for it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God,
but the doers of the law who will be justified.
[romans 2:13]
we said yesterday that it is good for us to sit in a small portion of God’s word for a couple of days.
we started yesterday sitting in this passage – focusing on the first statement…
it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, …
today…
let’s sit in this truth –
but the doers of the law who will be justified.
take a look at these words in the context of the whole verse.
it is not “hearing the word” that makes us “righteous”.
righteous meaning – right before God’s eyes by his standard of holiness.
a lot in these words,
- we are not right before God in and of ourselves.
- we need to be made right before God – to be with God.
- we are NOT MADE RIGHT with God by hearing the word. (that is – reading the word, listening to the word, attending lot family, hearing sermons, hearing podcasts on the word, growing up in a home that read the word)
so what makes us right before God (justified) according to this verse?
the doers of the law who will be justified.
so to be clear –
there is no right standing by OUR WORKS.
for by grace you have been saved through faith. and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. [ephesians 2:8-9]
who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began [2 timothy 1:9]
he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, [titus 3:5]
for we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. [romasn 3:28]
so what is the Spirit saying to us in this word?
it begins with – your works will evidence your salvation – listen to ephesians 2:10 that follow verse 8 and 9 that say we are not saved by grace.
for we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. [ephesians 2:10]
so what is the Spirit saying to us in this word? it is so much and so full. so …
read it again.
pray into it today.
ask him over and over today.
think on it all day.
and, at the end of the day – take stock of what God is saying.
write it down and pray through it and then – be a doer of the word!
~ john ryan