Romans 2

Romans 2 is the middle chapter of the section of Romans that shows all people to be under sin (1:18–3:20). Whereas Romans 1 indicts the idolatry and sin of the Gentile world, chapter 2 declares that those who judge others and the Jews who possess the law are no exception.

Outline

• Verses 1–5: Those who judge others while doing the same things are without excuse. Those who despise the goodness of God treasure up wrath against the day of wrath.
• Verses 6–11: God renders to every person according to his deeds. To those who do good he gives eternal life and glory, and to those who do evil, wrath and tribulation, "of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile." There is no respect of persons with God.
• Verses 12–16: Those who have sinned without the law will be judged without the law, and those who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. Even Gentiles who do not have the law show, through their conscience, the work of the law written in their hearts.
• Verses 17–24: Paul confronts the Jew who boasts in the law and teaches others, exposing his inconsistency by pointing to stealing, adultery, and the robbing of temples.
• Verses 25–29: If one breaks the law, circumcision becomes uncircumcision. The true Jew is one inwardly, and true circumcision is that of the heart.

Key Verses

• Romans 2:1 "wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself" — frequently cited as a warning against hypocrisy.
• Romans 2:4 "the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance" — presents God's forbearance as an opportunity for repentance.
• Romans 2:29 "circumcision is that of the heart" — summarizes the argument that places the inner life above outward signs.

People and Places

• Jews — the people who possess the law and circumcision. From verse 17 onward they are addressed directly.
• Greeks — here representing all Gentiles, that is, all who are not Jews.
• Jesus Christ — mentioned as the one who will judge the secrets of men (v. 16).

Points for Reflection

• Judgment according to works (vv. 6–13) and justification: How these verses fit with the statement in 3:28 that "a man is justified by faith" has long been debated. Some interpret them as a hypothetical statement showing that no one can keep the law perfectly; others read them as teaching that the works of renewed believers will be manifested at the judgment as the fruit of faith.
• The Gentiles of verses 14–15: Interpreters differ over whether these are Gentiles in general or Gentile Christians. Reformed theology treats these verses in its discussion of common grace and conscience.
• The addressee of verses 1–5: One view holds that Paul addresses the Jew from the outset; another holds that he first speaks to anyone with a sense of moral superiority and then singles out the Jew in verse 17.
• Verse 24 is understood as a quotation of Isaiah 52:5, and the circumcision of the heart connects to Deuteronomy 30:6 and Jeremiah 4:4. The argument leads into the declaration of Romans 3: "There is none righteous."