PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• Romans 2:13 says, “For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.”
To be honest, I have avoided writing on this kind of Scripture.
It gets into that whole “good works” conversation which is important…
But for someone who hasn’t accepted Christ, it needs to be piggybacked with the truth of our salvation by grace alone (Ephesians 2:8-9).
And I’m not a theologian and I’ve never been to seminary.
So it feels intimidating to me to try to explain it.
But this morning, the Holy Spirit finally got through my thick skull and helped me understand that I’ve been making this way more complicated than it needs to be.
Plus, I’ve been way too self-reliant when I should have just been trusting His guidance on this topic all along.
The verse is telling us that it’s not enough to just hear about God and know about His rules.
We have to obey them.
It’s the same truth behind James’ words in James 2:14-26 which boils down to “faith without works is dead.”
And the central point that I’ve struggled to wrap my brain around is found in the middle of Romans 2:13, “those who obey the law…”
When Jesus was asked which of the commandments was the greatest, He replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment” (Matthew 22:37b-38).
That commandment is the core part of the law.
Every other law points back to it.
If someone hears the law and doesn’t apply it, it’s not good enough.
But if we love God with our whole being, then we obey the law.
Because when we genuinely love God, our faith creates in us a yearning to do the good works that Scripture talks about.
It’s not what saves us, but it’s what drives us, fueled by the love we have for Jesus.
Today, as you pray, thank the Holy Spirit for revealing truths about God’s word.
Ask Him to help you be obedient so that your good works aren’t a credit to you, but a reflection of His great goodness in your life.
