Introduction

There are two significant debates boiling in the church today and both have far-reaching implications. The one is concerned with the relationship between belief in free will and belief in God’s omniscience; this is the open theism debate, which carries the belief in free will to the logical extreme of denying foreknowledge to God. The other is concerned with the relationship between justification and good works (let’s call it the justification/works debate). The former affects the churches in general; the latter affects reformed churches in particular.

I believe it will be good if I identify some of the people and institutions that stand in the center of justification/works debate so you will have perspective on what is going on. This is a matter of no small importance. For example, it is so monumental that it is alleged that Westminster Seminary has departed from reformed theology moving to what is essentially Roman Catholic theology on this topic. People we know that are under attack include Richard Gaffin and Norman Shepherd of Westminster Seminary (present and formerly at the seminary). People we know that think their views, especially Shepherd’s, are "not only ambiguous but erroneous" are Baptists like Al Martin and Roger Nicole and Presbyterians like R. C. Sproul and A. Palmer Robertson. Opposition to Shepherd’s teaching on justification at Westminster Seminary in the 70’s when I was a student there was expressed by Philip Hughes and Martyn Lloyd-Jones. What began in the 70’s has continued to the present.

It is perplexing to say the least to see reformed churches, seminaries, and scholars vigorously divided over this issue. There are some subtle and difficult things for us to investigate but surely we can be encouraged to know that the Lord allows divisions to arise within the body to test, prove, and take us forward in our walk with Him (cf. 1 Cor. 11:18-19).

Therefore, with confidence in the Lord’s providence, I want to discuss the relation of justification and good works at this point in our series on the doctrines of grace. This is apropos because in a very fundamental way this debate is actually about perseverance; at least that is my assessment that I think will be borne out by the facts of the matter. The difficulty of clinging clearly and firmly to both the "must" and the "will" of perseverance lurks inescapably in the background of justification studies because perseverance teaches that the Christian must endure to the end in faith and obedience to be saved; it is necessary that the believer continue on the narrow path of good works in order to enter into life at the end of the road. But at the end is the judgment day and issuing from the judgment will be the declaration of condemnation regarding the goats in contrast to the declaration of justification regarding the sheep (cf. Matt. 25:31-46). Thus our topic has already become somewhat complicated because there appears to be an aspect of justification that is future while we usually think of justification as the beginning of the Christian life. Furthermore, coals are added to this fire by the fact that Jesus draws attention in Matthew 25 to the works performed by both the sheep and goats (you did/did not give, visit…).

Interestingly, in the text we are going to look at today (Rom. 2:6-13), Paul speaks in ways that are very similar to the words of Jesus. If we view this passage in Romans in its immediate context, we can see Paul focusing on three related things: God’s righteousness, our works, and justification. These three points of outline will guide our consideration of perseverance and justification.

1A. The focus on God’s righteousness

Previous context gives the character of those who have no excuse in the Day of Judgment. They condemn others for the very things they do themselves (2:1). Addressing them directly Paul asks, "Do you think you will escape the judgment of God?" (2:3). "You will not" is the implied answer. Indeed, they store up wrath for themselves on the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed (2:5). God’s judgment is accurate, truthful, fair, impartial, and just (2:11). His righteousness will be displayed in the condemnation of sinners (cf. 3:5, "our unrighteousness serves to show the righteousness of God").

There is a higher purpose that is served by Judgment Day beyond the reality of judgment. It is the time appointed for the manifestation of the righteousness of God; that is what lies behind final judgment (and thus it serves to glorify God). Of course, that is what makes the focus on works a terrifying reality. He knows the truth. We may hide some things from others and even from ourselves in self-deception but nothing is hidden from Him with whom we have to do.

This terrifying fact establishes our need of the righteousness of justification. We need the righteousness of God that is for all who have faith in Jesus Christ (3:22). This is "apart from works" (3:21) but our passage puts a focus on works; this focus is difficult to assimilate.

2A. The focus on our works, vs. 6-10

1B. God will pay us for our work (v. 6)

"Render" is literally give, pay, or reward. Our conduct in life is our work in life. All that we do is work that "earns" a wage. However, the wage is determined by the nature of the work. Hence, God will give either reward or punishment as the wage that is paid at the end of the day.

This language of payment suggests some merit: you earn your reward and you earn your punishment. You get what you deserve. Is Paul speaking metaphorically here? How do we put this passage together with Romans 4:1-5 (especially the contrast between wages for work and a gift received by faith)?

Perhaps the idea of earning a wage is not contained in the idea of "rendering" according to our works. But payment of wages is typical of this term: ^ESV Matthew 20:8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the laborers and pay [render to] them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.'

God is debtor to no man (Rom. 11:35) but this passage (Rom. 2:6) directly and unambiguously tells us that God pays a debt He owes to man. This is a difficult fact that we must not suppress. We must try to do justice to it however challenging it may be to do so. We will return to this point later.

2B. The payment for our work is either eternal death or eternal life (vs. 7-10)

This is sobering and awesome; it is frightening and comforting at the same time. This is the kind of theme that is dumbfounding. We have a quick glimpse at heaven and hell that stands out there beyond the veil through which we pass at death. The Scriptures go there but usually in brief hints and momentary glimpses.

1) Eternal death is described (vs. 8-9)

The sober and fearful reality is that the non-Christian will be subject to wrath and fury. This is a reference to God’s indignation, displeasure and disapproval of man’s conduct. His wrath will burn and boil in active opposition to all that is contrary to His holy nature. What this means for the non-Christian is described as "tribulation and distress." This is how God’s wrath and displeasure will be experienced by those whose works are evil. God’s wrath will burn like a consuming fire; so evil doers will abide in the misery of eternal punishment. The idea that this is eternal death is implied by the contrast with eternal life (cf. Matt. 25:46).

2) Eternal life is described (vs. 7, 10)

It is described as "glory, honor, and immortality" in verse 7 and as "glory and honor and peace" in verse 10. We often speak of arriving in heaven as arriving in glory. To be in heaven means to receive glory, honor, immortality, and peace. The last two descriptions are easiest to understand. We will have peace in heaven in contrast to the conflicts, trials, and restlessness of this world; it will be peace with man and with God. In contrast to the tribulation and distress of those who perish, those who live will experience peace with God and the peace of God. Then death will be conquered "for this mortal body must put on immortality…then shall be brought pass the saying that is written: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 15:53-57). Thus, immortality is secured by the Lord Jesus who gives us the victory by defeating the power of sin and removing the sting of death by freeing us from the condemnation of the law. We will be glorified and all of creation will be delivered into the freedom of our glory (Rom. 8: 30, 21).

Looking back, we can say that our works on earth will be examined in the final Day of Judgment. Reward or punishment, heaven or hell, will be granted according to our works. So again we face difficult language that seems out of accord with other things taught by Paul in Romans. It seems especially out of accord with justification by faith. So let’s move now to consider the focus on justification here in this passage. After doing this and thereby having God’s righteousness, our works, and justification in focus, we can then address the implications that are here for the reformed doctrine of justification by faith alone.

3A. The focus on justification

As we move further along in the passage, the difficulties do not diminish; indeed, they increase. When we get to Romans 2:13 we have explicit mention of justification but it is presented in a way that somehow incorporates good works into it.

For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.

This is far away from the idea that a sinner is justified "apart from works" (Rom. 3:28). On one hand, justification is by faith apart from the works of the law (3:28) and on the other hand, it is the "doers of the law" (2:13) that will be justified.

This difficulty cannot be removed by the interpretation that is often given here that Paul intends to bring all under condemnation when he says that "doers will be justified." This interpretation is plausible given the way Paul brings all under the law that condemns (Rom. 4:15, the law brings wrath) but it does not due justice to the flow of context in Romans 2. Hearers and doers of the law (v. 13) refer to both Jews and Gentiles who are either under the law (Jews versus the Gentiles who are without the law, v. 12) or who have the law written in their hearts (Gentiles, vs. 14-15). The justification mentioned (v. 13) will occur "on that day…when God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus" (v. 16). Thus verses 12-16 pick up the theme of the judgment of verses 5-11; these sections are looped together by the mention of "the Jew first and also the Greek" in verse 10.

We cannot separate good works from justification that comes to the doers of the law (v. 13). Doers of the law (v. 13) are those who do good deeds (v. 10); what we do is called our works (v. 6); hence, Paul is saying that those who do good works of the law will be justified.

We have at least two extremely difficult points here.

1) Justification is stated as something future (v. 5, on the day of wrath; v. 16, on that day when God judges).

2) Justification and good works (defined by the law!) are woven inseparably together.

What these two points give us is the basic teaching that justification unto eternal life is something that God will grant in the future at the last judgment. Thus, the life we live on this earth will be evaluated by the just, holy, perfect, impartial, fair, and comprehensive judgment of God. And according to our works we will either be rewarded with eternal life or punished with eternal tribulation and distress. Furthermore, when God judges the works of all people (small and great), He will make a declaration of condemnation or of justification. This sounds very much like justification by our works. We must therefore go back to the drawing board to reconsider this tension:

Justification is "apart from the works of the law" (3:28)

Doers of the law not hearers "will be justified" (2:13)

The other difficulty here is the notion of justification as an act of God in the past and in the future. Paul is very clear to affirm that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law (3:28). So, when we come to faith in Christ it can be said that we "have been justified by faith" (Rom. 5:1). Now the tension is between the past and the future:

We have been justified (5:1) [by faith]

We will be justified (2:13) [by works]

If justification has already been granted then how can it be something yet to be granted? If the declaration of justification must wait for the Day of Judgment then how can it be a declaration already pronounced in the past?

1) Part of the solution to this conundrum may be found in the historical-redemptive model of the now and not yet.

We are now justified and justification is not yet in some way similar to the fact that we are now redeemed and our redemption waits for the resurrection of the body (Rom. 8:23). At the least the idea must be that our redemption, though real and ours now, will remain incomplete until we are delivered from death by the resurrection. Likewise, we can surely say that our justification is a fact; we have been declared righteous by the judge of heaven and earth. The verdict of justification literally means that you are righteous because the righteousness of God in Christ has been given to you. Its core is the declaration of imputed righteousness. But it also includes the declaration of the remission of sin (not imputing transgressions) and the declaration of the possession of eternal life. We now have eternal life but death still overtakes us. Accordingly, our justification is rooted in the resurrection of Christ and it will not be complete until we come to share in the resurrection of which He is the first fruits (Rom. 4:25; 1 Cor. 15:20).

This seems to be an adequate account (that needs refining) of the tension between justification in the past and justification in the future. We in fact have been justified when we believed. We thereby have a righteous standing with God and will never perish; no charge can be laid successfully at our feet; eternal life has been granted to us in the gracious justifying act of God. But we can still say two things at once: we are saved and we will be saved; we are justified and we will be justified; we are raised with Christ and therefore we will be raised with Him in the resurrection unto life; we have eternal life and we will receive eternal life when we reach the "nobler rest above."

2) But what about the fact that works appear to be both woven tightly into the fabric of justification and excluded firmly from it at the same time?

Can we use the now and not yet model and claim that justification "without works" applies to the justification that we now have and "with works" applies to the justification that we do not yet have and will not have until our works are evaluated on the day of judgment? In answering this question, we need to somehow preserve the unity of the theme of justification (we need to avoid fragmentation in our view of justification).

Use of the already/not yet model is initially supported by the fact that before we were justified by faith we lived in bondage to the law of sin and death. All of our works were condemned by the law and brought wrath. Thus we stored up for ourselves wrath against the day of wrath. So there were no acceptable works or good works done by any of us before we came to Christ by faith. The natural man cannot please God and cannot submit himself to the law of God. He does nothing good only bringing forth corrupt fruit as a corrupt tree.

Intuitively then we are directed to the conclusion that the justification that marks the beginning of the Christian life cannot be according to good works defined by the law. Prior to conversion, we lived in sin only and our deeds were evil (Rom. 2:9), rationalized for self-excuse (2:1-3), and presumptuous (2:4). Our sins poured out from hard and impenitent hearts like water from a contaminated well (2:5).

Now if we shift our thoughts to the life of a justified sinner what can be said about good works? A) It can be said that they are now possible whereas before regeneration they were impossible. B) Furthermore, we must say that good works are required. This is simply one aspect of the doctrine of perseverance of the saints. The believer must endure to the end in faith, repentance, and in manifesting the fruits of repentance in order to be saved.

Concluding thoughts and observations

1) The language of justification

In the language of justification, the justified believer must persevere in the doing of good works to the end in order to be justified on the Day of Judgment and he or she will so persevere by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Those who are justified will be justified; those justified by faith without works must be justified according to their works on the Day of Judgment and they will be justified according to their works on that day.

Good works are necessary for our justification to be completed. They are not something upon which we can rely by faith. They are not the ground of salvation or of justification because the only ground is the righteousness of Christ that is given to us when we believe. This does not come to us on the basis of anything that we do (before or after conversion); His righteousness is not imputed to us on the basis of our works. Still what was declared to be ours (justification, righteousness, forgiveness, and eternal life) is ours in an incomplete way prior to the final judgment when this declaration will be made (again) and what it declares will be brought to completion. This final declaration includes the evaluation of the deeds we have done on earth; it must declare that our works are righteous and it will make that declaration for God’s elect against whom no charge can stand (Rom. 8:33).

Those having no righteousness of their own who have been justified through faith by the righteousness of Christ (Rom. 5:1) will be declared righteous and not condemned in the future on the basis of the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ (Rom. 8:33-34). Thus, on one hand, good works must mark our lives; they are necessary for the justifying declaration to be pronounced on our behalf in the Day of Judgment; the positive verdict will be according to the nature of our works as good deeds of the law (2:13). But they can never serve as the ground or basis of our righteous standing with God even in the Day of Judgment because even in that day the avoidance of condemnation is due to the work of Christ as our great high priest; our "good" works are always tainted with sin.

2) How can these works be good works since they are all tainted by sin that remains in us?

Though admittedly not perfectly good, the Christian’s works are good because they flow from faith. Look again at Romans 2 and the contrast there between evil deeds and good deeds. The nature of the evil deeds gives us insight into the nature of the good deeds.

The evil deeds flow from hardened and impenitent hearts, from stony hearts that refuse to acknowledge sin and turn away from it (v. 5; making excuses for things they do while judging others harshly for the same things they minimize in themselves). They are self-seeking, disobedient to the truth, obedient to unrighteousness, and they are hearers only who do not do the things required in the law of God (vs. 8, 13).

By implication we can understand the nature of good deeds and how they can actually be present. Good deeds flow from hearts of flesh instead of stone; they flow from repentance in the acknowledgment of sin contrary to excuse making and censoriousness. Instead of being self-seeking, all Christian conduct is conditioned by the quest for glory, honor, immortality, and peace by the grace of God. Christians live in the present with one eye on the future outcome of Judgment Day. They obey the truth and they disobey the demands of unrighteousness. They strive after holiness; they seek to be doers of the law and not hearers only. They are doers of the law in a way always tainted by sin and seasoned with repentance clinging to Christ.

Notably, repentance toward God daily and faith in Christ for forgiveness of sin daily must be the underlying working principles in their striving after good works. They are never perfect (repentance means they always acknowledge that fact) but by the gracious forgiveness of Christ their works are good.

3) Those who have been justified seek to be justified

Therefore, the justified are those who from a renewed and repentant heart persevere in doing good defined by the law of God as they seek glory, honor, immortality, and peace in the city that has foundations whose builder and maker is God. Those who have been justified seek to be justified in the last day when what has already been declared is fully realized in the resurrection of the just to the glory of heaven (cf. the unity of justification). Their works must be good as the fruits of a continually repentant life that strives after holiness. This must be the case, it is necessary, if they are going to be declared righteous through the judgment. The verdict will be according to their good works. But the basis and ground of this verdict is the work of Christ alone. Thus, believers must endure to the end in the doing of good deeds in order to be justified on Judgment Day and they will so endure by the preserving grace of God. They must persevere in faith-repentance-doing of good works.

The distinction between ground and way may help us state this doctrine. The ground is the work of Christ and His work alone. The way is a working faith (Gal. 5:6) that brings forth the fruits of repentance. Repentance is not simply a beginning but a life. We must talk about the repentant life not simply the converting act of repentance. Good works are those done in repentance, obedience, and faith in Christ the great high priest of the people of God.

Good works have a tremendous importance. Doing them we are like God and we go about like Jesus "doing good." They are necessary for entrance into heaven on the last day. We are thus encouraged to take them up in earnest obedience to Jesus Christ our Lord.