Unlimited: Who Are the Righteous?
May 20, 2022 1287
For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous (Romans 2:13).
Paul is emphasising here that just as having the law doesn’t help you be righteous before God, neither does hearing the law help you be righteous. The Jews were great hearers of the law.
Think about this logically. It is true that obedience to the law leads to righteousness. The Jews knew that. If there was a person who was born and never sinned, not by inclination, thought, word or deed; instead, every aspect of their lives perfectly keeping the law of God, what reason would God have to exclude that person from eternal life? None whatsoever! That’s what Paul is saying, that if you perfectly obey the law, you will be declared righteous.
Once the righteousness of Jesus has been credited to our account, then the Holy Spirit will help us to be doers of the Word.
But not a single member of the human race has ever, or will ever, attain righteousness through the law. There is only one person who lived a life of perfect obedience: his name is Jesus. Every other member of the human race is born in sin, which taints every aspect of their lives.
We have no hope apart from Jesus. Once the righteousness of Jesus has been credited to our account, then the Holy Spirit will help us to be doers of the Word. That is how you become a doer of the Word.
Spiritual Application
The apostle James tells us to:
be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves (James 1:22, NKJV).
Are you a hearer or a doer? How do you become a doer? Read the commentary above carefully again.
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