Rom 2:13 – ‘It is not those who hear the law who are righteous before God, but those who do the law will be declared righteous.’

How are we to understand the place of works (‘obedience to the law’) in relation to justification in this passage?

The main options are:-

1. The self-contradiction view – that Paul is drawing on rabbinical thinking here, without bothering to assimilate it into, or reconcile it with, what he will say later about justification by grace.  So Bultmann.

2. The hypothetical view – that Paul is teaching that those who obey the law would indeed be declared righteous, but there are in fact no such people, since, as this whole passage affirms, all are guilty before God.

‘The implication is that such an exact conformity to [the law’s] demands is beyond the achievement of sinful man, a fact which receives explicit confirmation in the devastating accusation that begins at v17.’ (Wilson)

‘This is a theoretical or hypothetical statement, of course, since no human being has ever fully beyed the law, cf. 3:20.  So there is no possibility of salvation by that road.  But Paul is writing about judgment, not salvation.  He is emphasising that the law itself did not guarantee the Jews immunity to judgment, as they thought.  For what mattered was not possession but obedience.’ (Stott)

‘The course of his argument indicates that while a man would be justified if he were a “doer” of the law, yet, since no-one does it perfectly, there is no justification that way. (Bruce)

‘The logic of these verses assumes that there is no person who is able to obey God’s law sufficiently so as to become righteous before him.’ (Moo, NBC)

3. The paradox view – that both present justification by grace and future judgment according to works are taught by Paul (and James, for that matter), but that these must be held in tension.

4. The evidentialist view – that obedience to the law is evidence of our justification, but not the ground of it.

5. The ‘faith-that-works’ view – that faith and works are inseparable.  Paul speaks, for example, of ‘the obedience of faith’, Rom 1:5, and of the ‘work of faith’, 1 Thess 1:3.  Becasue justification and obedience are so inextricably linked, Paul can speak of justification as having a future reference, Rom 2:13; 8:33; Gal 5:4-5, and of a judgment on the basis of works, Rom 2:12; 14:10; 1 Cor 3:15; 2 Cor 5:10.

‘Believers are justified on the basis of faith, seen not as a human work or merit, but as an expression and result of the grace of God. And believers are judged on the basis of their works, seen as the natural outcome, result and expression of justifying faith. Believers are justified by faith, and judged by its fruit. There is thus a strong connection between the past and future elements of justification-embracing faith and its outworking. Works are the visible demonstration of a real and justifying faith-not the dead faith of which James complained (Jas 2:14-24).’ (McGrath, DPL)

Conclusion: although view 5 is true, I am not convinced that it is the truth taught by this particular passage.  I incline towards view 2.