Romans 2:12 – 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.
Welcome back to our study of the book of Romans. In the first two chapters, Paul is showing that both Jews and Gentiles are sinful and thus under a curse which results in spiritual death. They are in need of a way to be righteous before God.
He particularly dealt with the Greeks/Gentiles in chapter one. Now in chapter two he is focusing on the Jews. They labored under the false assumption that their national connection with God would exempt them from judgment, but Paul systematically tears that defense apart. He shows that both Gentiles and Jews stand upon the exact same level in the judgment of God.
In the first two chapters, Paul has a lot to say about the Gentiles who are ‘without the law’ and the Jews who are ‘under the law’. Let’s look at an example that might make these distinctions clearer. 
Suppose you went outside on a warm, clear summer night. As you look up at the sky, you see a full moon and many stars. You can see the shape of the moon, and you can see there are many shadows on the surface. You might even think they look like a face or some other picture. There are a large number of stars, but you can’t tell how many or what size they are.
Now let’s suppose you get a super powerful telescope and look at the moon again. Now you can see things in greater detail. You realize that what looked like shadows are actually changes in the terrain – mountains, valleys and craters. You can also see signs of volcanic activity like old lava flows and bumpy ridges. You can find specific mountain ranges that experts have identified, named and studied. You can also see that the number of stars far exceeds the number you could see with just your eyes. You can also see other heavenly bodies that you couldn’t see before.
In both scenarios, you are looking at the exact same moon and the exact same stars; they have not changed a single iota. The difference is that the telescope reveals greater and more accurate details about the moon/stars that you couldn’t see otherwise.
So it is with the law of nature/conscience and the Mosaic law.
God revealed himself to the Gentiles through nature. It was an imperfect view, but it was enough for them to know that God existed and that he had standards of right and wrong.
The Jews, meanwhile, had an actual relationship with God. In addition, he gave his law to them. This provided them with a much greater and clearer understanding of him and his standards of righteousness and sin, just like the telescope provides the viewer with a greater understanding of the heavenly bodies.
In chapters one and two, Paul makes it clear that both groups had a knowledge of God, which made them aware of the standards of God’s righteousness. Both groups broke God’s laws. Both groups are subject to the judgment of God, which will occur at the end of this age, on the Day of Judgment.
God’s judgment of both groups will be completely fair and righteous, because he will judge them based on the amount of understanding they possessed:
- He will judge the Jews according to the law, because they were in covenant with him and had his written word as well as intimate interactions with him.
- He will judge the Gentiles according to the law of nature and the witness of their conscience, because that was the amount of spiritual light they had.
Of course, we can add a third group to Paul’s discussion – those who have heard the gospel.
The gospel is the fullest revelation of God to mankind. It involves God himself literally coming to earth in human form, in the person of Jesus Christ. He came to destroy the works of the devil (I John 3:8), to give himself as a perfect sacrifice for our sin (I John 2:2), and to give us a greater revelation of the Father:
John 14:7 – If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.
John 10:30 – I and my Father are one.
Matthew 11:27 – All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
As if that were not enough, Jesus has released his Holy Spirit on earth to guide us into all truth (John 16:13), to bear witness about Christ (John 15:26) and to assist us in our spiritual walk (John 14:26).
In the analogy we used earlier, we might say that those who live in the age of grace are like people who have access to pictures and information about the moon from the Hubble telescope or one of the many land rovers that are currently on the moon itself, sending back copious amounts of information to earth.
We have access to the greatest and most profound level of knowledge about God that has ever been given. Like those who came before us, we will be judged by the amount of light/knowledge we have.
Romans 2:13 – For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified.
GENERAL SUMMARY: Paul is addressing the Jews in this verse. His point is that reading or being familiar with the law does not make one holy. Technically, one could be justified by the law IF (and it’s a big IF) a person could be in perfect obedience to the law in all instances, both outwardly (in their practice of the Mosaic rites) and in inwardly (by their thoughts and motivations).
All of us are smart enough to know that this will never happen! The only person who was able to do this was Jesus.
Paul is building up to the conclusion that no one can be justified by the law, because no one can perfectly obey it. People need another way to be righteous before God – we need a Savior.
DIGGING DEEPER: Hearers of the law: The Jews were often referred to as ‘hearers’ of the law. This may refer back to the times when the entire law was publicly read to the nation (Exodus 24:7, Joshua 8:34-35, II Kings 23:2, etc).
This was done because in ancient times, people did not have their own personal copy of the law. Public readings ensured that everyone would be aware of what the law required. These readings were routinely scheduled to occur every seven years, during the Feast of Tabernacles/Booths (Deuteronomy 31:9-13). They also occurred on special occasions, especially when the nation rededicated itself to the service of the Lord.
During the time of Christ, the Jews were also considered hearers of the law because the law was read in the synagogue every sabbath day (Acts 15:21, Luke 4:16). There can be no doubt whatsoever that the Jews heard the law.
The problem is that the Jews believed respect and knowledge of the law rendered them safe from judgment. But they were wrong – increased knowledge of divine law actually increased their responsibility to righteously discharge their religious duties; to be justified by the law, they must be a ‘doer’ of it.
Doers of the law: Righteousness by the law can only be obtained in the perfection of works; if righteousness is sought from the law, that law must be perfectly fulfilled.
A ‘doer’ of the law is a person who perfectly and entirely complies with the law’s demands, both external (by actions, works) and internal (thoughts, motivations).
In other words, to be justified by the law in God’s sight, a person must comply with ALL the requirements of the law, at ALL times, and in ALL circumstances because justification requires perfect and perpetual obedience. Even one failure would place you under the curse of death:
Galatians 3:10 – For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”
Now let’s use our common sense for a minute. Do you know of anyone (other than Jesus) who has been perfectly obedient to both the internal and external requirements of the law for their entire lives? Of course not! Because of our fallen nature, we are incapable of fulfilling the law. 
We can conclude that the law, which the Jews thought would be their salvation, was actually a curse – it would be the impossible standard by which they would be judged. Like the Gentiles, the Jews need another path to find righteousness before God.
Romans 2:14 – 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.
GENERAL SUMMARY: Paul just informed the Jews that if they were going to try and justify themselves by the law, they must perfectly keep all the requirements of the law at all times.
In verses 14-15 he shows that the same principle applies to the Gentiles. They had a limited knowledge of God through the law of nature and the witness of their consciences. In order to be justified, they would need to perfectly obey the divine commands revealed to them by God.
DIGGING DEEPER: Gentiles: Paul is now speaking of the Gentiles.
Who do not have the law: As you know, the Gentiles did not have the written commands of God as revealed in the law of Moses.
By nature do what the law requires: As we have mentioned in our previous posts, God revealed himself to the Gentiles through the law of nature and the witness of their consciences. Practically speaking, this means:
- There is a law of nature written by God in the hearts of all people, where the common notions of good and evil are understood.
- The Gentiles had a sense of justice and equity, honor and purity, love and charity.
- Practically speaking, they understood that it was wrong to murder, steal or lie. They knew it was right to show mercy, to maintain public peace/order, obey their parents, etc.
The point is that even though these laws did not come to them in written form, they understood them in their hearts/minds.
They are a law to themselves: This is obvious from the fact that every nation on earth forms some kind of laws for itself. Once established, the society proceeds to punish those who break their laws and reward or view with favor those who keep them. Clearly, they have some notion of justice implanted within their hearts which serves as the basis for these civil laws.
Furthermore, the internal law of nature creates a choice within the life off each Gentile – they can choose to do what is right and glorify God or they can choose to do what is wrong and embrace sin.
There is no doubt that at times, every Gentile did what was right. Sometimes they exhibited moral honesty, generosity and mercy. When they did what was right, their conscience gave them approval.
But there were also times in the life of every Gentile when they chose the path of sin, at times giving themselves over to utter depravity. When they did so, their conscience reproached/condemned them for their actions.
Think of it this way: In Exodus 20:15 the written law says, “You shall not steal.” A Jewish person might refrain from stealing based on this written command. A Gentile, though knowing nothing of this command, may refrain from stealing based on his conscience.
Thus, we find that even without the written law, the Gentiles have a form of the law.
This puts the Gentiles are in the same situation as the Jews – if they wanted to be justified in the sight of God based on the laws of nature and conscience, they would have to exhibit complete righteousness in every outward action as well as every thought and motivation of their hearts. Those who failed to do so even once find themselves under the wrath of God.
Romans 2:15 – 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…
The work of the law: The ‘work’ or the purpose of the law was to make a person see/understand their moral duty and put them under obligation to do it.
Written on their hearts: In the case of the Jews, the revealed law of God was written on tables of stone and then recorded in the books of the Old Testament. In the case of the Gentiles, the same basic requirements were written internally in their hearts. 
The term ‘heart’ refers to the mind or the seat of reasoning as opposed to the seat of affections. The Gentiles did not necessarily love or even approve of God’s laws, but nevertheless, they had a knowledge of it and that is the point.
Conscience bearing witness: The Gentiles could not deny the existence of this knowledge, because it was affirmed by their conscience in every decision they made, whether good or bad.
Romans 2:16 - …on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
On that day: Just as a reminder, Paul is discoursing on the Day of Judgment, which occurs at the end of this age. The Jews felt that they would be exempt from this judgment because of their national relationship to God and because they attempted to live by the Mosaic law. By contrast, they were sure that the Gentiles would be judged harshly because they were ‘rank sinners’ who were not favored by God like they were.
But bit by bit and truth upon truth Paul shows that both Jews and Gentiles are sinners who cannot be justified by the law – whether that be the law of Moses or the law of nature.
According to my gospel: Obviously, Paul is not the author of the gospel. However, as an apostle, he was entrusted to preach the gospel message and one of the great truths contained in the gospel is that God will judge the world by Jesus Christ:
John 5:22 – The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son…
Paul can say it is his gospel in the sense that God’s judgment is part of the message he was entrusted to share with the world. God is the author of the message and the authority behind the judgment; Paul is simply the messenger.
Paul may be using this phrase to distinguish his teaching on the subject from the teachings of other false teachers/apostles.
When God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus: It is an indisputable fact that there will be a day of judgment. It is an indisputable fact that all men will face a judgment of some kind on that day. It is also indisputable that on that day, the secret thoughts and hidden motivations of our hearts will be laid bare or brought to light; no amount of human denial will change this fact.
Ecclesiastes 12:14 – For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.
(See also Matthew 10:26, I Corinthians 4:5). Although God is the judge of the world, he will execute judgment by/through Christ, for he is appointed by the Father to be the judge of the living and the dead:
Acts 10:42 – And he [Jesus] commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead.
(See also John 5:22 & 27, Acts 17:31, II Timothy 4:1, I Peter 4:5, Matthew 25:31-46, etc).
Jesus is divine, sovereign, omnipotent and omniscient. He is also our brother according to the flesh (Hebrews 2:10-18). He is clearly qualified to be our judge. Because Christ is the judge, judgment will be not only perfect, righteous and just, it will also be full and complete with everything being taken into account: 
- The thoughts, motivations and principles of a person constitute their true character. In order to have a fair and impartial judgment, these must be known. That is why only Christ is qualified to judge.
- People are not judged or rewarded in this life because only Christ can discern and reveal his/her heart and that happens at the end of this age. Since a person’s outward conduct is all that is visible in this life, that is all that can be rewarded or punished in this life by men.
- In this world, people of pure motives are often marginalized, mocked and reproached. Meanwhile, people with corrupt motives and wicked character are often celebrated and approved. It is fitting that all be revealed and put in order at the coming of Christ.
- God is the God, Father, and Judge of all. In one degree or another he has revealed himself to all and he expects proportionate obedience in return. Consequently, Jesus will judge, and either reward or punish all the nations of the world under different dispensations, according to their degree of light/truth (Acts 10:34-35).
This leads us to the inescapable conclusion that God will judge both Jews and Gentiles on the last day; the Jews will not receive a ‘free pass’ on judgement day.
Let me offer you some encouragement, relief and strength:
As we pointed out in today’s post, all those who live in the age of grace (including you and I) have access to the greatest and most profound level of knowledge/revelation about God that has ever been given. Like those who came before us, we will be judged by the amount of truth/light we have.
I’m not saying this to scare you or to condemn you. I’m calling it to your attention so you can properly steward what you have been given. Take a minute and consider your own relationship to the word/revelation of God that you have been given:
We have unlimited access to the word of God. The written word is available in nearly any format - you can have it in print, in an electronic version on your phone, in audible form, or even in video form. It is accessible 24/7. It comes in any language. It is available in numerous easy-to-read translations.
Do you and I take advantage of this knowledge, or are we taking it for granted?
Must we force ourselves to read a small portion each week based upon our perceived duty, or do we read it daily with pleasure because it is a form of fellowship with God?
Do we strive to understand what it says/reveals, or do we just hurriedly rush through the text to get finished?
Are we exhibiting spiritual maturity by finding the promises contained in the word and standing upon them in faith? Or are we still acting like immature children who continually rely on someone else to pray for us and seek victory on our behalf?
When we hide the word in our hearts, it keeps us from sinning against God (Psalms 119:11). When is the last time you memorized a scripture?
The scriptures were written by Holy Spirit (II Peter 1:16-21). Since he is living and breathing, so is the word. It imparts spiritual life to us when we read and study it. Holy Spirit uses it to guide us into all truth and avoid false teaching. Would you be able to identify a subtle false teaching if you heard it, or would you be fooled because you only have a vague knowledge of the word?
Are we open to other spiritual gifts that are promised in the word?
You may feel like today’s post isn’t very encouraging or strengthening, but I beg to differ. True love and concern for another person’s spiritual welfare demands that we face the truth, even if it stings for a moment.
It is far better for us to face a few minutes of uncomfortableness now, than to lose our opportunity to be good and faithful stewards in God’s kingdom.
So, I leave you with this final question: What are you doing with the light you have?