"He will judge everyone according to what they have done. He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. But He will pour out His anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness."
This just spoke to me today as I read it, and it made me think of pursuing my relationship with Jesus Christ. It's not about doing things to earn salvation, it's about doing things that are good because we are seeking after living like Christ. At the end of verse 4 Paul says, "...can't you see that His kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?" The love He showed by sending His only Son into the world to teach us and to be the perfect offering gives us the example of sinless, unselfish life that's purpose was living for God.
It says Jesus often went and prayed and Jesus also said in John chapter 5 verse 19, "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself. He does only what He sees the Father doing. Whatever the Father does, the Son also does." That is someone "seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers." As we follow Jesus and seek His way of living and we let God transform our hearts we grow, and as we grow our desire to lead our lives starts to shrink and we desire more knowledge of Him.
When we seek what is right we will find what is right. Look at what Paul goes on to say in Romans chapter 2 verse 13, "For merely listening to the law doesn't make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in His sight." When we apply our knowledge to our lives we live pleasing God not worrying about pleasing ourselves and our lives become full of joy and peace because we believe in Him. It is not that our lives become trial free or problem free, but we have hope and it is alive because we know the hope of the world, Jesus Christ. As I end this blog post I want everyone to pay close attention to the last verse in Romans chapter 2 verse 28 which says, "No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by God's Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people." Amen