In the book
of Romans, Paul lays out a very interesting discussion on the role of works in
the life of a person. Whether a person is a believer or an unbeliever, works
are important; they do something, there are ultimately consequences either good
or bad for works. In Chapter 1, Paul makes it very clear that all people are
without excuse in regards to being under wrath, because God has made it plain
to them that He exists and is active in the world. They are responsible for
their knowledge of God through nature and thus responsible for their rebellion
against Him by doing all kinds of sinful and wicked things. By the time chapter
two rolls around, the audience would have been tracking with Paul perfectly. Of
course those people are without excuse, they would say. But then Paul turns it
on them, “Therefore you have no excuse, O
man, everyone of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn
yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same thing.” (Romans 2:1)
Here, the audience would have been taken back, even the one who considers
themselves to be righteous is under the same kind of judgment. Paul blows out
of the water the notion that the self-righteous are not under wrath themselves,
but in fact they are “storing up wrath on
the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.” (Romans 2:5)
Now Paul turns to the consequences
of works, “He will render to each one
according to his works.” (Romans 2:6) At this point every self-righteous
person would agree with this. But the self-righteous would be thinking that at
least they are ok because they have attained salvation by works of the law.
This was a misconception about the law when it came to the Jews, they believed
that the law was meant to lead them to eternal life. This is not correct, as
Paul shows later in 3:20. But Paul then shows the implications of God rendering
each according to their 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.” (Romans 2:7-8)
Now here many commentaries attempt to do hermeneutical gymnastics to make sure
that Paul does not “contradict himself.” Clearly we know “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your
own doing; it is a gift of God, not a result of works, so no one may boast.”
(Eph. 2:8-9) But sometimes we take the reformation principle of “interpret
scripture with scripture” too far. When a problem verse surfaces, we try to jam
another verse into it in order to make sure that the Bible fits together. But I
would like to suggest that we can know that scripture is already inerrant, we
just have to do some hard digging to find how. All that to say, Romans 2:7 says
that by works we can gain eternal life, so how do we deal with this? The simple
answer is, yes. We can. Remember the context that Paul has developed thus far.
He has not let on to any sort of doctrine of total depravity or original death.
In fact, he will not introduce that concept until 2:12, and then finish the
concept completely in 3:10-20.
By this point in his argument, however, it is completely
reasonable to say that by works someone could attain eternal life. The Jews
held this belief, but yet they knew their inability to achieve it. Thus they
had the sacrificial system to atone for their failures. However, it is possible
to achieve eternal life by works if it were not for the corruptness of sin. But
this is not merely a hypothetical, after all, one could say that Jesus was
righteous by works because he kept the letter and spirit of the law without one
single failure. Paul then turns to the one who obeys unrighteousness, “there will be tribulation and distress.”
(Romans 2:9) This also the belief of the self-righteous, but Paul is going to
show that all people are actually deserving of this end. “For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the
law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.”
(Romans 2:12) This is Paul’s introduction to showing our total, utter, and
complete inability to be righteous by our works. Firstly, wholes of even pagan
society show that there is a general morality that all men abide by. (Romans
2:14) Secondly, the conscience of all people reveals that the law is written on
all person’s hearts. (Romans 2:15) Thirdly, Paul points out that the Jews do
the very thing they teach others not to do, (Romans 2:21-23) and “The name of God is blasphemed among the
Gentiles because of you.” (Romans 2:24)
Paul then shows that even circumcision, perhaps one of the
most important aspects of the law to the Jews, is not sufficient in attaining
eternal life because of sin. For if a person who is circumcised breaks the law,
“Your circumcision becomes circumcision”;
meaning that their work of the law becomes worthless because of their sin. (Romans
2:25) And to level the playing field, Paul shows that the implication of a
person who is not a Jew keeps the law it is as if they are in fact circumcised.
(Romans 2:26) A Jew is not only one outwardly, but inwardly, and so is
circumcision. It is an outward expression of being a Jew on the inside. But
Jews have no advantage over the gentile, “For
we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin.”
(Romans 3:9) Paul then shows the exhaustive, extensive, and depth of sin in
each person and their total inability to be righteous by works. (Romans
3:10-18) “For by works of the law no
human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes
knowledge of sin.” (Romans 3:20)
After
developing that righteousness cannot be attained under the law comes the turning
point in Paul’s argument; righteousness apart from the law. (Romans 3:21) This is
the only way for a person to be justified, for if the purpose of the law is to
reveal sin, then it is powerless to produce righteousness. The law is like the
MRI, it only can evaluate and bring to surface the problem, but it cannot be
the cure. But now Paul shows that even the law and the prophets all pointed to
a righteousness that came apart from the law. This righteousness comes through
justification by faith in Christ Jesus, who made the final and sufficient
sacrifice to atone for our sins. Works, because of the sinful nature of man,
cannot produce righteousness. Thankfully we have a God who became man who was
righteous and able to be the propitiation between God and us. Even more to
declare us what we could never be without Christ, namely, righteous before Him!
