IN the study in Romans last week it was seen from the words of the apostle that the “judgment of God” is “righteous,” and, furthermore, when His final judgment decision is rendered mankind will concur in the rightfulness of it; and this regardless of whether the man is a lost sinner or one of the redeemed in glory. And in that judgment the righteous God “will render to every man according to his works.” Following the verses that formed the basis of study last week, the apostle proceeds to show what will be the reward of those who do well. And in order to get the connection, it will be well to quote again a few of the verses that were presented a week ago, together with the verses that contain the promises to those who stand for the right.
“And reckonest thou this, O man, who judgest them that practise such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or despisest thou the riches of His goodness and forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? but after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up for thyself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; who will render to every man according to his works: to them that by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and incorruption, eternal life: but unto them that are factious, and obey not the truth, but obey unrighteousness, shall be wrath and indignation, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that worketh evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Greek; but glory and honor and peace to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek: for there is no respect of persons with God.” Rom. 2:3-11, A.R.V.
The Lord “will render to every man according to his works.” When the judgment sentence is passed it will be based on what the man himself has done. It will not be on what some one led him to do, or on what his ancestors may have done, but it will be on what he has done. The Lord has given light to each one, and he is judged according to the use he has made of that light.
“To them that by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and incorruption” the reward is “eternal life.” “Eternal life,” then, according to this text, is given as a reward to those who “seek” for it. And since it comes to those who seek for it, in the very nature of things it could not be given to those who do not seek for it; it could not come to those who, as presented in the first chapter of Romans, “refused to have God in their knowledge;” “unto them that are factious, and obey not the truth, but obey unrighteousness, shall be wrath and indignation, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that worketh evil.”
Thus do we see that the clear teaching of this text is that man does not possess eternal life naturally. If he desires to come in possession of the great gift of immortality he must “seek” for it. Another very clear scripture upon this point is the following:
“If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for the witness of God is this, that He hath borne witness concerning His Son. He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in him: he that believeth not God hath made Him a liar; because he hath not believed in the witness that God hath borne concerning His Son. And the witness is this, that God gave unto us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life; he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” 1 John 5:9-12.
“God gave unto us eternal life,” but do not fail to observe that “this life is in His Son.” And, furthermore, “he that hath the Son hath the life.” But “he that hath not the Son of God hath not the life.” Nothing could be made plainer than the words of9this scripture. Life, eternal life, belongs only to those who have the Son of God. And those who do not have the Son of God do not have the life. In harmony with the foregoing is the statement elsewhere made by Paul:
“If then ye were raised together with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated on the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things that are above, not on the things that are upon the earth. For ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with Him be manifested in glory.” Col. 3:1-4.
The Christian has life given to him; but that life “is hid with Christ in God.” It is not till Christ is manifested, it is not till Christ is seen coming again in the clouds of heaven at His second advent that the child of God is fully manifested. In this life his connection with Christ fills him with the power of an endless life. This power of the endless life, of the life eternal, is in Christ and therefore is sure. It comes into the life of the individual thru that individual allowing Christ to enter his life. This is the secret of the power that the Christian has to overcome sin. And when he finds this overcoming power acting and working in his life he has an evidence for himself that outweighs all the cavils that carping men can invent to the contrary. He knows that the very powers of eternity have laid hold upon him, else he could not successfully resist the sins that are so natural to his human fleshly life.
Then following this life of the successful overcoming of sin is the glorious climax presented by Paul in his letter to the Corinthians:
“Behold, I tell you a mystery: We all shall not sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.” 1 Cor. 15:51-53.
The trumpet sounds and raises the dead, and then the apostle assures us that “this corruptible” shall put on “incorruption;” then it is that “this mortal must put on immortality.”
Thus do the Scriptures unite in teaching that man does not by nature possess an “immortal soul that can not die.” The man must first seek for glory and honor thru patience in well-doing, and in thus seeking he must have in his life the infinite power of the Christ in order to overcome. Then at the end of the journey he receives immortality as the finishing, crowning touch to the work that has been wrought.
Men in all the ages have tried “to solve the problem of immortality.” Men in all times have tried to prove that by nature we are possessed of immortal souls. But none of the theories ever evolved have brought satisfaction to the soul. None of these theories make the individual perfectly happy and content in the assurance of an eternal existence beyond this life. Degenerate mankind would like to be assured that it is in natural possession of immortality, and therefore it can get on without God. But no matter how much men may be taught and assured in such a theory, yet they will always speak of the time after death as the “dark beyond.” The tomb is dark to them; the future is a mystery. But it is not so with the one who knows the Lord in his own experience.
The one who has actually tasted of the real experiences of the Gospel’s saving power knows “our Saviour Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light thru the Gospel.” 2 Tim. 1:10. The “light” of immortality is in the Gospel, as every one knows who has tasted of the real experiences of the Christian. The Christian knows that he will receive immortality from his Lord and Master. There is no doubt about it. He knows it for himself and he knows it for sure.
Reader, are you seeking for the glory and the honor and the incorruption that the apostle tells us will bring the prize of immortality from the hand of the infinite Father?