Naravist

The Letters · New Testament

Romans 2

Romans 2: judgment without respect of persons, and circumcision of the heart

General context

The argument turns on the person who judges: "Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest", because the judge does the same things. It asks whether such a man expects to escape God's judgment, and whether he despises "the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering", not knowing "that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance". God "will render to every man according to his deeds": eternal life to those who by patient continuance in well doing seek glory, honour and immortality; indignation and wrath to the contentious. Trouble comes to every soul that does evil, "of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile", and glory, honour and peace come the same way, "For there is no respect of persons with God." Those who sinned without law perish without law, those who sinned in the law are judged by it, since "not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified". Gentiles who do by nature the things of the law "are a law unto themselves", showing the work of the law written in their hearts. At verse 17 the addressee is named, "thou art called a Jew", and a run of questions follows about teaching, stealing, adultery and idols. Circumcision profits if the law is kept; if not, it "is made uncircumcision". The chapter ends by relocating the terms inward.

Cited passages: Romans 2:1, Romans 2:3, Romans 2:4, Romans 2:5, Romans 2:6, Romans 2:7, Romans 2:8, Romans 2:9, Romans 2:10, Romans 2:11, Romans 2:12, Romans 2:13, Romans 2:14, Romans 2:15, Romans 2:16, Romans 2:17, Romans 2:21, Romans 2:22, Romans 2:23, Romans 2:25, Romans 2:26, Romans 2:27, Romans 2:28, Romans 2:29

Romans 2 (KJV)

1Therefore 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.

2But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.

3And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?

4Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

5But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;

6Who will render to every man according to his deeds:

7To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

8But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,

9Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;

10But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:

11For there is no respect of persons with God.

12For 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;

13(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.

14For 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:

15Which 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 another;)

16In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

17Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,

18And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;

19And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,

20An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.

21Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?

22Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?

23Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?

24For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.

25For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.

26Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?

27And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?

28For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:

29But 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.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The addressee changes inside the chapter. Verses 1 to 16 speak to "O man, whosoever thou art that judgest" with no label; verse 17 supplies one, "Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law". The chapter names no individual and no place. Its one scripture formula comes after the sentence rather than before it: "For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written." No book is named. Isaiah 52:5 carries the related line "my name continually every day is blasphemed", so the letter's wording is not a word for word match. The writer refers to his own preaching once, in the clause "according to my gospel", and sets the judgment "In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ". The chapter gives no date and no ruling about any named community.

Cited passages: Romans 2:1, Romans 2:2, Romans 2:11, Romans 2:16, Romans 2:17, Romans 2:18, Romans 2:24, Romans 2:29, Isaiah 52:5

Literary context

Almost the whole chapter is addressed to a single "thou" who never answers. The questions accumulate: "thinkest thou this", "despisest thou the riches of his goodness", "teachest thou not thyself", "dost thou steal", "dost thou commit adultery", "dost thou commit sacrilege". Matched pairs hold the middle: trouble "of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile" is answered by reward "to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile", with the flat statement between them that God shows no respect of persons. The closing moves work by reversal. The uncircumcised law keeper judges the circumcised law breaker, outward is set against inward, flesh against heart, letter against spirit, and praise "not of men, but of God". The claims are asserted, not narrated; nothing happens in this chapter.

Cited passages: Romans 2:3, Romans 2:4, Romans 2:9, Romans 2:10, Romans 2:11, Romans 2:13, Romans 2:21, Romans 2:22, Romans 2:23, Romans 2:26, Romans 2:27, Romans 2:28, Romans 2:29

Key moments

  1. The judge condemns himself (Romans 2:1). Judging another is said to condemn the one who judges.
  2. Goodness leads to repentance (Romans 2:4). God's goodness, forbearance and longsuffering are said to lead to repentance.
  3. Rendered according to deeds (Romans 2:6). Judgment is stated as repayment to every man for what he has done.
  4. No respect of persons (Romans 2:11). The same standard is applied to Jew and Gentile.
  5. Doers, not hearers (Romans 2:13). Hearing the law is distinguished from doing it.
  6. The addressee is named (Romans 2:17). The second person is identified as one called a Jew who rests in the law.
  7. Circumcision of the heart (Romans 2:29). The term is redefined as inward, in the spirit and not the letter.

For reflection

The chapter says God's goodness leads to repentance and in the same breath warns about storing up wrath. How do those two sentences sit together when you read them one after the other?

People in this chapter

Also indexed here: