Romans 2:1-16 and the "Works Principle"

An excerpt from “Doers of the Law,” Part Two of a Deep Dive into Romans 2:1-16, from The Blessed Hope Podcast Season Five Series on the Book of Romans

Paul has stated in Romans 1:18–32 that Gentiles stand condemned because they know God through what has been made. But because of sin, they culpably exchange the truth of God for a lie—the source of all false religion. As a result, God gives them over to the consequences of their sin, depicted by Paul as a downward spiral into ever deeper depths of depravity. In Romans 2:1–16, Paul turns his focus to the Jews, who self-righteously judge the conduct of the Gentiles while doing the very same things they accuse the Gentiles of doing. This leads Paul to affirm one of the main principles of biblical theology—the “works principle.” God promises blessings to those who obey him, while he threatens curses upon those who disobey him. Since all have disobeyed, neither Jew nor Gentile can stand before God on judgment day and claim a righteous standing. They will not be justified. If God gives them what they deserve, they will perish.

Paul also speaks here of the fact that the law of God is written upon all human hearts—both Jew and Gentile. At Mount Sinai, those unwritten but universal commandments were written on two stone tablets and revealed to Israel, then codified and published in a distinctly covenantal context. This context demonstrates God’s will for his people through the Ten Commandments. These commandments are holy, righteous, and good (Romans 7:12). Those who keep these commandments (i.e., “doers”) will be justified. But the inability of the Jews to keep these commandments, along with the inability of the Gentiles to keep the unwritten version of the law inscribed upon their hearts, prepares the way for the coming of Israel’s Messiah—the incarnate Creator-Redeemer—who alone will keep God’s commands and then offer himself as a sacrifice for the sins of those who cannot.

This is why Paul speaks of God’s kindness as leading us to repentance—including repentance for all those times we have self-righteously looked down on others. Not one of us has done good and avoided evil. None of us has earned a righteous standing or eternal life. We all deserve God’s judgment. Who are we to condemn others? God hates self-righteousness, whether it is found among Jews who looked down on the Gentiles while doing the very same things themselves or among Christians who look down their noses at “bad people,” all the while forgetting that it was the same patience and kindness of God that he now shows to these sinners that once led us to repentance. Self-righteousness in all its forms is sin, and we must repent of it.

The depth of God’s kindness becomes clear when we realize that God sent Jesus to fulfill the terms of the covenant of works and to obey his law perfectly. Make no mistake about it: we are saved by good works—just not ours. The key question is, “Whose works, then?” Jesus Christ performed sufficient good works to earn eternal life. He did not sin. On the cross, Jesus received the curse for sin that was due to us because the guilt of our sins was imputed to him, as we will see in Romans 3:21–31. Whenever the gospel is preached, his righteousness—the righteousness from God now revealed—creates faith and gives eternal life. If we are “in Christ,” we need never fear the coming day of judgment. Jesus has suffered and died for our sins. He has taken away the wrath of God.

The good news of the gospel is that, through faith in Jesus, God reckons us as obedient to his commandments, as if we had personally obeyed every commandment at every moment of our lives. This is why Paul calls the gospel “good news” and why the gospel is the power of God for the salvation of all who believe! In Romans 2:4, the apostle adds that it is God’s kindness that leads us to trust the Savior and repent of our sins. And because he is kind, loving, and gracious, what he demands of us under the law, he freely gives us in the gospel.