Romans 2
All Men Will Be Judged by God Based on Their Response to Truth
In the previous section, Paul showed mankind condemned for its refusal to respond appropriately to natural (general) revelation. In this one (2:1 to 3:8), his subject is more man’s failure to respond to special revelation. Since the Jews had more knowledge of this revelation than the Gentiles, they are primarily in view. - Thomas Constable
In this passage, Paul is directly addressing the Jews. The connection of thought is this. In the foregoing passage Paul had painted a grim and terrible picture of the heathen world, a world which was under the condemnation of God. With every word of that condemnation the Jew thoroughly agreed. But he never for a moment dreamed that he was under a like condemnation. He thought that he occupied a privileged position. God might be the judge of the heathen, but he was the special protector of the Jews. Here Paul is pointing out forcibly to the Jew that he is just as much a sinner as the Gentile is and that when he is condemning the Gentile he is condemning himself. He will be judged, not on his racial heritage, but by the kind of life that he lives. - William Barclay
All Men Will Be Judged Righteously by God
Vs. 1 - Therefore, every one of you who judges is without excuse.
Not only are pagan Gentiles under God’s condemnation, Jews are also. Jews find fault with their Gentile neighbors, yet they do the same things themselves. - Don Fleming
Paul addressed those people who might think they were free from God’s wrath because they had not "practiced" the things to which Paul had just referred (Romans 1:29-32). The apostle now warned them that they had indeed "practiced" the same things. Evil desires constitute sin as well as evil actions. - Thomas Constable
Vs. 6 - He will repay each one according to his works:
Vs. 11 - For there is no favoritism with God.
Paul quoted a psalm and proverb to reiterate his point: God will judge all men with the same criteria.
Psalm 62:11-12 - strength belongs to God, and faithful love belongs to you, Lord. For you repay each according to his works.
Proverbs 24:12 - won’t he who weighs hearts consider it? Won’t he who protects your life know? Won’t he repay a person according to his work?
Vs. 12 - For all who sin without the law will also perish without the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law.
God will judge the Jews according to the law of Moses, but not the Gentiles, for he did not give the law of Moses to the Gentiles. Nevertheless, Gentiles have a conscience, which, though not as clear cut a standard as the law, gives them at least some knowledge of right and wrong. The conscience is like a law within their own hearts, and God judges them according to their obedience or disobedience to that ‘law.’ - Don Fleming
Paul saw the world divided into two classes of people. He saw the Jews with their Law given to them direct from God and written down so that all could read it. He saw the other nations, without this written law, but nonetheless with a God-implanted knowledge of right and wrong within their hearts. Neither could claim exemption from the judgment of God. The Jew could not claim exemption on the ground that he had a special place in God's plan. The Gentile could not claim exemption on the ground that he had never received the written Law. - William Barclay
People will be condemned, not because they have the law or do not have the law, but because they have sinned. - Morris
Circumcision of the Heart
Vs. 23 - You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law?
Much of the rabbinic Judaism of Paul’s day interpreted the law so that they thought they were completely justified by the law. Jesus exposed the error of such interpretations (Matthew 5:19-48). God applies His law to both our actions and our attitudes. Sometimes we only want our attitudes evaluated, and sometimes only our actions. God will hold us accountable for both motives and actions. - David Guzik
Paul quoted Isaiah to further illustrate the Jews failure to fully keep the law of God.
Isaiah 52:5 - and my name is continually blasphemed all day long.
Vs. 28-29 - For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, and true circumcision is not something visible in the flesh. On the contrary, a person is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart—by the Spirit, not the letter.
Paul reminds the Jews that religious rites such as circumcision are of no value unless the person’s life is in keeping with the meaning of the rite. Circumcision was a sign God gave to Israel that spoke of cleansing and holiness; but an uncircumcised person with a pure life is more acceptable to God than a circumcised person with an impure life. The true Jews, the true people of God, are not those who have the mark of circumcision, but those who have pure hearts. - Don Fleming
These verses must be kept in their context, which is that Paul is dealing with Jews and making a distinction between Jews who believe and Jews who do not believe. He is not teaching that every Gentile Christian is a spiritual Jew. Rather, he is teaching that every Jew is not a full Jew. A completed Jew is one who has had both circumcisions, the circumcision of the flesh, which is outward in obedience to the Abrahamic covenant, and an inward circumcision of the heart as an act of obedience to the new covenant. - Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, "Israel and the Church," in Issues in Dispensationalism
To a Jew a passage like this must have come as a shattering experience. He was certain that God regarded him with special favor, simply and solely because of his national descent from Abraham and because he bore the badge of circumcision in his flesh. But Paul introduces an idea to which he will return again and again. Jewishness, he insists, is not a matter of race at all; it has nothing to do with circumcision. It is a matter of conduct. If that is so, many a so-called Jew who is a pure descendant of Abraham and who bears the mark of circumcision in his body, is no Jew at all; and equally many a Gentile who never heard of Abraham and who would never dream of being circumcised, is a Jew in the real sense of the term. To a Jew, this would sound the wildest heresy and leave him angry and aghast. - William Barclay
