Verse 8

But to those, sets up a contrast between those who are positive at God-consciousness and Gospel-hearing and those who are not.

Who are selfishly ambitious is derived from the Greek verb “eritheias,” which can mean to work as a day labourer, a self-seeking pursuit of political office by unfair means, the attitude of self-seeking or an arrogant attitude of preying on the weaknesses of someone else. It is used for those who are seeking their own interest, their own gain and advantage through arrogance. Finally, this word came to mean an aristocratic scorn for those who make an honest living, and therefore an arrogant, distorted mental attitude. Self-righteous reversionism is motivated and stimulated by this type of inordinate ambition.

And do not obey the truth is the Greek word “aletheia,” which means truth in many forms. Here it is referring to the truth which is in the Gospel. But obey is the Greek word “peitho” meaning to persuade or to win over. Self-righteous unbelievers disobey the Gospel, but they continue to obey something. When you are negative toward the absolute truth of the Gospel you are going to be positive toward satanic policy of false doctrine.

Unrighteousness is the Greek word “adikia,” which is a legal term meaning injustice or partiality in judgment. An unbeliever obeys unrighteousness when he rejects truth at Gospel-hearing and attempts to establish his own righteousness by means of “righteous acts.”

Wrath is the result of obeying unrighteousness. The Greek word for wrath is “orge,” which means anger. It was used of the sea which is quiet one moment and very stormy the next moment. It finally came to mean a reaction in the soul, anger as a striking manifestation of a powerful inner reaction. It is a reaction that leads to revenge, to any kind of impulsive retaliation, the punishment of someone else or acting as judge, jury and executioner. It denotes irritation toward someone and from that irritation negative judgment. In other words, you are judging someone on the basis of being irritated with them. When ascribed to God as an anthropopathism, it refers to divine judgment of the reversionistic unbeliever. God is righteously indignant toward self-righteous arrogance and He judges it from His justice.

Indignation is the Greek word “thumos,” and means not only to become very angry in a reaction, but to act as a judge and jury, not from the facts but from the emotion of one’s anger. “Thuo” is the Greek root word, which means to boil up, to cause to go up in smoke. Therefore, “thumos” is an anthropopathism referring to God’s eternal judgment of the unbeliever. So, one of these words has to do with God’s judgment in time (wrath) and one with eternity (indignation).

In verses 9 and 10 we will see the temporal result for self-righteous, reversionistic unbelievers (maladjusted), in time. Then, we will see the temporal result for righteous advancing believers (adjusted), in time.

Verse 9

Tribulation is the Greek word “thlipsis,” which means pressure, distress brought about by outward circumstances, affliction, oppression or suffering. It is used here for personal suffering in contrast to historical disaster. The verb is not stated but implied. Therefore, the verb is added by the translators as “There will be.” The Greek word for distress is “stenochoria,” which means anguish or trouble. It is derived from the Attic Greek adjective “stenos,” which means narrow or too tight a squeeze. So, there is pressure and distress from the justice of God for the administration of justice toward unbeliever reversionists. This pressure and distress can come from historical disaster, self-induced misery and/or personal relationships.

For every soul of man refers to the human soul and indicates self-consciousness, emotion, volition and all the essence of the soul. When there are wrong things in the soul it means disaster and pressure from the justice of God. The wrong type of thinking in the soul comes from arrogance. The human soul is the issue, then, in adjustment or maladjustment to the justice of God and all reversionism is found in the soul. So, attitude toward doctrine determines adjustment or maladjustment to the justice of God.

Who does evil is the Greek verb “katergazoma,” which means to achieve, to accomplish, to bring about, to create or to produce. The verb connotes something on the inside working to the outside. The unbeliever reversionist produces the action of the verb. The Greek word for evil is “kakos” meaning base or evil in character.

Of the Jew first refers to the fact that while the Jews are first and foremost in privilege, they are not exempt from the principle of adjustment or maladjustment to the justice of God. No race is excluded. Therefore, race is not an issue. All races are included, even the privileged race of the Jews. The Jews, as custodians of the written revelation, plus being a priest nation had the additional responsibility in this matter.

And also of the Greek means a cultured person, a person who has great systems of culture and language and the expression of that in thought. So the word is used in the broader sense of all who were under Greek influence and who accepted the Greek culture. So, cultured people are not excluded from the issue of the justice of God.

Verse 10

Glory is the Greek word “doca,” which refers to the essence of God – the sum total of divine attributes. Positive volition at Gospel-hearing results in an eternal relationship with the essence (glory) of God when faith is applied. One of the attributes of God’s essence is justice, to which the believer must adjust after salvation through the Rebound Technique and consistent intake and application of Bible doctrine (maturity adjustment). Maturity adjustment to the justice of God means glorifying God and sharing blessings from the glory of God.

Honour is the Greek word “time,” which means value. There is something much more valuable than possessions and that is to have honour and integrity. The word connotes both honour and price, and therefore comes to mean something of value. There is no higher value for a human being than to possess eternal life.

Peace is the Greek word “eirene,” which means a harmonious relationship with God. Peace with God is one of the permanent results of faith in Christ for salvation. It is the theological term – reconciliation. Peace from God is a temporal result of faith in Christ and is appropriated through the filling of the Holy Spirit, Bible doctrine resident in the soul and proper application of this Bible doctrine to life. Peace can also refer to prosperity (not necessarily material possessions).

To every man indicates the believer making the maturity adjustment to the justice of God through maximum doctrine resident in the soul. Does is the Greek verb “ergazomai,” which means to produce, to work, to be active or to accomplish. Good is the Greek word “agathos,” which means eternally valuable or the possession of a higher order. So, good refers to the pursuit of spiritual maturity through the consistent intake and application of Bible doctrine, which is maximum adjustment to the justice of God.

To the Jew first and also to the Greek refers to the fact that the Jewish race is the privileged race, in that they were given the custodianship of the written Word from God and the responsibility to spread the Gospel message. There is no partiality in the justice of God, both Jew and Gentile believers have the same privileges and blessings in maturity adjustment to the justice of God.

The Church Age in which we live is the dispensation when there is no priest nation of Israel, when Jews join with Gentiles when they believe in Jesus Christ and become members of the royal family of God, forever. This is the dispensation when the distinction which existed in the Age of Israel no longer exists and where believing Jews and Gentiles have equal privilege to reach spiritual maturity.

Verse 11

For there is no is derived from the Greek words “eimi” plus the negative “ouk,” literally, “for there is not.” The negative “ouk” is the strongest of the Greek negatives and it denies the reality of an alleged fact. The justice of God produces the action of the verb.

Partiality is from the compound Greek word “prosopolempsia” [“prosopon” = face; “lambano” = to receive]. It means to receive a face, and that means partiality or favoritism. But with the negative “ouk” it means there is never partiality or favoritism. Partiality connotes bias, the inclination to favour one party more than another, one face more than another. Divine justice is totally free from partiality.

With God refers to the fact that part of the divine attributes of God is the impossibility to be partial or unfair toward any member of the human race – believer or unbeliever. Every human being has equal opportunity to believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, and after salvation every believer has equal opportunity to execute the Christian way of life.