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The Impartiality of God

¹ Therefore you have ^(C1)no excuse or justification, ^(C2)everyone of you who hypocritically ^(F1)judges and condemns others; for ^(C3)in passing judgment on another person, you condemn yourself, because you who judge from a position of arrogance or self-righteousness are habitually practicing the very same things which you denounce.² And we know that the judgment of God falls justly and in accordance with truth on those who practice such things.³ But do you think this, ^(C1)O man, when you judge and condemn those who practice such things, and yet do the same yourself, that you will escape God's judgment and elude His verdict?⁴ Or do you have no regard for ^(C1)the wealth of His ^(C2)kindness and ^(C3)tolerance and ^(C4)patience in withholding His wrath? Are you actually unaware or ignorant of the fact that God's kindness leads you to repentance that is, to change your inner self, your old way of thinking—seek His purpose for your life?⁵ But because of your callous stubbornness and unrepentant heart ^(C1)you are deliberately storing up wrath for yourself ^(C2)on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed.^6 (C1)He WILL PAY BACK TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS justly, as his deeds deserve: ^(VR1)7 to those who by ^(C1)persistence in doing good seek unseen but certain heavenly ^(C2)glory, honor, and ^(C3)immortality, He will give the gift of ^(C4)eternal life.⁸ But for those who are ^(C1)selfishly ambitious and self-seeking and ^(C2)disobedient to the truth but responsive to wickedness, there will be wrath and indignation.⁹ There will be ^(C1)tribulation and anguish torturing confinement for every human soul who does or permits evil, to the Jew ^(C2)first and also to the Greek,¹⁰ but ^(C1)glory and honor and inner peace will be given to everyone who habitually does good, to the Jew ^(C2)first and also to the Greek.¹¹ For ^(C1)God shows no partiality no arbitrary favoritism; with Him one person is not more important than another. ^(VR1)

¹² For all who have sinned ^(C1)without the Law will also perish without regard to the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged and condemned by the Law.¹³ For it is ^(C1)not those who merely hear the Law as it is read aloud who are just or righteous before God, but it is those who actually obey the Law who will be ^(F1)justified pronounced free of the guilt of sin and declared acceptable to Him.¹⁴ When Gentiles, who do not have the Law since it was given only to Jews, do ^(F1)(C1)instinctively the things the Law requires guided only by their conscience, they are a law to themselves, though they do not have the Law.¹⁵ They show that ^(C1)the ^(F1)essential requirements of the Law are written in their hearts; and their conscience their sense of right and wrong, their moral choices bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or perhaps defending them¹⁶ on that day when, ^(F1)(C1)as my gospel proclaims, ^(C2)God will judge the secrets all the hidden thoughts and concealed sins of men through Christ Jesus. ^(VR1)

The Jew Is Condemned by the Law

¹⁷ But if you bear the name "Jew" and ^(C1)rely on the Law for your salvation and boast in your special relationship to God,¹⁸ and if you claim to know His will and ^(F1)(C1)approve the things that are ^(F2)essential or have a sense of what is excellent, based on your instruction from the Law,¹⁹ and if you are confident that you are a qualified guide to the blind those untaught in theology, a light to those who are in darkness,²⁰ and that you are ^(F1)a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the spiritually ^(F2)childish, having in the Law ^(C1)the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth—²¹ well then, you ^(C1)who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal in ways that are discrete, but just as sinful?²² You who say that one must not commit adultery, ^(F1)do you commit adultery? You who detest idols, do you ^(C1)rob pagan temples of valuable idols and offerings? ^(VR1)23 You who ^(C1)boast in the Law, do you repeatedly dishonor God by ^(F1)breaking the Law?²⁴ For, "^(C1)THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES ^(C2)BECAUSE OF YOU," just as it is written in Scripture. ^(VR1)

²⁵ Circumcision the sign of the covenant of Abraham is indeed of value if you ^(C1)practice the Law; but if you habitually break the Law, ^(C2)your circumcision has become uncircumcision it is meaningless in God's sight.^26 (C1)So if ^(C2)the uncircumcised man ^(C3)keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded by God as circumcision?²⁷ Then he ^(C1)who is physically uncircumcised but keeps the spirit of the Law will ^(C2)judge you who, ^(F1)even though you have the written code and circumcision, break the Law.²⁸ For ^(C1)he is not a real Jew who is only one outwardly, nor is true circumcision something external and physical.²⁹ But ^(C1)he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and true ^(C2)circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the ^(C3)Spirit, not by the fulfillment of the letter of the Law. ^(C4)His praise is not from men, but from God.