Romans 2:1

Context

This verse belongs to the Epistle to the Romans, which Paul wrote to the church in Rome. In the immediately preceding passage, Romans 1:18-32, Paul says that the wrath of God is revealed against a humanity that knows God yet worships idols and commits every kind of evil. Romans 2:1 opens with "Therefore" and turns to the person who denounces such sins while regarding himself as the exception: "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" (Romans 2:1).

The second-person address "O man... that judgest" is commonly explained as diatribe, an ancient form of argument in which the writer poses questions to an imaginary interlocutor and answers them. The word "inexcusable" translates the same Greek term (anapologētos) that Paul used in 1:20 of those who know God yet do not honor him ("without excuse"). With this word Paul shows that the one who condemns others stands in the same position as they do. The argument leads to the conclusion in chapter 3 that Jews and Gentiles alike are all under sin (Romans 3:9, 3:23).

Interpretation

• A reading addressed to a Jewish audience: Many modern commentators follow this reading. They point to Paul's direct address in 2:17, "thou art called a Jew," and to the resemblance between the critique of the Gentiles in the latter part of chapter 1 and the tone of Jewish literature of the period. On this view, Paul has in mind from the outset a Jewish audience that condemned the sins of the Gentiles.
• A reading addressed to all moralists: This reading focuses on the phrase "whosoever thou art." It takes the verse as addressed to everyone, whether Jew or Gentile philosopher, who denounces the wickedness of others while considering himself righteous. Some scholars identify the interlocutor in the opening part of chapter 2 as a Gentile moralist.
• A reading emphasizing universal sin: The Protestant commentary tradition since the Reformation reads this verse as one stage in an argument that no one can claim to be righteous before God on the basis of his own works. This tradition holds that the passage prepares the way for the necessity of justification by faith.

Questions of Application

The verse is not a point of marked disagreement among denominations. A frequent question, however, is whether it forbids all judgment. Many interpreters hold that it targets the hypocrisy of condemning others while committing the same sins, and that it does not rule out discerning right from wrong or the exercise of church discipline. They cite passages such as John 7:24 and 1 Corinthians 5 in support.

The meaning of "doest the same things" is also disputed. Some read it as referring to outwardly identical acts, while others take it to include sins of the same kind or even the same condition of heart.

In the Korean Church

The verse is commonly cited, together with the words of the Sermon on the Mount, "Judge not" (Matthew 7:1), in sermons warning against a critical and condemning attitude toward others. The New Korean Revised Version refined the wording of the Korean Revised Version, changing muron nugudeunji ("whosoever") and pinggyechi motal ("inexcusable") to nugureul mangnonhago and pinggyehaji motal.

Related Passages

• Romans 1:20
• Romans 2:17-24
• Romans 3:23
• Luke 6:37-42
• John 7:24