Romans 2

Romans chapter 2 continues Paul's argument from chapter 1, where he discusses God's judgment and the condition of both Jews and Gentiles before God. In this chapter, Paul emphasizes that God's judgment is impartial, and he addresses the false security that some Jews might have had in their religious identity.

Verse 1: "You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things."

Paul addresses those who judge others, warning that by doing so, they condemn themselves because they are guilty of the same sins. He points out the hypocrisy of judging others while committing the same offenses.

Verse 2: "Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth."

Paul states that God's judgment is based on truth, implying that it is fair, just, and impartial, unlike human judgment, which can be flawed and hypocritical.

Verse 3: "So when you, a mere human being, pass judgment on them and yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?"

Paul challenges those who judge others while being guilty of the same sins, asking if they believe they can escape God's judgment. The rhetorical question implies that they cannot.

Verse 4: "Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?"

Paul emphasizes that God's kindness, patience, and tolerance are meant to lead people to repentance, not to be taken for granted or ignored.

Verse 5: "But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed."

Paul warns that a stubborn and unrepentant heart results in storing up wrath for the day of judgment. God's righteous judgment will be revealed in due time, and those who refuse to repent will face the consequences.

Verse 6: "God 'will repay each person according to what they have done.'"

Paul quotes Psalm 62:12 and Proverbs 24:12, affirming that God will judge each person based on their deeds, underscoring the principle of divine justice.

Verse 7: "To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life."

Paul describes those who persist in doing good, seeking glory, honor, and immortality. These people will be rewarded with eternal life.

Verse 8: "But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger."

In contrast, those who are self-seeking, reject the truth, and pursue evil will face God's wrath and anger.

Verse 9: "There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile;"

Paul warns that trouble and distress await everyone who does evil, with a particular emphasis on the Jews first, followed by the Gentiles. This order reflects the historical priority given to the Jews as God's chosen people, but also highlights the universality of God's judgment.

Verse 10: "but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile."

Conversely, glory, honor, and peace will be given to everyone who does good, with the same order of priority: first the Jew, then the Gentile.

Verse 11: "For God does not show favoritism."

Paul concludes this section by asserting that God shows no favoritism, meaning that He judges all people equally, regardless of their background, ethnicity, or status.

Verse 12: "All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law."

Paul explains that those who sin without knowing the law (Gentiles) will perish without the law, while those who sin under the law (Jews) will be judged according to it. This indicates that all are accountable to God, whether they have the law or not.

Verse 13: "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."

Paul is setting up his audience (especially the Jews) to recognize the high standards of the law and their inability to meet them. This is important for both moral and legal aspects of the law. He wants to dismantle any false security that might come from merely hearing or knowing the law without fulfilling it perfectly. This verse sets up a standard that seems to suggest justification comes through law observance. However, Paul's point here also subtly prepares for a later revelation—that true obedience, and thus true justification, is beyond human capability without divine intervention.

Several other verses which help elucidate Romans 2:13 by providing further context on the law, righteousness, and the relationship between faith and works:

Romans 3:28: "For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law."
Context: This verse underscores that justification comes through faith, independent of the law. It harmonizes with Romans 2:13 by clarifying that while the law demands perfect obedience, justification ultimately relies on faith, not on one's ability to follow the law.
Romans 7:7-12: "What shall we say, then? Is the law sinful? Certainly not! Nevertheless, I would not have known what sin was had it not been for the law."
Context: Paul discusses the role of the law in revealing sin. This passage helps explain Romans 2:13 by highlighting that the law’s primary function is not to save but to make sin known, thereby pointing out the need for a savior.
Romans 8:3-4: "For what the law was powerless to do because it was weakened by the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in the flesh, in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."
Context: This passage clarifies that the law’s inability to bring about righteousness was due to human weakness. The fulfillment of the law's righteous requirements is achieved in believers through Christ.
Galatians 2:16: "Know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified."
Context: Similar to Romans, Galatians discusses the ineffectiveness of the law to justify, emphasizing faith in Jesus as the basis for justification.

Verse 14: "(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law."

Paul is pointing out that there may be some Gentiles who, even though they do not have the Mosaic Law (the law given to the Israelites), naturally do some of the things that the law requires. This natural behavior demonstrates that they have an innate understanding of right and wrong, which Paul attributes to what he later describes as the 'law written on their hearts' (Romans 2:15).

In essence, Paul is saying that all people have some sense of God's standards of right and wrong, regardless of whether they have received direct revelation from God through the law. This understanding is part of the human conscience and shows that God's moral laws are universal. Thus, Gentiles are without excuse when it comes to the basic knowledge of God’s moral demands, just as Jews are accountable to the revealed law of Moses.

Verse 15: "They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.)"

The actions of Gentiles who follow their conscience show that God's moral law is written on their hearts. Their conscience serves as an internal witness, either accusing or defending them based on their actions.

Verse 16: "This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares."

Paul points out that God will judge people's secrets through Jesus Christ on the day of judgment. This underscores the thoroughness of God’s judgment, which will even include the hidden aspects of a person's life.

Verse 17: "Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God;"

Paul turns his attention specifically to the Jews, addressing those who take pride in their identity as Jews, rely on the law, and boast in their special relationship with God.

Verse 18: "if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law;"

Paul acknowledges that the Jews know God's will and can discern what is superior because they have been taught by the law.

Verse 19: "if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark,"

The Jews saw themselves as guides for the spiritually blind and as a light to those in darkness, roles they believed were given to them by virtue of their knowledge of the law.

Verse 20: "an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth—"

Paul continues, recognizing that the Jews considered themselves instructors of the foolish and teachers of the immature because they possessed the law, which they saw as the embodiment of knowledge and truth.

Verse 21: "you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?"

Paul challenges the Jews with a series of rhetorical questions, pointing out their inconsistency. If they teach others, they should teach themselves as well. If they preach against stealing, do they steal themselves?

Verse 22: "You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?"

Paul continues to expose the hypocrisy of those who teach against adultery and idolatry while possibly engaging in those very sins themselves.

Verse 23: "You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?"

Paul accuses the Jews of dishonoring God by breaking the very law in which they boast. Their actions contradict their words and bring dishonor to God.

Verse 24: "As it is written: 'God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.'"

Paul cites Isaiah 52:5 and Ezekiel 36:22 to show that the behavior of the Jews caused God's name to be blasphemed among the Gentiles. Their hypocrisy undermined their witness and brought disrepute to God’s name.

Verse 25: "Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised."

Paul addresses the Jewish rite of circumcision, stating that it only has value if they observe the law. If they break the law, their circumcision is meaningless, as they are no better than those who are uncircumcised.

Verse 26: "So then, if those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised?"

Paul argues that if Gentiles (uncircumcised) keep the requirements of the law, they will be regarded as if they were circumcised. This challenges the notion that physical circumcision alone is sufficient for righteousness.

Verse 27: "The one who is not circumcised physically and yet obeys the law will condemn you who, even though you have the written code and circumcision, are a lawbreaker."

Paul asserts that Gentiles who obey the law, despite not being physically circumcised, will condemn Jews who, despite having the law and circumcision, break the law. This reversal highlights the importance of obedience over mere external observance.

Verse 28: "A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical."

Paul redefines what it means to be a true Jew, stating that it is not merely about outward appearance or physical circumcision. True Jewish identity is not about external markers.

Verse 29: "No, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person’s praise is not from other people, but from God."

Paul concludes by defining true Jewish identity as inward, with circumcision being a matter of the heart, done by the Spirit, not by the letter of the law. True righteousness and praise come from God, not from human approval.

In this chapter, Paul emphasizes that God's judgment is based on truth and is impartial. Both Jews and Gentiles are accountable to God, and true righteousness is a matter of the heart, not mere external observance or ethnic identity. This chapter sets the stage for Paul's broader argument that all people, regardless of their background, are in need of the salvation that comes through faith in Jesus Christ.