Paul wrote in Romans 2:7-10, “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.”
These verses are often presented as a proof text by those who believe good works save them. They use it to substantiate that eternal life is granted to those who “do good” by seeking God’s glory and honor versus those who obey unrighteousness. That is one reason why it is crucial for us to understand the meaning of Paul’s words so we can accurately present the truth to misled people.
When removed from their context, these verses give the impression that doing good (i.e., pursuing righteousness) results in eternal life, whereas not doing good (i.e., not pursuing righteousness) results in God’s wrath. However, when these verses are understood and interpreted in context—especially considering the content of Romans chapters one through five—Paul gave a sobering reality check against salvation through good works.
In Romans chapter one, Paul began to reveal the true sinfulness of all people. He addressed the wickedness of those who refuse to acknowledge and glorify God, resulting in all kinds of unrighteousness (see Romans 1:29-32).
In chapter two, Paul addressed any sense of innocence or goodness one might feel when judging others for the sins they themselves commit (see Romans 2:1-2). He also rebuked the arrogance of thinking one could sin yet somehow escape God’s righteous judgment and wrath (see Romans 2:3). Paul pointed out that all such pride and sinfulness would result in wrath on Judgment Day when God will “render to each person according to his deeds” (Romans 2:6).
These sobering facts help set the stage for correctly understanding Romans 2:7-10.
The first thing we must understand is that Paul did not abruptly interrupt his theme of expressing humanity’s guilt before God and the coming wrath against all sin to introduce a false doctrine of salvation through good works. Rather, he established that God only imputes eternal life to those who consistently and continuously do good, as in: they never sin but honor and glorify God unceasingly without fail.
David Guzik's commentary on Romans 2:7 states, “If someone genuinely did good at all times, he could merit eternal life of his own accord. But there is none, because all, in some way or another are, have been, or will be self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness.”
Additionally, Paul stated in Romans 3:10-12 that nobody qualifies for eternal life due to God’s criteria of goodness, which is void of sin. He wrote, “There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; There is none who does good, there is not even one.”
As such, Paul wanted his readers to understand in Romans 2:7-10 that sinners can expect God’s wrath and fury on Judgment Day unless, of course, they place their faith in the only One who continually and consistently did good on their behalf: Jesus Christ.
Only Jesus qualified as sinless and pure, having lived a perfect life of obedience to the Father on everyone’s behalf. When Jesus died a sacrificial death on the cross, God could impute His righteousness onto those who trusted Him for salvation, granting them eternal life, glory, honor, and peace because of His goodness and not their own.
Paul authenticated this fact in Romans 3:23-26 when he wrote, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.”
I hope this brief explanation of Romans 2:7-10 helps prepare you for encounters with those who believe and promote that “doing good” despite sinning grants them eternal life. I also hope it equips you to share the truth and meaning of Paul's words when understood in context.
