Michael's Abbey Bible Study - Romans Chapter 2

1 Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. This verse is on the heels of 1:18-32 describing those who rebel against God. This is absolutely in no way a prohibition on judging no matter how much those who want to protect their own sin wish it was. This is a warning against hypocritical judgement.
2 And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. The key word in verses 1 and 2 is "practice". Practice is not being tempted, failing, committing the sin, acknowledging it, repenting and genuinely turning away from that sin. No matter how many times this occurs, this is not practicing the sin. Someone who exists in the state of committing the sin without repentance is practicing it. It is making that sin a way of life, or worse, making it one's identity. And either of those are declaring that the sin isn't really a sin. God's judgement will fall on people who make a sin a practice.
3 But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? When people judge others for a sin they are doing themselves they have convicted themselves of that sin. It will be far worse for them as by their hypocritical judgement of others they prove they knew what they were doing themselves was wrong.
4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? What Paul was talking about here was grace, and treating it flippantly or disrespectfully. The grace from God that saves us from the punishment we have earned is riches beyond any of this world. It is the embodiment of God's kindness, tolerance and patience. We have no idea how bad our sin is. Imagine the most vile and disgusting outhouse you've ever smelled. Then multiply it by a million and you're not even close to how our sin stinks to God. His tolerance is so far beyond our comprehension.
God's grace is a kindness beyond what we have ever experienced. If we are disciples of Jesus that kindness will motivate us to repent of our sins and fully turn to Him. Even if we cannot truly comprehend how kind God is, what we are able to understand should be reflected in us.
The key part of this verse is that God's grace leads to repentance. Repentance is literally turning away 180 degrees from the sin to God. Grace does not result in continuing to live in sin without any turning away. That's not grace, it's grease as in what lubricates the tracks that lead to hell.
5 But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, Stubbornness is sklerotes in Greek, which is literally hard-hearted. Unrepentant is ametanoetos in Greek, which strongly implies irrevocably unrepentant. This is a very strong and specific way of saying they are overbearingly arrogant. Being willing to be corrected by God, which He usually does through scripture, is to be soft-hearted, humble, willing and able to repent.
Those who are so sure they are right, adamant that reality must be what they think that they refuse to listen to scripture let alone be corrected by it are those who are storing up wrath for Judgement Day. All will be revealed then. And it will be made clear that these arrogant and hard-hearted people never knew the real Jesus, and He didn't know them. Those who make an idol of their own thoughts and ideas will be those who will be surprised in Matthew 7:13-29. Those who invent their own version of Jesus have made a false idol. Those who refuse to accept that God even has wrath have created a fake God and worship that false idol. They will not go to heaven. I get it. It's scary to think of a wrathful God when He can squish us like a bug. But denying reality doesn't really make it go away. It only causes our fears to become reality. The only real option is to accept the reality of a wrathful God and let that motivate us to seek Him and His will. Those that are soft-hearted, who accept the correction of scripture, who are disciples of the real Jesus have had the wrath taken care of by Jesus.
6 who will render to each person according to his deeds: This verse quotes Psalm 62:12 and Proverbs 24:12. These were also quoted by Jesus in Matthew 16:27 as what He will do at His second coming. This applies to everyone as everyone will be judged. Those that are disciples of Jesus, that is those that follow Jesus and his commands will be judged to determine their reward. Those that rejected Jesus entirely or made up a false idol they called Jesus will be judged for their sins.
7 to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; This verse is not talking about justification by works. The only way to get that is to ignore that Paul absolutely taught against that repeatedly, or to redefine the terms to twist their meaning. This verse describes the person from verse 6 that will not face wrath but will receive eternal life. The key words are perseverance and seek. This is more about attitude than anything else. This person perseveres in doing good no matter the opposition. But they are not doing good to earn salvation because they know that is not possible. This person is doing good to seek glory and honor. It is not as the world defines glory and honor. While the actions are done in this world, the glory and honor are of the next world. It is seeking the approval and honor from God. And this person seeks immortality. That is a valid motivation. The only way to get it is through Jesus. The end of the verse states this person will get eternal life.
8 but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. This verse describes the person from verse 6 who will face the wrath of God. This is a person who rebels against God. Instead of being ambitious for the kingdom of God their ambition is self-centered, as are their thoughts and attitudes. They do not obey the truth but reject it as incompatible with their own beliefs and values. They obey their own morality and thoughts. Some even falsely label it as Christianity. But it is really self-worship, not Christ-worship. Thus the result is they face the wrath and indignation of God on Judgement Day.
9 There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, Tribulation and distress is what the one that does evil has earned. "Does" is katergazomai in Greek, which means does in the sense that they are the cause of evil. In other words, this is not someone who falls short of perfection by sinning and repents. This is deliberately causing evil.
Jew and Greek is an idiom meaning everyone. Greek meant non-Jews in this context. However, to the Jew first strongly implies that the Jews are deserving of more condemnation as they were raised learning scripture. Thus they have no excuse for their rebellion against God.
10 but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Remember the context here is Judgement Day. Thus the glory, honor and peace that is for the person who does good is their reward from the judgement of Jesus, the opposite of what the rebel against God gets. "Does" is ergazomai in Greek, which means to accomplish something through work. In other words, it is the deliberate action by the will of the person doing it. They may fall into sin. But they repent and deliberately follow the commandments of Jesus. They know the commandments of Jesus from studying scripture.
Again, Jew and Greek is an idiom meaning everyone. That it is to the Jew first implies that they are God's chosen people to prepare the way for Jesus' first coming. But this does not mean a special status or bonus reward for being Jewish. If anything, they ought to know what to do better than the rest and thus their obedience is less of an achievement.
11 For there is no partiality with God. In other words, there is no special treatment for anyone by God. Neither Jews or non-Jews, pastors or congregation, theologians or new Christians are given any special status. It is those who are truly disciples of Jesus that receive the special status of being adopted into the family of God. However, there are a lot of scriptures that support leaders and teachers being held to a higher standard. They ought to know better.
Verse 12 is the beginning of a detailed teaching on the Law of Moses, Gentiles, and sin that continues through 5:14. This leads into a detailed teaching on grace, substitutionary atonement, and what it means to live as a Christian under grace. While no verse should be taken out of its context this is doubly so in Romans.
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; Gentiles do not have the Law of Moses unless they convert to Judaism. They are condemned by their sin without the law. Jews have the law. So their sin is judged and condemned by the law. In other words, all are condemned by their sin whether Gentile or Jew. It is only by the grace of God that we can be saved from the punishment we have earned. This is not contrary to Judaism but directly in line with true Judaism. Observing the law is nomistic, not legalistic.
13 for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. In Judaism Jews are saved by grace. It was not a new thing starting in the gospels. But just being a Jew does not bring grace. Hearing the Law is not enough. Doing what the Law commands does not earn anything from God, let alone grace. But it is nomistic identification with the chosen people, the Law, and God. The one who hears but does nothing about it removes themself from the covenant and the grace of God.
14 For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, God wrote His morality on the heart of every human, not just those who received the law. Abraham did not have the law. But he knew worshiping and serving God was the right thing to do. He did what was right as best he knew just like Gentiles who did the right thing. They followed the internal morality God put there.
15 in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, By doing right and rejecting evil even those who do not know God demonstrate that they know good from evil. Their conscience and thoughts drive them to consider whether what they do is in alignment with the morality God wrote in their hearts.
16 on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus. This is Judgement Day. Everyone will be judged. And Jesus will be the judge. All that is now hidden will be revealed. Those that put their faith in Jesus have their sins forgiven. So they will be judged to determine their reward. Those that put their faith in a fake Jesus, themselves, or anything else will be judged for their sins.
17 But if you bear the name "Jew" and rely upon the Law and boast in God, There were some Jews that were up to their eyeballs in sin. This was especially true among the leaders who ought to have known better. They thought the Law of Moses would protect them from judgement. They were relying on the Law like it was a magic talisman. They were boasting in God from from this self-assurance that all was well. But it was false boasting in a false version of God.
18 and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, The Jews were instructed by the Law what was the will of God and what is essential to be identified with His chosen people. And the Law does instruct people about God. So those who grew up under the Law knowing the Law have no excuse.
19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, The implication is that the source of their confidence is from themselves, and that it is unjustified. They are the blind leading the blind while they think they are the ones holding the light.
20 a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, The implication is that they are not the corrector of the foolish but are the foolish, and not the teacher of the immature but the immature in need of teaching. They ought to be guides, correctors and mature because they have Law. They should be full of knowledge and truth as that comes from the Law. But they held the Law like it was a magic wand instead of studying it and living by it. This is exactly what most people who claim to be Christians are like today. Their Bible is rarely read. And when it is read it is a small section out of context and through the filter of their preconceived notions instead of reading what is actually in scripture.
21 you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? Here Paul revealed the root of the problem. That they were teaching others but not teaching themselves means they were hypocritically teaching the Law because they don't even follow it themselves. And they were even teaching their own nonsense that was contrary to the law while claiming to be upholding the law. Paul followed this with rhetorical questions that make the case for their hypocrisy. These appear to be hyperbolic points meant to illustrate that they were being hypocrites.
The first rhetorical question implies that while they preach the eighth commandment not to steal they violate it and steal. This ties right back to verse 2:1. Whether it is by judging others for the sin as in verse 2:1 or teaching against the sin as in this verse, they condemn themselves. They have proven they knew it was a sin, but did it anyway.
22 You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? The second rhetorical question implies that they speak against adultery, but hypocritically commit it themselves. Whether Paul meant literal adultery or the figurative adultery of worshiping fake gods cheating on the real God as frequently used in the Old Testament is irrelevant. The point is they are not practicing what they preach.
The third rhetorical question is that they abhor idols but rob temples. This does not sound like the opposites that make up the other rhetorical questions to a modern westerner. And robbing temples is a vague accusation. The contrast meant here is claiming to be so pious as to shun idols as they should while they are committing sacrilege. One possible meaning is that they have made an idol of the law which cannot save them and thus are rejecting the grace of God.
23 You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? This last rhetorical question is not hyperbolic, but quite literal and plainly states the argument being made by the hyperbolic questions. Those that boast in the law are absolutely incapable of keeping it. No mere human can. Thus the law cannot save them. Instead of putting their faith in God's grace as real Judaism teaches, they put their faith in their own works which real Judaism taught against. Their law-idolatry was literally dishonoring God. Replacing God with any false idol, even one falsely given the name of God, is to dishonor Him. The majority of churches in the west are guilty of this exact sin. They have made a fake idol that agrees with their nonsense and called it Jesus.
24 For "the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you," just as it is written. Paul quoted Isaiah 52:5 and Ezekiel 36:20. These are both prophecies about the exile of the Jews away from Israel that state that this will cause the other nations to blaspheme God because His people have been taken from the land God gave them. 2 Kings 17:7 and 2 Chronicles 36:14-21 make it clear that the exile was due to their sin. They had been warned for centuries that they would be taken away, all the way back to Moses' warning in Deuteronomy 28:58-64.
To be clear, it's not just that they sinned. It's that they were sinning without any repentance at all. Even the priests who were supposed to be leading the people to God were leading them to worship the false gods from the surrounding pagan nations. They were polluting the house of the Lord with abominations of false gods. And they never turned to the real God for even a moment. This is exactly what is going on in the majority of churches in the west today. They are making idols to false gods of the pagan world around and calling their created idols by the name of Jesus and the Holy Spirit. This is actually worse than the sin that led to the exile of Israel. At least the Israelites didn't call the pagan idols by the names of God. Churches today are blaspheming the names of God, calling vile idols by those names.
25 For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. Even though circumcision predated the Law of Moses, being circumcised was also commanded in the Law of Moses. The Law of Moses is often referred to euphemistically and figuratively as "circumcision" or "the circumcision" in scripture. This was a permanent physical sign of one who has become a Jew through birth or conversion.
Paul was alluding to Jeremiah 4:4 where God said that the circumcision needs to be more than just a physical sign, but must go down to the heart, and to Jeremiah 9:25 where God said the days were coming that he would punished those who were circumcised, yet uncircumcised. This means that those who are outwardly Jews by circumcision but inwardly are pagans are actually uncircumcised. That means they are outside the community of God's chosen people and will be punished by God rather than receive His grace like those in the community. In other words, they were fakes and frauds that God will not tolerate. Because they are circumcised they know they ought to follow the law. And their circumcision is the evidence convicting them of choosing sin when they clearly know better.
26 So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? Therefore, if one who is outside the community of God's chosen people keeps the law anyway, they show they are circumcised in their heart. It is the heart that matters. While no one is perfect and all sin and come short of the glory of God, those that choose to follow God yet fail are saved by God. Those that choose to commit the same sins and choose them over God are those who will be rejected by Jesus at Judgment day as He told us in Matthew 7:22-23.
27 And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law? In other words, the Jews who should know better because they were raised in the Law yet rejected the Law and God will be judged by Gentiles who keep the law by their choice to follow God. In Matthew 12:41 Jesus said that because Nineveh heard Jonah and repented they will condemn the Jews of Jesus' generation because they did not listen to God in their midst.
This is like someone in a remote area that never heard the gospel. Americans have full access to the gospel, but reject it for their own beliefs and values. The remote person knew there is a God because nature itself is witness. And the knowledge of what is good and evil is written on the heart of every human. So they choose to seek God any way they can and try to do good. On Judgement Day the remote person will be condemning and judging the Americans who rejected God's word.
28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. In other words, the outward signs can be faked. God is not fooled by outward signs that are a fake. He knows the heart.
29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God. Again, it is what is going on inside in the heart of a person that matters. This is not to say that outward signs are irrelevant. If we really are disciples of God it should show in our outward actions. And if it doesn't show outwardly it is a sign that we aren't real disciples of the real Jesus. The point is these outward signs can be faked while the heart is full of rebellion against God. This is what Jesus meant when he called the Pharisees and other religious leaders "whitewashed tombs" in Matthew 23:27-28. This is why we are not to just accept the appearance of discipleship, especially with leaders in the church. We are to test everything. And the primary litmus test is comparing what they say and do to scripture, especially before accepting them as leaders.

Scripture quotations taken from the NASB © The Lockman Foundation.

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