Romans 2:11

For there is no respect of persons with God.

God no respecter of persons

I. It needs be so, for God rules us all.

II. It may well be so, for God is good to all.

III. It ought to be so, for God has made all.

IV. It must be so, for God is just to all. (J. Lyth, D. D.)

God no respecter of persons

Impartiality is one of the chief qualifications of a judge. Without it no amount of knowledge or ability can inspire confidence. Yet it is by no means a common quality. Even where a judge is truly conscientious, he is made partial by common prejudices, and by the law itself, which, in many instances, favours the rich above the poor. But God is strictly impartial, and the law affords shelter for no rich sinner, nor can any outlet be found for him who has broken it. And yet, there is an appearance of partiality. The good are the objects of God’s peculiar regard. But such is no partiality. He favours the good because they are good. He, who is righteous Himself, could not favour the unrighteous without being implicated in their sin. But God’s impartiality is seen by the fact that anyone can become a participator in His goodness. This impartiality is shown in--

I. The common declaration of sin affirmed of all. On this the whole Word of God is uniform. Now, strong as the assertion here may seem, one moment’s reflection will show its righteousness. With one consent men declare they have done wrong. Should one affirm that his life was perfect, he would be laughed at, so utterly at variance is it with the common experience of men. Here, then, is the impartiality of God. For His own honour it would seem that the faults of those who were His favourite servants should be concealed; but no, all is told.

II. The common Saviour provided for all. No man could save himself, because all had sinned. Then all must rely on this one great Mediator, who was to die for the sins of the whole world. The Jew, as a Jew, was not the object of His life and death, but the Jew, as a man, and the Gentile as a man.

III. The common condition required of all. It is usual in man-made religions so to frame the condition of salvation in favour of the rich and influential. But no such thing can be found in God’s Word. All may be saved from the common evil by one way only. It tells all that they must submit themselves to God, and that submission is shown and obtained by repentance and faith.

IV. The common rewards and punishments adjudged to all. This was beautifully taught by our Lord in the parable of Lazarus and Dives. God purposes that all should possess the blessings of eternal life, irrespective of their condition. The truly loving, faithful heart, wherever it may be found, shall be taken into Abraham’s bosom; while the disobedient, the unbelieving, will be subject to eternal death.

V. The common revelation given to all. It is in one book, which may be read and understood by all who can read. In our own country, every man cannot be his own lawyer, and so at great cost has to employ a lawyer; hence, the rich can obtain the best advice and knowledge, while the poor cannot obtain counsel at all. Such is not the case with God’s law. The book is given into our hands. (H. W. Butcher.)

God no respecter of persons

Whatever apparent varieties there may be in Divine dispensations, they do not affect the perfect rectitude of God’s moral administration, and everyone will be harmonised by the decisions of the judgment day. It will be seen, then, that the judgment of God is according to truth, for He will render to every man according to his deeds. A superficial inspection of His government often leads men to a different conclusion; and nothing is more natural than that the government of an infinite Being should present mysteries to finite minds, for it is an obvious impossibility that we should comprehend all the reasons by which an infinite Spirit is actuated; but until we can do so, we are not in a position to form a correct estimate of His proceedings. But whatever is mysterious to us, may yet be in strict accordance with the rectitude of the Divine character. “His ways are not as our ways, nor His thoughts as our thoughts.” He treats men differently. There is an immense variety in His dealings with His creatures, so that the experience of no two men is exactly alike; yet whatever differences exist, they do not trespass on equity; His punishments never exceed the demands, and His mercy is never exercised without a sacred regard to the rights of justice. Let us examine--

I. The testimony of Scripture; and we shall perceive more clearly wherein the Divine impartiality consists.

1. God hath not that respect for outward appearances which man has. In the selection of instruments to accomplish His purposes, He has respect solely to moral qualities. This is seen in the selection of David instead of Eliab. “The Lord looketh on the heart.”

2. While there is great variety in His providential government, with regard to different nations, yet it arises not from partiality; and though the Jews had put this interpretation on the Divine conduct, they were taught by Paul that both Jew and Gentile would be recompensed according to their works. And Peter, having imbibed the prejudices of his nation, was taught to acknowledge that “God is no respecter of persons.”

3. Rank, riches, honour, etc., do not affect the moral character of the Divine administration. The king and his subjects, the master and his servants, are treated on the same equitable principles.

4. We often form a too favourable estimate of those we love; our partiality conceals their defects, and magnifies their excellencies; but not so with God.

5. We cannot conceive of an infinitely perfect moral governor, and divest him of this impartiality.

(1) To suppose Him destitute of it, would be to imagine some defect in His perfections. He is infinitely wise, so that He cannot possibly mistake the characters of men. He is “a God of knowledge; by Him actions are weighed.” Partiality might be shown unwittingly, as when it arises from defective information; but intentional partiality must have a motive, and is ordinarily connected with a feeling of interest arising from the limitations and weakness of authority. But no such motive can operate with the Divine Being. The independence of Jehovah is a security for His impartiality. As He has no natural inducements to it, so partiality could only result from moral obliquity. But He has no tendency to depart from perfect uprightness; He naturally and necessarily esteems that which is good and excellent in itself, and dislikes that which is evil. “The righteous Lord loveth righteousness.”

(2) As His infinite perfections are a security for the impartial administration of His government, so the inspired writers have inferred it from the common relation in which He stands to all men. He is our Creator; and it may be fairly inferred, that those who stand in a common relation will be treated on common principles. As our universal Parent, He will display the parental character to all; and whatever diversities obtain in His administration, they are not violations, but different manifestations, of the strictest impartiality. Thus God will not regard the rich more than the poor, because He is the Maker of them all.

II. Illustrations from the great features of God’s government of the world.

1. His providential dispensations are, notwithstanding their great variety, impartial.

(1) There is perfect equality in the principal facts of man’s history; and all the varieties of providence are trifling when compared with the points in which men’s experience agree. Men enter into life in the same state of helpless infancy; they are subject to similar diseases; and the characteristic joys of different periods of life are much the same in all countries. There is great sameness in the occupations of men; and while there are differences of rank and station, the advantages and disadvantages of each are so nicely poised, that it is difficult for us to say, when we contemplate the whole of our being, which is to be preferred.

(2) Human life, in itself considered, presents no essential difference. It is preserved and sustained by means which have all the regularity of laws; and the actions of the body and mind are obviously essentially the same in all men. And while there is no important distinction in the physical or mental constitution of mankind, the external world stands in the same relation to all, quite irrespective of persons or character. The sun shines on the evil and the good; God sends His rain upon the just and upon the unjust. The same physical laws are in operation with regard to all men; and the natural results of conduct are experienced over the whole world. In all ordinary circumstances, “He becometh poor that is slothful, and the hand of the diligent maketh rich.” As the whole character of man’s existence is strikingly similar, so in death there appears a similar equality.

(3) God’s experimental probation of His intelligent creatures is perfectly adapted to the infinite variety of mind and character. He governs them by one law, which, by its contractile and expansive force, is a perfect law of equity to every individual He has formed. “Unto whomsoever much is given, of him much will be required.” There is nothing in God’s law which respects only a portion of our race; it is of universal obligation, and of common concern to every individual. It is accompanied by the same rewards and punishments to all men. Its sanctions are of universal application, and constitute encouragements to obedience, and motives against transgressions. There is not one kind of reward for the rich and another for the poor.

2. The doctrine of the text is illustrated by the universal aspect of the gospel to all mankind. “God so loved the world,” etc.

3. In the final decisions of the judgment day it will be seen that God is no respecter of persons. None will be exempted from judgment; they will all have to appear at the same tribunal, before the same Judge, and their judgment will proceed on the same principles of equity and truth.

Conclusion. Let the doctrine of the text--

1. Guard us against a rash and hasty judgment of any part of the Divine conduct. We see but small parts of an immense and combined system of operation, and are incompetent to decide upon the character of any one event without knowing vastly more than we do in the present state.

2. Guard us against presumption. Men cherish undefined notions of the goodness of God, that induce them to suppose He will not be strict to mark iniquity. Other men presume on their self-righteousness. Another class are hypocritical professors, who name the name of Christ, but depart not from iniquity.

3. Direct us to the only ground of hope and confidence towards God. There is no respect of persons with Him: nothing in our external condition or relations will induce Him to form a judgment of us contrary to truth. The universal condition of salvation is faith in Christ Jesus. (S. Summers.)

God no respecter of persons

Even those works of God, with which we seem the most familiar, are replete with mystery; much more is this true of the moral world, which the mind of God administers and directs. We see, e.g., virtue prostrated with calamity, while ungodliness “prospers in the world.” And yet we are told that “there is no respect of persons with God.” How, then, are we to reconcile what we see, and feel, with what we read? In order to a complete view of the subject, I shall--

I. Assign the reasons why there is apparently “respect of persons” here. Now it is popularly, but mistakenly assumed, that differences of outward circumstances is an evidence of “respect of person”; because we are in every instance what God has made us, and have in every instance what He has given us; and He hath given to some preeminence over others in personal endowments, in worldly possessions, and in honour among mankind. For this, however, we may assign the following reasons--

1. That such has been the order of nature, throughout all God’s works, from the beginning. And not only has it been the order of nature that there should be degrees of beauty in the vegetable, and of strength in the animal world; that trees, e.g., should be of different height, flowers of different hues, and fruits of different flavour, and that the irrational creatures should vary in the measure of instinct; but the same wise Creator ordained a difference also in the first living pair whom He was pleased to form in His own image. But from the first fatal act of disobedience, both were alike involved in the common transgression, and both are alike capable of realising the proper deliverance. Hence says St. Paul, “There is no difference between male and female.”

2. That inequality among individuals conduces to the general good. And this connects itself with the former. Some men, indeed, raise the absurd and senseless cry of universal equality; forgetting that such a state of things could not possibly exist, unless all mankind were exactly equal in strength, and talent, actuated by the very same propensities, and in pursuit of the same objects. So long as there are some formed by natural endowments to lead, and others to follow, so long must there be some to exercise command, and others to render obedience. And could we balance the advantages of either state, we should find it very difficult to determine on which side the scale preponderates. David, the innocent youth, keeping his father’s sheep, with not an enemy upon earth, and with God for his Friend in heaven, was assuredly not less happy than David, king of Israel. Again, what was the result of the attainment of royal dignity to Saul? The nation, indeed, required one to lead them against the Philistines; and for their sake, but not for his own, was Saul exalted out of the people; but for his own sin, not for theirs, were the weapons of his warfare broken.

3. That the worldly condition, whatever it be, is the trial of faith, and the probation for eternity, best suited to him who occupies it. Some are born, as it might seem, to do--others to suffer--the will of God; but if action is more profitable to others, endurance is most assuredly not the least profitable to ourselves; and only towards that man could God be said to act with partiality, to whom He should deny the power of doing His will, and the opportunity of attaining to the perfect bliss of the righteous. But God has done this to none. Whether we are possessed of the one talent, or of the two, or of the ten, is comparatively of inferior moment; since a man is “accepted according to that he hath, and not according to that he hath not.” Thus St. Paul “charges them that are rich in this world, that they do good, that they be rich in good works,” etc.; but even if they attain to this, it is not a higher degree of attainment than to suffer patiently the will of God. Had Dives given half his goods, like Zaccheus, to the poor, we have no warrant whatever for supposing that this would have been more acceptable than the patient self-devotion of the beggar. Lazarus could not act, indeed, but he could suffer; he could not relieve the distress of others, but he could, and did, exhibit a shining example of long suffering and patience. And thus everyone placed in a humble sphere ought to consider whether that situation is not the best calculated to advance his highest and most enduring interests; whether if God were to bestow upon him worldly prosperity, his heart might not thereby become hardened, or his spiritual perceptions obscured. The fact of an eternal existence must be taken to be the true test of the interests of time. Hence, again, “there is no respect of persons with God,” because He will judge all by what they have done, and by what they have suffered for Christ’s sake; not by what they have enjoyed or possessed.

II. Afford the evidence why there is really no respect of persons with God because there shall be none hereafter. And this evidence is also three fold.

1. Because the distinctions to which men attach so much importance are transient and precarious. Whatever difference there may be in the character of our path through life, there is none whatever in the nature of the end. One “house” is “appointed for all living”; and no sooner do we enter that common tenement than all are on the same level. And what is the undying soul? It is either rejoicing in God’s manifested presence, or it is an outcast from the glories of redemption. Then, if not before, it will be seen that the fancied advantages on account of which we “call the proud happy,” are far more than counterbalanced by the downward tendency of wealth. It may, indeed, cost an effort on the part of those who are daily struggling with privation to suppress the rising wish that they had been born to opulence, but never let them harbour for an instant the vain imagination that it is because they are of less estimation in the sight of God. They ought to consider that if they have not the advantages, neither have they the trials of the affluent; if they have not their means of doing good, neither have they their responsibilities for leaving good undone. Nay, they ought to consider that the very necessity of daily toil is a preservative against sin; and though necessities and distress may plant their path with thorns, they at least diminish the attractions of things below, and point the soul to things above. The “good part” is that “which cannot be taken away”; and while “the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.”

2. Because all, whatever they possess, are alike responsible to their Judge. “Every one of us,” said St. Paul, “must give account of himself to God.” To whom little is given, of him is little required, while “to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more”; and so it is with God.

3. Because, as to all there is a common Saviour, there must be a common salvation. All, therefore, who shall be convened before the tribunal of the Judge, whether those who reigned or those who served, those who smiled or those who suffered--all shall be separated into two classes, and only two. (T. Dale, M. A.)

The Divine impartiality

How is this possible, since all men are what God made them, and since no one thing can more differ from another than one person seems to differ from another?

1. As to the body, one is defective, and another well-formed; one is deprived of some of the senses, or hath them in low degree, another enjoys them all in their full vigour; one is weak and sickly, another healthy and strong; one hath length of days, another is cut off in the flower of youth.

2. As to circumstances; one is poor, and another rich; one unfortunate, another successful; one is doomed to obscurity, another is powerful and in high station.

3. As to temper; one is easily satisfied, and possesses serenity of mind; another is anxious or melancholy, and is plagued with forebodings.

4. As to the passions; they seem to be more impetuous in some, whilst others find them more compliant.

5. As to natural abilities; one hath a strong memory, a lively fancy, a good judgment, a fine taste, and a large capacity; another is deficient in all these respects.

6. As to the external advantages, of country, situation, and education, upon which so much depends; one is placed in a land of liberty, learning, religion, and good manners, and wants no helps of enlarging the mind and improving the heart; another hath his hard lot in regions quite the reverse. To clear up the Divine impartiality from objections consider--

I. What is respect of persons, and distinguish between matters of favour and matters of justice.

1. Amongst men, gifts to which another person hath no claim, are free, and none can be accused as a respecter of persons who makes one rather than another the object of his kindness, if he is guided by prudence or by innocent affection. As in the choice of friends or servants, or in beneficence, we cannot keep company with, or employ, or assist everyone, and we may prefer one deserving person to another equally deserving, without being respecters of persons. But in points of justice and matters of trust, whosoever favours the guilty hurts the innocent, or gives or refuses contrary to the eternal rules of right, such an one is a respecter of persons.

2. The same distinction holds true in relation to God’s dealings with His creatures. His giving them more or less, His placing them here or there, is a matter of favour, and respect of persons hath nothing to do with it. But in His behaviour to His creatures consequent to their behaviour towards Him, in this He acts by the rules of justice, and in this His justice shall be so manifest as to clear Him from all imputations of partiality.

3. If you examine the Scripture where God is said to be no respecter of persons, you will find that it is as He is Ruler and Judge, and dispenser of rewards and punishments; and so with relation to men, when they are commanded not to respect persons, they also are considered, not as doing favours, but as exercising acts of authority and justice, in a public or private character.

II. The present diversity of condition amongst men is so uncertain and variable, and lasts for so very short a space, that it becomes in this view far more inconsiderable than is usually imagined.

1. Man is called into this world for a few years, and then to depart into eternity. One flourishes, and another struggles with adversity; and whilst we gaze with envy upon the one, and pity on the other, the scene closes, and the vision fades away. It is our future lot alone that can determine us happy or unhappy upon the whole.

2. Even the present condition of men is perpetually varying. All men, more or less, pass through the vicissitudes of what we call good and evil.

3. Even temporal happiness depends not so much upon externals. Many other circumstances are to be taken into account; and of two persons, of whom the one passes for happy, and the other for unhappy, perhaps the sum total of their pleasure and pain is nearly equal.

4. Natural evil, such as poverty, pain, and disappointments, is not always a real calamity, but rather discipline, tending to make the sufferer better, and to guide him to happiness.

III. The evils of which men complain are often of their own procuring. Virtue has a natural connection with happiness. This connection is sometimes suspended and interrupted by accidental causes; but it holds good on the whole, and vice has the same connection with misery. If the evils to which men were obnoxious were traced up to their causes, we should find that the greater part of them are the consequences either of thoughtless folly or wickedness. Therefore these sufferings are not to be charged to the Divine administration.

IV. The impartiality of Providence, whatsoever difficulties may attend it in the present state, will be fully cleared up in the next; and we must wait with patience to that time for the fuller solution of some of our doubts. As to the temporals there is no reasonable objection to the Divine impartiality. It is the moral and religious difference between men that creates the main difficulty. One hath an opportunity of religious improvement, and is a good Christian; another is deprived of this advantage, by no fault of his own, but by having his hard lot in the dark regions of rudeness and of ignorance. In answer to this, the Scripture saith that God will judge the world in righteousness, and deal with everyone according to his talents, and to the use which he hath made of them.

1. All men have it in their power to do what God requires.

2. All those who in the main act suitable to their abilities have a secret influence of God to help them so far as is needful.

3. All such have Christ for their Redeemer, though He never was revealed to them.

4. All those who have thus behaved themselves shall enjoy the beneficial effects of it hereafter, according to the extent of their desires and capacities, and shall have the means of making greater progress in goodness and happiness.

5. All they who by their own perverseness have abused the talents committed to them, shall suffer for it in such manner as the Supreme Wisdom shall judge expedient. Unto whomsoever much is given, of him much shall be required; and unto whomsoever little is given, of him little shall be required. This is the voice of reason, this is the express declaration of our Saviour.

V. Men, in many respects, and with a few exceptions, are rather more upon the level than we usually imagine.

1. All men have a mortal body, an immortal soul, the same senses, and much the same powers and faculties.

2. All have the same earth to feed them, the same sun and stars to shine upon them, the same air to breathe, and the same heavens to cover them.

3. All have the same ordinary means and methods to improve themselves, such as diligence, application, sobriety, civility; and all suffer by the contrary vices.

4. As they are reasonable creatures, they have the same great law of reason, or natural religion, to guide and instruct them.

5. As they stand equally in need of the Divine assistance, they all may secure it, if they behave themselves suitably to their situation and circumstances.

6. They are all subject to one supreme Governor, to whom they are answerable, not according to their rank or possessions, but according to their use or abuse of the Divine blessings.

7. Christianity, indeed, hath not been revealed to all; but this arises from other causes, and not from anything in its nature. It is plainly intended for universal use, and where revealed, it is for all classes and conditions.

VI. God is and must needs be impartial, from His own nature and perfections.

1. All partiality arises either from vice, weakness, or ignorance; consequently it can find no access to an all-perfect Being.

2. As God is almighty, self-existing, eternal, and independent, all His creatures are at the same infinite distance below Him. Compared with each other, they differ in a vast variety of degrees; but compared with Him, they bear no proportion at all. Therefore He must behold them all as they are created beings, with the same disposition.

3. As He is perfectly wise, He must treat them according to the laws of wisdom and justice.

4. As He is perfectly good, He considers them all as His offspring. He created them to do them good, and nothing can hinder Him from exerting this beneficence, except their undutiful behaviour. Conclusion: Let us imitate God in this perfection. It is indeed extremely difficult for man to be impartial, and therefore we must divest ourselves of those qualities which lead us to unfairness, such as pride, selfishness, party zeal, anger, envy, indolence of temper, capriciousness, etc. (J. Jortin, D. D.)

The Divine impartiality

This was a bold and startling declaration to make at Rome, to a community whether of Romans or of Jews; for these two nations were each, above all others at that moment, convinced that such a respect did actually exist in their special favour. The Roman deemed his own the favoured race, and regarded the extent of his dominion as a conclusive proof of it. The Jew, with no less complacency, maintained that the Divine preference of himself was intimated by the spiritual advantages he manifestly enjoyed, and the glorious hopes proclaimed to him. To require the Jew and the Roman each to surrender the assurance on which he relied, and admit the other to an equal footing in Divine favour, was indeed a bold undertaking. But between the Jew and the Roman there stood also the Greek, and the Epistle of St. Paul was addressed to the Greek equally with both the others; perhaps, indeed, to the Greek more directly than to either of them, inasmuch as the Grecian element in the early Roman Church was larger probably than either of the others. The Greek, too, had a pride of his own, a pride in his intellectual culture; and he looked down from his own point of view with equal scorn on both the Roman and the Jew. He, too, would despise, if he dared not resent, the apostolic declaration of a universal equality of the races. (Dean Merivale.)

No partiality with God

A little black girl, eight years old, was setting the table, when a boy in the room said to her, “Mollie, do you pray?” The suddenness of the question confused her a little, but she said, “Yes, every night.” “Do you think God hears you?” the boy asked. She answered promptly, “I know He does.” “But do you think,” said he, trying to puzzle her, “that He hears your prayers as readily as those of white children?” For full three minutes the child kept on with her work; then she slowly said, “Master George, I pray into God’s ears, and not His eyes. My voice is just like any other little girl’s, and if I say what I ought to say, God does not stop to look at my skin.”

No respect to person

M. Boudon, an eminent surgeon, was one day sent for by the Cardinal du Bois, Prime Minister of France, to perform a very serious operation upon him. The Cardinal, on seeing him enter the room, said to him, “You must not expect to treat me in the same rough manner as you treat your poor miserable wretches at your hospital of the Hotel Dieu.” “My lord,” replied M. Boudon, with great dignity, “every one of those miserable wretches, as your Eminence is pleased to call them, is a Prime Minister in my eyes.”