Romans 2
CHAPTER 2
The just judgment of God
Therefore you are without excuse, O man, whoever you are that judge; for wherein you judge another, you condemn yourself! For you that judge practise the same things. 2 And we know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those that practise such things. 3 And do you think (O man who judges those that practise such things and yet you do the same) that you shall escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you despise the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But after your hardness and impenitent heart you treasure up for yourself anger in the day of anger and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, 6 who will render to every man according to his works. 7 To them that by patience in welldoing seek for glory and honour and incorruption- eternal life. 8 But to them that are factious and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness, anger and indignation- 9 tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that works evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek. 10 But glory and honour and peace to every man that works good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
11 For there is no respect of persons with God. 12 For as many as have sinned outside of law shall also perish without the law; and as many as have sinned under the law shall be judged by the law. 13 For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. 14 For when Gentiles that do not have the law, do by nature the things of the law, these not having the law, are the law to themselves- 15 in that they show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness therewith, and their thoughts one with another accusing or else excusing them 16 in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men, according to my gospel, by Jesus Christ.
The hypocrisy of the Jews
17 But if you bear the name of a Jew and rely upon the law and boast in God, 18 and know His will and approve the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law, 19 and are confident you yourself are a guide of the blind, a light to those that are in darkness, 20 a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of babes, having in the law the form of knowledge and of the truth- 21 you therefore that teach another, don’t you teach yourself? You that preach a man should not steal, do you steal? 22 You that say a man should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You that dread idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law actually dishonour God through your transgression of the law. 24 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you, even as it is written.
25 For circumcision indeed profits, if you be a doer of the law; but if you be a transgressor of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26 If therefore the uncircumcision keep the ordinances of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? 27 And shall not the uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge you- who with the letter and circumcision are a transgressor of the law? 28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh. 29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit not in the letter; whose praise is not of men but of God.
Commentary
2:1 If we point a finger at another, we have three fingers pointing back at ourselves.
2:8 Things like anger are the masters of many people. They think they are expressing their freedom by being angry; but the anger is in fact their master, and they are enslaved to it.
2:11 Just as God doesn’t distinguish between Jews and non-Jews, so we shouldn’t ‘respect persons’. As partakers of His grace, we shouldn’t judge people on the basis of their social status, skin colour, ethnicity etc.
2:12 Knowledge brings responsibility to judgment. Those who never knew God’s law will remain dead like the animals (Ps. 49:20). Those who knew God’s law will be resurrected and judged as to how far they responded to it.
2:13 The difference between hearing and doing is illustrated by the parable of the two builders; the one who built quickly upon the sand was the person who only hears the word of God; building slowly upon the rock is like hearing and doing. As we read the Bible, there’s a terrible temptation to merely read, to hear, but not to let this translate into action.
2:14 Romans was written to believers in Rome, who comprised both Jews and Gentiles. The “Gentiles” in this verse seem to refer to Gentile Christians. Likewise the ‘uncircumcised’ in v. 26 refers to the uncircumcised Christians in the church at Rome.
2:29 It’s an amazing thought that a righteous God praises sinful humans like us. He does this on the basis that we are covered in Christ’s righteousness and therefore can be presented faultless before Him (Col. 1:22; Jude 24).
