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Romans 2:9–11 “There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.”

Think

We live in a culture obsessed with credentials. Degrees, résumés, networks, and reputations often determine who gets in the room, who gets the job, or who gets the recognition. From an early age, we learn how to build a spiritual and social portfolio that says, “I belong.” So when Paul drops the line “God does not show favoritism,” it slices through that system completely.

Paul is writing to both Jews and Gentiles in the Roman church. The Jewish believers were proud of their spiritual heritage—they were God’s chosen people, descendants of Abraham, keepers of the Law. But Paul doesn’t let them rest in their lineage. He says that God will judge everyone the same way, not by background or religious identity, but by the condition of the heart and the direction of the life.

It’s not that heritage doesn’t matter. Paul himself honored his roots. But heritage without humility leads to hypocrisy. And God is not impressed by outward labels. He looks deeper. While humans look at appearance, God searches the heart.

Think of it like this: imagine applying for a job where the interviewer doesn’t even glance at your résumé. Instead, they observe your character, your choices, your real-time decisions under pressure. That’s unsettling for most of us. We like to lead with our accomplishments. We’re used to being evaluated by what we’ve done or what we know. But Paul reminds us that God evaluates us based on who we’re becoming.

In verse 10, Paul talks about “glory, honor, and peace” for those who persist in doing good. That sounds similar to verse 7, but here he ties it to both Jews and Gentiles—everyone is included, and no one is automatically favored. Which means the playing field is leveled. No spiritual silver spoon. No moral shortcut. No cultural advantage.

This should comfort us and convict us. For anyone who’s felt like an outsider, like you didn’t grow up in church or don’t know the right language or don’t have a clean record—this is good news. God does not show favoritism. You are not behind. You are not disqualified. His grace is just as real for you as it is for the person who’s been in pews since preschool.

But for those of us who have been around the church a while, this passage presses on something important. Have we confused access with transformation? Have we assumed that just because we’ve known about God for a long time, we’re automatically aligned with his heart? Familiarity with the truth is not the same as faithfulness to it. We can quote Scripture and still miss the Savior. We can serve in ministry and still be far from the heart of God.

Jesus warned the Pharisees about this. They loved the seats of honor and the praise of people. They knew the Law backward and forward. But Jesus said their hearts were far from him. He compared them to whitewashed tombs—clean on the outside, but hollow and dead within.

That’s what Paul is confronting in this section of Romans. A false sense of spiritual security. A religious résumé that looks impressive but lacks repentance. It’s not that good works don’t matter—they absolutely do. But Paul wants us to see that good works must come from a heart shaped by grace, not a life propped up by legacy.

This is also a call to examine our spiritual pride. Do we assume we’re doing better than others simply because we’ve been walking with God longer? Do we look down on those who don’t know as much, or who struggle in ways we think we’ve conquered? Do we silently believe that we’re more lovable to God because we have more spiritual experience?

Paul would say, “Be careful.” Because God sees past the surface. He is not swayed by how long we’ve been around or how well we can perform. He delights in humility. He honors those who seek him, not those who assume they’ve already arrived.

God does not show favoritism. And that’s both a warning and a promise. It means there is no shortcut, but also no ceiling. No matter where you come from, what you’ve done, or how much you know, you have the same access to grace, the same invitation to grow, and the same opportunity to walk in glory, honor, and peace.

So don’t rest in your résumé. Rest in your Redeemer. Don’t cling to your background. Cling to the cross. God is after a heart that seeks him, not a life that looks impressive from a distance. Because in his kingdom, it’s never about who you were born as. It’s about who you are becoming.

Apply

Take a few minutes to reflect on where you might be resting in heritage rather than heart. Maybe you’ve assumed that your past faithfulness gives you a pass today. Or maybe you’ve felt like you can never measure up because of where you started. Wherever you fall, remember that God isn’t looking for performance—he’s looking for pursuit. Ask him to realign your heart with his grace. Then take one simple action today that reflects your desire to grow in him—not to impress others, but to honor the One who sees you fully and loves you anyway.

Pray

Father, thank you that you don’t play favorites. I confess the ways I’ve relied on my background or compared myself to others to feel spiritually secure. Strip away my pride. Remind me that you care more about my heart than my history. Help me to walk humbly with you, not as someone who’s earned your love but as someone amazed to receive it. Make my life one that reflects your truth with joy and sincerity. In Jesus’ name. Amen.