But to them that are contentious, and who obey not the truth, but give credit to iniquity, wrath and indignation.

“For He who gave the mouth for speech, and formed the ear to hear, and made the eye to see, will examine all things, and will judge righteous judgment, rendering merited awards to each. To those who by patient continuance in well-doing seek immortality, He will give life everlasting, joy, peace, rest, and abundance of good things, which neither hath eye seen, nor ear heard, nor hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive. But to the unbelieving and despisers, who obey not the truth, but are obedient to unrighteousness, when they shall have been filled with adulteries and fornications, and filthiness, and covetousness, and unlawful idolatries, there shall be anger and wrath, tribulation and anguish, and at the last everlasting fire shall possess such men. Since you said, "Show me thy God," this is my God, and I counsel you to fear Him and to trust Him.”

“"But unto them that are contentious," he says. Again, he deprives of excuse those that live in wickedness, and shows that it is from a kind of disputatiousness and carelessness that they fall into unrighteousness. "And do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness." See, here is another accusation again. For what defence can he set up, who flees from the light and chooses the dark? And he does not say, who are "compelled by," "lorded over by," but who "obey unrighteousness," that one may learn that the fall is one of free choice, the crime not of necessity.”

“After the Apostle has set forth the truth of the divine judgment, the contrary opinion having been excluded, here he manifests the truth of the divine judgment, and first he sets forth what he intends; second he manifests his proposition, at the place "to them indeed who according to patience." He first sets forth the truth of the divine judgment as to two things, namely, as to works and as to persons. As to works indeed, because in the present life he does not render according to works, but sometimes bestows grace upon those doing evil, as upon Paul the Apostle himself, who, having formerly been a blasphemer and persecutor, obtained mercy, as is said in 1 Timothy 1:13. But this will not be the case on the day of judgment, when it will be the time of judging according to justice. Psalm 74:3: "When I shall take a time, I will judge justices." And therefore it is said elsewhere: "Render to them according to the works of their hands." As to persons, the truth of the divine judgment is observed, because equality of retribution will be kept as to all. 2 Corinthians 5:10: "We must all be manifested." But it seems that the future retribution will not be according to works, because for a temporal sin an eternal punishment will be repaid. But it must be said that, as Augustine says in Book 21 of the City of God: in the retribution of justice an equality of time between the fault and the punishment is not considered, because even according to human judgment, for the fault of adultery, which is committed in a brief hour, the punishment of death is inflicted; in which the lawgiver does not attend to the length of the killing, but rather to the fact that through death one is perpetually excluded from the society of the living. And thus also in its own way man is punished with an eternal punishment for a temporal fault. And therefore it is not a marvel if sins committed against charity, through which namely there is fellowship between God and men, are eternally punished by the divine judgment. And that this indeed is just appears from three things. First, from the infinite dignity of God against whom the sin is committed. For the more grave one sins, the greater is the dignity of the person against whom one sins, just as he sins more who strikes a prince than he who strikes a private person. And so, since the fault of mortal sin is in a certain way infinite, it is necessary that an infinite punishment correspond to it. And so, since it cannot be infinite according to intensity, it remains that it be infinite according to duration. Second, it appears from the will by which one sins. For whoever sins mortally, turned away from the unchangeable good, establishes his end in a changeable good, as the fornicator in the love of the flesh, the miser in money. And because the end is desired for its own sake, whoever desires the end is borne toward it, wishing to obtain it always, if nothing else opposes. Hence he who sins mortally has the will of remaining perpetually in the sin, except perhaps accidentally, as when he fears punishment, or some other impediment. Hence it is fitting that, since man according to his will desires to hold the sin perpetually, he be punished eternally for it. For God, who is the inspector of the heart, attends especially to the will of the one sinning. Third, on the part of the effect of sin, which is the withdrawal of grace, from which it follows that man, as far as is in himself, remains perpetually in sin, from which he cannot depart except through the help of grace. But it is not fitting that, while the fault endures, the punishment should cease, and therefore the punishment endures in perpetuity. But that which is said, "to render to each according to his works," is not to be understood according to an equality of works, because the reward exceeds the merit, but according to proportion, because he will repay good things to the good, and better things to the better. And the same reasoning holds for evil things. Then, when he says "to them indeed who according to patience," he manifests his proposition, and first as to works, second as to persons, at the place "upon every soul." But as to works he shows the truth of the divine judgment, first indeed in the good, second in the evil, at the place "but to them that are of contention." Concerning the first, two things must be considered, namely merit and reward. For merit three things concur. First indeed, patience. This can be understood, in one way, of the patience of God, of which it was said above: "Or the riches of his goodness and patience," so that those may be understood to be "according to patience of good work," namely, those disposed who make good use of God's patience by doing good. In another way it can be understood of the patience of man, which likewise can be understood in two ways. In one way, according as patience implies the toleration of adversities with equanimity of heart. This indeed is necessary, that someone not desist from a good work on account of the evils he suffers, and this is what he says, "according to patience of good work." James 1:4: "Patience has a perfect work." Luke 21:19: "In your patience you shall possess your souls." Second, patience can be understood for longanimity, or for perseverance, namely that someone not withdraw from a good work on account of weariness. James, last chapter: "Be patient, brothers, until the coming of the Lord." Hebrews 10:36: "Patience is necessary for you." The second is the goodness of the work, which indeed is called good according to its ordering to the due end, and according as it agrees with the due rule, which is the law of God and human reason. Galatians, last chapter: "Let us not fail in doing good." Third, the rectitude of intention is touched upon in "seeking eternal life," namely that in the evils which a man suffers, or in the goods which he does, he not seek something temporal, but eternal. Matthew 6:33: "Seek first the kingdom of God." On the part of the reward also he touches upon three things, of which the first is glory, which signifies the brightness of the saints, even the intrinsic brightness, with which they will be filled in mind, according to that word of Isaiah 58:11: "He will fill your soul with splendors"; and the exterior brightness, with which they will shine in body. Matthew 13:43: "The just shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." Psalm 149:5: "The saints shall rejoice in glory." Second, honor is touched upon, by which is signified the dignity of the saints, and the reverence which is shown to them by every creature. For they will be kings and priests. Revelation 5:10: "You have made us a kingdom and priests to our God." And further they will be counted among the sons of God, according to that word of Wisdom 5:5: "Behold how they are counted among the sons of God." Psalm 138:17: "Your friends, O God, are made exceedingly honorable." Third, incorruption is touched upon, namely because that glory and honor will not be transitory, as are the things which are in this world. 1 Corinthians 9:25: "They indeed that they may receive a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible one." Then, when he says "but to them," he shows the truth of the divine judgment in the evil, in which likewise fault and punishment are touched upon. And as to fault, three things are touched upon, of which the first is the obstinacy of contention. This indeed, first, can be understood of man toward God, who calls him to himself by benefits, against whom man seems to contend by resisting the divine benefits. Deuteronomy 31:27: "While I am yet living and going in with you, you have always acted contentiously against the Lord." Second, it can be understood of man's contention against the faith. 2 Timothy 2:14: "Contend not in words." Third, it can be understood of the contention of men with one another, which is contrary to charity, which is the mother of the virtues. James 3:16: "Where there is jealousy and contention, there is inconstancy and every depraved work." Second is set down their hardness, namely, of those who do not acquiesce to the truth. This can, in one way, be understood of the truth of faith. John 8:45: "If I speak the truth, why do you not believe me?" In another way, of the truth of divine justice, to which they do not acquiesce, not believing the truth of the divine judgment. Ezekiel 18:29: "You have said, the way of the Lord is not equal." Third, it can be understood of the truth of life, to which those do not acquiesce who live perversely. John 3:21: "He who does the truth comes to the light." Third, malice is touched upon in this, that he says, "but give credit to iniquity," either because they consent to those persuading them to iniquity. Proverbs 17:4: "The wicked man obeys an unjust tongue." Or because they believe in the impunity of sins, which would redound to an iniquity in God. Ecclesiasticus 5:4: "Say not, I have sinned, and what sad thing has befallen me?" Or they give credit to iniquity, that is, to infidelity, namely to a doctrine which is against the faith. 2 Thessalonians 2:11: "That all may be judged who have not believed the truth, but have consented to iniquity." But on the part of the punishment, four things are set down, which indeed can be distinguished in two ways. In one way, so that wrath, that is, bodily punishment and vengeance, is understood to be after the judgment. Zephaniah 1:15: "That day, a day of wrath." But indignation is in the judgment, when the impious will be indignant at themselves, which arises from the sins which they committed. Wisdom 5:6: "We have erred from the way of truth." But tribulation and anguish pertain to the soul separated from the body before the resurrection. Proverbs 1:27: "When tribulation and anguish shall come upon you." Or in another way they can be distinguished, so that the first two are taken on the part of God, whose wrath is called the disposition to punish, which is horrible to the wicked. Revelation 6:16: "They shall say to the mountains and the rocks: Fall upon us," and so forth. His indignation is referred to this, that he will reckon sinners unworthy of eternal life. Psalm 94:11: "To whom I swore in my wrath, that they shall not enter." But the others are taken on the part of man. And tribulation indeed is named from the tribulus, which pricks, whence to tribulation can pertain everything that inflicts pain. Zephaniah 1:14: "The voice of the day of the Lord is bitter, the mighty man shall be in tribulation there." But anguish is so called from this, that the mind of man is straitened, not being able to find a remedy against the evils which he fears, or already suffers. Daniel 13:22: "I am straitened on every side, and I know not what to choose." Job 27:9: "Will God hear his cry, when distress shall come upon him?" Then, when he says "upon every soul," he shows the truth of the divine judgment as to persons. And first he sets forth the equity of this; second he assigns the reason, at the place "for there is no respect of persons"; third he manifests the reason, at the place "for whosoever." He shows the truth of the divine judgment as to persons, first in the evil, when he says "upon every soul of man that worketh," that is, against every soul, because just as the glory of the saints comes from the soul to the body, so the punishment of the reprobate is first and principally in the soul and second in the body, which on account of the defect or fault of the soul will rise again passible. Ezekiel 18:4: "The soul that sins, the same shall die." But he says "of the Jew first, and of the Greek," because a greater punishment was owed to the Jews as those knowing the will of God through the law. Luke 12:47: "The servant who knew the will of his lord, and did not do it," etc., "shall be beaten deservedly with many stripes." And likewise Christians, as to the same sin, for instance adultery or theft, are punished with a graver punishment than unbelievers. Hebrews 10:29: "How much more, do you think, does he deserve worse punishments, who has trodden underfoot the Son of God," and so on. But as to the whole punishment, the punishment of unbelievers is graver on account of the sin of unbelief, which is most grave. Whence it is said in 1 Peter 3, that the wrath of God remains upon unbelievers. Second, he manifests it in the good, and he sets down first the two things which he said above, glory and honor; but the third, namely peace, he sets in the place of incorruption, which peace includes, and comprehends many other things. For the peace of man cannot be perfect as long as someone fears that he will lose the goods which he has, but then does someone have the true peace of heart, when he has all the things which he desires and does not fear to lose them. Isaiah 32:18: "My people shall sit in the beauty of peace." And in these things too he attributes the primacy to the Jews, because to them the promises were made first, and the Gentiles entered into their promises. John 4:38: "Others have labored, and you have entered into their labors." Then, when he says "for there is no respect of persons," he assigns the reason for what has been said, namely because there is no respect of persons with God. Acts 10:34: "God is not a respecter of persons." But respect of persons is opposed to distributive justice, by which someone distributes to each according to the dignity of persons; therefore there is respect of persons when, apart from dignity, more or less is given to someone. But this occurs apart from dignity, when it is done not on account of a condition, but on account of the person, which is taken as the cause. For this is to take the cause, namely as it were a rule of acting; but respect of persons occurs on account of the person, as though the person itself were taken as the cause of doing something. For instance, if someone gives to another, on account of kinship, more of his patrimonial goods, this is not respect of persons, because kinship is a fitting cause on account of which he ought to have more of such goods. But if, on account of kinship, some prelate gives to someone more of ecclesiastical goods, this can pertain to respect of persons, if no other fitness concurs. For kinship is not a fitting reason for the distribution of spiritual goods. Therefore, since God does all things by a most fitting reason, respect of persons does not fall upon him. For it is said in Wisdom 8:1, that "he disposes all things sweetly." But he seems to be a respecter of persons, because he leaves some sinners in their sins, and calls others to himself. But it must be said that respect of persons is opposed to justice, whence it has place in those things which are given from debt, which justice attends to. But God calls sinners to repentance not from debt, but gratuitously. "For if from works, it is now not from grace," as is said below, chapter 11:6; and Titus 3:5: "Not by the works of justice which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us." But in such benefits given freely, it is permitted not only to God, but even to man, to give to whomever he wishes. Matthew 20:15: "Is it not lawful for me to do what I will?" Then, when he says "for whosoever," he expounds the aforesaid reason. For that there is no respect of persons with God is clear from this, that all who sin are punished. Whence first he speaks as to those who did not receive the law, saying that whoever has sinned "without the law," namely of Moses, received from God, "shall perish without the law," that is, shall be condemned, not on account of the transgression of the law. Job 4:20: "Because none understand, they shall perish forever." Second, he speaks as to those who received the written law, and says that whoever have sinned "in the law," that is, after the written law, "shall be judged by the law," that is, on account of the fact that they transgressed the precept of the law. John 12:48: "The word that I have spoken to you, that shall judge him in the last day." But some have taken an occasion of error from this manner of speaking. For because the Apostle does not say, "whoever has sinned in the law shall perish by the law," as he had said of those who are without the law, that they shall perish without the law, they believed that those who sin after having received the law are judged in some way, namely in the present life, but nevertheless do not perish. But, as the Gloss says, what Christian would say that a Jew does not perish if he does not believe in Christ, since the Lord says that it will be more tolerable for Sodom in the day of judgment than for them? As is found in Matthew 10:15. Whence Ezekiel 18:32: "I do not wish the death of the sinner." But he uses such a diversity in speaking, because, as Gregory says in the Moralia on that word of Job 36:6, "He gives judgment to the poor," some in the future judgment will perish, but will not be judged, that is, the impious, who are without faith and the law of God. Psalm 1:5: "The impious shall not rise again in judgment," namely because there is no place for disputing against him who is wholly estranged from God. John 3:18: "He who does not believe is already judged." But others, who sin having received the law of God and the faith, will so perish that they will also be judged, as it were with a certain disputation made with them. Whence it is said in Ezekiel 34:17: "Behold, I judge between cattle and cattle, of rams and of he-goats." Just as also a king, as Gregory says, condemns enemies without a hearing, but citizens with a diligent hearing.”

“Tribulation and anguish,.... These, with the foregoing words, are expressive of the second death, the torments of hell, the worm that never dies, and the fire that is not quenched: which will fall upon every soul of man that doth evil; whose course of life and conversation is evil; for "the soul that sins shall die", Eze 18:4, unless satisfaction is made for his sins by the blood of Christ: of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; regard being had to what nation they belong.”

“But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, &c.--referring to such keen and determined resistance to the Gospel as he himself had too painfully witnessed on the part of his own countrymen. (See Act 13:44-46; Act 17:5, Act 17:13; Act 18:6, Act 18:12; and compare Th1 2:15-16). indignation and wrath--in the bosom of a sin-avenging God.”