Everyone who ever encountered prejudice will celebrate the truth – God shows no favoritism! God is fair!
Nobody gets special treatment ahead of you (nor behind you) because of their connections, economic standing, social status or race. Being a member of an ethnic minority does not improve nor hinder you. Being daddy’s little girl neither helps nor hampers. The manner in which God will judge the world is the same for us all.
The Principles of God’s Judgment
Without favoritism, God will reward each one according to what he or she has done (Romans 2:6,11). If someone strove to do good, God will grant eternal life. However, if someone was self-seeking and rejected the truth thus engaging in sin, he or she will suffer God’s wrath (Romans 2:7-11).
Yet is this truly fair? An astute person might observe, “since not everyone enjoys equal access to God’s word, do not some people possess an advantage over others? For example, it would seem that by giving his Law to the Jews, this provided the Jews with an advantage over other nations.”
Paul responds. The apostle pointed out that those nations which did not receive God’s Law reveal through their consciences they are aware of God’s laws. God will only judge each person by what he or she knows. Thus God is fair! (Romans 2:12-15).
Accordingly everyone without access to the Law will be judged by their conscience. Condemnation or exoneration will be based upon their whether they did right.
Similarly those who had the Law will be condemned or vindicated depending on their conformity to God’s Law. Everyone is judged by what they knew. God is fair.
Good News Turned Bad?
However, just how much hope does such a fair system of judging inspire? Can you or I claim to be without sin? Can anybody, based upon their knowledge of right and wrong, say, “I have lived perfectly righteous?” Unfortunately, no. As Paul wrote, “For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law; and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law” (Romans 2:12).
Since everyone has sinned and fallen short of God’s glory, plus neither Jew nor Gentile possesses any advantage in judgment, God’s righteous judgment offers no hope for any of us. If anyone could be saved based upon their own goodness, then righteousness would be based upon ourselves. However, God did not abandon us to such hopelessness.
How God Saves Is Just
The gospel reveals both God’s justness and his love. On the one hand, God’s profound love spilled forth in sending his Son to die for us so that he might redeem us as his adopted children. On the other hand, God’s method of saving us is just.
First, the gift of salvation offered without favoritism to everyone who will trust in Jesus’ blood (Romans 3:22-26), Second, since through Christ God has provided atonement and redemption, God does not corrupt himself by declaring the sinful righteous (Proverbs 24:24). The gospel reveals God is just from start to finish (Romans 3:22-26).
It does not matter who we are nor what we have done, Jesus’ sacrifice can resolve our sin problem if we will trust in him. Nobody deserves to be saved. Yet, salvation is offered to all (Titus 2:11).
Is this not great news? We can be justified, not based upon ourselves, but by relying upon who Jesus is and what he did for us! If we have responded with the obedience of faith (Romans 1:5; 16:26), rejoice! We are no longer going to be judged by our performance, but upon having received the gift of Jesus’ sacrifice (Romans 5:1-2, 6-11; 7:6).
Wow! We ought to respond with excitement and praise!
Underlined words are links.
- The Naturalistic Imagination - 2026-07-16
- Mysterious 2:8 – Or is it? - 2026-07-08
- I Appreciate An Evolutionist’s Honesty - 2026-07-01