but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the jew first and also the greek. [romans 2:10]
faith results in doing good
we are not saved by good works, but our salvation always results in good works. after all, it makes sense that a healthy apple tree will grow apples, a healthy orange tree will grow oranges, and a healthy believer will grow good works.
in the previous verse, paul states that there is a punishment for those who do evil, and here he contrasts this with the ‘glory and honor and peace’ for those who do good. this truth is repeated frequently in scripture.
Jesus speaks to this in matthew 25, teaching that all our works will be judged. to those who do good works He will say,
“34 come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.”
likewise, he speaks to those who did not do these things, stating that they are “cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (v. 41).
Jesus makes clear that when we do good (or evil) to those around us, it is as if we are doing these things for Him (v. 40) and we will be judged accordingly.
good works are evidence of faith
in his letter, james asks believers “what good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? can that faith save him? (james 2:14).
we are not saved by works, but faith without works gives no evidence of salvation. If we are truly saved, that will be evident in the good we do and in the love we show. we are not saved by serving our community or being kind of our neighbor, but we do these things out of love for Christ and our desire to serve Him by serving others.
we serve others through good works not because of some religious mandate, but because we follow a savior who calls us towards these works. like the tree that bears fruit, we bear the fruit of good works, and these works will be revealed and rewarded by our savior Himself. may we life in such a way as to expect glory, honor and peace as our eternal reward.
~ jason soroski