The Need for Good Works as a result of Grace

Romans 2:6-11 (ESV) 6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.

Salvation by Grace can’t stop there

Doing good works alone will never get us to heaven. We are saved by grace alone, faith in Christ for what He has done on the cross by his redeeming us from death and judgement of God. However, grace can’t stop us just for salvation, sanctification (life transforming) must take place after the salvation or justification by faith.

That’s why Romans 2 here says God will render to each one according to his works. Works is very important. That’s what James 2 says:

James 2:14-17 (ESV) 14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

No one should live under the assumption that we are saved for good and ignore the process of change in life, sanctification, and therefore good works. No one can be saved, and stay as a spiritual baby, and not wanting to quit smoking, quit hatred, stealing, greed, lust and all the evils from the heart. Because if we don’t produce good works as a Christian, you would wonder if we have been saved on the first place. Salvation by grace is a first step, but it can’t stop there. Now if one is saved and tries to gain good favor of God by doing good deeds, the motivation or driving point of that will be wrong and unbiblical and not sustaining, and that won’t be under the category of Romans 2 here, because that’s done by human will effort, not based on what Christ has done. This is what is called you are trying to save yourself by your good deeds, and that will be wrong and not acceptable to God. That will be the case of never been saved at all. But if we produce good works, after we are saved by grace having faith in Christ alone, then it will be acceptable. Then change to produce good works is not to earn salvation, but as a change of our internal being.

God is the center point of discussion

David says to you alone have I sinned. You see how God centered he is? It’s all about God. He sinned against Bathsheba and her husband, but he said he sinned against the Lord and the Lord alone. What he means is that , of course, included Bathsheba and her dead husband, but the overarching person he’s sinned against is God himself. You see how intimate this is, our God is not a faraway God, but a very intimate, personal, and ownership God. So much so, Jesus said, I am in you, and you in me. Jesus has gone to the extent to have loved us and to totally identify with us that he says we are his brother, we are his children, and we are all in Christ. Paul says clearly that we are in Christ, an amazing theology.

Therefore our doing good works, is because of God himself. We want to please him for sure, but not for the reason to gain salvation, but just to please him, and also we are changed more and more to be like him.

Romans 2: 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek

And Romans 2 has gone on to say there will be tribulations and judgment for those who do wickedness, evil, and there will be glory honor and peace for those who do good deeds in Christ. Not in ourselves. So for Christians, this is a wakeup call to experience the sanctification and produce that visible fruit of salvation. Point in case, our conversation can’t be centered around primarily human pleasures, family children well-being, without much concern for the house of God, for the city we live in and our neighborhood. Do we also giver unto the poor and needy and the marginalized? To our churches? Support in money and manpower. All these are visible demonstration of care, love, compassion that will be the fruit of the Spirit that’s so important. I say the good deeds must come with the fruits of the Spirit, and if separated, they will be doomed.

Judgements and reward awaits us in the eternity

Romans 2:6-11 (ESV) 6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.