Brilliant, foundational, need to listen to sermon...
Piper helped answer a question in this sermon that I never really understood before in the clarity the he helped provide with the verse support and passion as only he can bring.
The question is: if we are justified by faith, than why is eternal life in these passages accord with perseverance by doing good.
Romans 2:6-11 - 6He will render to each one according to his works: 7to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11For God shows no partiality.
So, I appreciated his explanation of how we do not receive eternal life through works and the verses from Romans that confirmed this:
But here’s an urgent question. How does receiving eternal life or eternal wrath “according to works” fit with receiving eternal life by faith in Jesus Christ on the basis of God’s righteousness, not ours? In general there are two possible answers to this question. But before I give them to you, let me make sure you see what is in question and what is not.
Here is what is not in question. We are not questioning whether we are justified, set right with God, and eternally secured not on the basis of our deeds, but on the basis of God’s own righteousness imputed to us through our faith in Christ alone.
So, for example, Romans 3:28 says, “We maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.” Faith is the bond that unites a person to Christ, who is himself the foundation of justification.
The key of faith is even clearer in Romans 4:5, “But to the one who does not work, but believes in [that is, “trusts,” “has faith in”] Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness.” So faith functions to unite us to Christ before we have the good deeds of godliness, and this faith is treated as if it were our righteousness because it unites us to God’s righteousness.
Again Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” So justification—getting right with God—is through faith, not deeds.
And finally, Romans 8:33–34 shows that what is at stake here is indeed the final judgment and eternal life, as in Romans 2:7. “Who will bring a charge against God’s elect? [Future tense, namely, at the judgment day!] God is the one who justifies.” In other words, no one is going to be able to override the judgment of God in declaring his elect ones acquitted on the basis of Christ’s death for them. Then he states that basis in verse 34, “Who is the one who condemns? [implied: nobody! Why? Because …] Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.” So the death of Christ in my place, and the justification (the righteousness God imputes) is the basis of the gift of eternal life, not our deeds.
That’s what is not in question.
Piper than explained what was at stake and the written word doesn’t do it justice compare to listening to it on audio.
Here is what Piper says:
God never promised eternal life on the basis of good deeds, but always makes good deeds the evidence of faith that unites us to God in Christ, who is the basis of eternal life.
It means that God does indeed give eternal life to those who persevere in obedience not because this obedience is perfect or because it is the basis or the merit of eternal life, but because saving faith always changes our lives in the power of the Holy Spirit so that true believers persevere in doing good. In other words, a changed life of obedience to God’s truth (verse 8) is not the basis of eternal life, but the evidence of authentic faith which unites us to Christ who is the basis of eternal life.
Eternal life is always based on Jesus Christ and through our faith. But since faith, by the Holy Spirit, always sanctifies or changes us into the image of Christ (one degree at a time, 2 Corinthians 3:18), there will be deeds that “accord with” this saving faith. So while eternal life will be awarded only to believers, it will be awarded “according to”—there will be an accord with—their deeds. There will be a way of life that God can put on display to demonstrate to the world that this person’s faith was real.
Here Piper gives some examples of this from scripture:
Consider Romans 6:22. Here Paul describes the Christian life and how it relates to holiness and eternal life. He says, “But now having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you derive your benefit [literally: you have your fruit], resulting in sanctification [or holiness], and the outcome [the goal, telos], eternal life.” Now notice how eternal life is related to the life of a believer. It is the goal or the “outcome.” Of what? Of being enslaved to God (by faith, I would argue) which yields the fruit of holiness.
consider Galatians 6:8–9. Galatians is the book closest to Romans in the argument it develops about justification by faith. So we are in the same orbit of thought. As I read these two verses, watch for how eternal life comes to Christians. Paul is speaking to the church: “The one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption [the opposite of immortality], but the one who sows to the Spirit [see Romans 8:13] will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap [eternal life] if we do not grow weary.”
This is virtually identical in thought to Romans 2:7. There God gives eternal life to those who persevere in doing good. Here in verse 9, if we don’t “lose heart in doing good” (which is the same as “persevering in doing good”) we will reap. Reap what? Verse 8: “The one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”
Now, in none of these texts does it say that eternal life is earned by or merited by or based on good deeds. They simply say, in effect, that the final verdict of eternal life will accord with good deeds. They go together. And the reason they go together is not that works has replaced faith or that merit has replaced grace, but because the gospel of justification by faith is the power of God unto salvation. It is not a weak thing. The gospel does not come into a life and leave it under the dominion of sin. It comes in the power of the Holy Spirit. And where it is believed, trusted and cherished, it produces what Paul calls “the obedience of faith” (Romans 1:5; 16:26). And eternal life always accords with that.
consider Galatians 6:8–9. Galatians is the book closest to Romans in the argument it develops about justification by faith. So we are in the same orbit of thought. As I read these two verses, watch for how eternal life comes to Christians. Paul is speaking to the church: “The one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption [the opposite of immortality], but the one who sows to the Spirit [see Romans 8:13] will from the Spirit reap eternal life. Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap [eternal life] if we do not grow weary.”
This is virtually identical in thought to Romans 2:7. There God gives eternal life to those who persevere in doing good. Here in verse 9, if we don’t “lose heart in doing good” (which is the same as “persevering in doing good”) we will reap. Reap what? Verse 8: “The one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”
Now, in none of these texts does it say that eternal life is earned by or merited by or based on good deeds. They simply say, in effect, that the final verdict of eternal life will accord with good deeds. They go together. And the reason they go together is not that works has replaced faith or that merit has replaced grace, but because the gospel of justification by faith is the power of God unto salvation. It is not a weak thing. The gospel does not come into a life and leave it under the dominion of sin. It comes in the power of the Holy Spirit. And where it is believed, trusted and cherished, it produces what Paul calls “the obedience of faith” (Romans 1:5; 16:26). And eternal life always accords with that.
So, if you made it this far, it may be a simple sermon to you, but in essence, as Piper says, these verses eliminate the easy believeism that seems to strangle America. If we believe, there will be persevering works that leads to Eternal life. Now, there is the thief on the cross, the guy who obtains eternal life but escapes by fire, but in essence, the warning is there: You will know your life by your fruit. Only the Spirit can bring true, lasting, godly fruit...
If you can, listen to this talk. It will be worth it...
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