Rom 2:7  to them that by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and incorruption, eternal life: ASV

Rom 2:7  To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life: KJV

Rom 2:7  everlasting life truly to those who with patience in good work seeking glory and honor and incorruptibility; LITV

Rom 2:7  indeed to those who with patience in good work are seeking for glory, and honor, and incorruptibility, everlasting life. MKJV

Rom 2:7  to those, indeed, who in continuance of a good work, do seek glory, and honour, and incorruptibility--life age-during; YLT
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                                COMMENTARY
   
  This verse along with verse 13 have been the seed-bed of two heresies that have plagued the Church through the centuries. One is the heresy of 'Works Salvation' as taught by the Roman Catholic Church and the other is the heresy of 'Conditional Immortality'  as taught by such cults as Jehovah's Witnesses along with some professing Christians. The two are closely related as both are founded on something the creature must do.

  The first heresy... works salvation, is the product of the language of both verses while the second heresy... conditional immortality is the product of both the language and the word translated "immortality" in the KJV. Both here and verse 13 clearly speak of the activity of the creature doing something which will result in the reception of eternal life. 

  Verse 13 is the most pronounced as it reeks of justification by the works of the law, which is clearly militated against in the rest of the Bible, with the one other exception of the book of James chapter 2. One could take these 2 verses in Romans and combine them with the 2nd chapter of James and very easily construct a doctrine of works salvation. The doctrine would of course be false and the lesson to keep in mind here is that it is often very easy to make the Bible say whatever one wants to. However, to do that one would have to lay aside sound principles of interpretation and that's the one protection true Christians have against such a practice.

  The Greek word, rendered "immortality" in the KJV could be rendered either "immortality" or 'incorruption' and the other versions cited have the latter rendering. The proper meaning of the word is "incorruption". It has to do with moral purity or the lack thereof. It is referring to the moral quality of a person’s character. The reason 'immortality' can be used, as in the KJV is because that which is void of corruption is not subject to death. The word is also found in 1Co 15:53,54 where it is correctly translated "incorruption." Its counterpart, the word  "corruptible" is also found in these verses. Both words are of the same root. The difference is that one has the Greek letter 'alpha' or simply "a" in front of it. This is called by the fancy name of ... "Alpha Privative". All that means is that when you place the letter "a" in front of a word it changes the meaning from positive to negative. In English it's the same as when we place the prefix "un" in front of a word; like "unkool man" or... "unusual"; or like something is... UNbiblical. The Greek word for "corruptible" with the "a" in front is what is found here in Romans 2:7 and 1 Cor 15:53,54. Therefore the Greek word is properly rendered "incorruptible" as opposed to "corruptible".  
  There is a word for "immortality" which is an entirely different Greek word which -does- mean endless duration, or literally, non-death, that which does not die. It's also found in 1Cor 15:53,54 where it is referring to the physical body, not the soul or spirit.  Therefore, the Biblical meaning of the word translated here as "immortality" is speaking more of the quality of 'incorruption' rather than the duration of it. Not to deny that it carries the idea of duration for it indeed does. It carries the idea of -unending- duration. But that is the result of the fact that something is "incorruptible". Therefore, its opposite, which is "corruption" -cannot- be annihilation! This is the mistake the JW’s and all their followers make. The opposite is corruption; spiritual corruption; being fully engulfed in the defilement of human sin! From that it must be determined what the result will be and that must be found in other passages of Scripture.

  What then are these verses speaking of if not works salvation? The answer is, they are speaking of the Biblical doctrine of perseverance. Although it is a Biblical truth that salvation is completely of grace apart from anything done by the person, it is also true that unless a person endures to the end in walking in righteousness and true holiness, he will perish!

Romans

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