⁷ … to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; ⁸ but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.

General principles abound in Scripture concerning our behavior and its consequences. When taken out of context and misunderstood, this can lead to all variations of religion which have as their central component works-based salvation. Today’s passage is one of those cases. The apostle, in this letter to the Romans, is building a case that every human being on earth has failed to live up to God’s glory: “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). In particular, we have all failed at the general principle found in this passage today (2:7-8). What is that principle?

God will judge us based on what we do, not on what we say or on our ancestry, our religious affiliations, our moralistic pronouncements, or even professions of faith. Eternal life and judgment are personal, individualistic things; we all answer for ourselves. God rewards eternal life to those who continually and unremittingly “seek for glory and honor and immortality,” and brings wrath to those who “are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness.” Nothing in the book of Romans contradicts this principle. However, this does not mean people can be saved by their own meritorious good works, as though they have earned salvation and it is a debt God owes them. Such an interpretation would contradict Paul’s clear teaching elsewhere (see 3:20 for example).

We need to keep in mind the teaching of Jesus when asked, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?” He answered His questioners, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent” (John 6:28–29). It is the true believer who does the works of God. The goal of his perseverance in good works is not selfish ambition – that is the sign of unbelievers, those who will receive God’s wrath. Rather, the goal of believers is faith that is found in and motivated by the glory and honor and immortality that is found in God, not in one’s own unrighteous, self-serving deeds.

For unbelievers, their judgment will be all about their works, which will be shown to be “insolent, arrogant” (1:30) and to reflect a “stubbornness and unrepentant heart” (2:5). Their good deeds are self-centered, performed for the benefit accrued to them. The warning is stark. Faith removes us from selfishness to God-centeredness. And that is what eternal life is all about.

Lord, I believe in You, not because of the benefit it accrues to me but because You are God, my Creator and my Lord.