Perseverance in Good Works

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Romans 2:6-8 (NET)
He will reward each one according to his works:
eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and immortality,
but wrath and anger to those who live in selfish ambition and do not obey the truth but follow unrighteousness.

One thing we must immediately note here is that these verses above were written to believers in Rome and not unbelievers. These were people who already believed in the Lord Jesus and were now members of the church in Rome.

One would immediately wonder if in writing this, Apostle Paul forgot all about the doctrine of justification by faith and the gift of righteousness? But he didn’t. It was further in this letter that he gave some of his most profound teachings on these topics.

What then does today’s Bible verse mean? How does it apply to the believer?

It’s a warning for believers not to continue in the sins that Jesus came to save them from. It’s an admonition to believers who continue to practice sin in hypocrisy, but remain in church and even judge those who are caught in the same sins. (Read Romans 2 from verse 1 to get a clearer picture).

Go into today remembering that the faith that saves is one that is alive and not dead (see James 2:4). One sign of living faith is the presence of good works. For faith without works is dead. A sign of justifying[living] faith in the life of a believer is perseverance in good works.

Source: Devotional