the One Who justifies

For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.

Romans 2:13

Paul here is emphasizing the end result of belief in the gospel. Only those who have done good will be justified. Of course, he is also shrewdly arguing that even those who want to commit to keeping God’s Law still fail at it at some point. And failure to keep even the smallest point of the Law is failure to keep all of God’s Law.

It isn’t enough to only hear or know God’s Law. We can know the right thing to do and that does not mean that we have done it! In order to be justified before God a record of doing God’s Law perfectly must be found when He judges us. And only through belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ, that Jesus’ sinless record is laid over my sinful soul, can I hope and trust to be seen as a doer of God’s Law. I must be forgiven and a sinless Savior must clothe me in His righteousness. Only the perfection of Christ can give me confidence to stand at the Day of Judgment to be declared justified. Otherwise I am a failed hearer of God’s Law.

Lord,

In grateful humility I bow to the perfection of Your Son. His righteousness for my unrighteousness… His life for my death… His perfect obedience for my disobedience… all these are my only hope of salvation. And with Jesus Christ the Righteous I can stand before You, my God, now justified! Thank You for loving the world, and me, in this way.

Amen