Paul now shows that the wrath of God applies to the
moralist (2:1-16) and to the
Jew (2:17--3:8);
they are without excuse and are subject to the wrath and judgment of God.

In the first half of this chapter, Paul direct his attention to the moralist, that is, the one who does not approve of the sins of those referred to at the end of chapter one.

ROMANS 2:1-16.
1. Wherefore you are without excuse,
O man, all who are judging:
for in that you judge another, you condemn yourself;
for you who judge are practicing the same things.
2. And we know that the judgment of God is according to truth
upon them who practice such things.
3. And do you suppose, O man,
who judges them that practice such things and yet do them yourself,
that you will escape the judgment of God?
4. Or do you despise the riches of his kindness
and forbearance and long-suffering,
not knowing that the kindness of God is leading you to repentance?
5. But according to your hardness and unrepentant hearts
you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath
and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
6. who will render to each man according to his works:
7. to them on the one hand
that according to the endurance of good works
seek glory and honor and incorruption, eternal life:
8. but to them on the other hand
that from self-seeking both disobey the truth
and obey unrighteousness, wrath and anger.
9. Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man
who is working evil,
both of the Jew first and also of the Greek;
10. but glory and honor and peace to everyone
who is working good,
both to Jew first and also to the Greek:
11. for there is no respect of persons with God.
12. For as many as sinned without law
shall also perish without the law:
and as many as sinned in the law
shall be judged through the law:
13. for not the hearers of the law are righteous with God,
but the doers of the law shall be justified.
14. For whenever the Gentiles that have not the law
do by nature the things of the law,
these, not having the law, are a law to themselves;
15. who show the work of the law written in their hearts.
As their conscience bears witness
and their conflicting thoughts accusing or even excusing them.
16. on the day God judges the hidden things of men,
according to my gospel, through Christ Jesus.

2:1. Wherefore you are without excuse,
O man, all who are judging:
for in that you judge another, you condemn yourself;
for you who judge are practicing the same things.

The moralist does not only disapproves of their sins (immoralities) but condemns them ("all who are judging"). But the moralist is also without excuse because he does the same thing as the one whom he judges.

2:2. And we know that the judgment of God is according to truth
upon them who practice such things.

Paul now sets forth the first of five principles of the judgment of God.
"The judgment of God is according to truth upon those who practice such things."
God does not judge a man by what he says he does but by what he really does. On this principle, the moralist stands condemned.

2:3. And do you suppose, O man,
who judges them that practice such things and yet do them yourself,
that you will escape the judgment of God?

The moralist believes that because he judges those who practices such sins that he will escape the judgment of God, even though he does them himself. Paul exposes that deception by a question directed to the moralist personally. Holding to absolute and objective principles of morality does not excuse one from not doing personally morally correct actions. Knowing the truth does not excuse one from doing the truth.

2:4. Or do you despise the riches of his kindness
and forbearance and long-suffering,
not knowing that the kindness of God is leading you to repentance?

The moralist also believes that because he is not immediately judged for immoralities that he has escaped the judgment of God. Paul exposes this deception in the second half of his question to the moralist. Paul points out that the kindness of God in not judging immediately his sins has the purpose of leading him to repentance. The moralist should not misunderstand the long-suffering of God in not judging his sin immediately as God's approval of him and his moralism. The moralist's problem is not that he thinks he can get away with his sins, like those in chapter one (Psa. 50:21; Jer. 5:12-13); on the contrary, he thinks that because he knows the truth that he is ok, approved by God, even though he does not do the truth. He believes himself to be morally superior to those who approve such sins.

2:5. But according to your hardness and unrepentant hearts
you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath
and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,

And because he does not repent, the moralist is storing up as a treasure wrath for himself. And he shall receive that terrible treasure "on the day of wrath and revelation (actualization) of the righteous judgment of God."

2:6. who will render to each man according to his works:

On that day, God will give "to each man according to his works." Here Paul sets forth the second principle of the judgment of God: God will judge "each man according to his works." This biblical principle of judgement is stated many places in the scriptures (Psa. 62:12; Jer. 32:19; Prov. 24:12; I Pet. 1:17; Rev. 2:23; 20:12-13; 22:12). This principle should not be interpreted in a legalistic sense as meaning that the judgment of God is according to meritorious works and thus man can and must earn salvation and eternal life by meritorious works. Neither should it be interpreted as asserting the Greek-Roman idea of justice; that is, as the principle in God's nature, God must give to each man that which is due to him, that which he has earned according to meritorious works. By "works" here, Paul does not mean meritorious works but human acts. All that Paul and the Scripture mean by this statement is that human acts have consequences. And Paul make this clear in the next two verses.

2:7. to them on the one hand
that according to the endurance of good works
seek glory and honor and incorruption, eternal life:

In this verse and the next. Paul points out the meaning of the second principle of the judgment of God that he stated in the previous verse. Here Paul states the positive meaning of that principle of judgment. Those who continue to do good works, seeking glory, honor, and immortality, will receive the consequence of those action; that is, eternal life. This must not be interpreted legalistically as teaching that eternal life is earned by meritorious good works.

2:8. but to them on the other hand
that from self-seeking both disobey the truth
and obey unrighteousness, wrath and anger.

In this verse, Paul states the negative meaning of the second principle of the judgment of God set forth in verse 6. Those who through self-seeking both disobey the truth and obey unrighteousness will receive the consequence of those actions, that is, wrath and anger. By "truth" Paul here, no doubt, means the same as in chapter one, verses 19 and 20. Truth is the knowledge about God, His power and His person. To disobey the truth is to disobey the true God and turn to and obey a false god, a lie. And that is to obey unrighteousness, to be in wrong relationship to the true God. The consequence of that choice is the wrath and anger of God, who will send such into eternal separation from God, which is eternal death and hell (Rev. 20:11-15).

2:9. Tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man
who is working evil,
both of the Jew first and also of the Greek;

In this and the next verse, Paul leads up to the statement in verse 11 of the third principle of the judgment of God: no partiality. With God there is no respect of persons. In this verse, Paul restates the negative meaning of the second principle stated in the previous verse, adding "to the Jew first and also to the Greek." The principle applies regardless of race. Notice the way Paul states the second principle; the consequences ("tribulation and distress upon every soul of man") of human action ("who is working evil"). This is no legalistic statement of man being paid for the evil he has done, for the demerit of his sins. On the contrary, it a statement that sin has real consequences.

2:10. but glory and honor and peace to everyone
who is working good,
both to Jew first and also to the Greek:

In this verse, Paul restates the positive meaning of the second principle stated in verse 7, again adding "to the Jew first and also to the Greek." Again the principle applies regardless of race. Again notice the way Paul states the second principle; the consequences ("glory and honor and peace upon every one") of human action ("who is working good"). This is no legalistic statement of man earning salvation by meritorious works.

2:11. for there is no respect of persons with God.

In this verse, Paul states the third principle of the judgment of God: no partiality (I Pet. 1:17). There is no respect of person with God. This is the reason and explanation of why the second principle, according to works, working good or working evil, applies regardless of race. God does not take race into consideration.

2:12. For as many as sinned without law
shall also perish without the law:
and as many as sinned in the law
shall be judged through the law:

In this verse, Paul explains why God does not respect persons; that is, God shows no partiality between the Jew or Greek. The law makes no difference between the Jew and Greek.
"For as many as sinned without the law shall also perish without the law;
and as many sinned in the law shall be judged through the law."
The Greeks are without the law; Greek sinners will perish without the law. The Jews are in the law; Jewish sinners shall be judged through the law. Note that Paul says that the Jews are in (en), not under (hupo) the law; that is, they are not under the law as a rule and standard of conduct, but they are in the law as a covenant relationship. It is in that covenant relationship that God will judge the Jewish sinner; that is, God will judge them according to the terms of the covenant of law.

2:13. for not the hearers of the law are righteous with God,
but the doers of the law shall be justified.

In next two and a half verses, Paul goes on to explain the statements in the previous verse. In this verse, he explains how the Jews in the law covenant will be judged and in verses 14 and 15a he explains how the Gentiles without the law will be judged.
"For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous with God"
(that is, in right relationship to God),
"but the doers of the law who will be justified"
(this is, set right with God).
This is the fourth principle of the judgment of God: not the hearers, but the doers of the law will be justified. Paul is not here contradicting himself by what he says elsewhere in this letter ( 3:20; see also Gal. 2:16 and Psa. 143:2). Paul is not saying here that a man is justified by works, but that the doers of the law that will be justified. Note he does not use the word "works (ergon) of the law" but "doers [poietai] of the law". Paul is not here saying that a man is justified by his meritorious works but that a man is justified when he does what the law says he ought to do. As we will see later in chapters 3 and 4, justification is not a legal or forensic act which renders to meritorious works that which due to them, that is, because it has been earned, but the act of setting or putting one into a right relationship. And judgment is not a legal act of pronouncing a sentence of guilty or not guilty, but the act of putting down the one who is in the wrong and lifting up the one who is in right (Psa. 75:7). A legalistic understanding of judgment and justification makes Paul appear to contradict himself.

2:14. For whenever the Gentiles that have not the law
do by nature the things of the law,
these, not having the law, are a law to themselves;

In this verse and the first half of the next verse, Paul explains how the Gentiles, who are without the law, will be judged. He is explaining the statement he made in verse 12 that "all who sinned without the law will also perish without the law." Paul here is explaining how the judgment of God operates when there is no law. He tells us here that the Gentiles, who do not have the law, are a law to themselves when they do by nature the things of the law. Paul is simply saying that a right act is right, whether or not there is a law to say it is right. The rightness or wrongness of an act depends upon the relationship of the act to other persons, and not upon a law as a standard. For example, lying to one another is wrong because it is contrary to the right personal relationships to others. Lying destroys the trust and the love involved in the personal relationhips to others. Lying is inherently wrong because of the nature of personal relationships between persons, which is love. The problem with moralism and legalism is that they abstract the questions of morality from the concrete relationships of persons with persons. Moralism changes the concrete command "lie not one to another" into the abstract moral command "do not lie".

2:15. who show the work of the law written in their hearts.
As their conscience bears witness
and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them,

The first part of this verse is linked to the previous verse and the last part of this verse is linked to next verse. In the first part of this verse 15, Paul is still talking about the Gentiles who do not have the law. Here he says that they "show the work of the law written on their hearts." Paul is not here saying that they have "the law" (ho nomos) written on their hearts, but that the "work of the law" (to ergon tou nomou) is written on their hearts. Grammatically, the word "written" (graphon) agrees with the word "work" (ergon) which is in the same case, the nominative case, and not with the word "law" (tou nomou) which is in a different case, the genitive. The work, not the law, is written on their hearts. For if Paul had said that the law was written on their hearts, he would be saying that the Gentiles had the law in a more intimate and certain way than the Jews had it. The latter had it written only on the tables of stone or in a book. Moreover, Paul would also be saying that the Gentiles already had the law on their hearts which provision was promised to the Jews only in the new covenant (Jer. 31:33). But in the preceding verse 14, Paul specifically says that the Gentiles do not have the law. And he says it twice in that one verse alone, so that there will be no misunderstanding. Paul is not here teaching that there is a law of nature, lex naturae, after Stoic fashion. We must be careful not to read into Paul any Stoic-like concept of natural law. Paul in this passage is not talking about having the law but about doing the law ( v. 13). In the context of this verse 15, Paul is contrasting the Jew who has the law but does not do it with the Gentile who does not have the law but does do it. Having the law is not sufficient; only the doers of the law are justified. It is these particular actions of the Gentiles, which are in harmony with the law, that Paul is referring to when he says that the work of the law is written on their hearts. For it is from the heart, where the decisions are made, the work of the law comes. Those decisions write the work of the law on their hearts.

The last part of this verse is connected to the next verse. The double genitive absolute phrases,
"their conscience bearing witness
and their conflicting thoughts accusing or even excusing them,"
is a grammatically independent clause. It should be taken with the sentence that follows, which is the usual syntax, and not with the preceding subordinate clause. It should be translated as follows:

"^15b As their conscience bears witness
and their conflicting thoughts accusing or even excusing them,
¹⁶ on the day God judges the hidden things of men,
according to my gospel, through Christ Jesus."

2:16. on the day God judges the hidden things of men,
according to my gospel, through Christ Jesus.

In this verse, Paul states the fifth and last principle of the judgment of God: "according to my gospel." Paul's gospel is the gospel of God ( Rom. 1:1). The content of the gospel of God is Jesus Christ, His Son ( Rom. 1:3). Thus for God to judge according to Paul's gospel means for God to judge according to Jesus Christ: "through Jesus Christ." Jesus Christ is the ultimate criterion of judgment; the gospel presents Jesus as Lord and God (John 20:28) and salvation is by confessing Him as Lord and believing in one's heart that God raised Him from the dead ( Rom. 10:9-10). Thus Jesus Christ is the ultimate criterion by which God judges the hidden things of man, in the heart of man, where a man's ultimate criterion, his god, is enthroned. At the last judgment, God will exposed these hidden things of man, and judge whether in the heart of a man Jesus Christ is his ultimate criterion, his lord and god. But Jesus Christ is not only the criterion of judgment, but he is also the agent of judgement: "by Jesus Christ" (John 5:22; Acts 17:31; I Cor. 4:4: II Tim. 4:1; Rev. 19:11). Jesus as the Son of God will judge the secret or hidden things of men, the things that men seek to cover up. According to I Cor. 4:5, the Lord will shed light on the hidden things of darkness (covered by the darkness) and will manifest (expose) the counsels (the decisions or purposes) of the heart.