Study Desk

God judges those who do wrong things, and we know that his judging is right.

You judge those who do wrong, but you do wrong yourselves. Do you think you will be able to escape the judgment of God?

He has been very kind and patient, waiting for you to change, but you think nothing of his kindness. Perhaps you do not understand that God is kind to you so you will change your hearts and lives.

God will reward or punish every person for what that person has done.

Some people, by always continuing to do good, live for God's glory, for honor, and for life that has no end. God will give them life forever.

But other people are selfish. They refuse to follow truth and, instead, follow evil. God will give them his punishment and anger.

For God judges all people in the same way.

Hearing the law does not make people right with God. It is those who obey the law who will be right with him.

All these things will happen on the day when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge people's secret thoughts. The Good News that I preach says this.

What about you? You call yourself a Jew. You trust in the law of Moses and brag that you are close to God.

You brag about having God's law, but you bring shame to God by breaking his law,

A person is a Jew only if he is a Jew inside; true circumcision is done in the heart by the Spirit, not by the written law. Such a person gets praise from God rather than from people.

Yes, of course, there is in every way. The most important thing is this: God trusted the Jews with his teachings.

If some Jews were not faithful to him, will that stop God from doing what he promised?

No! God will continue to be true even when every person is false. As the Scriptures say: "So you will be shown to be right when you speak, and you will win your case." Psalm 51:4

When we do wrong, that shows more clearly that God is right. So can we say that God is wrong to punish us? (I am talking as people might talk.)

No! If God could not punish us, he could not judge the world.

There is no one who understands. There is no one who looks to God for help.

"They have no fear of God." Psalm 36:1

because no one can be made right with God by following the law. The law only shows us our sin.