ROMANS
Chapter 2
Updated August MMVI
R.C. Sproul
Paul often exhorts Christians to live by their
own conscience and to be sensitive to the
consciences of others. He recognizes the
God-given authority of the conscience over
the soul, exhorting his readers to obey the
conscience even when it is wrongly
informed. We are to live by our consciences
even when our consciences tell us that
something which is lawful is wrong. This is a
profound teaching and impacts every
Christian in an intimate and life-changing
way. How many people even think about
their consciences long enough to live by
them? Yet, Paul instructs us in these
passages to listen to our conscience.
Because the conscience is so important, we
will examine this subject throughout the
following week, learning to bring it into
submission to the will of God.
The conscience plays a vital role in guiding
each of us according to specific principles
that God has established in nature as well
as in His Word. The rule book of our
conscience is the law that is written into our
nature, the law Paul refers to in Romans 2.
These laws revealed by God in nature and
the Word are identical. God not only
revealed his law at Sinai, but He wrote it into
our souls that we might be held responsible
on the day of judgment. No man, even those
who
have
never
heard
the
Ten
Commandments or the message of the
Gospel, will be excused for disobeying
God's law because that law has been
revealed by nature, it has been written into
the very fabric of our beings, and is brought
to bear in our lives by our consciences.
Have you ever wondered why unbelievers
do not carry out every evil desire of their
hearts? Ultimately, it is because God
restrains them. But how does He restrain
them? Often it is through the conscience.
When they want to do evil, their conscience
flares within them, keeping their evil
intentions at bay. Of course, the role of the
conscience in proclaiming the law and
bringing it to bear on the mind and will of the
individual is not enough to save them. It is a
weak guardian of the heart. It can be
wrongly informed, manipulated, ignored,
even silenced altogether. It does not have
the power to redeem, but it does have the
power to hold mankind accountable to the
law of God as He has revealed it from the
foundation of the world.
God's Wrath
The wrath of God is not like our wrath, a
heat and passion; no, fury is not in him (Isa.
27:4): but it is a righteous judgment, his will
to punish sin, because he hates it as
contrary to his nature.
Ministers
It was the hypocrisy of the Pharisees that
they did not do as they taught (Matt. 23:3),
but pulled down with their lives what they
built up with their preaching; for who will
believe those who do not believe
themselves? Examples will govern more
than rules. The greatest obstructers of the
success of the word are those whose bad
lives contradict their good doctrine, who in
the pulpit preach so well that it is a pity they
should ever come out, and out of the pulpit
live so ill that it is a pity they should ever
come in.
Sin
Every willful sin is a quarrel with God, it is
striving with our Maker (Isa. 45:9),the most
desperate contention. The Spirit of God
strives with sinners (Gen. 6:3), and
impenitent sinners strive against the Spirit,
rebel against the light (Job 24:13), hold fast
deceit, strive to retain that sin which the
Spirit strives to part them from.
Spiritual Desertion
And makest thy boast of God. See how the
best things may be perverted and abused. A
believing, humble, thankful glorying in God
is the root and summary of all religion (Ps.
34:2; Isa. 45:25; 1 Cor. 1:31). But a proud
vainglorious boasting in God, and in the
outward profession of his name, is the root
and summary of all hypocrisy. Spiritual pride
is of all kinds of pride the most dangerous.
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Chapter 2
Most of Paul’s Jewish readers would with
delight “pass judgment” on the Gentiles the
apostle describes in 1:26-32. But Paul
quickly silences them. God does not judge
by what men approve, but by what they do.
Anyone who ignores his own sinfulness, Jew
or Gentile, shows contempt for God’s
kindness and stores up wrath against the
day God will judge each person’s acts. As
for Gentiles, God has implanted the capacity
to make moral judgments and they will be
judged for failing to live up to the demands
of their own conscience. Yes, the Jews have
God’s Law and are proud of their
“superiority.” But they in fact break the Law,
and so their membership in the Old
Testament
covenant
community
is
meaningless to God. The real mark of
relationship with God is inward, a
“circumcision” performed by the Holy Spirit
that sets a person, heart and soul, apart to
the Lord.
2:1
Therefore you are without excuse,
every man of you who passes
judgment, for in that you judge
another, you condemn yourself; for
you who judge practice the same
things.
You, therefore, have no excuse,
you who pass judgment on
someone else, for at whatever
point you judge the other, you are
condemning yourself, because
you who pass judgment do the
same things.
Therefore thou art inexcusable, O
man, whosoever thou art that
judgest: for wherein thou judgest
another, thou condemnest thyself;
for thou that judgest doest the same
things.
Rom. 1:20
For since the creation of the world His
invisible attributes; His eternal power and
divine nature, have been clearly seen, being
understood through what has been made,
so that they are without excuse."
2Sam. 12:5-7
Then David's anger burned greatly against
the man, and he said to Nathan, 'As the
LORD lives, surely the man who has done
this deserves to die, and he must make
restitution for the lamb fourfold, because he
did this thing and had no compassion..'
Nathan then said to David, 'You are the
man!'
Matt. 7:12
Jesus said, "Therefore, however you want
people to treat you, so treat them, for this is
the Law and the Prophets."
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 do so in a spirit of
humility. 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 gossips may be very critical of others
who gossip about him or her.
2:1ff When Paul’s letter was read in the
Roman church, no doubt many heads
nodded as he condemned idol worshipers,
homosexual practices, and violent people.
But what surprise his listeners must have felt
when he turned on them and said in effect,
“You have no excuse. You are just as bad!”
Paul was emphatically stressing that nobody
is good enough to save himself or herself. If
we want to avoid punishment and live
eternally with Christ, all of us, whether we
have been murderers and molesters or
whether we have been honest, hardworking,
solid citizens, must depend totally on God’s
grace. Paul is not discussing whether some
sins are worse than others. Any sin is
enough to lead us to depend on 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.
TODAY IN THE WORD
As a teenager, C. S. Lewis abandoned his
nominal Christian beliefs to become an
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atheist. But God pursued the young scholar
as he matured, and Lewis wrote of feeling
“the steady, unrelenting approach of Him
whom I so earnestly did not desire to meet.”
One night in 1929, Lewis “gave in and
admitted that God was God, and knelt and
prayed.”
When reading this passage, imagine Paul
dialoguing with a Jew who enthusiastically
endorses his condemnation of the Gentiles.
Paul’s stunning charge is that the Jews are
self-righteous, doing the same thing they
condemn the Gentiles for doing; ignoring
that fact that God will judge their sins.
The young C. S. Lewis would probably fit
into the category of people Paul addressed
in the opening verses of today’s reading. We
could call these people moralists, those who
feel they are doing just fine in life, but who
are devoid of God’s saving grace.
Illustration
In cross examining his opponent in Romans
2 the Apostle Paul silences him with the
verdict: Therefore thou art inexcusable, O
man, whosoever thou art that judges: for
wherein thou judges another, thou
condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest
doest the same things.
In Romans 2, Paul narrowed his focus from
the human race as a whole to certain
groups. He knew a morally sensitive person
might read 1:18-32 and say, “That certainly
doesn’t apply to me. I don’t practice that kind
of perversion.” But people who depend on
their own goodness to please God need
Christ just as much as those who proudly
display their wickedness.
Paul shows us why human standards of
goodness fall so far short of God’s
standards. First, we aren’t consistent even
when we’re applying our own guidelines.
That’s why Paul accused the moralist of
doing the same things he condemned in
others.
Second, the only way we can be acceptable
to God is by meeting His criteria of
goodness, not ours. God does not judge on
the basis of appearances, or according to
fickle human standards. Instead, God’s
judgment is based on truth (v. 2), which
means He evaluates us according to His
righteous character. By that measurement,
no one is justified in His sight.
God’s judgment is also impartial (vv. 5-11).
Paul’s reference “to the Jew first” doesn’t
mean that Jews receive preference. The
apostle goes on to argue that the Jews did
not keep the law. By referring to Jews and
Gentiles, Paul means God would judge
everyone in due time without “favoritism” (v.
11).
Dialogue:
Early in 1975 Municipal Judge E.W.
Thompson of Sulphur, La., apologized for
arriving at court ten minutes late and
explained that a policeman had caught him
driving 42 miles an hour in a 30 miles zone.
When his own case later came up on the
docket, he stepped down from the bench,
stood before it, and pleaded guilty. The he
sentenced himself to a fine of $25.
Illustration
Asa Keys, a former district attorney of Los
Angeles County, was convicted of
conspiracy to obstruct justice. He was
sentenced to serve a term in San Quentin
prison. When the inmates of the prison
heard of his conviction and sentence, they
laughed long and sardonically; he had
prosecuted some two thousand of those
men! Hell will be something like this as
relates to the attitude of its occupants
toward one another.
When reading this passage, imagine Paul
dialoguing with a Jew who enthusiastically
endorses his condemnation of the Gentiles,
Paul's stunning charge is that the Jews are
self-righteous, doing the same thing they
condemn the Gentiles for doing; ignoring the
fact that God will judge their sins.
Grounds for Judgment:
 Race
(social class, ethnic minority)
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





Civilization
(mankind, humanity, human race)
Wealth
(fortune, affluence, prosperity)
Education
(advancement, upbringing, nurture)
Culture
(custom, habits, morals, racial)
Ethics
(principles, values, standards, ideal)
Religion
(belief system, doctrine, faith)
Epigrams
As one grows older, one realizes that the
things our enemies find hateful about us are
hateful.

The greatest freedom man has is the
freedom to discipline himself.

When you see a good man, think of
emulating him; when you see a bad man,
examine your own heart.
There is nothing noble in being superior to
some other man. True nobility is in being
superior to your former self.
2:2
And we know that the judgment of
God rightly falls upon those who
practice such things.
Now we know that God's
judgment against those who do
such things is based on truth.
But we are sure that the judgment of
God is according to truth against
them which commit such things.
Illustration
Once when Calvin Coolidge was Vice
President and presiding over the Senate, an
altercation arose between two Senators.
Tempers flared, and one Senator told the
other to go straight to hell. The offended
Senator stormed from his seat, marched
down the aisle and stood before Mr.
Coolidge, who was silently leafing through a
book. “Mr. President,” he said, “did you hear
what he said to me?” Coolidge looked up
from his book and said calmly, “You know, I
have been looking through the rule book.
You don’t have to go.”
2:3
And do you suppose this, O man,
when you pass judgment upon
those who practice such things and
do the same yourself, that you will
escape the judgment of God?
So when you, a mere man, pass
judgment on them and yet do the
same things, do you think you
will escape God's judgment?
And thinkest thou this, O man, that
judgest them which do such things,
and doest the same, that thou shalt
escape the judgment of God?
Study Note
Romans 1 presents the fact that all are
sinners and this is summed up in 3:23.
Romans 2 tells us the terrible consequences
of sin. Romans 1:20 leaves man without
excuse because the truth of God is written
on the face of nature. Now in Romans 2:1,
he is without excuse because the truth of
God is written across the conscience of
humanity. In light of the gross sin in others,
the reactionary tendency is to see none in
ourselves. We condemn others and
condone ourselves. But such are in for a
rude awakening. In chapter 1 Paul has used
a telescope to give us a panoramic picture
of evil. Now he uses a microscope to show
an intimate record. Before it was they now is
thou.
Paul thus is setting forth the principles of
judgment by which all those who have not
met God in Christ will be judged. Now the
sinner thinks he has a good case in a
human court, but his tribunal meets before
God. The code by which God will judge is
what Paul is stating. A judgment according
to Truth. A judgment according to Works.
This does not contradict salvation by faith,
for God's judgment is not on isolated
incidents but on a whole life. Believers have
heavenly ambitions, while the unrighteous
do not. God knows these ambitions.
Judgment will not be according to the Face
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of Any Man. Judgment will be according to
the Individual, according to the light he has,
either without law or in the law. And it will be
according to My Gospel, in the fullness of
the light of the gospel, who have Christ as
Savior.
R.C. Sproul
Having pointed out that God's character is
manifested as wrath against the wickedness
of humanity, Paul in Romans 1:24-32
explains that God punishes sin by allowing
men to commit more sin. They rejected Him
and created idols in their own image,
committing spiritual adultery, so God gave
them over to sexual distortions that matched
their spiritual harlotry.
Such social
aberrations led to every kind of depravity
and violence. Men were glad to do such
things, for in doing so they sought to block
God's righteousness out of their minds, and
they were active in soliciting others to join
with them in their depravity.
Yet, people don't like it when they are on the
receiving end of violence and betrayal. They
condemn others for doing such things,
cloaking themselves in self-righteousness.
Paul points out that by passing such
judgments, men admit that judgment must
be passed. When others hurt us and we
condemn them, we admit that there are
standards of right and wrong, and that evil
actions should be repaid. But now we are
caught, says Paul, because we have
admitted that there must be a judgment of all
human deeds, and this will include our
deeds as well. We'd better get right with
God or own up to the fact that we also will
be judged.
God's judgment will not be based on mere
appearance but on truth. God's judgment
will also take into account our knowledge
and privilege. The Jew of Paul's day, having
more knowledge and greater access to the
truth, will be judged by the stricter standard
of the revealed law. The Gentiles will be
judged according to their inner knowledge of
God, a knowledge all men possess, as we
have seen. The same is true today.
Americans have great access to the Gospel.
Those who reject it will be judged
accordingly.
Since all men do evil, all men are under the
condemnation of God. Being a Jew and
having the law avails nothing if you do not
keep it in an attitude of faithfulness. Paul
indicts the Jews for their hypocrisy, for they
study and glory in the law, but blatantly
disobey it. By doing this, they show that their
circumcision means nothing, because
circumcision is a sign of covenant with God,
yet they are not being loyal to Him.
Obedience means submission. If we obey
the law because it is God's law, we are
showing trust in Him. If we do what is right,
ignoring the element of submission, we are
acting in pride. Such good deeds are
faithless and sinful. True obedience is a sign
of faith, and only those who trust and obey
will be saved.
Illustration
A doctor says that one evening when he
was driving rather fast he made the mistake
of passing a police car. At once it speeded
up to catch him. Thinking fast, the doctor
picked up his stethoscope from the seat
beside him and waved it out the window.
The officer saluted respectfully and bowed
down.
But that's not the end of the story. A day or
two later, the doctor says, when I was on the
same road a police car speeded past me. I
recognized the officer and he recognized
me. With a friendly nod he stuck his hand
out of the window and waved a pair of
handcuffs at me.
Timeless Insights
Would you feel sympathy for a man who
ruined his health with alcohol? Or a girl who
forsook her husband for another man? Or a
couple who lost their savings at the roulette
table? Broken health, home, or finances
would normally be cause for sympathy. But
when the recipients of disaster actually are
the cause of the disaster, the final blame
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must rest on their shoulders. The Jews
found great fault in the Gentiles, but they
failed to look at themselves. Robert Haldane
discusses the shortsightedness of the Jews.
"We may here observe how prone human
beings are to abuse, to their own
destruction, those advantages which God
bestows on them. God has separated the
Jews from the Gentiles, to manifest Himself
unto them. By doing so, He had exalted
them above the rest of the world. The proper
use of this superiority would have been to
distinguish themselves from the Gentiles by
a holy life. But instead of this, owing to a
fatal confidence which they placed in this
advantage, they committed the same sins as
the Gentiles and plunged into the same
excesses. In fact, what they considered as
an advantage became a snare to them; for
wherein
they
judged
others,
they
condemned
themselves.
We
should
observe, therefore, how much self-love can
blind people into making false judgments.
The Jews judged correctly concerning the
Gentiles; but when it concerned themselves,
although they were equal in guilt, they would
not admit that they were equally the subjects
of condemnation."
Instead of wandering in darkness as the
Gentiles did, the Jews had the light of God's
Word; the same Word you hold in your hand
today. But through sin and disobedience,
they squandered their favored position with
God. The warning is clear: Take care lest
you, like they, be blinded rather than guided
by the light.
2:4
Or do you think lightly of the riches
of His kindness and forbearance
and patience, not knowing that the
kindness of God leads you to
repentance?
Or do you show contempt for the
riches of his kindness, tolerance
and patience, not realizing that
God's kindness leads you toward
repentance?
Or despisest thou the riches of his
goodness and forbearance and
longsuffering; not knowing that the
goodness of God leadeth thee to
repentance?
Eph. 1:7
In Him we have redemption through His
blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses,
according to the riches of His grace,
Eph. 2:7
In order that in the ages to come He might
show the surpassing riches of His grace in
kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
Rom. 11:22
Behold then the kindness and severity of
God; to those who fell, severity, but to you,
God's kindness; otherwise you also will be
cut off.
Rom. 3:25
Whom God displayed publicly as a
propitiation in His blood through faith. This
was to demonstrate His righteousness
because in the forbearance of God He
passed over the sins previously committed.
Ex. 34:6
Then the LORD passed by in front of him
and proclaimed, 'The LORD, the LORD
God., compassionate and gracious, slow to
anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and
truth;
2Pet. 3:9
The Lord is not slow about His promise, as
some count slowness, but is patient toward
you, not wishing for any to perish but for all
to come to repentance.
2:4 In his kindness, God holds back his
judgment, giving people time to repent. It is
easy to mistake God’s patience for approval
of the wrong way we are living. Selfevaluation is difficult, and it is even more
difficult to expose our conduct to God and let
him tell us where we need to change. But as
Christians we must pray constantly that God
will point out our sins, so that he can heal
them. Unfortunately, we are more likely to
be amazed at God’s patience with others
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than humbled at his patience with us.
Our Daily Bread
The following three stories, all true, illustrate
that the goodness of God leads us to
repentance.
A burly construction boss was telling a small
group of friends, I can't thank God enough
for giving me my wonderful wife! If it hadn't
been for her deep faith and the courage to
tell me about Jesus, I never would have
trusted Christ as my Savior.
A mother was speaking out in prayer
meeting. My baby was in the hospital. My
husband was out of work. I was exhausted
and depressed. But my Christian neighbor
kept encouraging me, and I found the
strength to keep going. My little boy has now
recovered and my husband has a job. I
came to realize that it was God who was
helping me. I told Him I was a sinner and
that I believed in Him. Now I'm saved.
A young man spent a beautiful fall morning
fishing on a quiet lake. He was overwhelmed
with the wonders of nature and the gift of
life, but his sin seemed so awful. So he cried
out to God and was saved.
C.H. Spurgeon
It is an instance of divine condescension
that the Lord reasons with men and asks
this question, and others like it. God not only
acts kindly to sinners, but when they misuse
his kindness he labors to set them right . It is
a sad thing that any who have seen God's
judgments on others, and have escaped
themselves, should draw from this mercy a
reason for adding sin to sin. From the Lord's
earnest question let us learn wisdom.
I looked upon a farm one day.
That once I used to own:
The barn had fallen to the ground,
The fields were overgrown.
The house in which my children grew,
Where we had lived for years;
I turned to see it broken down,
And brushed aside the tears.
I looked upon my soul one day,
To find it too had grown
With thorns and nettles everywhere,
The seeds neglect had sown.
The years had passed while I had cared
For things of lesser worth;
The things of Heaven I let go
When minding things of Earth.
Have you noticed God's goodness to you?
Have you responded by admitting your need
of forgiveness through Christ? If not, do so
today and received the gift of salvation. If
you've done that. God can use you, as
others recognize God's goodness.
To Christ I turned with bitter tears,
And cried, "O Lord forgive!
I haven't much time left for Thee,
Not many years to live.
Only God's unchanging love
Can change man's sinful heart.
The wasted years forever gone,
The days I can't recall;
If I could live those days again,
I'd make Him Lord of all.
Golden Thought
God's goodness may refer to the way in
which he has overlooked all our past sins,
so that he has not yet dealt with us in justice
concerning them. His forbearance may refer
to our present sins. And his longsuffering
may refer to our future sins, for he knows
that we shall continue to sin, yet he does not
destroy us, but bears with us still.
Anthony Blackwall
Here is a select variety of admirable words,
where the critics tell us that the first word
signifies the infinite goodness and
generosity of the Divine nature, whereby he
is inclined to do good to his creatures, to pity
and relieve. The second expresses his
offers of mercy upon repentance, and the
notices and warnings sinners have to
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amend.
The third is his bearing the
manners of bold sinners, waiting long for
their reformation, and from year to year,
deferring to give the final stroke of
vengeance. In what an apt position do riches
of Divine goodness, and treasures of wrath
to come, stand to one another!
Benjamin Beddome
The forbearance and longsuffering of God
toward sinners is truly astonishing. He was
longer in destroying Jericho than in creating
the world.
Illustration
British detective Grant Smith was sentenced
to a three-year prison term after confessing
to Scotland Yard he had planted drugs and
other evidence on four men in an effort to
brighten his promotion chances. All four had
been convicted. As a result of Smith's
confession they were given pardons to clear
their names. Smith turned himself in shortly
after becoming an elder of an evangelical
congregation. I want to be totally committed
to Christ., he told authorities. I feel I cannot
do that until I have come to terms with my
fellow men.
C.H. Spurgeon
To sin against law is daring, but to sin
against love is dastardly. To rebel against
justice is inexcusable, but to fight against
mercy is abominable. He who can sting the
hand which nourishes him is nothing less
than a viper. When a dog bites his own
master, and bites him when he is feeding
him. and fondling him, no one will wonder if
his owner becomes his executioner.
Illustration
At nineteen, Al Johnson had joined two
other men in robbing a Kansas bank. The
case was closed by police after two other
convicts were killed in an auto crash and
mistakenly identified by bank officials as the
robbers. Al felt sure he would never be
caught. He married a Christian girl and
pretended to be a Christian before her. She
knew nothing of his past crime. The
someone sent him a tract in the mail, titled
God's Plan of Salvation. Reading it, he
noticed that one of the Bible verses said,
whosoever shall call on the name of the
Lord shall be saved.
The realization struck that salvation was for
him. He could be forgiven and his
conscience set free. He knelt in prayer and
accepted Christ. His life changed. He
stopped a lifelong habit of lying. And after
much thought and prayer he confessed his
crime. His confession made television
newscasts and newspaper headlines even
in Canada. Under a Kansas statue of
limitations, he was set free, although he
chose to repay his share of the stolen funds
to the bank. Today, Al Johnson is the
manager of a service station, the father of
three admiring children, and an outstanding
Christian layman.
A.W. Tozer
Why should a man write and distribute a
tract instructing us on How to Pray So God
Will Send You the Money You Need? Any
of us who have experienced a life and
ministry of faith can tell how the Lord met
our needs. Surely we believe that God can
send money to His believing children, but it
becomes a pretty cheap thing to get excited
about the money and fail to give the glory to
Him who is the Giver! So, many are busy
using God. Use God to get a job! Use God
to give us safety! Use God to give us peace
of mind! Use God to obtain success in
business! Use God to provide heaven at
last! Brethren, we ought to learn and learn it
very soon that it is much better to have God
first and have God Himself even if we have
only a thin dime than to have all the riches
and all the influence in the world and not
have God with it! John Wesley believed that
men ought to seek God alone because He is
love. I think in our day we are in need of
such an admonition as: Seek more of God,
and seek Him for Himself alone! If we
become serious-minded about this, we
would soon discover that all of the gifts of
God come along with the knowledge and the
presence of God Himself.
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2:5
But because of your stubbornness
and unrepentant heart you are
storing up wrath for yourself in the
day of wrath and revelation of the
righteous judgment of God,
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.
But after thy hardness and
impenitent heart treasurest up unto
thyself wrath against the day of
wrath and revelation of the righteous
judgment of God;
2:5-11 Although God does not usually
punish us immediately for sin, his eventual
judgment is certain. 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 Rev. 20:11-15.
Golden Thought
God's wrath, though it come not on you yet,
is like a stream that is dammed up. Every
moment it gathers force. It bursts not the
dike, yet every hour it is swelling it. Each
moment of each day in which you remain an
unbeliever you are treasuring up wrath
against the day of wrath when the measure
of your iniquity is full.
Illustration
The editor of a small weekly newspaper in a
town in the West was hard put to it one
week for copy to fill his columns. So he had
his
compositor
set
up
the
Ten
Commandments and ran them without
making any editorial comment. Three days
after the paper was published he received a
letter saying: Please cancel my subscription.
You're getting too personal.
Illustration
The thing about cows is if you push them,
they push back. So if you want a cow to
move left, you push right and she will push
back to the left.
Illustration
Stubbornness has caused a split in Japan's
Stubbornness Club; formed a year ago by
20 people who considered themselves
obstinate, but wanted to be worthwhile
members of society. Their monthly meetings
became increasingly heated, and the vicepresident has resigned to form a rival
Society
for
the
Preservation
of
Stubbornness.
2:6
who WILL RENDER TO EVERY
MAN ACCORDING TO HIS
DEEDS:
God "will give to each person
according to what he has done."
Who will render to every man
according to his deeds:
R.C. Sproul
As we begin by looking at issues
surrounding the doctrine of sin, we first ask
the question, Is all sin the same in degree?
Too often our motivation in asking such a
question is to find an excuse for failing to
search the depths of our hearts and root out
sin, or to excuse our gross behavior as
being no worse than anyone else's. Yet, the
question is legitimate, and the answer is
complex. While all sins are the same in that
any transgression of God's law, no matter
how slight, is worthy of eternal damnation,
there are degrees of rebellion, and levels of
seriousness in God's sight. While Jesus said
that anyone who lusts in his heart is guilty of
committing adultery, He did not say that lust
was the same as committing adultery.
Jesus' goal in the Sermon on the Mount was
to
expose
the
Pharisees
for
misunderstanding the depth of the law of
God. But we can discover from the Old
Testament as well as the New that there is a
higher degree of seriousness in actually
committing adultery. Adulterers were put to
death. In the New Testament, those who
commit adultery and remain in unrepentant
are put out of the fellowship of the church.
There are a number of sins outlined in the
New Testament that have a heavier weight
9
ROMANS
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to them than others.
Even the secular society recognizes that
some sins are more serious than others in
that they have greater consequences and
deserve greater punishment. For example,
there is a difference between grand larceny
and petty theft. While all crime, all sin, is an
affront to God, God has said that He will
judge us according to what we have done.
We cannot say, Since I have lusted in my
heart, I might as well go ahead and commit
adultery. Such an attitude undermines the
very righteousness of God. If there were not
degrees of sin, the church would have no
authority to discipline and excommunicate
members who remain impenitent. God hates
all sin, and He will judge righteously
according to what we have done. We must,
therefore, seek to live by His grace that we
might not transgress His law at any point.
We must not excuse sin at any level or try to
ignore the serious consequences of sins that
bring blatant shame on the Gospel and the
holiness of God.
2:7
to those who by perseverance in
doing good seek for glory and honor
and immortality, eternal life;
To those who by persistence in
doing good seek glory, honor and
immortality, he will give eternal
life.
To them who by patient continuance
in well doing seek for glory and
honour and immortality, eternal life:
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 (Romans
1:16-17). 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 grace.
Saved by good works
Paul will soon show that no one truly does
good. Here his purpose is not to describe a
way of salvation, but the fruit of salvation.
When God judges our works, those who
possess eternal life will persist in doing
good, not to win salvation, but because they
care about Glory, honor, and immortality,
and not the things of the world.
Illustration
Plato wrote the first sentence of his famous
Republic nine different ways before he was
satisfied. Cicero practice speaking before
friends every day for thirty years to perfect
his elocution. Noah Webster labored 36
years writing his Dictionary, crossing the
Atlantic twice to gather material. Milton rose
at 4:00am every day in order to have
enough hours for his Paradise Lost. Gibbon
spent 26 years on his Decline and Fall of the
Roman Empire. Bryant rewrote one of his
poetic masterpieces 99 times before
publication and it became a classic.
Sir Walter Scott put in fifteen hours a day at
his desk, rising at 4:00am in the morning. He
averaged a book every two months, and
turned out the Waverly Novels at one a
month. Burke wrote the conclusion of his
speech at the trial of Hastings sixteen times,
and Butler rewrote his famous Analogy
twenty times. Virgil spent seven years on his
Georgics and twelve on the Aeneid.
Nevertheless, he was so displeased with the
latter that he tried to rise from his deathbed
to throw the manuscripts into the flames.
George Stephenson spent fifteen years to
perfect the locomotive. Watts worked for
thirty years on the condensing engine, and
hard rubber cost Goodyear ten years of
study, poverty and public ridicule. Field
crossed the ocean fifty times to lay a cable
so men could talk across the oceans.
Burbank the plant wizard at one time
personally
conducted
over
6,000
experiments before finding the solution.
Westinghouse was treated as a mild lunatic
by most railroad executives. Stopping a train
by wind! The man's crazy! Yet he
persevered and finally sold the air-break
idea.
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ROMANS
Chapter 2

Illustration
William Wilberforce early became inflamed
with the idea of stopping the slave trade and
slavery in England. He succeeded in
becoming a member of Parliament. Goaded
by William Pitt, he spoke often against
slavery and the slave trade but suffered
repeated defeats in Parliament. In 1807 he
persuaded his colleagues to ban the slave
trade. Not until 1833 did both houses of
Parliament finally abolish slavery in Britain.
The news of total victory came to
Wilberforce on his deathbed. He was
motivated in his life's career by an idea
whose time finally came.
Illustration
A philosophical clock once spent much time
meditating upon its future. It reasoned that it
had to tick twice each second, 120 times
each minute or 7200 time every hour; in 24
hours. 172,000 ticks. This meant 63,072,000
times every year, calculated the clock. And
in ten years it would have to tick
630,720,000 times! At this point it collapsed
from nervous exhaustion.
2:8
but to those who are selfishly
ambitious and do not obey the truth,
but obey unrighteousness, wrath
and indignation.
But for those who are selfseeking and who reject the truth
and follow evil, there will be wrath
and anger.
But unto them that are contentious,
and do not obey the truth, but obey
unrighteousness, indignation and
wrath,
Epigram On Ambition
Ambition destroys its possessor.
DISOBEDIENCE
 I a sin.
Genesis 3:14
 When it is right to disobey
authorities.
Exodus 1:17
 Hurts others around us.
Exodus 8:15









2:9
Often brings on trouble.
Numbers 20:3
Kept Moses from entering promised
land.
Numbers 20:12
Makes our lives more difficult.
Deut. 2:14
Requires discipline.
Deut. 34:4
Don’t let someone nag you into
disobeying.
Judges 16:16
Do you make excuses for yours?
1 Samuel 13:12
Is it ever right to disobey parents?
1 Samuel 19:1
Can be both active and passive.
1 Chron. 10:13
Cost Judah trouble and destruction.
Isaiah 3:1
Only pretending to obey God.
Matthew 21:30
There will be tribulation and distress
for every soul of man who does evil,
of the Jew first and also of the
Greek,
There will be trouble and distress
for every human being who does
evil: first for the Jew, then for the
Gentile;
Tribulation and anguish, upon every
soul of man that doeth evil, of the
Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
TROUBLES
 Following God may bring more.
Genesis 12:10
 May be testing your faith or
character.
Genesis 12:10
 Lying only brings more. \
Genesis 18:15
 See them as opportunities for
growth.
Genesis 35:10
 Finding hope in.
Leviticus 26:40
 Don’t question God’s goodness in.
Job 2:10
 Your life is not too complex for God.
John 1:3-5
11
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Chapter 2

2:10
Jesus controls the storms of life.
Matthew 8:25
but glory and honor and peace to
every man who does good, to the
Jew first and also to the Greek.
but glory, honor and peace for
everyone who does good: first for
the Jew, then for the Gentile.
But glory, honour, and peace, to
every man that worketh good, to the
Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
GLORY
 Receiving God’s glory comes from
following his instructions.
Leviticus 9:22
 How quickly Israel’s faded.
1 Kings 14:25
 Seeking it for God.
Psalm 115:1
 Jesus’ suffering was the path to
glory.
Luke 24:25
 God is glorified when people come
to him.
John 15:8
 How we can be Jesus’ glory.
John 17:10
 Stephen saw glory of God.
Acts 7:55
 Make glorifying God a top priority.
1 Cor. 10:31
 Holy Spirit imparts glory in us.
2 Cor. 3:18
 What it means to sit with Christ in.
Ephes. 2:6
 How God is glorified when we use
our abilities for him.
1 Peter 4:11
HONOR
 How do you “honor” your parents?
Exodus 20:12
 Personal honor comes form
honoring God.
Ezra 7:27
 How can we honor others?
Romans 12:10
 How suffering leads to.
Ephes. 3:13
 How to honor your church leaders.

1 Thes. 5:12
Honoring people for wrong reasons.
James 2:2-4
PEACE
 Found by focusing on God’s
promises.
Genesis 21:7
 What would you give up for it?
Genesis 26:17
 Takes priority over conflict.
Joshua 22:11
 Obedience leads to.
2 Chron. 14:1
 Not necessarily a time to rest.
2 Chron. 14:7
 Comes from the assurance of
answered prayer.
Psalm 3:5
 Takes hard work.
Psalm 34:14
 Everyone wins when it is sought.
Psalm 120:7
 More than the absence of conflict.
Psalm 122:6
 Make peace with others quickly.
Matthew 5:25
 Ultimate peace will come with
Messiah’s return.
Luke 21:28
 The kind the Holy Spirit brings.
John 14:27
 Peace versus the peace of God.
1 Cor. 1:3
 Can affect our decisions.
Col. 3:14
 Must be active not passive.
1 Peter 3:11
2:11
For there is no partiality with God.
For God does not show
favoritism.
For there is no respect of persons
with God.
No Favoritism Allowed
It is a sin for a Christian to show favoritism
to people. That is, he should not be
prejudiced for or against another person
simply based on position, wealth, influence,
popularity, or appearance.
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ROMANS
Chapter 2
The clearest, most practical New Testament
teaching on impartiality is in James’ letter to
believers:
My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord
Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with
partiality. For if there should come into your
assembly a man with gold rings, in fine
apparel, and there should also come in a
poor man in filthy clothes, and you pay
attention to the one wearing the fine
clothes…have you not shown partiality
among yourselves, and become judges with
evil thoughts?…but if you show partiality,
you commit sin, and are convicted by the
law as transgressors (2:1–4, 9).
If God never plays favorites, shouldn’t you
strive for the same virtuous character, “doing
nothing with partiality” (1 Tim. 5:21)?
Impartial:
 Not to act superior or exclusive.
 He accepts all who call upon Him.
 He accepts all who fear Him and
works righteousness.
 God is impartial in His blessings.
2:12
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;
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.
For as many as have sinned without
law shall also perish without law:
and as many as have sinned in the
law shall be judged by the law;
1Cor. 2:13
Which things we also speak, not in words
taught by human wisdom, but in those
taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual
thoughts with spiritual words.
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
those standards that their own consciences
dictated. Our modern-day sense of fair play
and the rights of the individual often balks at
God’s judgment. But keep in mind that
people violate the very standards they
create for themselves.
2:12-15 If you traveled around the world,
1 Cor.
1:2 and
you would find evidence in every
society
Romans
10:12all
culture of God’s moral law. For
example,
cultures prohibit murder, and yet in all
Actsbroken.
10:34 We
societies that law has been
belong to a stubborn race. We
know 5:45
what’s
Matthew
right, but we insist on doing what’s wrong. It
is not enough to know what’s right; we must
also do it. Admit to yourself and to God that
you fit the human pattern and frequently fail
to live up to your own standards (much more
to God’s standards). That’s the first step to
forgiveness and healing.
Rom 3:19
Now we know that whatever the Law says, it
speaks to those who are under the Law, that
every mouth may be closed, and all the
world may become accountable to God;
Note: The Greek world viewed conscience
as a dread accuser, constantly to mind the
faults and failures of the past. Here Paul
teaches that this faculty, shared by all men,
shows that God has planted a moral sense
in human nature which stands in judgment
on those same issues of personal and social
relationships with which God's Law deals.
God will not judge the pagan who does not
know the standards revealed in Scripture by
Biblical Law. He does not have to!
1Cor. 9:21
To those who are without law, as without
law, though not being without the law of God
but under the law of Christ, that I might win
the weak;
Illustration
Billy Sunday, the baseball evangelist and
reformer, never spared himself nor those he
wanted to help in the vigor of his attacks on
sin. He thundered against evil from the Gay
13
ROMANS
Chapter 2
nineties through the Great Depression. He
preached Christ as the only answer to man's
needs until his death in 1935. I'm against
sin, he said. I'll kick it as long as I've got a
foot, and I'll fight it as long as I've got a fist.
I'll bite it as long as I've got a tooth. When
I'm old and fistless and footless and
toothless, I'll bum it till I go home to Glory
and it goes home to perdition!
High above the gorge, a tightrope walker
balances precariously on a thin stand of
wire. Every muscle and nerve and thought is
trained on just one objective: to stay of the
line! Few would volunteer for such a
hazardous high wire act. Yet many attempt
something infinitely more dangerous. They
try to find acceptance with God by keeping
the Law.
Illustration
A flippant youth asked a preacher, You say
that unsaved people carry a weight of sin. I
feel nothing. How heavy is sin? Is it ten
pounds? Eighty pounds? The preacher
replied by asking the youth, If you laid a four
hundred pound weight on a corpse, would it
feel the load? The youth replied, It would
feel nothing because it is dead. The
preacher concluded, That spirit, too, is
indeed dead which feels no load of sin or is
indifferent to its burden and flippant about its
presence. The youth was silenced!
John Wesley
Men do not consider, when they seek to
establish their own righteousness which is of
the law, what manner of obedience it is
which the law indispensably requires. It must
be perfect and entire in every point, or it
does not answer the demands of the law.
But which of you is able to perform such
obedience?
2:13
for not the hearers of the Law are
just before God, but the doers of the
Law will be justified.
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.
(For not the hearers of the law are
just before God, but the doers of the
law shall be justified.
James 1:22,23
But prove yourselves doers of the word, and
not merely hearers who delude themselves.
For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not
a doer, he is like a man who looks at his
natural face in a mirror;
James 1:25
But one who looks intently at the perfect law,
the law of liberty, and abides by it, not
having become a forgetful hearer but an
effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in
what he does.
Timeless Insight
Who among you fulfills every jot and tittle of
the outward commandments of God? Doing
nothing, great or small, which God forbids?
Leaving nothing undone which He
demands? Speaking no idle word? And how
much less are you able to fulfill all the
inward commandments of God; those which
require that every mood and motion of your
soul should be holiness unto the Lord! Are
you able to love God with all your heart? To
love all mankind as your own soul? To have
God always before you? To keep every
affection, desire, and thought in obedience
to His Law?
He’s Calling You!
 Ye call me Master and obey me not.
 Ye call me Light and see me not.
 Ye call me Way and walk not.
 Ye call me Life and desire me not.
 Ye call me Wise and follow me not.
 Ye call me Fair and love me not.
 Ye call me Rich and ask me not.
 Ye call me Eternal and seek me not.
 Ye call me Gracious and trust me
not.
 Ye call me Noble and serve me not.
 Ye call me Mightily and honor me
not.
 Ye call me Just and fear me not.
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Chapter 2

If I condemn you Blame Me not!
John Drinkwater
Two men met on a bus. They exchanged
familiar questions, ones we hear every day.
One asked, What do you know? The other
asked, How are you doing? Two questions,
both important. The first, What do you know,
has always been extremely important since
the dawn of time. The whole history of
science lies in the answer to that question. It
will always be important. But the second
question, How are you doing, is a
completion of the first question and is vastly
more important.
In our world today we have overestimated
the values of hearing. We are always beset
by one of the persistent delusions of life, the
comfortable feeling, which is a constant
boost to our complacency, that by hearing
about a situation or a need, we have actually
done something about it. For this reason,
the word of Paul's that only the doers of the
law, not the hearers, are justified, comes as
a needed and arresting reminder to us all. It
is tremendously needed in our religious life,
for it cuts the importance of merely hearing
down to size. A small size!
Kierkegaard wrote one of his vivid parables
on the danger of becoming a specialized
hearer of religion, an occupation so
absorbing that it left no inclination to do
anything about it. He imagined that near the
cross of Christ had stood a man who beheld
the terrible scene, and then became a
professor of what he saw. He explained it
all. Later he witnessed the persecution and
imprisonment and cruel beating of the
apostles, and became a professor of what
he had witnessed. He studied the drama of
the cross, but he was never crucified with
Christ in his own life. He studied apostolic
history, but he did not live apostolically, He
was a hearer, not a doer. That is a sin that
does so easily beset us. We see its infection
in the words of a minister who said testily,
when a bothersome call came over the
telephone, I am writing a great sermon on
sympathy, and do not have time for
individuals.
Illustration
Sir Leonard Wood once visited the King of
France and the King was so pleased with
him he was invited for dinner the next day.
Sir Leonard went to the palace and the King
meeting him in one of the halls said, Why,
Sir Leonard. I did not expect to see you.
How is it that you are here? Did not your
majesty invite me to dine with you? said the
astonished guest. Yes, replied the King, but
you did not answer my invitation. The is was
that Sir Leonard Wood uttered one of the
choicest sentences of his life. He replied, A
king's invitation is never to be answered, but
to be obeyed.
Timeless Insights
Jesus told His disciples to follow the model
of the scribes and Pharisees (Matt. 5:20),
but not to cope their motivation (Matt.
23:23). Doing right things for wrong reasons
will never fool God. Martin Luther speaks out
forcefully and clearly against what might be
called report card Christianity; a justification
built on good grades in the classroom of life.
"The question is asked: How can justification
take place without the works of the law,
even though James says: 'Faith without
works is dead'? In answer, the apostle
distinguishes between the law and faith, the
letter and grace. The 'works of the law' are
works done without faith and grace, by the
law, which forces them to be done through
fear or enticing promise of temporal
advantages. But 'works of faith' are those
done in the spirit of liberty, purely out of love
to God. And they can be done only by those
who are justified by faith. An ape can
cleverly imitate the actions of humans. But
he is not therefore a human. If he became a
human, it would undoubtedly be not by
virtue of the works by which he imitated man
but by virtue of something else; namely, by
an act of God. Then, having been made a
human, he would perform the works of
humans in proper fashion. Paul does not say
that faith is without its characteristic works,
but that it justifies without the works of the
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ROMANS
Chapter 2
law. Therefore justification does not require
the works of the law; but it does require a
living faith, which performs its works."
The Pharisees knew God's law by heart but
didn't do God's law from the heart. Heaven
requires more. Nothing short of God's
declaration Not guilty!, will do: a declaration
by a living Savior which brings a living faith
and makes living by faith possible. Take it
from Paul: It's the only faith that works!
2:14
For when Gentiles who do not have
the Law do instinctively the things of
the Law, these, not having the Law,
are a law to themselves,
(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,
For when the Gentiles, which have
not the law, do by nature the things
contained in the law, these, having
not the law, are a law unto
themselves:
Dirty Hands
Gentiles, . . . although not having the law,
are a law to themselves, . . . their
conscience also bearing witness. —Romans
2:14-15
One of William Shakespeare’s most
intriguing characters is Lady Macbeth.
Having heard a prophecy that her husband
would become king, she convinced him to
assassinate the reigning monarch. When the
bloody deed was done, Macbeth was
conscience-stricken. His wife rebuked his
squeamishness and helped him cover up
the crime. Her husband was crowned king.
But that wasn’t the end.
Lady Macbeth’s initial resolve turned to
remorse. She grew mentally unstable, and
couldn’t stop washing her hands. “Will these
hands ne’er be clean?” she asked. Finally,
the guilt drove Lady Macbeth to suicide.
Guilt is an emotion that can weigh us down
whenever we cross a moral boundary. All of
us are capable of feeling guilty when we
violate the law of God written in our hearts
(Romans 2:14-15). If we continue to sin
willfully, however, we will dull our
conscience.
Lady Macbeth is a good reminder of a
biblical principle: Whatever we sow, we will
certainly reap (Galatians 6:7-8). When we
feel temptation, we need to listen to our
conscience—not try to silence it. It’s far
better to avoid committing an act we will
later regret than to live with the
consequences.
Only Jesus’ blood can wash away
the stain of sin.
LAWLESS, LAWLESSNESS Term used by
modern translations to describe people not
restrained or controlled by law, especially
God’s law. As rebellion against God, sin is
lawlessness (1 John 3:4; compare 2 Thes.
3:4). Those responsible for Christ’s death
are characterized as lawless (Acts 2:23) as
are Gentiles in their idolatry (1 Peter 4:3).
The leader of the eschatological (end-time)
rebellion is called the man of lawlessness (2
Thes. 2:3; compare 2 Thes. 2:8). The
lawless one is already at work but is
presently restrained (2 Thes. 2:6-7). The
lawless one will be revealed before the
return of Christ who will slay him with His
breath (2 Thes. 2:8).
2:15
in that they show the work of the
Law written in their hearts, their
conscience bearing witness, and
their thoughts alternately accusing
or else defending them,
since they show that the
requirements of the law are
written on their hearts, their
consciences also bearing
witness, and their thoughts now
accusing, now even defending
them.)
Which shew the work of the law
written in their hearts, their
conscience also bearing witness,
and their thoughts the mean while
accusing or else excusing one
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Chapter 2
another;)
Study Note:
This is a great announcement, and shows
how God can judge men who have never
heard of the Bible or the Decalogue. The
latter is engraven on their hearts, and is
witnessed to by conscience.
Conscience is an original faculty. We are no
more called upon to investigate its origin
than the mathematician to inquire how the
mind can add, or multiply, or divide; or than
the artist to ask why we can appreciate the
beautiful. It is part of the make-up and
constitution of our moral nature. The word
ought lies behind conscience, investing it
with certainty and irresistibleness of the
throne of God.
Conscience is the judgment-seat of God set
up within our nature. You may always know
when conscience speaks. She never
hesitates, or questions, or pronounces on
the expediency of a course; but, as any case
is presented to her, she pronounces
absolutely and directly upon it as right or
wrong. And as she speaks, she anticipates
the verdict of the great white throne.
Doubtless conscience may be impaired in its
action by long neglect, or by the determined
preference of human maxims as our rule of
action; but it is always liable to resurrection
when the voice of God is sounding. The
office of the minister, like "Old Mortality" in
the story, is to go through the world, chisel in
hand, clearing the inscriptions of the law
from the grit of growth which has rendered
them almost illegible in too many cases. The
Prince, in the old fairy story, sounded a blast
at the gate of the Sleeping Palace, and
broke the spell, so that all its inmates sprang
up into alert vitality; and similarly the Spirit of
God, through the Truth, appeals to the
human conscience, which is his ally in the
heart of man.
Daily Light
While taking a graduate journalism course, I
kept hearing, There are no absolutes.
According to actress and New Age disciple
Shirley MacLaine, Truth and reality are
relative, existing only in the mind. Reality is
what each of us decides it is. She, too, is
absolutely sure there are to absolutes. But
the Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul,
reminds us that we are without excuse since
our image of God bears His law. Those who
reject that inward sense of right and wrong
become what many versions translate fools
,moral morons. And so we see a parade of
moral morons on Phil, Sally, Oprah, Mauris,
Vickie and Jenny, all claiming that they
mustn't be judged by narrow-minded,
Intolerant Bible bigots who would dare
question their immoral lifestyles. But I often
wonder if all their justification on talk shows
is really an attempt to hush that small, still
voice. When the TV audience has gone
home, the studio lights are off, and they are
alone in the beautiful and luxurious hotel
where the guests stay, there is still the law.
You can be absolutely sure of it!
A.W. Tozer
One way the devil has of getting rid of things
is to make jokes about them and one of the
sick jokes you hear is that the conscience is
that part of you which makes you sorry when
you get caught! There are some things that
are not the proper objects of humor, and one
of them is conscience. That power of
conscience that God has set in the human
breast can suddenly isolate a soul, and hang
it between heaven and hell, as lovely as if
God had never created but one soul, that's
not a joking matter. Remember the
conscience is always on God's side, always
on God's side! It judges conduct in the light
of the moral law, and as the Scripture says,
excuses or accuses.
The Light that lighted every man that comes
into the world is not a joking matter. The
eternal, universal Presence of the luminous
Christ is not a joking matter. Joke about
politics if you must joke, they are usually
funny, anyway. But don't joke about God
and don't joke about conscience, nor death,
nor life, nor love, nor the cross, nor prayer.
There is legitimate humor in our lives, and I
17
ROMANS
Chapter 2
think it is in us by the gift of God. Your sense
of humor does not have to dry up and die.
There's plenty to laugh at in the world, but
be sure you don't laugh at something that
God takes seriously. Conscience is one of
those things!
Illustration
If ever the world of crime has provided an
illustration of the maxim, Crime doesn't pay,
it is the great train robbery of 1963. Crooks
halted a Glasgow-to-London Royal Mail train
and looted it of $7,300,000. Only one of the
fifteen men involved is still free, and he is
being hunted. Here are the verdicts of some
of the men who were accomplices in the
crime; Bruce Reynolds: Anyone who thinks
crime pays must be mad. Charles Wilson: It
wasn't worth it. His wife: The nagging fear of
discovery gave me a permanent headache.
James White: Noting that he was at the end
of his tether, he said thankfully that he was
glad it's all over. Ronald Edwards: When he
surrendered, he stated that he was living a
crazy, unnatural life.
2:16
on the day when, according to my
gospel, God will judge the secrets of
men through Christ Jesus.
This will take place on the day
when God will judge men's
secrets through Jesus Christ, as
my gospel declares.
In the day when God shall judge the
secrets of men by Jesus Christ
according to my gospel.
A.W. Tozer
What is your concept of Jesus Christ as
Saviour and Judge?
If the ten-cent-store Jesus that is being
preached by a lot of men, the plastic,
painted Christ who has no spine and no
justice and is pictured as a soft and pliable
friend to everybody, if He is the only Christ
there is, then we might as well close our
books and bar our doors, and make a
bakery or garage our of the church. But that
Christ that is being preached and pictured is
not the Christ of God, nor the Christ of the
Bible, nor the Christ we must deal with. The
Christ we must deal with will be the judge of
mankind and this is one of the neglected
Bible doctrines in our day! The Father
judges no man. When the Lord, the Son of
Man, shall come in the clouds of glory, then
shall be gathered unto Him the nations, and
He shall separate them. God has given Him
judgment, authority to judge mankind, so
that He is both the Judge and Saviour of
men. That makes me both love Him and fear
Him! I love Him because He is my Savior
and I fear Him because He is my Judge.
God Almighty is never going to judge the
race of mankind and allow a mistake to
enter. The judge must be one who has all
wisdom. Therefore, I appeal away from St.
Paul; I appeal away from Moses and Elijah; I
appeal away from all men because no man
knows me well enough to judge me, finally!
Only Jesus Christ qualifies as one who is
able to be the judge of all mankind.
Illustration
Luther called John 3:16 the heart of the
Bible; the Gospel in miniature. It's so simple
a child can understand it; yet it condenses
the deep and marvelous truths of
redemption into these few pungent words:
God
The greatest lover
So loved
The greatest degree
The world
The greatest number
That He gave
The greatest act
His only begotten Son
The greatest gift
That whosoever
The greatest invitation
Believeth
The greatest simplicity
In Him
The greatest person
Should not perish
The greatest deliverance
But
The greatest difference
Have
18
ROMANS
Chapter 2
The greatest certainty
Everlasting life
The greatest possession
OPEN IT
01. How does a critical review of a movie or
concert affect your decision about attending
it?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
02. On what basis do people often judge
other people?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
03. What does it take to judge disputes
fairly?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
EXPLORE IT
04. When we judge others, what do we do to
ourselves? (2:1)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
05. If God is judging others for their sins,
what will He do to us? (2:2-3)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
06. For what reason is God kind, tolerant,
and patient? (2:4)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
07. What keeps us from acknowledging and
repenting of our sins? (2:4-5)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
08. What is God's reaction to our
stubbornness? (2:5-6)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
09. On what basis will God render His
judgments? (2:5-8)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
10. What are the qualities of those who gain
eternal life? (2:7)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
11. What characteristics do condemned
people display? (2:8)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
19
ROMANS
Chapter 2
___________________________________
12. How can Jews expect to be treated by
God? (2:9-11)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
13. How can Gentiles expect to be treated
by God? (2:9-11)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
14. How will those who know God's law be
treated compared to those who never heard
God's law?
(2:12-15)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
15. How will God judge people? (2:12-16)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
16. When will the Law judge people? (2:16)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
GET IT
17. In what circumstances do you find
yourself passing judgment on other people?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
18. When have you ever judged someone
else and realized you were guilty of the
same offense?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
19. When has God's patience, tolerance,
and kindness brought you to repentance?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
20. How should your anticipation of a
coming judgment day affect your daily
behavior?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
21. How much exposure have you had to
God's law during your life?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
22. How you have responded to your
exposure to God's law?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
23. How will God deal with people who have
20
ROMANS
Chapter 2
never heard His law?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
APPLY IT
24. What do you need to do today to get
ready for judgment day?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
25. Whom have you judged in a manner not
pleasing to God? How can you seek
forgiveness?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
2:17
But if you bear the name "Jew," and
rely upon the Law, and boast in
God,
Now you, if you call yourself a
Jew; if you rely on the law and
brag about your relationship to
God;
Behold, thou art called a Jew, and
restest in the law, and makest thy
boast of God,
Mic. 3:11
Her leaders pronounce judgment for a bribe,
her priests instruct for a price, and her
prophets divine for money. Yet they lean of
the LORD saying, 'Is not the LORD in our
midst? Calamity will not come upon us.
Rom. 9:4
Who are Israelites, to whom belongs the
adoption as sons and the glory and the
covenants and the giving of the Law and the
temple service and the promises,
2:17ff 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 have refused to
live by their beliefs. Those of us who have
grown up in Christian families are the
religiously privileged of today. Paul’s
condemnation applies to us if we do not live
up to what we know.
TODAY IN THE WORD
A nationwide survey taken just before
Thanksgiving last year indicated that onefourth of all Americans believe they are
descended from the Pilgrims of Plymouth
Colony--even though the actual number of
Pilgrim descendants makes this impossible.
Apparently, many people want to believe
they are related to the brave souls who
came to America on the Mayflower, survived
the harsh New World, and celebrated the
first Thanksgiving in 1621.
Most people would be proud of the fact that
they have a noble ancestry. Take the Jews,
for example. They have a unique and rich
spiritual heritage. God reached down and
chose Israel out of all the nations on earth to
be His covenant people. He gave the
Israelites the law, the sign of circumcision,
and the blessing of His covenant promises.
If any people could claim a special
relationship with God and exemption from
His condemnation of the human race, it
would be the Jews.
Paul knew that most of his fellow Jews
believed they inherited a special position
with God. And the apostle didn’t deny that
being a member of God’s covenant nation
had advantages (he says so in 3:1). In fact,
in verses 17-20 Paul named at least eight
ways in which the Jews benefited from their
unique heritage as the recipients of God’s
law.
But there was a problem. While many Jews
tended to look down on the Gentiles as
uncircumcised, spiritually ignorant pagans,
the Jews themselves were not keeping the
21
ROMANS
Chapter 2
law they professed to follow (vv. 21-24).
Their disobedience had become a scandal
even among the Gentiles.
The Jews didn’t understand that (as Paul
would argue later in Romans) the law was
not given to save anyone, but to show the
awfulness of sin. Since that was true, Jews
needed to face the same reality as Gentiles:
they stood condemned as sinners in the
sight of God (cf. Rom. 3:9).
Note: Paul ironically reviews the basis for
Jewish claims of spiritual superiority. But
Jews break the Law, just as Gentiles violate
their conscience so the claim of superiority
is an expression of raw pride. And the effect
of that pride is that the Gentiles ridicule not
only the hypocrisy of the Jews, but also
God!
Illustration
Automatic Israeli citizenship is granted any
Jew under the 1950 Law of Return. The
hard part, however, is determining who is a
Jew? During the 1950's, the Supreme Court
of Israel, in a 4-1 decision, ruled that the
Law of Return does not apply to Jews who
abandoned Judaism for another religion,
although it does apply to atheistic Jews. The
interior minister Mose Shapiro subsequently
ruled that no one can be recognized as a
Jew who does not belong to the Jewish
faith. In January of 1970, the Israeli
Supreme Court, by a margin of one vote,
again settled the question Who is a Jew? by
deciding that the term referred to a
nationality and not necessarily a religion.
Then Israel's Knesset (Parliament) enacted
a new law at the same time which defines a
Jew as either one born of a Jewish mother
or a convert to Judaism. This supposedly
overturned the Supreme Court decision.
Illustration
First it was who's a Jew? Now it's who's a
rabbi? Religious Affairs Minister Yitzhak
Raphael told reporters his office had
received
numerous
complaints
from
institutions in Israel and abroad about, men
who have crowned themselves rabbis. He
said Israel had no supervision over the title
of rabbi, and anyone can have his own
ragged stationery printed. Others receive
ordination from low quality Yeshiva religious
schools or from rabbis with doubtful
qualification. Religious arguments over who
exactly is a Jew flare periodically in Israel.
2:18
and know His will, and approve the
things that are essential, being
instructed out of the Law,
if you know his will and approve
of what is superior because you
are instructed by the law;
And knowest his will, and approvest
the things that are more excellent,
being instructed out of the law;
Illustration:
You ask: “What is the will of God?”
Well, here’s the answer true;
“The nearest thing, that should be done,
That he can do—through you!”
2:19
and are confident that you yourself
are a guide to the blind, a light to
those who are in darkness,
if you are convinced that you are
a guide for the blind, a light for
those who are in the dark,
And art confident that thou thyself
art a guide of the blind, a light of
them which are in darkness,
I Wish I were Blind
The hymn writer Fanny Crosby gave us
more than 8000 Gospel songs. Although
blinded at the age of 6 weeks, she never
held any bitterness in her heart because of
it. Once a preacher sympathetically
remarked, “I think it is a great pity that the
Master did not give you sight when He
showered so many other gifts upon you.”
She replied quickly, “Do you know that if at
birth I had been able to make one petition, it
would have been that I should be born
blind?” “Why?” asked the surprised
clergyman. “Because when I get to Heaven,
the first face that shall ever gladden my sight
will be that of my Savior!”
22
ROMANS
Chapter 2
2:20
a corrector of the foolish, a teacher
of the immature, having in the Law
the embodiment of knowledge and
of the truth,
an instructor of the foolish, a
teacher of infants, because you
have in the law the embodiment
of knowledge and truth-An instructor of the foolish, a
teacher of babes, which hast the
form of knowledge and of the truth
in the law.
FOOL, FOOLISHNESS, AND FOLLY
Translations of several uncomplimentary
words which appear approximately 360
times throughout the Old and New
Testaments to describe unwise and ungodly
people.
The
words
are
especially
predominant in the Wisdom Literature of the
Old Testament. Persons who do not
possess wisdom are called “fools”; their
behavior is described as “folly.” The picture
which emerges from the biblical material is
quite simple: folly is the opposite of wisdom,
and a fool is the opposite of a wise person.
Both wisdom and folly are depicted as
philosophies or perspectives on life. The
religious person chooses wisdom, whereas
the non-religious person opts for folly.
Wisdom leads to victory; folly to defeat.
Wisdom belongs to those who fear God, and
the “fear” of the Lord is the beginning of
wisdom (Proverbs 1:7). Wisdom is the
essence of life. The foolish person is the one
who is thoughtless, self-centered, and
obviously indifferent to God.
IMMATURITY, SPIRITUAL



2:21
Conquered. Two ways.
Discussed.
Problem. Spiritual immaturity and
powerlessness.
you, therefore, who teach another,
do you not teach yourself? You who
preach that one should not steal, do
you steal?
you, then, who teach others, do
you not teach yourself? You who
preach against stealing, do you
steal?
Thou therefore which teachest
another, teachest thou not thyself?
thou that preachest a man should
not steal, dost thou steal?
2:21-22 Paul explained to the Jews that they
needed to teach themselves, not others, by
their law. They knew the law so well that
they had learned how to excuse their own
actions while criticizing others. But the law is
more
than
legalistic
minimum
requirements—it is a guideline for living
according to God’s will. It is also a reminder
that we cannot please God without a proper
relationship to him. As Jesus pointed out,
even 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 5:2728). Before we accuse others, we must look
at ourselves and see if that sin, in any form,
exists within us.
2:21-27 These verses are a scathing
criticism of hypocrisy. It is much easier to tell
others how to behave than to behave
properly ourselves. It is easier to say the
right words than to allow them to take root in
our lives. Do you ever advise others to do
something you are unwilling to do yourself?
Make sure that your actions match your
words.
Our Daily Bread
A professor of ethics at a leading university
was attending a convention. He and another
teacher of philosophy had lunch at a
restaurant and were discussing deep issues
of truth and morality. Before they left the
table, the professor slippedMark
the 9:28-29
silverware
into his pocket. Noticing Hebrews
his colleague's
5:11
puzzled look, he explained, I just teach
ethics. I need the spoons. By
vocation
Mark
9:14 that
man was paid to instruct his students in the
principles of right and wrong. But outside the
classroom he failed to put those principles
into practice. Profession without practice is
hypocrisy, and hypocrisy is a sin.
Jesus reminded the hypocrites of His day
that God had declared through Isaiah,
23
ROMANS
Chapter 2
These people honor Me with their lips, but
have removed their hearts far from Me (Isa.
29:13). He could just as well have cited
God's rebuke to Israel through Ezekiel, They
hear Your words, but they do not do them
(Ez. 33:32). The Christian life is like a coin.
One side is belief; the other is behavior. If
our behavior isn't consistent with our belief,
we are hypocrites. By God's enabling grace,
we need to bring practice and profession
into alignment. We must walk our talk, then
we can talk our walk.
and to the loss of the many who followed
after him.
Illustration
The U.S. Commerce Department has given
some figures which are astounding. About
four million people are caught shoplifting
each year, but for every person caught, 35
go undetected, it is estimated. If the
estimates are accurate it means that 140
million shoplifting incidents occur in a nation
of 215 million people. The result is that
shoplifting tends to raise prices. Prices are
forced up because of anti-shoplifters steal
out of need; 70 percent of shoplifters are in
the middle income bracket and 20 percent
had high incomes. Only 10 percent were in
the lower income range.
What we practice is the best illustration
of what we preach.
Practice What You Preach
You, therefore, who teach another, do you
not teach yourself? --Romans 2:21
Mohandas Gandhi spearheaded India's
struggle for freedom from British rule. His
Hindu religious practices and his political
philosophy had a radical and revolutionary
influence on millions of his countrymen.
Earlier in his life, Gandhi had considered the
possibility of becoming a follower of Jesus.
Attracted by His life and teachings, Gandhi
attended the services of a church in
Pretoria, South Africa. He later wrote, "The
congregation did not strike me as being
particularly religious; they were not an
assembly of devout souls, but appeared
rather to be worldly-minded people going to
church for recreation and in conformity to
custom." Christianity, he concluded, could
not add anything of value to Hinduism. So
he turned away from Jesus, to his own loss,
Are we like those churchgoers in Pretoria?
Is our adherence to Christianity merely a
matter of custom, a nice way of enjoying
social relationships? Would a stranger who
is sincerely seeking a relationship with God
be attracted or turned off by the quality of
our worship and personal devotion to
Christ? Do we live out the Christianity we
profess? Do we practice what we preach?
(Romans 2:21).
Illustration
Thirty per cent of all business failures each
year are a direct result of internal theft,
according to insurance statistics. Fraud is a
major factor in losses that led to the closing
of 100 banks during a 20-year period.
Criminals from inside and outside of
business stores are draining off $40 billion
annually in lost cash and goods. This is 17%
of total business income before taxes. Many
stores lost 50% of their profits to
unaccountable
inventory
shrinkage.
generally believed to be theft. Security
officials estimate the 9%of all employees
steal on a regular basis and 75% of all
employees in retail establishments steal to
some degree, taking three times as much as
shoplifters.
2:22
You who say that one should not
commit adultery, do you commit
adultery? You who abhor idols, do
you rob temples?
You who say that people should
not commit adultery, do you
commit adultery? You who abhor
idols, do you rob temples?
Thou that sayest a man should not
commit adultery, dost thou commit
adultery? thou that abhorrest idols,
dost thou commit sacrilege?
Characteristics of Hypocrites:
 Counterfeit disciples.
24
ROMANS
Chapter 2









2:23
Counterfeit ministers.
False apostles and deceitful
workers.
False brothers who try to mislead
us.
False prophets.
False religion.
False teachers.
People in the last days.
Satan’s deception.
Self-righteousness.
You who boast in the Law, through
your breaking the Law, do you
dishonor God?
You who brag about the law, do
you dishonor God by breaking
the law?
Thou that makest thy boast of the
law, through breaking the law
dishonourest thou God?
Our Daily Bread
A twenty-five year veteran of the Internal
Revenue Service was convicted of income
tax evasion. The IRS auditor was caught
trying to exploit what he thought was a flaw
in the system. About the time that story
made headlines, the Detroit News ran a
feature article on the growing problem of the
unethical and immoral conduct of some
criminal court judges. The article raised the
question, Who's going to judge the judges?
The lawlessness of people familiar with the
law is not confined to courtrooms and the
IRS. There is one law that we all have
broken, God's law. Worse than that, some
religious people take pride in their
relationship to that law. Without fail, these
people are exposed by the very law they
love. The law of God reveals all selfprofessed lawkeepers to be lawbreakers.
Writing to the Romans, Paul made it clear
that the law of God should never be used as
a basis for self-righteous pride. Instead, it
should be used to show how much we all
need God's mercy. The law is a schoolmaster or tutor to bring us to Christ so that
we can be justified by faith. Only when we
rely on God's mercy rather than on our
record of keeping the law will2we
bring
honor
Cor.
11:14
to the Lord. And only then can we be
1 Cor.
11:13
delivered from the law (Romans
7:6).
Galatians
In Christ, we can all live above
the law.2:3
1 John 4:1-3
Illustration
Matthew 23:1
Justice Gray of the Supreme
Court23:3
once
Matthew
said to a man who appeared1before
him in a
Tim. 4:1
lower court and escaped penalty
by some
2 Cor. 11:13
legal technicality: I know thatLuke
you 18:9
are guilty,
and I wish you to remember that one day
you will stand before a better and wiser
Judge. There you will be dealt according to
justice and not according to law.
2:24
For "THE NAME OF GOD IS
BLASPHEMED AMONG THE
GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,"
just as it is written.
As it is written: "God's name is
blasphemed among the Gentiles
because of you."
For the name of God is blasphemed
among the Gentiles through you, as
it is written.
2:24 If you claim to be one of God’s people,
your life should reflect what God is like.
When you disobey God, you dishonor his
name. People may even blaspheme or
profane God’s name because of you. What
do people think about God from watching
your life?
Timeless Insights
Having a sullied reputation can be a
frustrating experience; especially if you did
nothing to deserve it. Now, if you find an
undeserved reputation unsavory, imagine
how God must respond when His holy name
is blasphemed among the Gentiles! Soiling
God's name is one activity you should avoid
at all costs. Albert Barnes speaks of the
detrimental effect of dishonoring God's
name.
"By the hypocrisy and crimes of many who
call themselves Christians, the world is led
to despise a religion which is observed to
have no effect in purifying and restraining its
25
ROMANS
Chapter 2
professors; and of course the reproach will
finally come to rest on the Author of your
religion; that is, the true God. For purposes
of commerce, science, and war, men and
women from nations nominally Christian
have gone into almost every part of the
heathen world. But seldom have they been
real Christians. Profane, unprincipled
people, they have been intent on gain. Yet
the heathen have regarded such people as
Christians. They have learned, therefore, to
abuse the name of Christian, and the Author
of the Christian religion. It matters little what
ones speculative opinions may be; his
practice may do far more to disgrace religion
than his profession does to honor it. It is the
life and conduct, not merely the verbal
profession, that does real honor."
The word blaspheme is closely related to the
word blame. When you blaspheme God, you
are in effect blaming Him for the wrong you
have committed. The Old Testament
punishment for blasphemy was death;
whether you committed the crime yourself or
caused another to commit it; which suggests
that what you say and what your life causes
others to say about God are equally
important to Him.
2:25
For indeed circumcision is of value,
if you practice the Law; but if you
are a transgressor of the Law, your
circumcision has become
uncircumcision.
Circumcision has value if you
observe the law, but if you break
the law, you have become as
though you had not been
circumcised.
For circumcision verily profiteth, if
thou keep the law: but if thou be a
breaker of the law, thy circumcision
is made uncircumcision.
Gal 5:3
And I testify again to every man who
receives circumcision, that he is under
obligation to keep the whole Law.
2:25-29 Circumcision refers to the sign of
God’s special covenant with his people.
Submitting to this rite was required for all
Jewish males (Genesis 17:9-14). According
to Paul, being a Jew (being circumcised)
meant nothing if the person didn’t obey
God’s laws. On the other hand, the Gentiles
(the uncircumcised) would receive God’s
love and approval if they kept the law’s
requirements. Paul goes on to explain that a
real 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”).
Note: Circumcision is an outward, physical
sign of membership in the covenant
community. But relationship with God
requires an inner, spiritual circumcision of
the heart. Apart from an inner transformation
all the Jew relies on for salvation is an
empty sham.
C. H. Spurgeon
Paul is dealing with the Jew, who was apt to
think that he must have a preference beyond
the Gentiles on account of his circumcision.
Illustration
The Jews in Palestine, to some extent, are
reviving many of their distinctive historic
features and customs. But surveys show
that the religious faith of its vast majority is
neither Biblical Judaism nor Christianity.
Most hold to a liberalized Judaism religion
and some are even atheists. Few Jews in
Israel today accept Jesus Christ as true
Messiah or look to God literally to fulfill Old
Testament prophecies.
2:26
If therefore the uncircumcised man
keeps the requirements of the Law,
will not his uncircumcision be
regarded as circumcision?
If those who are not circumcised
keep the law's requirements, will
they not be regarded as though
they were circumcised?
Therefore if the uncircumcision keep
the righteousness of the law, shall
not his uncircumcision be counted
for circumcision?
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ROMANS
Chapter 2
Circumcision and Christianity
Controversy arose in the early church (Acts
10-15) as to whether Gentile converts need
be circumcised. First century A.D. Jews
disdained the uncircumcised. The leadership
of the apostle Paul in the Jerusalem Council
was crucial in the settlement of the dispute:
circumcision was not essential to Christian
faith and fellowship. Circumcision of the
heart via repentance and faith were the only
requirements (Romans 4:9-12; Galatians
2:15-21).
C. H. Spurgeon
If this principle were fully recognized
everywhere, it would certainly put an end to
all that notion of Sacramentarianism which
some men hold. It is not the outward, not the
external, not the form And ceremony; it is
the inward work of the spirit; it is holiness
and change of heart. Let none of us ever fall
into the gross error of those who imagine
that there is attached to ceremonies a
certain degree of grace. It is not so. He is
not a Christian which is one outwardly, he is
a Christian who is one inwardly.
2:27
2:28
And will not he who is physically
uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law,
will he not judge you who though
having the letter of the Law and
circumcision are a transgressor of
the Law?
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.
And shall not uncircumcision which
is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge
thee, who by the letter and
circumcision dost transgress the
law?
For he is not a Jew who is one
outwardly; neither is circumcision
that which is outward in the flesh.
A man is not a Jew if he is only
one outwardly, nor is
circumcision merely outward and
physical.
For he is not a Jew, which is one
outwardly; neither is that
circumcision, which is outward in the
flesh:
2:28-29 To be a Jew meant you were in
God’s family, an heir to all his promises. Yet
Paul made it clear that membership in God’s
family is based on internal, not external,
qualities. All whose hearts are right with God
are real Jews—that is, part of God’s family
(see also Galatians 3:7). Attending church or
being baptized, confirmed, or 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 also Deut.
10:16; Jeremiah 4:4 for more on
“circumcision of the heart.”)
Timeless Insights
What you act like on the outside. What you
are like on the inside. Are they the same? Or
very different? The Jews of Paul's day were
comfortable living in the traditions of their
religion. Their customs, their laws, their
holidays, all reminded them that they were a
privileged race; a religious people, a Godcentered society. Outwardly, they honored
God with their lips. But inwardly, they
dishonored Him with their hearts. They
mistook knowing about God for knowing
God, a mistake many are in danger of
duplicating today.
W.H. Griffith Thomas
Nothing is easier than self-righteousness
and self-deception in religion. It is well nigh
impossible to enjoy outward privileges
without relying on them as the Jews did. The
greater the knowledge, the greater the
danger of being content with merely nominal
Christianity. It is possible; without any real
change of heart, to know a great deal of
Christian truth, to be occupied with Christian
work, to be associated with Christian people,
to know with great familiarity Christian
jargon, to live largely in a Christian
atmosphere, yet all the while to without the
new life that comes from the Spirit of God.
The danger of such a position is far greater
than that of willful and deliberate sin. Our
Lord was constantly warning His hearers
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ROMANS
Chapter 2
against such false assumptions.
2:29
But he is a Jew who is one inwardly;
and circumcision is that which is of
the heart, by the Spirit, not by the
letter; and his praise is not from
men, but from God.
No, a man is a Jew if he is one
inwardly; and circumcision is
circumcision of the heart, by the
Spirit, not by the written code.
Such a man's praise is not from
men, but from God.
But he is a Jew, which is one
inwardly; and circumcision is that of
the heart, in the spirit, and not in the
letter; whose praise is not of men,
but of God.
Timeless Insights
Incredible but true, in California entire cities
exist today in which no one lives! Old West
stagecoach towns, quaint villages from the
turn of the century, busy metropolises. But
no one live there. The are sets used for
producing films, make-believe worlds
designed to imitate the real world.
Appearance is not always reality. True in
Hollywood, it can also be true of those who
take the name Christian. Paul warned the
Romans of the consequences of such selfdeception. Listen as H.C.G. Moule reminds
us that when it comes to faith, God only
settles for the genuine item.
"Here the apostle warns us against the fatal
but easy error of perverting privilege into
pride. More explicitly, he warns us against
that subtle tendency of the human heart to
substitute the outward for the inward, the
mechanical for the spiritual. It was the
temptation of Israel to put circumcision in the
place of faith and holiness, instead of in its
proper place. It is the temptation of some
Christians now to put the church and its
sacraments in the place of spiritual
regeneration and communion, rather than in
their rightful places as divine seals. Let it be
ours to reverence, to prize, to use the
ordinances of our Master with a devotion
such as we might feel if we saw Him stretch
His hand out to break the bread and hallow
it and give it at the table. Sacred indeed are
the God-given externals of Christian order
and ordinance."
A freshly painted car may look like a good
buy but don't forget to check under the
hood. Without an engine, a car is useless.
Without God's powerful presence in your
life, trying to live the Christian life is an
impossible as driving an engine-less car. But
with Him comes the will and the wherewithal
to live a life that is praiseworthy to Him, a life
of inner beauty and reality. A life that can
begin today!
OPEN IT
01. What advertisements do you have
trouble believing?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
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02. How would you judge the character of a
person who wanted to date your only
daughter?
___________________________________
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___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
03. What are some "wrong" reasons a
person might have for going to church?
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
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EXPLORE IT
04. What special relationship did the Jews
have with God? (2:17-18)
___________________________________
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ROMANS
Chapter 2
___________________________________
05. How did Jews describe themselves in
relation to Gentiles? (2:19-20)
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___________________________________
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06. Of what did Paul accuse the Jews?
(2:21-24)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
07. Why would the Gentiles blaspheme
God's name because of the Jews? (2:21-24)
___________________________________
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___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
08. What was the purpose of circumcision?
(2:25-26)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
09. What is more important to God than
being physically circumcised? (2:26-27)
___________________________________
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___________________________________
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___________________________________
10. How did Paul redefine what it means to
be a Jew? (2:28-29)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
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___________________________________
11. What is more important than physical
circumcision? (2:29)
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
12. What is more important than knowing
God's written law? (2:29)
___________________________________
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___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
___________________________________
13. Whose approval does a true Jew seek?
(2:29)
___________________________________
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___________________________________
___________________________________
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GET IT
14. How could a person be very religious
and yet be lacking a real relationship with
God?
___________________________________
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___________________________________
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15. What are the most important qualities of
an effective teacher?
___________________________________
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16. How do our actions show others what
we genuinely believe?
29
ROMANS
Chapter 2
___________________________________
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17. How does hypocrisy in a religious
person affect people who observe that
person?
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18. How could a person be outwardly a
Christian and inwardly something else?
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APPLY IT
22. How can you begin to change some
inconsistent behaviors and attitudes in your
Christian life this week?
___________________________________
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23. In which of your present situations
should you be more concerned about
pleasing God than pleasing other people?
___________________________________
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19. What is more important than keeping
outward standards of Christian behavior?
___________________________________
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___________________________________
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20. What makes a person a true Christian?
___________________________________
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21. How much does peer pressure from
friends and coworkers influence our beliefs
and behavior as Christians?
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