TruthLikeaDiamond
CHAPTER 2
Why Does the Gospel Have to Be Power?
We learned in the previous chapter that the gospel is not just some knowledge or a concept but rather the power of God. In order for the gospel to be able to save people, it must be power. If not so, it would not be capable of saving even one soul, for salvation is not merely the forgiveness of sins but the liberation from the rule of sin. This power is therefore necessary (John 8:34-36).
(1) ‘Salvation by works’ versus ‘Judgment by works’!
What is the gospel? It is justification. It is the doctrine of justification by faith. However, there is something we should know before we delve into the doctrine of justification, and we can find it in Romans 2:6-11.
[God] will render to each person according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God.
Dr. Yon-gyong Kwon had mentioned that “it can never be stressed enough just how important these verses are in understanding Paul’s soteriology and theory of justification.” These words are very true. The doctrine of justification must start from these verses together with the notion in Romans chapters 1-3 that we humans are sinners in need of salvation. This is how we can properly understand justification, and this is how we can comprehend why the gospel must be the power of God. These verses are the very first step necessary for properly understanding the gospel.
Paul states a very fundamental theological principle in these verses, the principle of “judgment by works”. It is the notion that the works of man become the standard by which the final judgment is passed. Regardless of whether one is a Jew or a Gentile, God will judge every person according to his or her works. Paul gives a very clear statement on this with an efficient use of chiastic structure.
A. God repays each person according to his or her works. (v. 6)
B. He repays those who do good with eternal life. (v. 7)
C. He repays those who do evil with wrath. (v. 8)
C'. There will be ruin for those who do evil.- First for the Jew, then for the Greek (v. 9)
B'. There will be glory for those who do good.-First for the Jew, then for the Greek (v. 10)
A'. There is no partiality with God. (v. 11)
“There is no partiality with God,” means that He judges in fairness, repaying each one according to his or her works. Rhetorically, the center of such chiastic structure is what usually receives the most emphasis. In this case, sections C and C' on the works of evil would be that center. Through this structure, Paul is strongly criticizing the Jews who break the Law yet have no fear of judgment.Nonbelievers and worshippers of idols cannot receive eternal life. Therefore, the ones mentioned in verse 7, “who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality,” cannot be nonbelievers. They would have to be true Jews, namely those who are Jews inwardly. Furthermore, in verse 29, the reference to being “by the Spirit, not by the letter” is an expression in relation to the new covenant, and it can thus be understood as connotatively referring to Christians as well, for Christians are also true Jews. This is what Dr. Han-soo Lee wrote as he commentated on verse 10, which runs parallel to verse 7.
If we consider the expression, “First the Jews, then the Gentiles,” as being applied to those who believe the gospel in chapter 1 verse 16 aswell as those that do good in chapter 2 verse 10, then we can conclude that “those that do good” is connotatively referring to Christians.
Paul is merely using as general an expression as possible in order for his logic to broadly apply to the people.
On the other hand, “those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness” in verse 8 signifies those who are Jews outwardly, including nominal Christians. God repays such people with wrath and indignation; what awaits them is condemnation and ruin. As these verses show, God’s judgment is based on works. This judgment by works is a clear biblical truth that is mentioned countless times in the Old Testament, the four Gospels, and the Epistles of the New Testament. Dr. Han-soo Lee had written that “judgment by works is a fundamental part of Christian and Jewish faith.” 4 He also mentioned that “Paul … applied the principle of judgment by works not only to non-Christians but to Christians as well.”
This reminds me of when I had gathered together all the verses in the Scripture that dealt with judgment by works during my time at seminary. I read those verses to every student or fellow believer I met, and I remember explaining the gospel to them as I saw their shocked expressions. I want to share with you just some of the verses that I used back then.
“When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness, commits iniquity and dies because of it, for his iniquity which he has committed he will die. Again, when a wicked man turns away from his wickedness which he has committed and practices justice and righteousness, he will save his life. … Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his conduct,” declares the Lord GOD. (Ezekiel 18:26-27, 30)
And you, son of man, say to your fellow citizens, “The righteousness of a righteous man will not deliver him in the day of his transgression, and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he will not stumble because of it in the day when he turns from his wickedness; whereas a righteous man will not be able to live by his righteousness on the day when he commits sin.” … When the righteous turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, then he shall die in it. But when the wicked turns from his wickedness and practices justice and righteousness, he will live by them. Yet you say, “The way of the Lord is not right.” O house of Israel, I will judge each of you according to his ways. (Ezekiel 33:12, 18-20)
For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5:20)
Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.”(Matthew 7:21-23)
If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life crippled, than, having your two hands, to go into hell, into the unquenchable fire. If your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame, than, having your two feet, to be cast into hell. If your eye causes you to stumble, throw it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, than, having two eyes, to be cast into hell. (Mark 9:43-47)
Do not marvel at this; for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment. (John 5:28-29)
For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. (Hebrews 10:26-27)
But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.
Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. (James 1:14-15)
What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?
(James 2:14)
Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. (1 John 3:7-10)
Then He said to me, “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost. He who overcomes will in- herit these things, and I will be his God and he will be My son. But for the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and immoral persons and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their part will be in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.” (Revelation 21:6-8)
As it can be seen, the Scripture is full of verses concerning judg- ment by works. It is important here to note that ‘salvation by works’ and ‘judgment by works’ are two different things. Asserting that salvation is determined by works is unbiblical and a heresy. Such a claim is asserting that one can be saved by the works of the Law. Stating that judgment is determined by works, however, is entirely biblical and proper. It is the very evidence proving, in accordance with the Scripture, that only those with true faith will receive salvation. This notion of judgment by works can be seen in many books and works of renowned men and women of God. (Our church too supports this judgment by works.) I want to share with you just a few of those writings.
First, these are the words of Thomas à Kempis from his book, The Imitation of Christ.
On the day of judgment, surely, we shall not be asked what we have readbut what we have done; not how well we have spoken but how well we have lived.
Jonathan Edwards also wrote the following.
Such holy practice, in the sense in which we have explained, is the best kind of evidence of the reality of grace in the Christian’s conscience. 7 … This great evidence of holy practice will be used before the judgment seat of God. … The Scriptures abundantly teach us that the Judge’s major evidence will be men’s works or practice here in this world.
Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote the following in his exposition on Romans.
No, in the judgment, the one question that will be asked is, ‘What about sin? What of your life? What have you done?’ The judgment is concerned and interested only in this question of sin. And it does not matter who you are if you have sinned. … It does not matter whether you are a member of a church or have never been a member of a church. … If you have sinned, you have sinned and you will be judged according to your sin. That is what he is saying.
There is another author that cannot be left out when dealing with explanations on judgment by works. John Stott is known as the greatest evangelical theologian of our generation, and the explanations in his book, Authentic Christianity, are worthy of such compliments.
Judged by our works
The whole New Testament teaches this; although we sinners can be ‘justified’ only by faith in Christ, yet we shall be ‘judged’ by our works. This is not a contradiction. It is because good works of love are the only available public evidence of our faith. Our faith in Jesus Christ is secret, hidden in our hearts. But if it is genuine, it will manifest itself visibly in good works. As James had put it, ‘I will show you my faith by what I do … faith without deeds is useless’ (Jas. 2:18, 20). Since the judgment day will be a public occasion, it will be necessary for public evidence to be produced, namely the outworking of our faith in compassionate action. Jesus himself taught this many times. For example, ‘The Son of man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done’ (Mt. 16:27). It is not our salvation, but our judgment, which will be according to our works.
In the same book, Stott also wrote the following.
The Christian and good works
Although we cannot be saved by works, we also cannot be saved without them. Good works are not the way of salvation, but its proper and necessary evidence. A faith which does not express itself in works is dead.
Unfortunately, there are far too many theologians and preachers that are ignorant of such a clear and important truth. There was a time during my ministry in Ulsan, Korea when I gave an exposition on the Book of Romans. Amidst the materials that I had researched then, I found that many exegetists and scholars were perplexed by these verses. Why would they be perplexed? To put it nicely, they were influenced by Luther’s theory of justification. To put it harshly, they were brainwashed by the distorted theory of justification like that of the Salvation Sect. It is obvious that they would be perplexed by these verses as they read them with such a distorted view. The notion that God judges according to the works of each person was bound to confuse them, since they had been engrained with the notion that simply believing would forgive them of their sins and allow them to enter into heaven. Dr. In-gyu Hong of Baekseok University also made the same criticism in his book, How Will You Read the Book of Ro- mans?
“[God] will render to each person according to his deeds” (Rom. 2:6). This is declaring that the final judgment will be based on works. This principle can be found not only in the Old Testament but also in different places of the New Testament, including the epistles of Paul himself (e.g. Rom. 14:12; 1 Cor. 3:8, 3:13-23; 4:4-21; 9:17; 2 Cor. 5:10; 9:6; Gal. 6:7-10; Eph. 6:8; Col. 3:23-24; Matt. 5:20, 5:22, 5:27-30; 7:21; 16:27; 25:31-46; Luke 18:18-30; John 5:29; Heb. 6:7-8; 10:26-31; 2 Pet. 1:10-11; Rev. 2:7, 2:11, 2:23, 2:26; 3:5, 3:12, 3:21; 14:10-12; 20:12-13; 22:12). There are people who believe that the doctrine of judgment being by works is inconsistent with the truth that we are saved by faith alone. However, such thoughts are a result of misunderstanding the salvation of Christ. … Judgment by works is not saying that God is acknowledging the achievements of man. Rather, it is the judging of whether or not their life was one that was under the lordship of Christ.
You are free to believe what you wish. The truth, however, will not change. For those who persevere and do good, God rewards them with eternal life. For those who follow evil rather than the truth, He repays with “wrath and indignation”. No one can change this fact. Judgment is passed only ‘in accordance with truth’ (Rom. 2:2). I therefore hope that we can all become those that properly know the truth and fear of the Lord (2 Cor. 5:11). There is another point we must all consider. What is justification? Justification is the act of rescuing us from God’s wrath and indignation on the day of judgment. It is the countermeasure and solution to the righteous wrath of God.
… and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the wrath to come. (1 Thessalonians 1:10)
Salvation is nothing other than the rescuing from the wrath to come. This is why Paul wrote the following.
For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:9)
Take note of the contrast of the words ‘wrath’ and ‘salvation’. Justification is the salvation from that wrath. Dr. Seyoon Kim hence wrote the following in his exposition on this verse.
That the Son of God rescues us from God’s wrath is the language of justification. That is because being saved from God’s wrath at the final judgment, negatively speaking, means that we have been declared as innocent, and positively speaking, means that we have been declared as righteous. These two meanings are ultimately the same. This is justification.
Here is a very real explanation. Are you not afraid when your husband gets angry? Does it not scare you when your wife is angry? Are you not afraid when your boss at work is about to blow his or her lid? It is indeed frightening! Then how much more so would it be when God is angry? Just as how there is a saying that we must “beware the anger of the quiet ones”, the fact that God is gentle should make us more afraid (Rom. 2:4-5).
The wrath of a king is the most frightening kind of wrath belonging to man.
The fury of a king is like messengers of death. (Proverbs 16:14)
The terror of a king is like the growling of a lion; He who provokes him to anger forfeits his own life. (Proverbs 20:2)
This is because the king has the authority to determine one’s life and death. However, the wrath of God, the King of kings, is seven times more terrifying than the wrath of any human king. This is what the Scripture shows us of how terrifying the wrath of God is.
Who understands the power of Your angerAnd Your fury, according to the fear that is due You? (Psalm 90:11)
Then the kings of the earth and the great men and the commanders and the rich and the strong and every slave and free man hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains; and they said to the mountains and to the rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the presence of Him who sits on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb.” (Revelation 6:15-16)
Like so, even kings hide before the wrath of God. Then why is the wrath of God so terrifying? The reason lies with the fact that God has the authority to cast us into hell.
I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear the One who, after He has killed, has authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him! (Luke 12:4-5)
Then another angel, a third one, followed them, saying with a loud voice, “If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or on his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment goes up forever and ever; they have no rest day and night, those who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name.” (Revelation 14:9-11)
Justification, however, is the very thing that rescues us from this terrifying wrath of God at the seat of judgment between heaven and hell. This is why justification is important. This is why it is salvation. And what is it that we see in Romans 2:6-11? The terrifying wrath and indignation of God at the seat of judgment.
[God] will render … to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. (Romans 2:6, 8)
The prior verse also mentions the wrath that is to come on the day of judgment, namely the day of wrath.
But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. (Romans 2:5)
Thus, Romans 2:6-11 is not unrelated to justification. Rather, justification has a deep relation with these verses. Justification must therefore be interpreted and understood within these boundaries. This is how we will be able to know why the gospel must be power. This is how we will refrain from being deluded by the Salvation-Sect- like doctrine of justification that has become so popular nowadays.
And this is how our faith won’t become like the house built on sand. God judges in accordance to the works of each person. The judgment of God is judgment by works. Yet, can we overcome sin with our human strength? Definitely not. We need the power of God. Therefore, the gospel cannot be anything other than the power of God.
Just as how God had brought Israel out of Egypt with His mighty hand and outstretched arms, it is not words or knowledge, but power alone that can free us from the shackles and reign of sin. The gospel must be the power of the omnipotent God. A gospel that is not the power of God is a false gospel! I therefore hope that all of you can believe in this true gospel that is the power of God and be justified.
NEXT
(2) Judgment by works, a part of the gospel!