GRACE BLOGS COLLECTION
Was the Apostle Paul confused when he wrote Romans 2:13? Because this verse doesn’t seem to belong in the Bible:
For it is not the hearers of the law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. (Romans 2:13)
Doers of the law will be justified?!
Was Paul having a senior moment? Did he forget to insert the word NOT?
There is an easy explanation for this strange verse, which we’ll get to in a minute. But first, let’s be clear: we are justified by faith alone and NOT by keeping the law.
Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1)
Justification by faith is one of the great themes of Paul’s writing. Again and again, he reminds us that we are justified or made right with God through faith in his Son (Rom. 3:28, Gal. 3:24).
Since we are justified by faith, and the law is not of faith (Gal. 3:12), no one can ever be justified by keeping the law.
By the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in his sight. (Romans 3:20)
And one more time for emphasis:
We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. (Galatians 2:16)
Paul could not be any clearer. We’re justified by faith not law. Try to impress God with your law-keeping, and you’ll fall from grace and cut yourself off from Christ:
You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. (Galatians 5:4)
So with such a clear message (faith, not law), why does Paul say doers of the law will be justified?
Paul was not saying, “Try and keep the law and you will justify yourself before God,” for that would contradict what he says elsewhere about being justified by faith.
He was saying, “hearing the law is not enough, you have to keep it – and none of you can!”
In context, Paul was speaking to people who knew the law (Rom. 7:1). Like many believers, they had been raised on a diet of rules. They thought if they heard the rules, studied the rules, and hung them on their walls, God would be impressed.
Nope.
Going to church and hearing the rules is not enough.
Teaching the rules and condemning those who break them is not enough.
Lobbying for God’s law to be hung on courthouses is not enough.
You have to keep all the rules and no one can.
It is impossible for imperfect man to deliver a lifetime of perfect performance. Paul is not calling us to attempt the impossible; he’s trying to get us to admit defeat.
Doers of the law will be justified, but you are not and never can be a doer of the law.
There was only one Doer of the law who was made right with God and that Doer offers you his righteousness as a free gift.
So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith. (Galatians 3:24)
To be justified means God has judged you righteous and not guilty of sin. To be justified is to be made right with God.
You cannot earn the gift of righteousness and you cannot justify yourself before God. The only thing you can do is receive his righteousness by faith.
Want to get right with God?
Start by thanking him for Jesus who was made sin so that you might be justified and made righteous (2 Cor. 5:21).
You are not justified or made right with God because of anything you do, but because of everything he has done.
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Want to learn more about justification, righteousness, and the law? Check out our ever-expanding Grace Glossary.
Read more articles and these frequently-asked questions about the law.
When the Jewish people were pursuing righteousness through a law of works, it was not a righteousness of faith, but it was based on their inconsistent works, which did not bring peace with God. For those who were described as having lived by faith or done great things because of faith, it had nothing to do with the law or their own works. Do we need those old rules and commandments to lead, teach and guide us as believers in Christ? No, we have Someone who lives in us who will fill that role much better.
Things rarely heard in church buildings: The law given to Moses resulted in sin increasing, not diminishing. It was described by the Apostle Paul as a ministry of death, condemnation, and no longer has any glory because a more glorious ministry of the Spirit has surpassed it.
More from Paul … the law bore fruit for death, it was the strength of sin, it was a ministry of bondage, it could not provide life or righteousness. He stated how the law is not of faith but was a guardian … until faith would come (Christ), resulting in no longer being under the old guard of the law. The law demanded it be kept perfectly but could make nothing perfect, therefore was considered weak and useless. Jesus came to redeem Jews from it, not bring Gentiles into it. A new and better covenant replaced that old, ineffective ministry, which nobody could ever live by.
But what religion has frequently failed to recognize is what was accomplished by Jesus at the cross and resurrection, which allowed for the annulment of that ministry—where Jews were unable to attain righteousness—and Gentiles had no hope or covenant at all. God was able to tear down the barrier of commandments and bring these two groups together in Christ by fulfilling the law perfectly in us.
When you reach a certain age, you have to go for periodic checkups to ensure that nasty diseases haven’t flared up since your last check up. Similarly, it’s a good idea to undergo regular scans for self-righteousness.
Like cancer and heart disease, self-righteousness is one of the biggest killers around. Self-righteousness is believing there are things you can do to make yourself pleasing to God.
Self-righteousness is sometimes manifested in feelings of superiority towards others. But self-righteousness can also be reflected in a low sense of self-worth.
The defining ingredient of self-righteousness is that you are providing your own standard of righteousness.
When you decide what is good and right, perhaps on the basis of your own moral judgment or law-keeping, you are eating from the wrong tree. You are usurping God’s role as the Righteous Judge. True righteousness comes from trusting in Jesus, the Righteous One (2 Cor. 5:21).
Below is a simple self-administered test to help you detect the odor of self-righteousness. Respond to each statement below by indicating true or false.
How to score: Give yourself a point for every statement you scored as true.
How to interpret your score:
Score: 0 – 1 = you’re probably not self-righteous, unless you brag about your test result.
Score 2 or more: You’re a little bit self-righteous. Don’t panic! “All of us” are self-righteous at some point (Is. 64:6). The good news is self-righteousness is a treatable disease. See Doctor Jesus straightaway.
To learn more about self-righteousness and how to treat it, check out my article, “Six Signs of a Self-Righteous Mindset.”
The Grace Commentary is a great place to find answers to Bible questions, like these:
1. What is the word of God?
2. Why say a man is justified by works and not faith alone?
3. How will God repay us according to our deeds?
4. Why didn’t the religious leaders stone Jesus like they stoned Stephen?
5. Why did Paul call himself a bond-servant if he knew he was a son?
6. What is a measure of faith?
7. How do we work out your salvation “with fear and trembling”?
8. What is the significance of David’s Key?
9. What does it mean to “the God of hope”?
10. What are the works of faith?
Add the Grace Commentary to your home screen today!
The question we need to ask is … exactly what work or works can people do to ensure they are in an acceptable position with God? What act can we possibly perform to ensure we’re saved, forgiven, accepted, blessed and perfectly loved? Our honest answer should be that we can add nothing to the finished work and shed blood of Jesus. He “did” for us what we can never “do” for ourselves.
While lifestyle and changes in behavior can be a positive thing in this life, it has nothing to do with who God has declared you to already be as His child—having inherited His very nature and now gaining access to all things pertaining to life and godliness. The idea that we are trying to climb a spiritual ladder of self-improvement is a fairy tale which leaves people in the same hopeless position as those who were under the law in the faulty first covenant. It leads to one of two dead end streets: self-righteous hypocrisy or guilt and condemnation. Jesus did the work so we could live in a place of peace and rest.
The gospel isn’t about attaining right-standing with God through what we do … or what the Jewish people were attempting to do by the works of the law. Repentance involves a change of mind by realizing the more excellent ministry of the New Covenant—which ended a religious merit system—and to begin trusting in what Jesus did to bring us to a place of righteousness and perfection.
Many well-meaning believers in Christ are eating from the same tree today, perhaps having the same good intentions as Adam. Today, religion declares: “We should try to become more like Jesus!” This is the result when one fails to comprehend their identity acquired/inherited from the life of God. We’re celebrating over 800 podcasts, looking back at some of our key discussions from over the years.
Most church buildings are filled with believers who have assumed they are “sinners saved by grace,” when no such phrase is written within the pages. It’s a fake I.D.! We have inherited certain attributes from God as new creations in Christ and one of those is that we are now identified as righteous—the righteousness of God in Him.
This week we’re wrapping-up our series on Paul’s many exhortations about salvation as a gift by grace through faith, apart from works … and how it contrasted with what James and other Jewish leaders believed during many of those years in the early church. Paul puts the icing on the cake with the gospel in a nutshell when he reminds Titus:
“But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:4-7).
Paul went on to say that foolish discussions about the law should be avoided because it was useless and unprofitable. Why? The law had been put aside and ended with Christ. So, while Paul exhorts believers to good works—which can be profitable—they are a byproduct of our new identity in Christ as righteous and justified people. They contribute nothing towards our justification. A legalistic mindset will suggest that faith without works is dead—but Paul was repeatedly trying to show it’s the other way around—works without faith is dead.