“6 He will repay each one according to his works: 7 eternal life to those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but wrath and anger to those who are self-seeking and disobey the truth while obeying unrighteousness.”
Paul here reveals how God will make His judgments. He defines the characteristics of one who does good and one who does not. Be assured that God will repay those He judges according to what they have done.
“Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life because of me will find it. For what will it benefit someone if he gains the whole world yet loses his life? Or what will anyone give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will reward each according to what he has done.’” — Matthew 16:24-27
This is good news for those who are saved in Christ! Those who have repented of their sin, confessed “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in His resurrection are saved. Not only that, but those who are saved in Christ Jesus will inherit the righteousness of Jesus. When the time comes for God to judge His people, He will judge them on the basis of Jesus and His righteous life.
“He made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” — 2 Corinthians 5:21
God will grant eternal life to those who are His saved people. This sounds like great news, and it is, as long as you are found to be in Christ on the day of judgment. For those who are self-seeking and disobedient to the truth, God will judge them according to their works as well. This is a call for them to repent, lest they fall into the hands of a wrathful and angry God.
Paul says that those who persist in doing good will be repaid eternal life. We must note that Paul is not saying that the way to salvation and eternal life is through a life of good works. Rather, salvation and eternal life come through the repentance of sin, a confession that “Jesus is Lord”, and belief in His resurrection. What Paul is saying is two-fold. First, a favorable judgment from God, deserving of eternal life, is already secured for God’s elect in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. Second, even though our judgment has already been decided on the merits of Jesus’ sacrifice for His elect, this does not give Christians a license to live in disobedience, but rather, provides the motivation for us to live a righteous lifestyle worthy of Christ’s sacrifice. We still need God’s grace and mercy, because in this fallen world and in these broken bodies, we will not be able to live a life completely worthy of Jesus’ sacrifice. That is why He had to step into time, live, die, and be raised in the first place!
Next, I would like to dissect the characteristics listed by Paul of one who does good, as they may seem a little strange at first. “…eternal life to those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality;” (v. 7) How can Christians be someone who seeks glory and honor? That seems contrary to the humble attitude that Christians are called to have, doesn’t it? Two thoughts. First, it is not our own glory and honor that we are seeking, but rather the glory and honor of Jesus’ name. Without Jesus, we have no glory or honor. We are called to seek the only one who has real, lasting glory and honor. Second, this glory and honor is not what you might think. Jesus shows us that it is not the loud and proud glory and honor like that of earthly kings, with bountiful possessions and large territories. Rather, it is a humble, servant-like glory and honor that edifies and builds up others. Jesus is the ultimate example of this kind of glory and honor.
“But someone somewhere has testified: What is man that you remember him, or the son of man that you care for him? You made him lower than the angels for a short time; you crowned him with glory and honor and subjected everything under his feet. For in subjecting everything to him, he left nothing that is not subject to him. As it is, we do not yet see everything subjected to him. But we do see Jesus — made lower than the angels for a short time so that by God’s grace he might taste death for everyone — crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death.” — Hebrews 2:6-9
If we strive to have the humility-driven glory and honor that Jesus does, Peter tells us that at Christ’s second coming we will achieve it.
“You are being guarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. You rejoice in this, even though now for a short time, if necessary, you suffer grief in various trials so that the proven character of your faith — more valuable than gold which, though perishable, is refined by fire — may result in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. Though you have not seen him, you love him; though not seeing him now, you believe in him, and you rejoice with inexpressible and glorious joy, because you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” — 1 Peter 1:5-9
The last characteristic of those who do good is to seek immortality. All humans are immortal. That is to say, we will all exist for eternity. The Bible makes quite certain that there is no doubt there is life after death. The defining question is, where will you spend eternity? Will you inherit eternal life, dwelling with God in His presence and glory in Heaven, or will you be eternally damned, suffering with Satan and his demons in the Lake of Fire? With this in mind, Christians must be focused on our immortality. Christians recognize that this life is temporary, and where we will spend eternity bears far greater consequences than the other concerns of this life. Christians may be called upon to endure great suffering or put off temporal pleasures in this life, but when considering the scope of eternity, Christians will find the motivation to persist in doing good and abstaining from evil.
The 4’s and 5’s have spent the last quarter learning the 10 Commandments and because we are sinners no one can keep them. That’s why we need a Savior. The last 2 weeks they have been memorizing 2 Corinthians 5:21! They are little sponges! Mary
Great lesson today Tyler. Isn’t it amazing that some people choose to ignore the warnings and some say they actually prefer going to hell, but oh boy are they ever going to have fun while there here in this life. I can’t imagine anyone being so foolish as to say something like that, but they do. Tragic!!!!!!