Romans 2:12

For 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; FOR AS MANY AS HAVE SINNED, [ heemarton (G264)] - 'For as many as sinned' here below; not 'that sinned at all,' but 'that are found in sin' (as Bengel rightly notes) at the judgment of the great day. That this is the sense, the whole context clearly shows. WITHOUT LAW - that is, without the advantage of a positive revelation; SHALL ALSO PERISH WITHOUT LAW - exempt from the charge of rejecting or disregarding it. Their character will meet with its appropriate award, and on nothing else will the judgment of such turn. AND AS MANY AS HAVE SINNED ('AS SINNED') IN THE LAW - within the pale of a positive, written Revelation, Shall b...

12._Whosoever have sinned without law, _(69) _etc. _In the former part of this section he assails the Gentiles; though no Moses was given them to publish and to ratify a law from the Lord, he yet denies this omission to be a reason why they deserved not the just sentence of death for their sins; as though he had said — that the knowledge of a written law was not necessary for the just condemnation of a sinner. See then what kind of advocacy they undertake, who through misplaced mercy, attempt, on the ground of ignorance, to exempt the nations who have not the light of the gospel from the judgment of God. _Whosoever have sinned under the law, etc. _As the Gentiles, being led by the errors of their own reason, go headlong into ruin, so the Jews possess a law by which they are condemned; (70) for this sentence has been long ago pronounced, “Cursed are all

1-16 The Jews thought themselves a holy people, entitled to their privileges by right, while they were unthankful, rebellious, and unrighteous. But all who act thus, of every nation, age, and description, must be reminded that the judgment of God will be according to their real character. The case is so plain, that we may appeal to the sinner's own thoughts. In every wilful sin, there is contempt of the goodness of God. And though the branches of man's disobedience are very various, all spring from the same root. But in true repentance, there must be hatred of former sinfulness, from a change wrought in the state of the mind, which disposes it to choose the good and to refuse the evil. It shows also a sense of inward wretchedness. Such is the great change wrought in repentance, it is conversion, and is needed by every human being. The ruin of sinners is their walking after a hard and im...

Verse Romans 2:12. _FOR AS MANY AS HAVE SINNED WITHOUT LAW_, c.] They, viz. the _Gentiles_, who shall be found to have transgressed against the mere _light of nature_, or rather, _that true light that lighteth_ _every man that cometh into the world_, John 1:9, shall not come under the same rule with those, the _Jews_, who have in _addition_ to this enjoyed an extraordinary _revelation_ but they shall be dealt with according to the inferior dispensation, under which they lived: while those, the _Jews_, who have _sinned against the law_-the positive Divine revelation granted to them, _shall be judged by_ _that law_, and punished proportionably to the abuse of such an extraordinary advantage....

FOR - This is used to give a reason for what he had just said, or to show on what principles God would treat man, so as not to be a respecter of persons. AS MANY - Whosoever. This includes all who have done it, and evidently has respect to the Gentile world. It is of the more importance to remark this, because he does not say that it is applicable to a few only, or to great and incorrigible instances of pagan wickedness, but it is a universal, sweeping declaration, obviously including all. HAVE SINNED - Have been guilty of crimes of any kind toward God or man. Sin is the transgression of a rule of conduct, however made known to mankind. WITHOUT LAW - ἀνόμως anomōs. This expression evidently means without revealed or written law, as the apostle immediately says

EXPOSITION ROMANS 2:1 (_b_) _Those who judge others, not excepting the Jews. _Here a new stage of the argument, in proof of the position propounded in Romans 1:18, begins, and is continued to the end of the chapter. The position to be proved is that all mankind is guilty before God (see note on Romans 1:18). So far this has been shown with regard to the mass of the heathen world; its general moral corruption, prevalent and condoned, having been pointed out finally as a glaring proof; the main point of the argument having been to trace this state of things to man's own fault, in that he had refused to retain and act on a knowledge of God originally imparted to him through nature a

FOR AS MANY AS HAVE SINNED WITHOUT LAW,.... This is an instance of the strict justice of God, and proves him to be no respecter of persons; for the Gentiles, who were "without law", the written law of Moses, not without the law of nature in their breasts, nor without some civil laws and statutes of their own; inasmuch as they "sinned" against the God of nature, and the law and light of nature, they SHALL ALSO PERISH WITHOUT LAW: not that their condemnation and perdition will be illegal, or not in due course of law; but it will not proceed upon, or according to the law of Moses, they never had; and much less for not believing in Christ, of whom they never heard; but their perdition will be for their sins committed without the law of Moses, against the law of nature: their not having the written law of Moses will be no plea in their favour, or be a reason why they should not be condemned;...

SINNED SIN (_ See Scofield) - (Romans 3:23). _...

CHAPTER 2 _ 1. The Gentile Moralist and Reformer and His Condemnation. (Romans 2:1 .)_ 2. The Two Classes. (Romans 2:7 .) 3. The State of the Jew. (Romans 2:17 .) Romans 2:1 But in the heathen world there were such who gave witness against the immoral condition, the different vices. There were Moralists, Reformers and Philosophers like Socrates, Seneca and others. They judged and condemned certain evils. But God declares that they were not a whit better than the rest. The very things they condemned they were guilty of themselves. One of their own writers declared, “I see the good and approve of it and follow the ev

Some one interjects: I do not approve, I condemn the sins you describe. Then you condemn yourself, Paul retorts, for you _commit_ them! THE MORALIST UNDER CONDEMNATION, with the flagitious sinner. Thrice Paul repeats, Thou doest the same (or such-like) things. ROMANS 2:1 ; _cf._ Romans 2:6; Romans 2:9 f., Romans 2:13: not Jews specifically are addressedO man, everyone that judges! Romans 2:4 f. Whoso thinks to cloak unrighteous doings by his moral creed, is trifling with God's forbearance and laying up a store of wrath....