But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. (Romans 2:5 ESV)We left Paul writing a letter to the Church in Rome. He’s an excellent Biblical theologian, so he boils down concepts into statements that are highly compressed. You can take a long time unpacking Paul’s writings and still not get everything he is saying. In any case, he continues his letter in this way:
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, "The righteous shall live by faith." (Romans 1:16-17 ESV)
Paul tells us that he is going to talk about the Gospel. This Greek word (εὐαγγέλιον – euaggelion) is also translated to mean “Good News.” So, whenever you hear the word “Gospel,” you can think, “Good News” and whenever you hear, “Good News” you can think, “Gospel.” They are the same Greek word. Paul then continues:
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. (Romans 1:18-20 ESV)
What?!? Paul talks about the Gospel (Good News) and then starts talking about the wrath of God. Why? Well, there are lots of good reasons why Paul would start with the bad news. Perhaps he wants to get the bad news over with first. Maybe the good news will look better with bad news as a backdrop. After all, light looks brighter in complete darkness. Good looks better over a backdrop of evil. I think these are all good and valid insights. He also seems to be doing something else here, too.
Paul starts out talking about bad things that people do. He lists off things that can make our blood boil – the kinds of things that other people do and we get angry. When he gets done listing off these kinds of things, we find ourselves glad that God punishes these people for their wickedness and evil deeds. Then he continues:
Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man--you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself--that you will escape the judgment of God? (Romans 2:1-3 ESV)
Paul makes it clear that we have no room to judge. When I point my finger at someone else, I have three fingers pointing back at me. They were wrong? So was I. They did evil? So did I. They have sinned? So have I. That becomes bad news for me.
But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed. (Romans 2:5 ESV)
When I am walking around a swimming pool and see a life preserver on the fence next to me, it doesn’t really get my attention. When I am in the deep end of the pool, I don’t know how to swim, and I’m drowning, the life preserver is all I can see. Not only that, I really want someone to give it to me. Paul just helps us realize that we are drowning in the deep end before giving us the life preserver. The bad news helps us realize how much we need to Good News of the Gospel.
How about you? Does bad news help you appreciate the good more? Does bad news help you want the Good News in your life?
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