| Introduction
The judgment of God is not only according to truth
(see previous article), it is also according to works. Notice Paul’s
words in Romans 2:6-11:
"Who will render to every man according to
his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory
and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are
selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey
unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation
and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first
and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God."
The principle of God’s judgment is
plainly stated in verse 6, "who will render to every man
according to his deeds." We might structure this section this
way:1
A. God will judge everyone equitably v. 6
B. Those who do good will
attain eternal life v. 7
C.
Those who do evil will suffer wrath v. 8
C‘.
Wrath for those who do evil v. 9
B‘. Glory for those who
do good v. 10
A‘. God judges impartially v. 11
In Romans 2:7-10 Paul categorizes everyone into
two classes: bad or good. In verses 7 and 10 those who are good and
verses 8 and 9 those who are bad.
| Romans 2:7
and 10 |
Romans 2:8
and 9 |
| "To those who
by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and
immortality, eternal life;" |
"But to those
who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but
obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation." |
| "But glory and
honor and peace to every man who does good, to the Jew first
and also to the Greek." |
"There will be
tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil,
of the Jew first and also to the Greek." |
This is a typical chiastic literary
arrangement (X):
| Romans
2:6 (equity) Romans
2:7 (good) Romans 2:8 (bad) |
|
|
|
X |
|
|
|
Romans
2:8 (bad) Romans
2:10 (good) Romans 2:11 (equity) |
Unlike most chaistic structure the
main point of verses 6-11 is the ends (verses 6 and 11).2 God
is the impartial judge who will judge every one according to their
works. We also see the Jewish priority in verses 9 and 10 by the
phrase "Jew first and also to the Greek."
Notice also the four groups of threes
in verses 7-10. Each verse has the same three ingredients:
character, pursuit and award.3
| Romans
2:7 |
1. Character—perseverance
in doing good
2. Pursuit—glory, honor and immortality
3. Award—eternal life |
| Romans
2:8 |
1.
Character—selfishly ambitious
2. Pursuit—not obey the truth, but obey
unrighteousness
3. Award—wrath and indignation |
| Romans
2:9 |
1.
Award—tribulation and distress
2. Pursuit—does evil
3. Character—Jews first and also the Greek |
| Romans
2:10 |
1.
Award—glory, honor and peace
2. Pursuit—does good
3. Character—Jews first and also the Greek |
The Judgment of God Is According to Works
Why did I point out all of the above
and what is Paul telling us? He is telling us that the man who does
evil is judged with wrath and the man who does good is awarded
eternal life. This point raises a doctrinal question: How can anyone
declare that a man may be judged good by his works and receive
eternal life when Paul states emphatically in this letter that a man
is only justified by God through faith alone (cp. Romans 3:21-4:25)?
Furthermore, the theme of the epistle is a righteous man lives by
faith! Romans 2:6-11 often becomes the fertile ground of those who
wrongly justify their works as a part of their salvation. How do we
answer this apparent contradiction?4
First of all let’s make it clear that Paul does
not teach that a man is saved or justified by his works. Romans
3:20-22 says, "Because by the works of the Law no flesh will be
justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of
sin. But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been
manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, even the
righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who
believe; for there is no distinction." Or again in Galatians
3:10-11, "For as many as are of the works of the Law are under
a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not abide
by all things written in the book of the Law, to perform them.’
Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for,
‘The righteous man shall live by faith.’"
Secondly, it is always crucial in a
question like this to know the context of the passage. The context
of Romans 2:6-11 is not the gospel, but judgment by the Law of God.
When the subject of discussion is salvation or justification Paul
refers to faith as the means of obtaining this wonderful gift. But
when it deals with judgment he centers in on a man’s works. In
other words, he is not looking at the source (belief
or unbelief) which produced the works, but the only the fruit
(works) of the man’s life. Therefore, many would look upon verses
6-11 as a hypothetical argument from Paul. If someone could obey all
the moral law in thought, word and deed without breaking one of them
throughout his entire life, he could earn eternal life.5
However, no one can do this. Therefore, their disobedience to the
law brings judgment and receiving eternal life by doing good is only
hypothetical because no one can do it. I would agree with this and
this may be the way we should understand Paul’s argument. This is
the standard he holds up to the Jews in verse 13 knowing that no one
is able to be justified by works.
However, it may also be understood this way. The
quality of a man’s works gives evidence of belief or unbelief (the
source). Saving faith will be accompanied by an obedient life
through the power of the Holy Spirit, while unbelief is accompanied
by a disobedient life. There may be different degrees of faith and
unbelief but God is able to judge correctly. Notice how obedience is
closely connected to faith. In Romans 1:5 it says, "Christ our
Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring
about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles, for His name’s
sake." In Acts 6:7, "And the word of God kept on
spreading; and the number of the disciples continued to increase
greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were becoming
obedient to the faith. Again in John 3:36, "He who believes in
the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not
see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." The fruit of
saving faith is obedience in good works (cf. Ephesians 2:8-10) and
the fruit of unbelief is disobedience in unrighteousness. Good works
do not save but they are evidence of a changed life of a saved
person. This is how Paul argues in Romans 2:28-29. Paul would not
deny that Christians sin and are disobedient (cp. 1 Corinthians
3:1-3), but this is not Paul’s subject at present. The theology
behind what Paul says in Romans 2:7 and 10 is that a man whose
saving faith is demonstrated in a life of good works (i.e. Romans
2:7—doing good seeking for glory, honor, immortality) has sought
the only way and the only source to receive eternal life. It is
through the righteousness of Jesus Christ which is received through
faith.
Therefore, there is no contradiction here.
Justification or the righteousness of God comes by faith alone and
not by doing the Law or good works of the Law. Yet, a man who is
justified by faith seeks to do good works, glorify God, and honor
the Son. These works which are produced by the Holy Spirit are the
fruits of saving faith.
I am fearful of one thing after writing this
article and that is the possibility of someone misunderstanding what
I have written. It is possible that you are relying upon your good
works, your false concept of Christianity, or your knowledge about
Christ, hoping that this will cause you to escape the judgment of
God. My friend, you will not escape the judgment! Everyone who is
reading this article should examine their own heart. What are you
trusting in to escape the judgment of God and make you stand before
God justified? Paul’s message is clear. It is faith alone in
Christ alone! But it is a faith that does not stand alone for it
gives evidence of justification. It is a faith that "by
perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and
immortality."
Endnotes
1 Douglas Moo, The Wycliffe
Exegetical Commentary: Romans 1-8, p.134
2 Ibid., p.135.
3 James Stifler, The Epistle
to the Romans, Moody Press edition, 1983, p. 31.
4 For a survey of different
positions see Moo, pp.139-141, Thomas Schreinder, Baker
Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: Romans, pp.113-115
and C.E.B. Cranfield, ICC The Epistle to the Romans,
1:151-53.
5 My argument here does not
take into account the immediate imputation of Adam’s sin in Romans
5. |
