Rēad to Read …Again
Daily Reading: Romans 1-3
Romans 2:7
To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
With a verse like this, keep in mind, salvation is by grace through faith and not of works, it is a gift of God. But with salvation comes some work to do.
There may be no better description of the work of a true Christian life than this verse. It is a simple statement in a seven verse sentence. Remember, the book of Romans was written to believers in Christ in Rome. By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: Romans 1:5. The Apostle Paul is writing to those of the faith, in defense of the faith. He rightly calls them “saints” in 1:7. Saints are to be saintly. They are to be different. There should be a difference in their manner of life, purpose of living, display of godly pursuits, and with heavenly ambitions.
Make no doubt. Salvation is a gift of such a great cost that it cannot be purchased with anything in this temporal world. But it can be received by faith. As this book continually affirms. Once received though, a difference is made. That difference is testified in simple terms in II Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. Part of that “new creature” is new ambitions, which is partly the continual seeking for glory, honor, and immortality.
Our Lord Jesus said in Matthew 16:25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. Finding one’s true life filled with godly character is an ever present ambition of the saved. Or it should be. In the great sermon on the mount our Savior gave us this promise: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Matthew 7:8. Losing and seeking is the Christian existence defined in two words. On one hand born again children of God lose the old life of sin while seeking a new life of holiness. Part of which is …patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality… Again, from the sermon on the mount, in the portion called the beatitudes there is this promise given by our Lord: Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6
Filled with what? Eternal life. May I give a personal testimony. At twenty-six years old I trusted Christ. My journey was mine, as yours is yours. But in mine I sought for salvation, I wanted to go to heaven, and I wanted to be a better person. To see me then one would have seen a successful, clean-cut, businessman that in appearance was all a good man should be. But inwardly, sinful, conflicted, and without peace. So, I met with pastors of various churches. Frankly, they were no help. They thought I needed more education, more service in their churches etc. Finding no help there I bought a college textbook called the five major religions of man, or something like that. I read that 400 plus page book cover to cover. I remember closing the cover thinking, “That was a waste of time.” Then, at the last, I opened the Bible. Somewhere and somehow God impressed upon me that I was lost. So, with a childlike faith I knelt by a bed and begged God to save me, I confessed that I believed in Jesus’ death on the cross. I remember the phrase, “Lord, I have nowhere else to go please save me.” He did. From that time until this I live with the knowledge that the Lord God of Heaven, through Jesus Christ rescued me, saved me, adopted me into His family, and has given me eternal life.
Now, so many years later, having served God with all I have or hope to have, I can say, I still seek for glory, honor, and immortality. All the while knowing that He has already given me eternal life. You see, salvation of a soul changes everything about that soul, or can. But it takes patient continuance in well doing in seeking things above, not the things here below. Just like Colossians 3:1 proclaims, If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Of all that is above three are glory, honor and immortality.
Dr. William T. Howe
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