the same thing as "Gentile:" those who are not Jewish. Paul used this same phrase in Romans 1:16 when describing how the gospel, not our good works, brings salvation to every believer, "first to the Jew, then to the Gentile" (NIV). In other words, the good news of salvation by faith in Christ was first presented to the Jews, God's chosen people. In the same way, Paul shows that God's judgment for sinfulness will also fall first on the Jews, and then on everyone else.

Paul's purpose in saying this will be restated in verse 11: "For God shows no partiality." In other words, when it comes to judgment for personal sin, God regards each one of us individually, no matter our race or any other consideration.

Romans 2:1–11 springs a trap, of sorts, for every reader who thought that Paul's devastating list of sins at the end of Romans 1 was about other people. In truth, everyone is guilty of sin. Those who judge others are guilty, also, of hypocrisy. Nobody will escape God's judgment for personal sin, including religious Jews and Gentiles. God will absolutely judge each person according to what he or she has done. If someone has lived sinlessly, doing only good, he will receive rewards and eternal life. If not, he deserves wrath and fury. This point sets up Paul's explanation of how we can, in fact, obtain salvation: by grace through faith.

Romans 2 springs a trap on any religious person who read Paul's lists of sins at the end of Romans 1 and thought it wasn't about them. Paul calls them out for making themselves judges when they are also guilty. He shows that God will judge everyone, including those under the law, based on their works. This prefaces this letter's theme of salvation by grace, through faith, rather than by works. Many benefits come with having the law, but only if those under the law keep it. Jewishness—circumcision—must be an inner state, not just an outer one. Paul will show in the following chapter that none of us really meets those conditions.

Having just concluded a list of terrible sins humanity indulges in as a result of rejecting God, Paul turns to religious people and says, ''This applies to you, too.'' Nobody can judge arrogantly, because we are all guilty. Even God's people the Jews will stand before Him in judgment based on their works. Having the law only matters if someone can keep the law. Paul asks his Jewish readers why they don't and shows that they must be Jewish and circumcised in their hearts for it to matter. In the following chapter, he will show that nobody can keep the law.

The book of Romans is the New Testament's longest, most structured, and most detailed description of Christian theology. Paul lays out the core of the gospel message: salvation by grace alone through faith alone. His intent is to explain the good news of Jesus Christ in accurate and clear terms. As part of this effort, Paul addresses the conflicts between law and grace, between Jews and Gentiles, and between sin and righteousness. As is common in his writing, Paul closes out his letter with a series of practical applications.