Romans 2:1-16 - Our Business - by Ken Clezy
Romans 2:1-16
Romans 2:1-16 says that God’s impartial judgment leaves no room for moral superiority.
Jews and Gentiles will be judged in the same way. God is very patient, but those who do not repent will face a terrible judgment on the last day.
V1-3: the ‘therefore’ is puzzling, because the people Paul addresses aren’t like those in 1:32 – they aren’t calling good evil and evil good; their problem is that they pass judgment on others when they have no right to do so.
V4-6: Paul emphasises that the day of judgment is coming for which some aren’t prepared. We will be judged according to our works. Paul says so in v13; how he understands this this to relate to justification by faith must wait until ch 3.
V7-11: he now describes two groups in a way orators and writers often did in those days – ab and ba – the godly and the wicked, the wicked and the godly. Note that the godly seek glory honour and immortality; Paul doesn’t say they earn it. It is a gift from God, as we’re told in ch 3.
The wicked, in contrast, will face God’s wrath. This applies to Jews and Gentiles alike. Jews might wonder how God’s law court justice relates to his covenant justice – to the promises God made them if they obeyed him. But there is no difference; God judges everyone in the same way.
V12-13: Paul explains what vv 7-11 mean in 12-16. Those who sin under the law are Jews; those who sin apart from law are Gentiles. Some have taken ‘apart from the law’ to mean there are two judgments, with an easy one for Gentiles because in Ro 4:15 Paul says where there is no law there is no transgression, and in 5:13 he says much the same in different words – sin isn’t charged to anyone’s account where there is no law.
The church in general seems to think that way, or otherwise we wouldn’t have 98% of Christian workers tripping over each other at home. Many more would be out among those who haven’t heard the name of Jesus.
The best we can make of it is to be confident that we have a God of justice, and if some who have never had an opportunity to respond to the gospel are judged differently, whether or not they have the requirements of the law written on their hearts, that is God’s business, not ours.
Our business is to obey Jesus’ command to spread the gospel, because as v 16 says, a day of judgment is coming for all of us.