Romans 2:14

For 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: FOR WHEN THE GENTILES ... - q.d., 'As touching the Jews, in whose ears the written law is continually resounding, the condemnation of as many of them as are found sinners at the last involves no difficulty; but even as respects the pagan, when they WHICH HAVE NOT THE LAW - who are strangers to the law in its positive and written form, DO BY NATURE THE THINGS CONTAINED IN THE LAW - abstaining from some of the things which are condemned, and practicing some of the things enjoined by universal morality, "these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:...

14._For when the Gentiles, etc. _He now states what proves the former clause; for he did not think it enough to condemn us by mere assertion, and only to pronounce on us the just judgment of God; but he proceeds to prove this by reasons, in order to excite us to a greater desire for Christ, and to a greater love towards him. He indeed shows that ignorance is in vain pretended as an excuse by the Gentiles, since they prove by their own deeds that they have some rule of righteousness: for there is no nation so lost to every thing human, that it does not keep within the limits of some laws. Since then all nations, of themselves and without a monitor, are disposed to make laws for themselves, it is beyond all question evident that they have some notions of justice and rectitude, which the Greeks call preconceptions προληψεις, and which are implanted by nature in the hearts of men. They have...

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 2:14. _FOR WHEN THE GENTILES, WHICH HAVE NOT THE LAW_, c.] Nor does it follow that the Gentiles who have not had a Divine revelation, shall either perish, because they had it not or their unrighteous conduct pass _unpunished_, because not having this revelation might be considered as an excuse for their sins. _DO BY NATURE THE THINGS CONTAINED IN THE LAW_] Do, without this Divine revelation, through that light which God imparts to every man, _the things contained in the law_ - act according to justice, mercy, temperance and truth, the practice of which the revealed law so powerfully enjoins; _these are a law unto themselves_ - they are not accountable to any other law, and are not to be judged by any dispensation different from that under which they live. _Rabbi Tanchum_ brings in the Supreme Being as saying

FOR WHEN - The apostle, in Romans 2:13, had stated a general principle, that the doers of the Law only can be justified, if justification is attempted by the Law. In this verse and the next, he proceeds to show that the same principle is applicable to the pagan; that though they have not the written Law of God, yet that they have sufficient knowledge of his will to take away every excuse for sin, and consequently that the course of reasoning by which he had come to the conclusion that they were guilty, is well founded. This verse is not to be understood as affirming, as an historical fact, that any of the pagan ever did perfectly obey the Law which they had, any more than the previous verse affirms it of the Jews, The main point in the argument is, that if people are justified by the Law, their obedience must be entire and perfect; that this is not to be external o

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 WHEN THE GENTILES WHICH HAVE NOT THE LAW,.... The objection of the Gentiles against their condemnation, taken from their being without the law, is here obviated. The apostle owns that they had not the law, that is, the written law of Moses, and yet intimates that they had, and must have a law, against which they sinned, and so deserved punishment, and which they in part obeyed; for these men DO BY NATURE THE THINGS CONTAINED IN THE LAW. The matter and substance of the moral law of Moses agrees with the law and light of nature; and the Gentiles in some measure, and in some sort, did these things by nature; not that men by the mere strength of nature without the grace of God, can fulfil the law, or do anything that is acceptable to God; and indeed, what these men did was merely natural and carnal, and so unacceptable to God. Some understand this of nature assisted by grace, in convert...

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....

THE RESPONSIBILITY OF PRIVILEGE (Romans 2:1-11)...