Romans catena (u01-rem-close)

Just as what is lower has been revealed, so too does divine wrath from heaven rest upon us—though one might ask whether this wrath comes from heaven but not from God. If God has made truth known to all through the reasoning found in nature, and has revealed himself to each according to their capacity to complete that reasoning, then judgment must follow upon all ungodly and unjust deeds—more heavily for some, less for others—in proportion, so that the revelation of God’s heavenly wrath may be fulfilled. To those who, through steadfastness in good works, pursue glory, honor, and immortality, eternal life is given; but to those driven by rivalry, who reject truth while embracing injustice, wrath and anger, distress and anguish come upon every soul that does evil—first the Jew, then the Greek. Wrath is the punishment that follows sin; anger, they say, is wrath roused and made manifest, serving to convict when one suffers from sin—either through conscience being struck or through troubles that follow sin. Yet distress also follows such people, not from endurance itself, nor from fasting done for show, but only when it is bound up with anguish. No one would feel straitened if they had widened their heart like a snake’s girth and heard the apostle say, ‘Be widened, you also.’ For evil things tend to gather and narrow the soul, as the devil lies in ambush like a serpent. Glory, honor, and peace belong to everyone who does good—first the Jew, then the Greek—for God shows no partiality. Thus, the one who does good and valuable deeds, revealing their own worth, will receive honor by rising through repentance, from which they fell having become like senseless beasts; and having grasped what is worthy of immortality, they are raised in glory to eternal life. And in peace is everyone who is undistracted, not drawn aside by anything else to think or act against the truth, according to how God’s peace guards your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus—may peace be multiplied to you, and I give you my peace; and the prophet declares that peace will abound in the Lord’s visitation, so that false light, both by day and night, may cease to exist. For those who sinned without law will also perish without law, and those who sinned under the law will be judged by the law; for it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers who will be justified. Judgment comes according to law and through law, but destruction does not submit to law—nor does anyone else destroy them so that they may be judged by a law of destruction, but destruction holds those who sinned without law. Yet those who sinned under the law, not having utterly deserted it, whether by neglect or being overcome, yet still intending to live by it, will be judged by the law. With their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts accusing or excusing one another, on the day when God judges the secrets of humanity according to my gospel through Jesus Christ. [Or thus:] God judges according to the gospel, which is Paul’s gospel, and those who have made themselves worthy like him—among whom there is no sorrowful person, but only cause for joy—thus their gospel stands with God’s judgment as a minister entrusted with it. Therefore, the one who teaches something else about themselves, do they not teach themselves? The one who preaches against stealing, do they steal? The one who says not to commit adultery, do they commit adultery? The one who abhors idols, do they rob temples? The one who boasts in the law, yet transgresses it, do they dishonor God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the nations as it is written. Circumcision profits if you keep the law; but if you are a transgressor of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. One must inquire how often the law is spoken, especially by the apostle, so as not to appear to contradict oneself; at times when one is circumcised, Christ does not benefit you at all; at other times, circumcision helps if one practices the law. Thus the law is, in one sense, merely the letter of Moses; in its meaning, it has been said that if one is justified by the law, it is by grace that they have surpassed it—and the law has become our guardian until Christ. There is also a spiritual law properly so called, according to which it is said that the law is holy and the commandment is holy. There is also…