Bible Commentaries
Romans 2

Verses 1-15

25 There may be an allusion here to the prevalent custom of worshiping the Roman emperor. It has often occurred that, when men have attained to great eminence, they have demanded and received divine honors. Alexander the Great claimed such homage.

26 The prevailing immorality in ancient times was largely attributable to the character of the gods they worshiped. The younger race of gods who held sway on Olympus were usurpers who had murdered the older gods, and were guilty of innumerable deeds of violence and full of sensuality and injustice. If their gods behaved so, it was not difficult for men to emulate their example and endorse such actions in others as well.

The failure of Christendom is largely due to the fact that God is unknown, and His place filled by a fierce, vindictive caricature, who is restrained from his thirst for vengeance by the intervention of an effeminate mediator who takes the place of the Christ of God.

1 The argument here is inexorable. The man who judges others must be prepared to submit to the same judgment himself. There is no surer way of condemning himself than by sitting in judgment on those who commit the sins of which he is guilty. In the day of judgment there will be little need to call witnesses against mankind, for their own reasonings among themselves and the standards of justice, however low, which they apply to their neighbors, are sufficient to condemn all. The constant effort to uplift humanity ignores the true cause of human depravity. These things are the result of refusing to recognize God. One of the most alarming signs of modern times is the increasing desire to eliminate all reference to God in every sphere of life. Education must be strictly Godless, business has no place for the Deity, society shuns all mention of Him, and even many of the so-called churches have little more than a formal recognition of an unknown God. We must be prepared for more and more of the crime waves which periodically surge over the earth, as well as the complete break-down of the moral fibre of so-called civilization.

3 Is it not most unreasonable for the sinner to suppose that God's judgment of him will be less searching than his condemnation of the sins of his fellow men? The fact that His judgment is delayed and that He continues to give the blessings of creation with a bountiful hand should lead to reconsideration and amendment.

6 It is well to consider the basis on which the judgment of mankind will proceed. It is not all one-sided. God will not only sentence the evil, but reward the good-if such there be. That there are none to claim His rewards does not alter the great fact which is here laid down as the just basis of God's dealings with mankind. He will be paying each one according to his acts. No one can say this is not just and right. He is just as ready to reward the good as to punish the bad. All that is needed is someone to live up to the standard, and He will give such a one life for the eons-the same life which those who believe get through Christ as a gratuitous gift. To say that it is idle to speak thus, since no one can possibly claim such an award, betrays a misapprehension of the underlying purpose of judgment. This is not, as commonly supposed, the condemnation of wrongdoers, but rather the payment of what is due, good as well as bad, that so the justice of God's character may be revealed. Judgment, as a revelation of God, would be most misleading if it made no provision for reward as well as punishment. If no one is able to claim the reward it will not change the essential fact that such a righteous foundation underlies God's throne.

11 Law does not exempt from judgment: it only fixes the standard of judgment. Knowledge of the law only incriminates more deeply those who break it.

14 Human nature, or instinct, is not corrupt. It is in line with God's law and conscience ( Rom_2:27 ). It is against sin ( Rom_1:26 ). The heart of humanity is corrupt. By following their nature it was quite possible for men to do by instinct what was later inscribed in the written code. Men's acts are unnatural.

Verses 16-29

16 Much of the judgment which obtains among men is unjust and oppressive because of their inability to uncover the real truth: But in the divine judgment the hidden things will be revealed and a just sentence will be based on all the facts. Doubtless the motives will be laid bare as well as the acts themselves and thus the quality of each action will receive due recognition.

17 Now the apostle is about to devote particular attention to the Circumcision. Hitherto he has appealed to nature, or instinct, and to conscience. All these combine to condemn those who had no access to the revealed will of God. The Jew, who had the law, considered himself in an entirely different class, so the apostle devotes a considerable section to prove to him that the possession of the law did not make him immune from judgment, but rather invited a severer sentence.

23 The responsibility of being the repository of the form of knowledge and truth was very lightly felt by the Jew. He did not realize the gravity of his position. His conduct was now no longer a matter of private concern; it involved the name and honor of God. If he kept the law it would mark him as a just and holy man, and God and His law would receive praise. As it was, however, his actions did not comport with the light in which he boasted, and as a result God's name was brought into dishonor among the nations.

25 God's judgment , let us remember, is based on acts; His gifts are granted to faith . We have not yet come to the bestowal of gifts. The rite of circumcision was the outward sign, in the first place, of an inward faith, but it degenerated into a mere mark of privilege. But misused privilege is of no avail at the bar of God.

28 In the judgment the outward visible tokens will count for nothing. Only that which is vital, in spirit, which will meet the scrutiny of God, will receive recognition. Men may applaud many an action which God detests, and may condemn that which God approves. Human standards and outward appearances will weigh little in the judgment.

1 It would almost seem, from the preceding argument, that the advantages enjoyed by the Jews brought them no real benefit. But this seems to be true only of those who disbelieved and abused the advantages accorded them. Those of faith among them received untold benefit, like their father Abraham.

2 The greatest treasure in all the world was once the exclusive possession of the Jews. To them were confided the oracles of God. Today we, who in that day had no revelation from God, are entrusted with the same treasure, yet with jewels infinitely more precious than were ever in their care. This epistle is one of them. Have we anything like a true sense of our responsibility? Have we explored and enjoyed these treasures in any measure as they deserve? May God grant that the present attempt to open this treasure house to all His saints from the highest to the humblest, may lead to a greater appreciation of the infinite value of this sacred deposit.

5 The painful contrast between the fearful failures of His people and His holy law had one good effect. It magnified His righteousness. The question arises whether, since their unrighteousness commends His righteousness, He has the right to be indignant at it. Indeed (we might add) since all sin is a foil for His glory, how can He condemn it? But, how then can there be any judgment at all? That God is able to bring good out of evil is no excuse for the commission of evil, far less an incentive to do evil.

9 In the judgment there will be no privileged class. Religious Jews as well as cultured Greeks are all under sin. The proof of this for the Jews is found in the very oracles in which they boast.

10 These passages are all quoted in support of the charge that the Jew, equally with those of other nations, is subject to the judgment of God.

10-18 The whole quotation is taken from the Septuagint of Psa_14:2-3 except that it begins "The Lord out or heaven stoops over the sons of mankind, to perceive if they are understanding or seeking out God".