Summary: It has been said that visitors to the labyrinths of certain of the
catacombs in Rome used to take hold of a silk thread by which they could
retrace their steps if they became fearful of becoming lost. In this
next section of Romans there are also abundant opportunities of losing one's
way.
It is necessary, then, to keep in mind the purpose of Paul in
the verses which is stated plainly in 3:9 which is to accuse
both Gentiles and Jews that they are guilty of sin. (see the
table above) The theme of this section of Romans 2:1-16 is
that God’s judgment is righteous (right) and by
this standard every "moral" or "religious" person including the Jew (who
had the Law) is as guilty as the heathen (who did not have
the Law). Although Paul does not mention the Jews by
name until Romans 2:17, it seems to be a reasonable interpretation to state that "the
every man of you" in (Romans 2:1) would be a reference to Jews
or certainly would
include them.
Warren Wiersbe
addresses the interpretation of this first section writing that...
Bible scholars do not agree on whom
Paul was addressing in Romans 2:1–16. Some think he was dealing with the
moral pagan who did not commit the sins named in Romans 1:18–32, but who
sought to live a moral life. But it seems to me that Paul was addressing
his Jewish readers in this section. To begin with, his discussion of the
Law in Romans 2:12-16 would have been more meaningful to a Jew than to a
Gentile. And in Romans 2:17, he openly addressed his reader as “a Jew.”
This would be a strange form of address if in the first half of the
chapter he were addressing Gentiles. It would not be an easy task
to find the Jews guilty, since disobedience to God was one sin they did
not want to confess. The Old Testament prophets were persecuted for
indicting Israel for her sins, and Jesus was crucified for the same
reason. Paul summoned four witnesses to prove the guilt of the Jewish
nation...The Gentiles (vv. 1–3)...God’s blessing (vv. 4–11)...God’s Law
(vv. 12–24)...Circumcision (vv. 25–29) (Wiersbe,
W: Bible Exposition Commentary. 1989. Victor)
Hodge
explains it this way...
In order to appreciate the force of
the apostle’s reasoning in this and the following verses, it should be
remembered that the principal ground on which the Jews expected to be
accepted by God was the covenant which he had made with their father
Abraham, in which he promised to be a God to Abraham and to his
descendants after him. The Jews believed that this promise guaranteed
salvation for all who retained their connection with Abraham through the
observance of the law and the rite of circumcision. Therefore they
expected to be regarded and treated not so much as individuals, each
dealt with according to his personal character, but as a community to
whom salvation was assured by the promise made to Abraham.
Paul begins his argument at a
distance; he states his principles in such general terms that they could
not fail to secure the assent of the Jew, before he was aware of their
application to himself. It is clear that the Jews are addressed in this
chapter both from the whole tenor of the argument, and from its
particular application to the Jews from verse 17 onwards. This way of
viewing the passage is now generally accepted, though many of the
earlier commentators supposed either that no particular people were
being spoken of here or that the apostle had in mind the best pagans, or
at least those who did not seem to approve of the sins mentioned in the
preceding chapter, but rather condemned them. (Hodge, C:
Commentary on the Epistle to the Romans, 1835)
It is easy to convince the "religious" person as well as the
Jew of the unrighteousness of the idolatrous pagans in Romans 1 because the flagrant
nature of their sins. On the other hand, convincing the "religious" person (eg, one who
goes to church or is a member of a church) or the Jews of their innate unrighteousness is another matter as many of us who have shared our faith have experienced.
The Jews thought they had
it made because of their good "genes" which gave them a
good spiritual heritage. After all they were God's
"chosen people", possessors of
His Law and His covenant sign of circumcision.
Paul's objective
in Romans is to convince the Jew and all "religious" persons of his or
her need for genuine salvation which "brings forth fruit in keeping with
repentance" and exhibits a radically changed lifestyle as expressed in
rhyme...
Your best
resolutions must wholly be waived,
Your highest ambitions be crossed;
You need never think you are going to be saved
Until you have learned you are lost.
To make his point Paul
reminds his readers that the judgment of God is according to works. Be
careful here. Do not be confused. Salvation is by faith alone. In Romans 2:1-16 Paul is dealing with principles of
judgment not principles of
justification. He is not teaching us how a person is saved in
this section. As someone has well said Paul is speaking
about the "completion" of one's life, not the "commencement" of it!.
Paul is concerned about the great fact that righteousness leads to life
and unrighteousness leads to death, irregardless of how religious is
one's life. Paul is dealing with the results,
not with the process; the goal, not the way. In summary, Romans 2 does not
in any way contradict Paul's teaching that justification is by faith
alone and not by works.
Hughes
writes that...
As we begin our study of Romans 2, we
need to focus on this thought: mankind does not accept God’s assessment
of human sin and the imperative of divine judgment. This is not to say
that men will not admit they are sinners. It is very easy to get a
non-Christian to agree that he is a sinner (“nobody’s perfect”), but it
is almost impossible to get him to realize the gravity of his sin.
Typically he has no trouble agreeing that those who are guilty of “big
sins” like murder and rape and treason deserve judgment—even death.
However, that God’s wrath should fall on those guilty of such “lesser
sins” as envy or arrogance does not seem quite right to them. Most
people do not take God’s word about sin and judgment seriously, but
rather reject it and replace it with their own ad hominem reasoning..
“Nobody’s perfect!” “To err is human, to forgive is divine.” Or as the
philosopher Heine said in a moment of now-famous cynicism, “God will
forgive … it is his trade.” Such thinking suggests that since we are
human we are under moral obligation to sin, and that God is under moral
obligation to forgive us. Inherent in the common thinking that because
everyone is doing it, it is not so bad—as long as we do not commit the
“biggies” we will be okay—is the assumption that God does not mean what
he says or say what he means...The eternal fact is, God means what he
says and says what he means. Moreover, his judgment, despite moralisms
to the contrary, is perfect. That is what 2:1–16 is all about. As we
come to understand (or reaffirm our understanding) of the perfection of
God’s judgment, we will bring health to our souls. For those of us who
are believers, this will drive us toward a greater authenticity in
life—and thus spiritual power. For the non-Christian, there will be
strong encouragement to face fundamental issues about oneself and God. (Hughes,
R. K. Romans: Righteousness from heaven. Preaching the Word. Wheaton,
Ill.: Crossway Books)
Ray Stedman
introduces this section reminding us that in Romans chapter 1...
"to our astonishment, we see how
accurately the apostle has analyzed the civilization of twentieth
century civilization as well. All that is recorded in the first chapter
of Romans took place last night in San Francisco and Los Angeles, up and
down the West coast, and throughout this nation, and the world in which
we live. Yet there are many people who would say they do not belong in
this picture. I am sure there were thousands in Paul's day, and I know
there are millions today who feel they are not described in Romans 1. "That
isn't talking about us. We're not like that. It may describe them, but
it does not describe us." Whenever you read this first chapter of
Romans you find that division immediately evident -- them and
us. They are the wicked, the obviously gross, wicked people; we are
not. Many people would say, "We're law-abiding, home-loving,
clean-living, decent people." Many of these people have been church
members most of their lives. Others perhaps do not go to church at all,
but nevertheless pride themselves on their moral standards, their
ethical values, and their clean, law-abiding lives. They say the world
may be in its present condition because of the wickedness of gangsters,
radicals, revolutionaries, prostitutes, pimps, and perverts of our day;
but they themselves are the salt of the earth." (Romans
2:1-11 Sinful Morality
) (Bolding added)
THEREFORE YOU
ARE WITHOUT EXCUSE: Dio anapologetoe ei (2SPAI):
(see note
Romans 9:20;
1 Corinthians 7:16;
James 2:20)
"Therefore"
(1352)
(dio) is a
term of conclusion and it is difficult
to interpret dogmatically. As discussed by several of the references
below, "therefore" could refer to what Paul has just said in the
last half of Romans 1. There is an alternative explanation for this "therefore"
- in this specific
use, the facts upon which Paul bases his conclusion ("you are
without excuse") follow instead of precede the "therefore".
Robert Haldane
explains that the "therefore"
"...introduces a conclusion, not from
anything in the preceding chapter, but to establish a truth from what
follows. The Apostle had proved the guilt of the Gentiles, who, since
they had a revelation vouchsafed to them in the works of God, though
they did not possess His word, were inexcusable. The Jews, who had His
word, yet practiced the same things for which the former were condemned,
must therefore also be inexcusable. In the sequel, he specifies
and unfolds the charge thus generally preferred." (Haldane, R. An
Exposition of Romans)
Hendriksen
writes that...
Many are puzzled by the word “Therefore”.
It must be admitted that its meaning is not immediately clear. The
following interpretation, however, seems to be supported by the
preceding context: “Since it has been established (Ed note: see
note
Romans 1:18-19ff) that the
immoral practices of the Gentiles are an abomination to God, therefore
you, too, whoever you may be, are without excuse when you practice these
same evils, the very vices you condemn in others.” (Hendriksen,
W., & Kistemaker, S. J. New Testament Commentary Set, 12 Volumes. Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House)
Vine
explains Paul's use of "therefore" here...
because of the universal facts of the
voice of conscience and the knowledge of the divine condemnation and
punishment of sin and of the consequences of practicing evil and
consenting with it, in spite of that knowledge. (Vine, W. Collected
writings of W. E. Vine. Nashville: Thomas Nelson)
Hodge adds
that...
The connection between this chapter
and chapter 1, which is indicated by the particle therefore, is
somewhat obscure. Some suppose that the inference comes out of the
teaching from 1:18: God is just and is determined to punish all man’s
unrighteousness and ungodliness; so those who commit the sins which they
condemn in others have no excuse. In this case, however, the conclusion
does not exactly fit the premises. It is not so much the inexcusableness
of sinners as the exposure that follows from the justice of God. Most
commentators, therefore, hold that the inference therefore in 2:1 is
drawn from 1:32, where it is said that all men know that those who sin
are worthy of death. The inference is that those who commit sin have no
excuse, however censorious their self-conceit may make them towards
others. (ibid)
The verb "are"
(eimi) is
present tense indicating
that they were continually without excuse.
Without
excuse (3798) (anapologetos from a = without + apologéomai =
apologize or more literally to speak oneself off and so to plead for
oneself) means inexcusable. This word
pertains to not being able to defend oneself or to justify one’s actions
The root word
"apologeomai" (defending
in Romans 2:15) was used in secular Greek in a judicial sense to
describe a legal petition or defense.
The only other use
of anapologetos is in the previous chapter where Paul writes
that...
"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." (see exposition of
Romans 1:20-21)
Why is everyone without excuse?
In Romans 1:18-32 all the "unrighteous" are without excuse and in Romans 2 he begins to demonstrate that all
the "self-righteous" are also without excuse. They are without excuse because of the universal facts of the
external creation and the internal voice of conscience (God made it
evident within them). What was true of the "pagans" in Romans 1:18-32 is also true of this new group
who he identifies with the pronoun "you" (in contrast to the pronoun "they" in
Romans 1:18-32). Therefore both "they" and "you" are without excuse. In the following
verses in Romans 2, Paul
refers to "you", as if he is addressing an imaginary representative of a real and identifiable group of
people. Undoubtedly, in many ways the Jew of Paul's day typified the
moralist; but as discussed above, his words in Romans 2:1-16 also seem to have a wider
application.
MacDonald rightly reminds us that...
Fallen man can see faults in others
more readily than in himself. Things hideous and repulsive in the lives
of others seem quite respectable in his own. But the fact that he can
judge sins in others shows that he knows the difference between right
and wrong. If he knows that it is wrong for someone to steal his
wife, then he knows that it is wrong for him to steal someone else’s
wife. Therefore, when someone commits the very sins he condemns in
others, he leaves himself without excuse. The sins of cultured people
are essentially the same as those of the heathen. Although a moralist
may argue that he has not committed every sin in the book, he should
remember the following facts:
1. he is capable of committing them
all.
2. by breaking one commandment, he is guilty of all (Jas. 2:10).
3. he has committed sins of thought which he may never have committed in
actual deed, and these are forbidden by the word. Jesus taught that the
lustful look, for instance, is tantamount to adultery (Matt. 5:28).
(MacDonald, W., &
Farstad,
A.
Believer's Bible Commentary : Old and
New Testaments. Nashville: Thomas Nelson)
When one seeks to share with another about their great need of Christ's
free gift of salvation they meet with many responses:
What about the heathen?
A loving God would never send anyone to hell.
I'm okay because I belong to the church.
Oh I don't show it or live it but I'm a Christian and I'm okay so you
can worry about someone else."
Romans 1
addressed the first objection - the heathen did know about God but suppressed
this truth and therefore are guilty. Romans 2 addresses the other
objections and misconceptions about genuine salvation and man's need for
it.
Jews were the people who judged, pronouncing all Gentiles to be born
in sin and under condemnation.
They loved to criticize the Gentile "dogs" as they called them and it
warmed their hearts to hear Paul put those dirty heathen sinners in
their place in Romans 1. Paul's unexpected conclusion (you are without excuse)
abruptly challenges the self righteous Jew or anyone who thought himself
exempt from the indictment in Romans 1.
A good example of
a "religious person" with a judgmental attitude is found in Jesus'
illustration of the Pharisee and the Publican where Jesus addresses the
"self-righteous", judgmental Pharisee to show him his need for God's
righteousness.
"Two
men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a
tax-gatherer. 11 "The Pharisee stood and was praying thus to himself,
'God, I thank Thee that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust,
adulterers, or even like this tax-gatherer. 12 'I fast twice a week; I
pay tithes of all that I get.' 13 "But the tax-gatherer, standing some
distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was
beating his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, the sinner!' 14 "I
tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the
other; for everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who
humbles himself shall be exalted."
(Luke
18:10-14)
A person
best understand his need for the good news when he understands he is guilty before
God--whether immoral (chap1) or moral (chap2), whether Gentile (chap1)
or Jew (chap2). Their sins may be
different but their guilt is the same. But as everyone knows, it's not
easy to convince a "moral man" of his guilt, because "moral"
men truly believe they are better than other people.
So whether one is a Jew or a "moral Gentile", both groups think
they are exempt from God’s judgment because they have not indulged in
the immoral excesses described in Romans 1. Paul is emphasizing that they are mistaken
and deceived. In fact in some ways they are worse off than the pagans, for they have more knowledge
(e.g., the Jews "were entrusted with the oracles of God" Romans 3:2) and thus
they had a greater accountability. If the Gentile is without excuse, then the Jew is
even more so because he had more information at his disposal. Later in
this chapter Paul informs us that he
"will be judged by the Law" (Romans 2:12). His judgment will be according to light
and he will receive a greater degree of punishment because of his refusal of
the light. The principle of greater light bringing greater
accountability and a more severe judgment is clearly taught in
Scripture - study the following passages
(Mt 10:15,
11:20-24,
12:41
Jn 19:11,
Lu 10:12-16,
12:47,48,
20:46,
47,
Heb 10:29]
EVERY MAN WHO PASSES JUDGMENT: o anthrope pas o krinon
(PAPMSN):
(2Sa 12:5-7;
Ps 50:16-20;see
notes
Matthew 7:1-2,
7:3-5;
Mt 23:29-31;
Lu 6:37;
19:22;
Jn 8:7-9;
Js 4:11)
"Every" (3956)
(pas) means all without exception. As Ray Stedman quipped
in his sermon on this section...
Here Paul talks about those who pass
judgment on others. If there are any here this morning who do not belong
in that category, we will excuse you. You are free to go, because I want
to talk to those who have, at one time or another, passed judgment on
someone else. (Romans
2:1-11 Sinful Morality)
Man (444)
(anthropos) is the generic name in distinction from gods and the
animals. It refers to a man or woman, an individual of the human race or
a person. The KJV renders this with the phrase "O man".
Passes
judgment (2919)
(krino) primarily signifies to distinguish, separate or
discriminate and then, to distinguish between good and evil, right and
wrong, without necessarily passing an adverse sentence, though this is
usually involved. Krino means to sift out and analyze evidence.
Krino is
present tense indicating
that they were continually passing judgment. Passing judgment, by
implication, means condemning.
The
imaginary interlocutors ("you...every man")
are envisaged not as
objecting to what Paul had said but as agreeing with it very strongly.
It is that tendency (in all of us) to point the finger at someone else
-- the amazing ability to find someone whom we consider worse than we
are, and to ask God to concentrate on him and leave us alone.
But Paul corrects their (and our) mistaken conclusions by explaining that when "Mr. I'm Okay" meets his Maker,
he will be judged by
God. This section presents the principles by which that judgment takes
place.
MacDonald
makes the point that...
The sins of cultured people are
essentially the same as those of the heathen. Although a moralist may
argue that he has not committed every sin in the book, he should
remember the following facts:
1. he is capable of committing them
all.
2. by breaking one commandment, he is guilty of all (James
2:10."For whoever
keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty
of all.")
3. he has committed sins of thought which he may never have committed in
actual deed, and these are forbidden by the word. Jesus taught that the
lustful look, for instance, is tantamount to adultery (Matt.
5:28
"but I say to you, that everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her
has committed adultery with her already in his heart.")
(MacDonald, W., &
Farstad,
A.
Believer's Bible Commentary : Old and
New Testaments. Nashville: Thomas Nelson)
Jesus addressing
a Jewish audience, many of whom were undoubtedly convinced of their
self-righteousness, admonished them to...
"not
judge lest you be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged;
and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you. And why do
you look at the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice
the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother,
'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' and behold, the log is in your
own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then
you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye."
(Matthew 7:1-5)
MacArthur writes that...
"The phrase "O man"
(cf.
Ro2:3;
9:20) is a general
reference to any moralist who thinks he's exempt from judgment because
he hasn't sunk to idolatry, homosexuality, or any other reprobate
activity."
Paul's description fits us all to a certain extent...for we all have an
amazing tendency to point the finger at someone else -- the amazing
ability to find someone whom we consider worse than we are, and to ask
God to concentrate on him and leave us alone. All of u
