Romans 2:13

(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. FOR NOT THE HEARERS OF THE LAW - that is, the mere possessors of it, "are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified....

13. _For the hearers of the law, etc. _This anticipates an objection which the Jews might have adduced. As they had heard that the law was the rule of righteousness, (Deuteronomy 4:1,) they gloried in the mere knowledge of it: to obviate this mistake, he declares that the hearing of the law or any knowledge of it is of no such consequence, that any one should on that account lay claim to righteousness, but that works must be produced, according to this saying, “He who will do these shall live in them.” The import then of this verse is the following, — “That if righteousness be sought from the law, the law must be fulfilled; for the righteousness of the law consists in the perfection of works.” They who pervert this passage for the purpose of building up justification by works, deserve most fully to be laughed at even by children. It is therefore improper and beyond what is needful, to in...

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 2:13. _FOR NOT THE HEARERS OF THE LAW_, c.] It does not follow, because one people are favoured with a Divine revelation, that therefore _they_ shall be _saved_ while the others who have not had that revelation, shall finally perish: this is not God's procedure; where he has given a _law_-a _Divine revelation_, he requires _obedience_ to that law; and only those who have been _doers_ _of that law_-who have lived according to the light and privileges granted in that revelation, _shall be justified_-shall be finally acknowledged to be such as are fit for the kingdom of God....

FOR NOT THE HEARERS ... - The same sentiment is implied in James 1:22; Matthew 7:21, Matthew 7:24; Luke 6:47. The apostle here doubtless designed to meet an objection of the Jews; to wit, that they had the Law, that they manifested great deference for it, that they heard it read with attention, and professed a willingness to yield themselves to it. To meet this, he states a very plain and obvious principle, that this was insufficient to justify them before God, unless they rendered actual obedience. ARE JUST - Are justified before God, or are personally holy. Or, in other words,

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 NOT THE HEARERS OF THE LAW ARE JUST BEFORE GOD,.... The apostle here shows, that the Jews were justly condemned, notwithstanding their having and hearing of the law; since hearing without doing it, will never denominate persons righteous in the sight of God, however it might recommend them in the sight of men: regard seems to be had either to the first delivery of the law by Moses to the people of Israel, when he read it to them, and they hearkened to it, and promised obedience; or rather to the reading and hearing it every sabbath day; and may include a speculative knowledge of it, without a practical obedience to it; and which therefore must fall greatly short of entitling them to a justifying righteousness; since not these, BUT THE DOERS OF THE LAW, SHALL BE JUSTIFIED; by whom are meant, not such who merely literally and externally fulfil the law, as they imagine; for the law is...

THE LAW A law. The statement is general, true of "a law," any law....

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....