I can see clearly now!

The Apostle Paul, writing to the ancient Roman church, said this:

He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. For God shows no partiality. – Romans 2.6-11 (ESV)

This little passage has irked me for a while now, especially since God began “reforming my heart” about a year and a half ago. Statements like “he will render to each one according to his works” and “there will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil . . . but glory and honor and peace for eveyone who does good”, at first glance and thought, betray my Protestant sensibilities. Does this teach a works-based salvation? Is the very thing that Martin Luther went to battle with Rome over sitting right here in Scripture? Salvation comes by grace alone through faith alone, right? Sola gratia! Sola Fide! This is a “hill upon which to die” for us! What’s all this talk of works?! My mind has wrestled with this passage for hours at a time without resolution, and all of the commentaries in the world (ok, on my bookshelf) didn’t offer much help.

When I looked in the bulletin and saw that Greg would be preaching on this passage tonight, I silently said “PLEASE God, use him to explain this to me”.

God answers prayer.

It was made clear tonight . . . Paul was in no way teaching that one is saved or justified by his works. Indeed, that’s the very thing he rails against in the very next chapter of Romans. We are justified by faith; we are judged by works. To put it another way, God provides our salvation through the faith in Christ that he gives; our works prove that salvation. This is what Paul is saying here, and it echoes James’ sentiment that “faith apart from works is useless” (James 2.20). Yes, God imputes the righteousness of Christ to us when he gives us the gift of faith, but he does not stop there. He does not only elect us to salvation, but also to sanctification, that is, to right living and right thoughts and right attitudes . . . to be “conformed to the image of his son” (Romans 8.29).

Amen.

Thank God for answered prayer, and thank God for people who are willing to be used as vessels to communicate his truth. Soli Deo Gloria!

Now, to glorify him by listening to some old school Havalina Rail Co.