FOR THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU JUST AS IT IS WRITTEN: to gar onoma tou theou di humas blasphemeitai (3SPPI) en tois ethnesin kathos gegraptai (3SRPI): (Isa 52:5; La 2:15,16; Ezek 36:20, 21, 22, 23; Mt 18:7; 1Ti 5:14; 6:1; Titus 2:5,8) (Smith on Blasphemy)

Ezekiel speaks of the blaspheming of God's name writing...

20 "When they came to the nations where they went, they profaned My holy name, because it was said of them, 'These are the people of the LORD; yet they have come out of His land.'
21 "But I had concern for My holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the nations where they went.
22 "Therefore, say to the house of Israel, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for My holy name, which you have profaned among the nations where you went.
23 "And I will vindicate the holiness of My great name which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD," declares the Lord GOD, "when I prove Myself holy among you in their sight. (Ezek 36:20-23)

God will show Himself faithful to His covenant and will restore Israel to the land for His "holy name's sake" not because of any merit in them

We must remember that God's people are His only representatives that many people see and so when we sin, we profane His name before the pagans. God acts to defend His holy name. He wants all people to know the awesome holiness which separates Him from all other gods.

The Name of God - God's Name is tantamount to His very being, to the essence of Who He is (see study of the Name of the LORD), and so to blaspheme His Holy Name is to blaspheme the very essence of His being. Paul introduces a bitter irony here, because this Name is the very word which none of the religious Jews would ever dare speak because they considered it so holy! And so while not doing so with their lips, they did in fact blaspheme God's Name with their lives. Our lives often speak much louder than our lips, which is a powerful reminder for all who name the Name of Jesus as their Lord. Unbelievers are always watching!

The Name of God is blasphemed - It is spoken of with reproach. God's Name is reviled by contemptuous speech that intentionally comes short of the reverence due to that holy (set apart) Name.

In a similar way Nathan confronted David with his sin against Uriah and his wife Bathsheba, asking

'Why have you despised the word of the LORD by doing evil in His sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword, have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the sons of Ammon. 10 'Now therefore, the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised Me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.' 11 "Thus says the LORD, 'Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your own household; I will even take your wives before your eyes, and give them to your companion, and he shall lie with your wives in broad daylight. 12 'Indeed you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel, and under the sun.'" 13 Then David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has taken away your sin; you shall not die.14 "However, because by this deed you have given occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born to you shall surely die."

Keep in mind that David was probably in his mid-to-late 40's at the time of this sin. Note also that the sin reflected David (a man after God's own heart) contempt of the Holy Word and of the Holy God, two incredible statements that we otherwise would never have attributed to King David who wrote the majority of the psalms. The result was that it gave occasion to the enemies of Jehovah to blaspheme His Holy Name, and for this David was suffered severe consequences, even though God spared his life upon his confession.

Abraham experienced essentially the same thing when he told Pharaoh that Sarah was his sister and Pharaoh took her into his harem. After the discovery Abraham and Sarah went away, and Abraham had no more testimony for God before the Egyptians.

Blasphemed (987) (blasphemeo derived from bláx = sluggish, slow, stupid +  phéme = rumor, fame) OR MORE LIKELY (derived from blápto = to hurt, injure, harm + phéme from phemí = to speak) means literally to speak to harm and in general therefore means to bring into ill repute and so to slander, to defame (to harm the reputation of by libel or slander), speak evil of, to rail at (revile or scold in harsh, insolent, or abusive language and rail stresses an unrestrained berating), to speak calumny (noun form = a misrepresentation intended to blacken another’s reputation = the act of uttering false charges or misrepresentations maliciously calculated to damage another’s reputation), to calumniate (verb form = to utter maliciously false statements, charges, or imputations about - calumniate imputes malice to the speaker and falsity to the assertions) (Click for detailed word study of blasphemeo)

Here are the 34 NT uses of blasphemeo - Mt. 9:3; 26:65; 27:39; Mk. 2:7; 3:28f; 15:29; Lk. 12:10; 22:65; 23:39; Jn. 10:36; Acts 13:45; 18:6; 19:37; 26:11; Ro 2:24; 3:8; 14:16; 1 Co. 10:30; 1 Tim. 1:20; 6:1; Titus 2:5; 3:2; Jas. 2:7; 1 Pet. 4:4; 2Pet. 2:2, 10, 12; Jude 1:8, 10; Re 13:6; 16:9, 11, 21

MacDonald (Believer's Bible Commentary) comments...

This combination of high talk and low walk caused the Gentiles to blaspheme the name of God. They judged the Lord, as men always do, by those who professed to be His followers. It was true in Isaiah’s day (Isa 52:5) and it is still true today. Each of us should ask:

If of Jesus Christ their only view
May be what they see of Him in you,
(Insert your name), what do they see?

Written (1125) (grapho from root graph- = primarily means to scratch on or engrave as on an ornament, reports, letters, etc; English = graph, graphic, etc) means to engrave or inscribe with a pen or stylus characters or letters on a surface which can be wood, wax, metal, leather, stone, parchment, dirt (John ), paper, etc and then to write. (Click to review all 191 uses of grapho in the NAS)

Grapho is in the perfect tense which signifies that this truth was written down in the past (in this case by the prophet Isaiah) and it remains written and in effect. The perfect tense thus speaks of the permanence of the written word of God.

Paul is quoting in part from the Septuagint (LXX) of Isaiah 52:5. Paul reminds his Jewish reader that God had stated in the Old Testament that the failure of the Jew to obey the law was the cause of His holy Name being continually blasphemed by the Gentiles!

Paul appeals to the testimony of the very Law they boast in as that which in fact condemns them. As alluded to above, the Jews were so zealous for the Name of God that they would not pronounce the Tetragrammaton (YHWH or "Yahweh" when one adds vowels - see study of Jehovah) and yet the tragic irony was that they acted in such a way that the Gentiles blasphemed the very Name the Jews claimed to revere!

The Old Testament prophets like Isaiah and Ezekiel and now Paul, all declare that God's character and honor are at stake and that the opinion of Him on the part of the pagans is based at least in part on the conduct of those who claimed His Name. The captivity of Israel and Judah, because of continual national unfaithfulness to Jehovah resulted in the Gentile nations scoffing at the God of the Jews. In other words His name was blasphemed because of them.

Application: If you claim the Name of Jesus as your Lord, what is the opinion your family members, co-workers, neighbors, etc have of your God because of what they know of your character and conduct?

A Modern day illustration of how God's Name is Blasphemed by those who claim to know Him:  Stuart Briscoe tells about having to deal with a fellow employee who had embezzled a large sum of money from the bank for which they both worked. The reason the man embezzled was that he had two wives and families to support. When he was apprehended and fired, he stunned everyone by saying,

“I am very sorry for what I have done, and I need to know whether I should fulfill my preaching commitments on Sunday in our local church.”

Briscoe says that in the following weeks he spent a great part of his time mending the damage done by that man’s blatant inconsistency. To his chagrin, he found that his fellow workers not only despised the man, but “… were quick to dismiss the church he belonged to as a ‘bunch of hypocrites,’ the gospel he professed to believe as a ‘lot of hogwash,’ and the God he claimed to serve as ‘nonexistent.’”

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Right In Our Front Yard - Grass or weeds? Bluegrass or quack grass? Thick or thin? Browning out or greening up? These are the things I look for when I drive by the front yard of a nearby office building. To the credit of its keepers, the lawn has been green and weed-free for some time now. Even in the middle of summer that grass looks first-class.

There's a good reason I'm always checking out this lawn. It graces the corporate offices of a highly competitive and well-known lawn-care firm. I suppose they would have a good excuse if their turf was not picture-perfect. They could claim they're so busy servicing the lawns of others that they don't have time for their own. On the other hand, who's going to respect a business that doesn't use its own product?

Throughout history, the people of God have been in a similar position. They have always been on display, representing the true and living God. Unfortunately, as the apostle Paul pointed out, many professing believers have been a poor testimony for the Lord (Ro 2:24).

Today, because we call ourselves Christians, we turn the heads of curious passersby. As if by reflex, people naturally watch us. They want to see if what we claim to have is really working--right in our own front yard. --M R De Haan II  (Our Daily Bread, Copyright RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, MI. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved)

I do not ask for mighty words
To leave the crowd impressed;
Lord, grant my life may ring so true
My neighbor may be blessed. --Anon.

What we practice proves what we profess.

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Torrey's Topic
Blasphemy

Christ assailed with -Matthew 10:25; Luke 22:64,65; 1 Peter 4:14
Charged upon Christ -Matthew 9:2,3; 26:64,65; John 10:33,36
Charged upon saints -Acts 6:11,13
Proceeds from the heart -Matthew 15:19
Forbidden -Exodus 20:7; Colossians 3:8
The wicked addicted to -Psalms 74:18; Isaiah 52:5; 2 Timothy 3:2; Revelation 18:11,21
Idolatry counted as -Isaiah 65:7; Ezekiel 20:27,28

Hypocrisy counted as -Revelation 2:9
Saints grieved to hear -Psalms 44:15,16; 74:10,18,22
Gives no occasion for -2 Samuel 12:14; 1 Timothy 6:1
Against the Holy Spirit, unpardonable -Matthew 12:31,32
Connected with folly and pride -2 Kings 19:22; Psalms 74:18
Punishment of -Leviticus 24:16; Isaiah 65:7; Ezekiel 20:27-33; 35:11,12

Exemplified
The Danite -Leviticus 24:11
Sennacherib -2 Kings 19:4,10,22
The Jews -Luke 22:65
Hymenaeus -1 Timothy 1:20

FOR INDEED CIRCUMCISION IS OF VALUE IF YOU PRACTICE THE LAW: Peritome men gar ophelei (3SPAI) ean nomon prasses (2SPAS): (Ro 2:28,29; 3:1,2; 4:11,12; Dt 30:6; Jer 4:4; Gal 5:3, 4, 5, 6; 6:15; Ep 2:11,12) (Circumcision in Bible Dictionaries - Easton, Smith,  ISBE)

Haldane explains that...

Paul here pursues the Jew into his last retreat, in which he imagined himself most secure. He presses him on the subject of circumcision, which the Jews viewed as their stronghold—that rite even more ancient than Moses, and by which they were distinguished from the other nations. The sum of this, and the following verses to the end of the chapter, is, that the Jews being such as the Apostle had represented them, all their advantages, including circumcision, could only enhance their condemnation before the tribunal of God, and that, on the contrary, if the Gentiles, who have not received the law, observed its precepts, they would be justified without circumcision. Two things are here to be observed, namely, what is asserted of the Jews and Gentiles, and the proof that follows. The assertions are, that circumcision serves only as a ground of condemnation to transgressors of the law; and, on the other hand, that the want of it would be no detriment to those who fulfilled the law. The proof is, that before God the true Jew and the true circumcision consist not in external qualities, but in internal and real holiness. The reason why circumcision was not included in the enumeration before given of the advantages of the Jews is, that in itself it is not an advantage, but only a sign of other advantages; and it is mentioned here, because, in the character of a sign, it includes them: to name circumcision then, is to refer to them all. In this verse the Apostle does not speak of circumcision according to its real and most important signification as he does in the two concluding verses, but in that view in which the Jews themselves considered it, as the initiatory and distinctive rite of their religion, without the observance of which they believed they could not be saved. (Haldane, R. An Exposition of Romans)

As MacDonald explains...

Here Paul links circumcision with the Law of Moses and points out that it was only valid as a sign when it was combined with a life of obedience. God is not a mere ritualist; He is not satisfied with external ceremonies unless they are accompanied by inward holiness. So a circumcised Jew who transgresses the law might just as well be uncircumcised. (MacDonald, W & Farstad, A. Believer's Bible Commentary: Thomas Nelson or Logos)

Circumcision (4061) (peritome from perí = around + témno = cut off) (Click for more in depth word study of peritome) refers literally to cutting and removal of the foreskin. (See related discussion on Circumcision) As discussed below both the Old and New Testament also use the concept of circumcision in a figurative or metaphorical sense.

Here are the 36 uses of peritome in the NT --Jn. 7:22, 23; Acts 7:8; 10:45; 11:2; Ro 2:25, 26-notes, Ro 2:27, 28, 29-notes; Ro 3:1-note, Ro 3:30-note; Ro 4:9, 10, 11, 12-notes; Ro 15:8-note; 1 Co. 7:19; Gal 2:7, 8, 9, 12; 5:6, 11; 6:15; Ep 2:11-note; Php 3:3-note, Php 3:5-note; Col. 2:11-note; Col 3:11-note; Col 4:11-note; Titus 1:10-note

There are only 4 uses in the Septuagint (LXX) - Ge 17:13; Ex 4:25, 26; Je 11:16.

James Denny explains that...

The absence of the article (before circumcision) suggests that the argument may be extended to everything of the same character as circumcision. Circumcision was the seal of the covenant, and as such an assurance given to the circumcised man that he belonged to the race which was the heir of God’s promises. That was undeniably an advantage…but if the actual inheriting of the promises has any moral conditions attached to it (as Paul proceeds to show that it has), then the advantage of circumcision lapses unless these are fulfilled. Now, the persons contemplated here (the Jews) have not fulfilled them. (Expositor's Greek Testament)

Is of value (5623) (opheleo from ophéllo = heap up) means to provide assistance, with emphasis upon the resulting benefit. It means to be useful or profitable. Note that Paul is not saying that circumcision will save a person, for by works no man can be justified before God.

Practice (4238) (prasso) means to perform repeatedly or habitually and stresses the process leading to the accomplishment. The present tense emphasizes this is to be one's continual activity.

Paul recognizes that a Jew may protest, and say that his salvation is based on the fact that he is a descendant of Abraham; but Paul rightly says that this is irrelevant regarding justification. (Ge 17:11).This was a sign of God’s covenant with Abraham and his descendants, and therefore another token, besides the Law, of the special privileges which were granted to the Jew and in which they gloried and perverted the significance of.

As illustrated by the Rabbinical quotations below in the next section, the Jews believed that circumcision guaranteed their salvation. They might be punished in the world to come, but they believed that they could never be lost. Paul recognized that a Jew might protest in this manner and say that his salvation is based on the fact that he is a descendant of Abraham. And so Paul proceeds to point out that circumcision is irrelevant regarding justification.

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Torrey's Topic
Circumcision

Instituted by God -Genesis 17:9,10
Described -Genesis 17:11; Exodus 4:25
Enforced by the law -Leviticus 12:3; John 7:22

CALLED THE
Covenant of circumcision -Acts 7:8
Circumcision in the flesh -Ephesians 2:11
Concision -Philippians 3:2
A painful and bloody rite -Exodus 4:26; Joshua 5:8
Promises to Abraham previous to -Romans 4:9,13
A seal of the covenant -Genesis 17:11; Romans 4:11
Introductory Jewish ordinances -Galatians 5:3
Outward sign of -Romans 2:28
Inward grace -Romans 2:29
Necessary to enjoying the privileges of the Jewish State -Ex 12:48; Ezek 44:7

WAS PERFORMED
On males home-born and bought -Genesis 17:12,13
On the eighth day -Genesis 17:12; Leviticus 12:3
Even on the sabbath day -John 7:22,23
With knives of flint -Exodus 4:25; Joshua 5:3
By the heads of families -Genesis 17:23; Exodus 4:25
By persons in authority -Joshua 5:3
In the presence of the family, &c -Luke 1:58-61

Accompanied with naming the child -Genesis 21:3,4; Luke 1:59; 2:21
First performed on Abraham and his family -Genesis 17:24-27
Not performed in the wilderness -Joshua 5:5
Performed by Joshua at Gilgal -Joshua 5:2,7
Punishment for neglecting -Genesis 17:14; Exodus 4:24,26
Without faith, vain -Romans 3:30; Galatians 5:6
Without obedience, vain -Romans 2:25; 1 Corinthians 7:19

THE JEWS
Denominated by -Acts 10:45; Galatians 2:9
Held it unlawful to intermarry with those not of the -Genesis 34:14; Judges 14:3
Held no intercourse with those not of the -Acts 10:28; 11:3; Galatians 2:12
Despised as unclean those not of the -1Sa 14:6; 17:26; Mt 15:26,27; Ep 2:11,15

Sometimes performed on slain enemies -1Samuel 18:25-27; 2Samuel 3:14
Abolished by the gospel -Ephesians 2:11,15; Colossians 3:11
Performed on Timothy as a matter or expediency because of the Jews -Acts 16:3
Necessity of, denied by Paul -Galatians 2:3-5
Necessity of, asserted by false teachers -Acts 15:24; Galatians 6:12; Titus 1:10
Trusting to, a denial of Christ Galatians 3:3,4; 5:3,4
Paul denounced for opposing -Acts 21:21
Saints the true spiritual -Philippians 3:3; Colossians 2:11

ILLUSTRATIVE OF
Readiness to hear and obey -Jeremiah 6:10
Purity of heart -Deuteronomy 10:16; 30:6
Purity of speech -Exodus 6:12

BUT IF YOU ARE A TRANSGRESSOR OF THE LAW YOUR CIRCUMCISION HAS BECOME UNCIRCUMCISION: ean de parabates nomou es (2SPAS) e peritome sou akrobustia gegonen (3SRAI) e peritome sou akrobustia gegonen (3SRAI): (Ro 2:23; Jer 9:25,26; Acts 7:51)

But if you flout the Law you are to all intents and purposes uncircumcising yourself! (Phillips Paraphrase)

Transgressor (3848) (parabates from from pará = beyond or contrary to +  baíno = to go; see study on cognate noun - parabasis) describes one who steps on one side and thus goes beyond or steps across a line. A transgressor is a violator of the law, one who goes beyond the law.  It refers to the the person who steps beyond a fixed limit into forbidden territory. The point is that the law draws the line that should not be crossed or "stepped over". Where there is no law, people do not deliberately disobey God but they disobey in ignorance.

In short, parabates describes one who trespasses, this English verb derived from transpass, from the Latin trans, across or beyond and passus, a step. Webster's 1828 entry says that trespass means

Literally, to pass beyond; hence primarily, to pass over the boundary line of another’s land; to enter unlawfully upon the land of another. A man may trespass by walking over the ground of another, and the law gives a remedy for damages sustained.

Here are the 5 uses of parabates in the NT (no uses in the Lxx) -

Romans 2:25  For indeed circumcision is of value, if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.

Romans 2:27 And will not he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law?

Galatians 2:18 "For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor.
 

James 2:9 But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.

James 2:11 For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not commit murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.

Become (1096) (ginomai) means to come into existence. The perfect tense speaks of the permanence of the resulting condition (uncircumcision). In other words the since you (Jews) are transgressors of the law, your circumcision  has become uncircumcision and the result is that this state is a settled one.

Uncircumcision (203) (akrobustia from ákron = the extreme + búo = cover) means uncircumcised (the foreskin not cut off) or uncircumcision and thus referred to the prepuce or foreskin.

Paul is saying that the physical rite of circumcision without any internal transformation equates with a foreskin! And so Paul uses akrobustia figuratively, in a negative sense of lack of relationship with God and the perfect righteousness His law demands.

Akrobustia was also used as a term of scorn and derision by Jews, for they equated uncircumcision with being a pagans, non-Jewish peoples or Gentiles. Can you imagine how a self-righteous Jew must have felt when he read Paul's argument!

Akrobustia is used 14 times in the Septuagint (LXX) - Ge 17:11, 14, 23, 24, 25; 34:14, 24; Ex 4:25; Lv 12:3; Jos. 5:3; 1Sa 18:25, 27; 2Sa 3:14; Je 9:25

Akrobustia is used 19 times in the NT -
 

Acts 11:3 saying, "You went to uncircumcised men and ate with them." (Refers to Gentiles)

Romans 2:25 (notes) For indeed circumcision is of value, if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.

Romans 2:26 (notes) If therefore the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?

Romans 2:27 (notes) And will not he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law?

Romans 3:30 (note) since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one.

Romans 4:9 (note)  Is this blessing then upon the circumcised, or upon the uncircumcised (Refers to the Gentiles) also? For we say, "Faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness."

Romans 4:10 (note) How then was it reckoned? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised;

Romans 4:11 (note) and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be reckoned to them,

Romans 4:12 (note) and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised.

1Co 7:18 Was any man called already circumcised? Let him not become uncircumcised. Has anyone been called in uncircumcision? Let him not be circumcised.

1Co 7:19 Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God.

Gal 2:7 But on the contrary, seeing that I had been entrusted with the gospel to the uncircumcised (the Gentiles) just as Peter had been to the circumcised

Gal 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.

Gal 6:15 For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.

Ephesians 2:11 (note) Therefore remember, that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "Uncircumcision " by the so-called "Circumcision," which is performed in the flesh by human hands--

Colossians 2:13 (note)  And when you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,

Colossians 3:11 (note)  -- a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.

Why does Paul address circumcision so directly? The Jews had been taught and had come to believe that physical circumcision secured eternal salvation. Below are a few quotations from Jewish sources that express this false belief...

Rabbi Menachem, commenting on Book of Moses writes that...

Our Rabbis have said that no circumcised man will see Hell.

Another rabbinic saying was...

Circumcision saves from Hell.

The Midrash (Jewish traditions compiled about 200AD, basic part of the Talmud) Tillim says,

God swore to Abraham that no one who was circumcised should be sent to Hell.

The Midrash also taught the absurd notion that...

Abraham sits before the gate of hell and never allows any circumcised Israelite to enter.

In sum, the rabbis taught a false gospel declaring that...

God will judge the Gentiles with one measure and the Jews with another. All Israelites will have part in the world to come

Paul is arguing that physical circumcision (or physical water baptism or any rite or ritual for that matter) does not secure salvation for anyone. It is well known for example, that the Egyptians circumcised their boys and obviously they were not saved. It is amazing and sad that many, if not most, of God's chosen people were willing to stake their eternal destiny on a lie. Things haven't changed much, have they?
 

SO IF THE UNCIRCUMCISED MAN KEEPS THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE LAW: ean oun e akrobustia ta dikaiomata tou nomou phulasse (3SPAS): (Isa 56:6,7; Mt 8:11,12; 15:28; Acts 10:2-4,34,35; 11:3-18; 1Cor 7:18,19; Phil 3:3; Col 2:11)

If the uncircumcised man (see akrobustia in preceding verse) - This is more literally rendered  “if the foreskin”. This was a phrase used by the Jews as a slang expression describing a Gentile.

The NLT conveys the idea of this passage...

And if the Gentiles obey God's law, won't God give them all the rights and honors of being His own people? (NLT - Tyndale House)

James Denny explains that...

Here the inference is drawn from the principle laid down in Ro 2:25. This being so, Paul argues, if the uncircumcision maintain the just requirements of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be accounted circumcision, because it has really done what circumcision pledged the Jew to do?… As he has done what circumcision bound the Jew to do, he will be treated as if in the Jew’s position: his uncircumcision will be reckoned as circumcision. (Expositor's Greek Testament)

Keeps (5442)(phulasso) (Click study of phulasso) means to watch, to carry out the function as a military sentinel (Lk 2:8). Phulasso is used in this case of guarding a law from being broken, i.e., by observing its provisions. The present tense emphasizes that they continually keep the requirements of the law. Clearly, Paul is not teaching salvation by works implying that the Gentiles might be able to live such good lives that thereby they could earn salvation.

Here are the 31 uses of phulasso in the NT - Mt 19:20; Mk. 10:20; Lk. 2:8; 8:29; 11:21, 28; 12:15; 18:21; Jn. 12:25, 47; 17:12; Acts 7:53; 12:4; 16:4; 21:24, 25; 22:20; 23:35; 28:16; Ro 2:26; Gal. 6:13; 2Th 3:3; 1Ti 5:21; 6:20; 2Ti 1:12, 14; 4:15; 2Pe 2:5; 3:17; 1Jn 5:21; Jude 1:24

Wuest writes that in this verse phulasso means...

to guard the commandments of God with a solicitous care lest they be broken, doing this by carefully observing them. The tense and mode are present subjunctive, speaking of habitual action. One is reminded of the Greek philosopher Socrates, whose ethics were so exalted that he said that he never did anything in his life which his reason told him was wrong. Knowing totally depraved nature as we do, one is hesitant to accept this statement at its full face value, but at least the intent of the pagan heart of this man was one concerning which our present verse speaks. Wuest, K. S. Wuest's Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: Eerdmans or Logos)

Requirements (1345) (dikaioma from dikaióo = to justify in turn from díkaios = just, righteous) in the present verse refers to an ordinance, to what God has declared to be right, referring to His decree of retribution or that which is deemed right so as to have the force of law.

Here are the 10 uses of dikaioma in the NT - Lk 1:6; Ro 1:32; 2:26; 5:16, 18; 8:4; He 9:1, 10; Re 15:4; 19:8

In Isaiah God prophesied that Gentiles would come into His kingdom writing...

Also the foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, To minister to Him, and to love the name of the LORD, To be His servants, every one who keeps from profaning the sabbath, And holds fast My covenant; Even those I will bring to My holy mountain, And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples. (Isa 56:6,7)

Jesus affirms God's heart for the Gentiles writing...

And I say to you, that many shall come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven; 12 but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth." (Mt 8:11,12)

Peter echoes the truth about the Gentiles...

And opening his mouth, Peter said: "I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right, is welcome to Him. (Acts 10:34-35)

This verse is part of God’s answer to the skeptic who asks

What about the Pygmy in Africa who has never heard the gospel?

God will judge them by what they have heard, and how they have lived by it - which means that they are guilty.

The problem of the "innocent native" is that we can’t find an innocent natives anywhere!

Two questions are actually more important:

What will become of you who has heard the gospel?

What will become of you if you do not take the gospel to the native?

John Piper writing on Romans 2:26 explains...

that God will regard you as a Jew—that is, will count you, though you be a Gentile, as a member of his chosen people—if you keep the requirements of the Law, that is, if you fulfil the Law.  I base it mainly on Ro 2:26: “So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?” In other words, a Gentile (that’s what is meant by “the uncircumcised man”) who fulfils the requirements of the Law will be counted as a true Jew—a true member of God’s chosen people, Israel. (See Piper's entire sermon for an more detailed explanation - Who Is a True Jew? Part One)

John MacArthur explains...

Sincerely keeping the requirement of the Law because it is God’s will is of great value, whereas circumcision without obedience is of absolutely no value. If the uncircumcised man, that is, a Gentile, keeps the requirement of the Law, God will look on him just as favorably as on a circumcised Jew who keeps His law-counting the believing Gentile’s uncircumcision as if it were true circumcision. (MacArthur, J: Romans 1-8. Chicago: Moody Press or Logos)

MacDonald says that what Paul is saying is that...

if a Gentile adheres to the morality prescribed by the law, even if he isn’t under the law, his uncircumcision is more acceptable than the circumcision of a Jewish transgressor. In such a case the Gentile’s heart is circumcised, and that is what counts. (Ibid)

Leon Morris explains this passage as follows...

The law is God’s revealed will; it points to the way in which God would have people go, and this way is the way of trusting him, as the fuller revelation in the gospel makes so plain. The Gentile, despite his lack of the law, may respond to what God has made known to him, and this, for Paul, is the real circumcision. To respond with love and faith is to possess all that circumcision means (cf. Col. 2:11-note). Murray follows Godet in seeing a reference to Gentile Christians. This may be the correct way to understand it, but it seems that Paul’s words are wide enough to include people like Cornelius (Acts 10:34, 35). (Morris, L. The Epistle to the Romans. Grand Rapids, Mich.; Leicester, England: W. B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press. 1988)

Hodge explains that...

In Ro 2:25 it was taught that everything depends upon obedience to the law. God will judge every man according to his deeds. If a Jew, though circumcised, breaks the law, he will be condemned; and if a Gentile, though uncircumcised, keeps the law, he will be justified. The one proposition flows from the other. For if circumcision is in itself nothing, its presence cannot protect the guilty and its absence cannot invalidate the claims of the righteous.

Requirements (refers to)...“decrees,” “precepts,” what the law prescribes as right. The apostle does not mean to suggest that the Gentiles do in any case keep the righteousness of the law, as this would be contrary to his own explicit assertion that no one is righteous, not even one (see 3:12). It is merely a hypothetical statement, designed to show that everything depends on obedience, and that circumcision cannot be the ground either of justification or condemnation. Will they not be regarded as though they were circumcised? Uncircumcision shall be taken for circumcision. (Romans Commentary online or Alternate source)

WILL NOT HIS UNCIRCUMCISION BE REGARDED AS CIRCUMCISION: ouch e akrobustia autou eis peritomen logisthesetai (3SFPI):

Uncircumcision (203) (akrobustia from ákron = the extreme + búo = cover) means uncircumcised (the foreskin not cut off) or uncircumcision and thus referred to the prepuce or foreskin. Paul is using akrobustia figuratively to refer to the uncircumcision of one's heart.

that the physical rite of circumcision without any internal transformation equates with a foreskin! And so Paul uses akrobustia figuratively, in a negative sense of lack of relationship with God and the perfect righteousness His law demands.

Regarded (3049) (logizomai) (Click study of logizomai) means to reckon, compute, calculate, to take into account, to deliberate, weigh and implies a process of reasoning. Logizomai refers to a settled conclusion by careful study and reasoning and thus in short a reasoned conclusion. It refers to a process of reasoning which results in the arriving at a conclusion. Logizomai was a bookkeeping term and used to describe the making of an entry in the account book, as when figuring an entry in a ledger. The purpose of the entry is to make a permanent record that can be consulted whenever needed.

Logizomai is used at least 19 times (out of a total of 40 NT uses) in Romans and often is translated reckoned or imputed - Lk 22:37; Jn 11:50; Acts 19:27; Ro 2:3, 26; 3:28; 4:3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 8, 9, 10, 11, 22, 23, 24; 6:11; 8:18, 36; 9:8; 14:14; 1Co 4:1; 13:5, 11; 2Co 3:5; 5:19; 10:2, 7, 11; 11:5; 12:6; Gal 3:6; Php 3:13; 4:8; 2Ti 4:16; He 11:19; Jas 2:23; 1Pe 5:12

God will regard the believing Gentile as favorably as a circumcised, believing Jew. This statement for example could potentially encompass men like Job, Enoch, Noah, etc, men who existed before God called out a people (Jews) to be His chosen possession.

The evidence of our rightness with God is not contained in outward signs or works, and it is not assured because of our parentage; the evidence is found in the work of God in our hearts, which shows itself in fruit.

Jamieson comments that...

Two mistaken interpretations, we think, are given of these words: First, that the case here supposed is an impossible one, and put merely for illustration [Haldane, Chalmers, Hodge]; second that it is the case of the heathen who may and do please God when they act, as has been and is done, up to the light of nature [Grotius, Olshausen, &c.]. The first interpretation is, in our judgment, unnatural; the second, opposed to the apostle’s own teaching. But the case here put is, we think, such as that of Cornelius (Acts 10:1–48), who, though outside the external pale of God’s covenant, yet having come to the knowledge of the truths contained in it, do manifest the grace of the covenant without the seal of it, and exemplify the character and walk of Abraham’s children, though not called by the name of Abraham. Thus, this is but another way of announcing that God was about to show the insufficiency of the mere badge of the Abrahamic covenant, by calling from among the Gentiles a seed of Abraham that had never received the seal of circumcision (see Ga 5:6); and this interpretation is confirmed by all that follows.

Expositor's Bible Commentary writes that...