1 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. 2 We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. 3 Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5 But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.

 

6 He will render to each one according to his works: 7 to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; 8 but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, 10 but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek. 11 For God shows no partiality.

 

12 For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 13 For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.

 

2:1-3: The third kind of person that Paul addressed was the “moralist.” “I shouldn’t be judged because I’m a good person.” This is the kind of person that Paul is addressing in this passage. What’s Paul reply? You have fallen short of your own moral standard and your conscience accuses you of breaking a universal moral law.

 

Paul argues that every person is a hypocrite because we judge others and yet “practice the very same things.” (2:1) But it’s more problematic than simply being a hypocrite. Because ultimately, it’s not we who will judge one another, but rather, “the judgment of God [that] rightly falls on those who practice such things.” (2:2)

 

Paul inquires: “Do you suppose…that you will escape the judgment of God?” (2:3) Most of the world believes that they will escape God’s judgment because our imperfections (no one likes to use the word “sins”) are really not so bad.

 

We reason that God’s judgment is for those who commit evil and atrocious actions, but not for “good” and “moral” people. Hughes exposes this kind of reasoning: “This problem is twofold: first, man does not understand God’s holiness, and second, he does not understand his own sinfulness.” (49)

 

2:4-5: Not only do we lack a true understanding of God’s holiness and our sin, but we also “presume…[that God’s] kindness and forbearance and patience” (2:4) is some kind of blessing or approval on our lifestyle. Paul responds with two points: First, “God’s kindness is meant to lead us to repentance.” (2:4) Second, we are fooling ourselves because we are actually “storing up wrath for [ourselves] on that day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.” (2:5)

 

Concerning the idea of “storing up wrath for yourself,” Dunn notes the Old Testament background: “The pious…assumes that by his faithfulness to the covenant he is laying up treasure in heaven; but by his failure to recognize the need for a more radical repentance he is actually storing up not ‘good,’ not ‘life,’ but wrath.” (cited in Pate, 41)

 

The same could be said for a person who believes that they are a good and moral person as well. They think that being good allows them to be accepted by God (heaven they say), but in reality, their good works (because they fall short of God’s holy and perfect standard) provide evidence for God’s wrath (see 2:6 below).

 

Is this not a call for us to initiate spiritual conversations with good and moral family members and friends?

 

2:6-11: These verses highlight a literary structure known as a chiasm. A chiastic structure refers to the presentation of ideas which are then reflected (or repeated) in reverse order. In this example, the chiastic structure is ABCCBA (Pate, 43):

A: God will judge (2:6)

B: Good people will receive glory, honor, and eternal life (2:7)

C: Wicked people will receive wrath and fury (2:8)

C: Wicked people will receive tribulation and stress (2:9)

B: Good people will receive glory, honor, and peace (2:10)

A: God judges impartially (2:11)

 

In brief, this chiastic structure helps us to interpret these verses as a whole—the key idea being God’s judgment.

 

If we interpret these verses without the preceding context (2:1-5; cf. Romans 3:9-20; 3:28; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8-10; Titus 3:5), then we could misinterpret Paul. We might conclude that we can be saved by our good works. The key to interpreting these verses is to understand how Paul was employing the idea of the two paths (righteous, wicked).

 

Boice notes that “it is significant that the inspired apostle does speak of two paths, and he does not encourage us to suppose that a person can reach the goal of eternal life without actually being on the path of righteousness….those who are saved by grace through faith are placed on path of righteousness where they do indeed perform…good works.” (229, 230-231) In short, our good works testify and provide evidence of our faith.

 

Let’s summarize 2:6-11 with three observations. First, there are two paths that Scripture highlights in general terms—the righteous and wicked (Psalm 1; Matthew 25:31-46). Second, God will judge everyone impartially (2:11: He is holy, good, loving, all-knowing, all-wise). ‘

 

Third, the two paths testify to two kinds of futures: glory, honor, peace, immortality, eternal life for the righteous and wrath, fury, tribulation, and distress for the wicked (2:7-9). In short, the two paths are signs that signify a particular path. So, which path best depicts your current lifestyle in the past six to nine months?

 

2:12-13: Everyone will be judged; both Gentiles “without the law” and Jews “under the law” have sinned against God (2:12). Simply being “hearers of the law” doesn’t make us “righteous before God,” but rather, it’s “the doers of the law who will be justified.” (2:13)

 

So, if a person is a doer of the law 100%, 24/7, 365 days a year for his or entire life, then yes he or she will be righteous before God. However, this is impossible! In another sense, these verses are also teaching (as noted above) that our good works testify or provide evidence of our faith and signify that we are on the right (righteous) path.

 

2:14-15: In Romans 2:1-5, Paul teaches that “good” people are also hypocrites because they fail to live up to their own standard (not to mention God’s holy and perfect standard). In these verses, he explains the “mechanism” for knowing this standard (our conscience: 2:15).

 

So, what does our conscience do? It helps reveal “what the law requires” (2:14) and “show[s] that the work of the law is written on [our] hearts.” (2:15) Our consciences “also bear[s] witness” to what is universally judged right or wrong (traditionally called the moral law). So, do universal moral laws exist?

 

Is There a Moral and Universal Law?

C.S. Lewis in Mere Christianity (chapters 1-5) makes three observations about the existence of universal morals. Here’s a summary of his points:

1. There must be a universal moral law, or else moral disagreements would make no sense (they demand standards).

• In addition, all moral criticism would be meaningless (is something better or worse?).

• Also, it would be unnecessary to keep promises or treaties (we assume that it’s necessary).

• Furthermore, we would not make excuses for breaking the moral law.

 

2. The moral law is not human instinct because a stronger impulse would always win but it does not.

• We sometimes act selflessly rather than from instinct (when we help others).

• Furthermore, if the moral law was based on instincts, then they would always be right (but sometimes they are wrong).

 

3. The moral law is not social convention because the same moral laws can be found in all societies

• A coward is not virtuous.

• In addition, we can’t make judgments about social progress if society was the basis of judgment.

 

Why is the existence of universal moral laws significant? If objective and universal morals exist, then we need to further inquire about the source from which they came. If they are not derived from human instinct or social convention, then they must be something that human beings possess innately.

 

Christians believe that everyone has these objective and universal morals because God created us in His image (Genesis 1:26-28). In short, the existence of a universal moral law leads us to the existence of a universal moral Lawgiver.

 

2:16: “My gospel” is probably Paul’s personal way of recalling how Jesus personally set him apart for the proclamation of the gospel (Acts 9:1-9; Galatians 1:1-2; 11-24). In the future, when Christ returns—on the day that God reveals His wrath (altogether different than His present wrath of giving us over to our sins: Romans 1:28-32) everyone will be judged—even “the secrets of men [and women].” (2:16)

 

1. Do you know any “good” people who believe they will be saved (going to heaven)? Why do you think they believe this? To what extent have you had spiritual conversations with them?

 

2. How does a biblical understanding of God’s holiness and sin speak to the issue of a “good and moral” person being saved?

 

3. Explain the “two paths” that are found in the Bible. What’s the significance of these paths?

 

4. For the past six months, which path best represents your present life? Do you need to make any changes? What kind of steps do you need to take to make a change?  

 

5. Many believe that Romans 2:12-15 not only teaches that everyone has a conscience, but it also supports the belief of a universal moral law written on our hearts. Agree or disagree? Explain.

 

6. Although this passage does not discuss the Holy Spirit, it’s an interesting point to consider. What’s the relationship between the Spirit and our conscience? To what extent (if any) does the Spirit interact or influence our conscience?