Paul's Epistle to the Romans — page 6

Chap. 2:12-15 – In the sixth place, God's judgment will be according to the measure of light a person has received. Paul said: “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”. Obviously, those who had the Law of God (the Old Testament Scriptures) had more light than those who never read or heard the Word of God. That difference will be taken into account on the day of judgment, and those who had the Law will be judged by its higher standard. The Lord said: “And the servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself, nor do according to his will, will be beaten with many stripes. But the one who did not know, and did things worthy of stripes, will be beaten with few stripes” (Luke 12:47-48). Thus, in the clearest language, the Lord taught that the judgment of sinners will be graduated according to the degree of each person's guilt.

Then, in a parenthesis in verses 13-15 (KJV and JND), Paul explains that even though the Gentiles did not have the Law, it does not mean they are excused. He says that when the Gentiles “do by nature the things that are of the Law”, they demonstrate the work of the Law written in their hearts. That inner testimony, in a sense “are a law to themselves”. Not that the Law of Moses is written in their hearts, but that “the work of the Law” is there, because their consciences gave them the knowledge of good and evil. A person, therefore, does not need to have a formal law saying that it is wrong to murder, steal, and commit adultery, etc., in order to know that these things are wrong. The Creator wrote indelibly in their hearts how they should live as responsible and moral beings, and their consciences bear witness to this.

Thus, besides having the testimony of creation, all these cultured Gentiles also have this inner testimony (their consciences) working in their “thoughts”, enabling them to know the rightness or wrongness of their actions. They were “accusing and also defending one another” (KJV), and this proved that their consciences gave them a moral standard to judge one another, as seen in verse 1. This fact proved that their consciences were active, and made them more responsible than the pagans of chapter 1, whose consciences were not active to the same degree.

Chap. 2:16 – In the seventh place, the Judge is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul said: “God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ”. The Lord Himself said: “The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son” (John 5:22). Paul also affirms that there is a “day” (a time) to come, when all lost sinners will be judged for their sins. The judgment will not be only for public sins; “the secrets of men” will also be judged according to divine justice. This will happen at the Great White Throne at the end of time (Rev. 20:11-15).

A Summary of the Facts Relating to God's Judgment

• It is according to truth (v. 2).

• No one escapes (v. 3).

• It is delayed in order to give sinners the opportunity to repent (v. 4).

• It is accumulated according to the deeds practiced by sinners (vs. 5-10).

• It is without partiality (v. 11).

• It will be applied according to the measure of light a person had (vs. 12-15).

• The Judge is the Lord Jesus Christ (v. 16).

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Thus, in chapter 2:1-16, the apostle showed conclusively that the cultured Gentiles in this world (the Greek) are as lost as the uncivilized Gentiles (the pagans). Both are in need of God's salvation.

THE ENLIGHTENED JEWS

Chapters 2:17–3:8

The Religious Man Favored with the Word of God Is Under

Sentence of Divine Judgment

Paul continues and says: “Behold, you who bear the surname Jew...”. Turning to speak to the Jews, it is clear that he has moved on to the third class of men in the human race. Now it is the turn of the enlightened Jews to be summoned to appear at God's tribunal. Up to this point, in Paul's indictment, the Jews would have agreed with everything he said about the Gentiles deserving to be under the sentence of God's judgment. But now, in this passage, Paul goes on to show that the Jews should not think they were exempt in any way. They are also guilty and under the sentence of divine judgment because, besides having the testimony of creation and the testimony of their consciences, they also have the testimony “of the Law” of God – the Old Testament Scriptures.

Having received special privileges from God, the Jews have a false sense of security regarding judgment. This false security is based on a misunderstanding of three things:

They were descendants of Abraham (John 8:33).

• They were the guardians of the Law (Rom. 3:2).

• They were circumcised (Gen. 17:11).

Thus, the Jews trusted in their heredity, in their knowledge, and in an ordinance. They thought these things guaranteed that they would not be condemned when they left this world. In this next series of verses, Paul takes up these three things, one at a time, and shows that neither the “Law”, nor “circumcision”, nor being a “Jew” can shelter a person from the penalty of their sins. In fact, he shows that those outward signs of God's favor actually make the Jews more responsible than the Gentiles who were less privileged.

The Law Cannot Protect a Jew from Judgment

Chap. 2:17-24 – The Jews "rested" in the fact that God had given them the Law – the Scriptures of the Old Testament. They saw this as a sign that God approved of them. Thus, they believed that of all peoples, they would be exempt from God's judgment. This, however, is not true; the very Scriptures on which they rested teach that God will judge His people (Ps 50:4, Ps 135:14; Amos 3:2). Paul goes on to show that the light the Law sheds on men does not protect them from judgment, but rather exposes all who fall short of its standards.

1. 18 – The responsibility of the Jews was increased by the fact that

they were familiar with the requirements declared in the written Word of God. They knew "the will" of God and were therefore able to "approve the things that are excellent". They could accurately evaluate matters of subtle differences regarding moral conduct because they were "instructed out of the Law". ("You know His will" could not be referring to the Mystery of His will in Ephesians 1:9-10, because that had not been revealed in the Old Testament (Rom 16:25; Eph 3:5, 9). It is rather the knowledge of His will in moral and practical matters of life).

Vs. 19-20 – Having and knowing the Law, it was God's mind that the Jews be His instrument to instruct the Gentiles in the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. Paul speaks of four things in which the Jews boasted, as a special vessel of God's testimony to the world. They were:

• "Guide of the blind".

• "Light of those in darkness".

• "Instructor of the foolish".

• "Teacher of children".

His purpose in presenting this was to show that the Jews were much more responsible than the Gentiles, for those who teach the Word of God must practice the things they teach.

Vs. 21-24 – Paul then asks the Jews a series of questions

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rhetorical questions about whether they practiced what they taught. He answers his own questions with the condemning fact that they had not practiced what they professed to teach, and thus proved that they were hypocrites. He says: "You who boast in the Law, do you dishonor God by transgressing the Law?" Instead of drawing people to God, their hypocrisy had caused "the name of God" to be "blasphemed among the Gentiles." Paul quotes Isaiah 52:5 to support this accusation.

Paul shows that because they knew and taught God's requirements in the Law but did not practice them, they were much more guilty than the two classes of Gentiles he had already addressed. James confirms this; he said that all who take the place of teacher are in danger of "a stricter judgment" if they fail (James 3:1). This was definitely the case with the Jews. Thus having the Law (v. 17), knowing the Law (v. 18) and teaching the Law (vs. 19-20) does not save the Jew – but these things make him extremely responsible. This fact supports what Paul has already established in chapter 2 regarding God's judgment – that increased light brings increased responsibility.

Circumcision Will Not Protect a Jew from Judgment

Chap. 2:25-29 – Paul moves on to the next circumstance that gave the Jews a false sense of security – the rite of "circumcision." The rabbis did not help at all in this respect; they erroneously taught that no circumcised man in Israel could be eternally lost. This is simply an untruth.

God instituted circumcision as a sign of His covenant with Abraham and his descendants (Gen 17:10-11). The Jews understood this to be an irrevocable guarantee of God's blessing toward them (Gen 15:5, 17:10). Since they were in such a secure relationship with God, they believed it was impossible for God to judge them, because He would be going back on His Word if He did so. How could God judge those whom He promised to bless?

In these verses, Paul explains that circumcision will not protect a person from judgment, just as trusting in the Law will not. He shows that a Jew needed more than the outward sign of circumcision in his body to be a true Jew whom God approved. He says: "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter: whose praise does not come from men, but from God". The Jews had the circumcision that was "outwardly in the flesh", but they also needed the circumcision that is "of the heart" – which involved having faith, if their eternal destiny was to be secure. Circumcision is an outward sign promising outward blessing to Abraham and his descendants. This was related to temporal blessings, such as: possession of the Land of Canaan, abundant growth of crops, good health, protection from their earthly enemies, etc. These temporal things have to do with life on earth under God's favor; they have nothing to do with a person's eternal destiny. The Jews, however, erroneously trusted in the rite of circumcision, which has to do with temporal blessing, and imagined that it assured them of eternal blessing.

The Jews are not alone in this misunderstanding. Many professing Christians equally trust in baptism, church membership, confirmation vows, etc., but these things do not assure their eternal blessing.

Paul refers to circumcision in three ways

• It represents Jews on a national level, in opposition to the Gentiles who are regarded as the uncircumcision (vs. 26-27; Gal 2:8-9).

• It indicates the actual rite itself – the literal surgical procedure performed on the body (v. 28; Gen 17:11).

• It represents a life that is separated to God in faith from the activity of the flesh (v. 29; Phil 3:3).

Being a Descendant of Abraham Will Not Protect a Jew from Judgment

Chap. 2:28-29 – Paul turns to the third circumstance in which the Jews falsely trusted – that they were descendants of Abraham. To bear the name “Jew” means that the person is one of the descendants of Abraham, and every descendant of Abraham was by birth, outwardly, in a covenant relationship with God (Gen. 17:7). Whether they had faith or not did not change that fact.

In these last two verses of chapter 2, Paul shows that having the same bloodline as Abraham will not protect a Jew from judgment. To believe that a person is exempt from the penalty of their sins because they are of the seed of Abraham is, in fact, a false notion. There is abundant testimony in the Scriptures to the falseness of this. In Matthew 3:7-9, John the Baptist said: “And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father’; for I tell you that God

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can raise up children [children ] for Abraham”. John used the word “children” to thereby distinguish those descendants of Abraham who truly had faith, indicating that not all of his descendants were children of Abraham. His argument is that God would cause Abraham to have children – some men and women of the nation would believe.

The Lord Himself taught the same thing in John 8:37-39. He said: “I know well that you are descendants [seed – KJV] of Abraham; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word finds no place in you. I speak of what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you have heard from your father. They answered and said to Him, ‘Our father is Abraham.’ Jesus said to them: If you were children [children – KJV] of Abraham, you would do the works of Abraham”. Here, the Lord makes a distinction between “the seed of Abraham – KJV” and “the children of Abraham – KJV”. His “seed” were his natural descendants, and his “children” were his spiritual descendants, who not only have his blood but also his faith.

Paul also teaches this later in this same epistle. He said: “For not all who are of Israel are Israelites; nor because they are descendants [seed] of Abraham are they all children [children]” (chap. 9:7-8).

Thus, being a natural descendant of Abraham does not mean that a person is automatically a spiritual child of Abraham. A true Jew must be a Jew both “inwardly” and “outwardly”. That inward something would be a work of faith “of the heart”. Indeed, Paul shows that what is inward is infinitely greater in importance than the outward, when it comes to those vital things that have to do with a person's eternal destiny. All the advantages given to the Jew will not protect him from judgment – those privileges only make him more responsible. The serious conclusion of all this accusation against the human race is that the Jews are, in fact, the most guilty of these three classes of men that Paul examined.

Merely Professing Christians