Romans 2: All Judged under the Law

• v.1-8 God’s Righteous Judgment
• v.9-16 Jew or Gentile distinctions may be irrelevant
• v.17-29 The Jews of Rome and the Law

[Preliminary Note: Having pointed out the sinfulness of the world in the second half of chapter 1, Paul now makes the point strongly that God will judge all such wrongdoing (v.1-8).  Because the church in Rome would comprise both Jew and Gentile, he goes to some length to point out that such judgement falls on all; it doesn’t matter your background (v.9-16). Jews may be particularly vulnerable to self-deception (v.17-29)]

v.1-8 God’s Righteous Judgment for all

v.1-4 Avoid excuse-making because God knows and judges

v.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.

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

v.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?

v.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?

[Note: We tend to look and blame others while excusing ourselves, but if we do the same things we’re just as guilty. God knows he truth about each one and judges accordingly, so if you do the same things you too will be judged. Do you ignore God not realizing He’s trying to bring you to repentance?]

v.5-8 Be careful, there is coming a Judgment Day

v.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.

v.6 God “will repay each person according to what they have done.”

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

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

[Note: If you do this, you’ll have a painful time on Judgement Day for the scriptures say all are judged by what they’ve done [Psalm 62:12; Prov. 24:12]. So, the truly good seeker of good will receive eternal life but the godless self-centred will be judged.]

v.9-16 Jew or Gentile distinctions may be irrelevant

v.9-11 No favoritism, Jew or Gentile

v.9,10 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

v.11 For God does not show favoritism.

[Note: It doesn’t matter whether it is Jew or Gentile, there will be judgment on wrong. God treats all the same.]

v.12-16 You don’t need to Law to know what is right or wrong

v.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.

v.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.

v.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.

v.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.)

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

[Note: You don’t need the Law to know what is wrong. If you have the Law (Jew) obedience is the only acceptable criteria but if Gentiles do the good of the Law without knowing the Law, they reveal law in themselves, they reveal the Law is in them, shown by their conscience, and this will all become clear on Judgement Day.]

v.17-29 The Jews of Rome and the Law

v.17-21 Four ‘if’s of potential failure by the Jew

v.17 Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God;

v.18 if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law;

v.19,20 if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth—

v.21 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?

[Note: You may think being a Jew excuses you, perhaps you think yourself superior because you know the Law, perhaps you think you can be a guide to those who don’t have the Law, but if you seek to teach others, do you teach yourself?]

v.22-24 Signs of getting it wrong

v.22 You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?

v.23 You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?

v.24 As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”

[Note: Do you do what you say they shouldn’t do? Do you dishonor the Law by breaking it, just like the scriptures warned? [Isa 52:5 (see Septuagint); Ezek 36:20,22]

v.25-29 Don’t use circumcision as an excuse for doing wrong

v.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.

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

v.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.

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

v.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.

[Note: It’s fine to be circumcised if you obey the Law but if you don’t obey it you might as well not be circumcised. If Gentiles keep the Law it’s as good as if they were circumcised and they will show you up. Being Jewish is not about externals, being Jewish is about having an obedient heart for God.]

[Additional Notes: Any regular reader of the Bible knows that there are often footnotes at the bottom of pages explaining possible variants of a few words in the occasional verse. The footnotes also give references sometimes, of the quotes from the Old Testament. Paul being a Jewish scholar uses such quotes in increasing numbers in some of these chapters. References to the ‘Septuagint’ is to the Greek translations of the Old Testament scrolls that started to come into being a little under 300 years before Christ, initially by seventy two scholars but added to as the years went on. The reason for the Greek translation is that many Jews lived outside Israel and historians suggest they came under such Greek influence that they were more comfortable with Greek rather than the original Hebrew. The Greek and Hebrew scriptures thus often differed in small ways of interpretation and New Testament writers often used the Greek words rather than the original Hebrew, hence the differences. We have not picked up on general footnotes and have included references within the text.]  

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