Who will render to every man according to his deeds
[Rom. 2:6].
He shall reward every man according to his works.
Absolute justice is the criterion of the judgment or rewards. Man’s deeds
stand before God in His holy light. No man in his right mind wants to be
judged on this basis. Remember Cornelius—he was a good man, but he was lost.
To them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek
for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life [Rom. 2:7].
Let’s keep in mind that under this second principle, a
way of life is not the subject. Rather, a way of life is the basis of
judgment. The “do-gooder” will be judged according to his works. John said,
“And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were
opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead
were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according
to their works” (Rev. 20:12). The man who wants to work for eternal life may
do so. He will be judged according to his deeds, but he is warned that they
will avail nothing. “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life
was cast into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:15). Trusting Christ as Savior puts
your name in the “book of life.” Eternal life is not a reward for effort; it
is a gift to those who trust Christ.
Now notice the third principle of judgment.
McGee, J. Vernon: Thru the Bible
Commentary. electronic ed. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997,
c1981, S. 4:657-658
But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace
which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly
than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me [1 Cor.
15:9–10].
Paul calls himself the least of the apostles. He is being
very modest here. Inspiration guarantees that this is a statement which came
from his heart. My heart says, “Paul, you’re great. I can’t consider you the
least of the apostles.” But Paul says he isn’t worthy to be called an
apostle because he persecuted the church of God. He considered himself to be
the chief of sinners. Yet he was the hardest worker of any of the apostles.
But, very candidly, he tells us that it was the grace of God that enabled
him to accomplish what he did.
McGee, J. Vernon: Thru the Bible
Commentary. electronic ed. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997,
c1981, S. 5:74
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not
as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own
salvation with fear and trembling [Phil. 2:12].
“Salvation” in this verse is used, I believe, in a
general sense. Paul is talking about working out their problems which they
had in the church and working out the problems in their own Christian lives.
He is not there to help them and is not sure that he ever will be there
again because he is in a Roman prison. So he tells them to work out their
“own salvation with fear and trembling.”
A preacher was reading this verse of Scripture in the
morning service. A little girl whispered to her mother, “Mother, you can’t
work out
salvation unless it has first been worked in,
can you?” Now that is a very good question. The next verse answers it.
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to
do of his good pleasure [Phil. 2:13].
So God works out that which He had worked in. If God has
saved you, He has saved you by faith—plus nothing. God is not accepting any
kind of good works for salvation. But after
you are saved, God talks to you about your works. The salvation that He
worked in by faith is a salvation He will work out also.
Calvin expressed it this way: “Faith alone saves, but the
faith that saves is not alone.” James states it like this: “Even so faith,
if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast
faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will
shew thee my faith by my works” (James 2:17–18). Only God can see the heart;
He knows our true condition. He knows if I have saving faith; He knows if
you have saving faith. But your neighbor can’t see your faith. The only
thing he can see is the works of faith. True faith will work itself out so
that the people around us will be able to tell that we are different, that
we are Christians. We don’t need to wear a placard or some sort of symbol to
identify ourselves as Christians.
Paul will talk about that faith which will work itself
out in the lives of the Philippian believers.
McGee, J. Vernon: Thru the Bible
Commentary. electronic ed. Nashville : Thomas Nelson, 1997,
c1981, S. 5:306