Bible Version: New International Version (NIV)
Application Notes: Life Application Study Bible (NIV)
ROMANS 2
God’s Righteous Judgment
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. 2 Now we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. 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? 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?
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. 6 God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10 but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 11 For God does not show favoritism.
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. 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. 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. 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.) 16 This will take place on the day when God judges people’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.
The Jews and the Law
17 Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; 18 if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; 19 if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— 21 you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 22 You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? 24 As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
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. 26 So then, if those who are not circumcised keep the law’s requirements, will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? 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.
28 A person is not a Jew who is one only outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. 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.
Application Notes
2:1-16 When Paul's letter was read in the Roman church, no doubt many heads nodded as they heard him condemn idol worshipers, homosexual practices, and violent people. But what surprise his listeners must have felt when his words turned on them and said, in effect, "You have no excuse. You are just as bad!" Paul was emphatically stressing that no one is good enough to save themselves. If we want to avoid punishment and live eternally with God, all people, whether we have been murderers and molesters or whether we have been honest, hardworking, solid citizens, must depend totally on God's grace. Paul does not say some sins are worse than others. Even a single act of disobedience against God requires us to come to Jesus Christ for salvation and eternal life. We have all sinned repeatedly, and there is no way apart from Christ to be saved from sin's consequences.
2:1 Whenever we find ourselves feeling justifiably angry about someone's sin, we should be careful. We need to speak out against sin, but we must humbly remember our own weaknesses. Often the sins we notice most clearly in others are the ones that have taken root in us. If we look closely at ourselves, we may find that we are committing the same sins in more socially acceptable forms. For example, a person who is very critical of those who gossip may justify the same action in themselves by saying something like, I'm only telling them what this person did so they will not be surprised.
2:4 In his kindness and mercy, God holds back his judgment, giving people time to turn from their sin. Some mistake God's patience as approval of the wrong ways they are living. Although self-evaluation can be hard, coming before God to hear him tell us where we need to change is even more difficult. We must ask God to point out our sins. Then he can help us deal with them. Unfortunately, we are more likely to be surprised by God's patience with others than humbled by his patience with us.
2:5-11 Although God does not usually punish us immediately for sin, His eventual judgment will definitely come. We don't know exactly when it will happen, but we know that no one will escape that final encounter with the Creator. (For more on judgment, see John 12:48 and Revelation 20:11-15.)
2:7 Paul says that those who patiently and persistently do God's will find eternal life. He is not contradicting his previous statement that salvation comes by faith alone (1:16-17). What does it mean to do good? Beginning with Creation, through the promise to Abraham, in the law given to Moses, and in the kingdom message of Jesus, God's path to blessing has been clear. We must love God and love others by treating them fairly and justly. The Jewish people, and now the church, have been called to take God's life-transforming plan to all the nations. We are not saved by good deeds, but when we commit our lives fully to God, we want to please him and do his will. As such, our good deeds are a grateful response to what God has done, not a prerequisite to earning his favour.
2:12-15 People are condemned not for what they don't know but for what they do with what they know. Those who know God's written Word and his law will be judged by them. Those who have never seen a Bible still know right from wrong, and they will be judged because they did not keep even the standards dictated by their own consciences. Our modern-day sense of fair play and individual rights often resists the idea of God's judgment. But keep in mind that people constantly violate even the standards they create for themselves.
2:12-15 If you travelled around the world, you would find evidence in every society and culture of God's moral law. For example, all cultures prohibit murder, yet in all societies that law has been broken. We belong to a stubborn, sinful race. We know what is right because we know what rules we want in place to help to protect us and our loved ones from being violated. Many of these laws, perhaps selfishly derived, line up with what God has also revealed in His Word. But it isn't enough to know what is right; we must also do it. Instead, we often insist on our own autonomy and claim the right to define what is right and wrong for ourselves. Admit to yourself and to God that you fit the human pattern and frequently fail to live up to your own standards (much less to God's standards). That's the first step toward forgiveness and healing.
2:16 Today, many people profess an upright and moral public image and piously rail against others who disagree with them but maintain a private and very different personal life. God knows, and he will judge everyone's secret life. He will be thorough and just. No one will be exempt.
2:17-29 Paul continues to argue that all stand guilty before God. After describing the fate of the unbelieving, pagan Gentiles, he moves to that of the religiously privileged. Despite their knowledge of God's will, they are guilty because they, too, refuse to live by it. Those who go to church or have grown up in Christian families may know what God's Word says, but Paul says that if all of us do not live up to what we know, we are no better off than unbelievers.
2:21-27 These verses are a scathing criticism of hypocrisy. We find it much easier to tell others how to behave than to behave properly ourselves. We may know the right words to say, but we don't allow them to take root in our own lives. Do you ever advise others to do something you are unwilling to do yourself? Make sure that your actions match your words.
2:21-22 Paul explained to the Jews that they needed to teach themselves--not others--the law. They knew the law so well that they had learned how to excuse their own actions while criticising others. But the law is more than a set of rules-it is a guideline for living according to God's will. The law shows people how to deal equitably and fairly with other people. It shows how to restore justice when relationships are broken. It is also a reminder that we cannot please God without a proper relationship with him. As Jesus pointed out, withholding what rightfully belongs to someone else is stealing (Mark 7:9-13), and looking on another person with lustful, adulterous intent is adultery (Matthew 5:27-28). Before we accuse others, we must look at ourselves and see if sin, in any form, exists within us.
2:24 If you claim to be one of God's people, your life should reflect God's love to others. When you treat others poorly while claiming to follow Jesus, you dishonour his name. People may even blaspheme or profane God's name because of you. What do people think about God from watching your life? Would he be pleased with how you represent him?
2:25-29 Circumcision refers to the sign of God's special covenant with his people. All Jewish males were required to submit to this rite (Genesis 17:9-14). According to Paul, being a circumcised Jew meant nothing if the person didn't obey God's laws. On the other hand, the uncircumcised Gentiles would receive God's love and approval if they kept the requirements of God's law. Paul goes on to explain that a true Jew (one who pleases God) is not someone who has been circumcised (a Jew outwardly) but someone whose heart is right with God and obeys him (a Jew inwardly).
2:28-29 Those who were Jews believed that this meant they were in God's family, heirs to all his promises. But Paul made it clear that membership in God's family is based on internal, not external, qualities. All whose hearts have been cleansed by God's Spirit are true Jews--that is, part of God's family (also see Galatians 3:7). Attending church or being baptised, going through confirmation, or being accepted for membership is not enough, just as submitting to circumcision was not enough for the Jews. God desires our heartfelt devotion and obedience. (See Deuteronomy 10:16 and Jeremiah 4:4 for more on "circumcision of the heart.")
Taken from Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition - (NIV)