Calvin (4/14/01)

2:12

Paul clearly indicates that the Gentiles needed no Moses to inform them. Their guilt would be no less for the lack of a written Law. The same holds true today for nations that have not yet heard the gospel. The mercy that seeks to excuse them is false to God's word. Likewise, the Jews, who had and knew the Law, stand condemned by it; their situation the worse for having the greater knowledge. (Dt 27:26 - All who do not confirm the law by obedience are cursed, to which the people give their 'amen.')

2:13

This is no support of salvation by merits, but speaks only of that righteousness that, were it possible, would rest in the law. Here, there is a warning against those who would be satisfied by knowledge alone, who would think that possessing and understanding the Law sufficed (Dt 4:1 - Listen to the rules I am teaching you to perform, that you may live and possess the land which the LORD has given.) Hearing wasn't the end of it. The fact that none was ever found capable of fulfilling the demands of the law remains.

2:14

That ignorance could not be an excuse is shown by their actions, for no nation is so devoid of understanding that right and wrong are not understood and enforced to some degree. This shows that in spite of the absence of law, the necessary understanding was with them.

2:15

That the law was known to their hearts does not imply that they were wholeheartedly committed to following that law, only that they were aware of its implications. That they worshiped gods shows they knew God ought to be worshiped; that they were ashamed of theft shows they knew theft to be wrong. Knowing in no way can be taking as willing. There is no proof in this text of man's ability to comply to the Law's demands. The heart, here, is to be taken as the seat of understanding, rather than affection (Dt 29:4 - Even now, the LORD has not given you a heart to know, nor eyes to see, nor ears to hear. Lk 24:25 - You are foolish and slow of heart to believe, in that you don't yet believe all that the prophets have spoken.) Their knowledge of the law may not have been complete, yet they had the rudiments of right and wrong ingrained in them. This shows in the practices and rules that the Gentile nations devised for themselves. They knew, also, (as is evidenced in their own sayings,) that their consciences were the strongest evidence of their understanding. The warning that this action of our conscience in judging our deeds will continue in the day of judgment is a warning to us not to disregard the messages of our conscience in the current day.

2:16

Even those things that we have hardened ourselves against, that we have buried so deep as to avoid the thought of them in ourselves, will be brought to light on the day of judgment. It is not only those things we have tried to conceal from others, but those, also, that we have managed to conceal from ourselves. (1Co 4:5 - Don't rush to judgment, but wait for the Lord to judge, for He will disclose the hidden motives of the heart, either to man's praise or to his condemnation.) The gospel is Paul's only inasmuch as it is his task to declare it, the power to define it remains in God alone. He mentions the gospel by way of declaring a doctrinal statement, that being that (a) God will judge even the secrets of men, and (b) that Christ Jesus will be the administrator of that judgment, the One chosen by God to be the Judge of all. The gospel cannot but show Christ to be the Resurrection to some and Destruction to others, and both aspects of the Holy One point inexorably to the final day of judgment.

 

 

Matthew Henry (4/14/01)

2:12,2:14-15

The equity of His judgment shows in that the rule of His judgment will be that which rules each man's obedience, it will accord with the degree of light that man has received, there being three degrees thereof. First, there is the light of nature, which all men have had access to. The judgment that accords with this light will be according to the uncorrupted light of nature, not to that which man has twisted and bent to his own corrupt pleasures. They could see before them the effects of the law, directing them towards what is right to do. (Ps 147:20 - God has not placed His ordinances in any other nation, nor have they known them.) By this light, they had sufficient to understand what was good and what was evil, and so they determined their actions. Their conscience would bear witness to the nature of their deeds, and what conscience brought to light, their thoughts and reason would judge right or wrong by this same natural light of understanding. That their consciences were able to cause them thoughts of innocence and of conviction showed that there remained a law governing their actions, and so justifies God's actions in condemning them. Ignorance provides no excuse.

2:13

The second degree of light is the Law. This being a greater light, greater is the condemnation on those who seek justification by that light, yet fail to live by it. Many amongst the Jews were teaching that being a Jew, and so having been taught the Law, would suffice to place one in the world to come, no matter what the lifestyle one might exhibit. The truth declares that only in obedience, and that in full, could the Law provide a righteousness fit to that end. (Jn 5:45 - Moses will accuse them before God in heaven for their disbelief [as evidenced by disobedience.] Lk 12:47 - Knowing their Master's will, and yet not acting upon it, they will receive many lashes by His hand. Jn 13:17 - If you know the truth, you are blessed inasmuch as you do in accord with the truth. Jas 1:22 - Those who only hear, delude themselves. Therefor, prove yourself as a doer of that which you have heard.)

2:16

The final degree of light is the Gospel. As with the other cases, those who have had this light will be judged according to this light (Mk 16:16 - Who has believed and been baptized shall be saved. Who has disbelieved [and so must have heard] shall be condemned.) What he speaks of as being according to his gospel refers to what is said regarding the day of final judgment. Of that judgment, we know that there is a specific day set in God's plan for its coming (Ps 37:13 - The LORD laughs at those who oppose Him, for He sees their day coming); that Christ is the One appointed to judge on that day (Ac 17:31 - God has determined a day for judgment of the whole world through the Man He appointed, that appointment proven by His being raised from the dead); that on that day, all the secret, hidden ways of each man will be brought to light and punished as they deserve.

 

 

Adam Clarke (4/15/01)

2:12

The Gentiles will be judged for transgressions against the light of nature, that which lights all men. (Jn 1:9 - The true light came into the world, enlightening every man.) The Jews, with their greater revelation, and thereby a greater advantage, will be judged for their transgressions against that revealed law.

2:13

The favor shown in divine relationship is not a guarantee of salvation to them, leaving all those without that favor to perish. Having favored them with the Law, he requires obedience, and only such as obey in full will be considered as justified by it. [These comments seem off in several respects, perhaps because Mr. Clarke is not being as clear as he ought to be, perhaps because I'm not clear in reading it.]

2:14

The Gentile cannot expect to die for simple ignorance of the Law, nor to escape punishment by that ignorance. When such as they regulate their lives in a fashion equitable to the revealed Law, having not heard that Law, this alone will be the basis of their judgment, not any other dispensation.

2:15

Inasmuch as their own laws and discussions of morality reveal an understanding of justice, mercy, temperance, and truth, it is shown that God indeed has given them that there is a degree of the divine light indwelling them, testifying to their integrity. Having this light of reason in them, they are therefor accountable to God for their conduct.

2:16

God's impartiality will be all the more evident in this, when the day of judgment comes. He will not judge based on one's opinions, nor on what was never revealed to one, but rather according to the 'advantages or disadvantages of their political, religious, or domestic situation in life.' [Again, this seems somehow out of line.] Some seek to find in this section a basis for thinking that the light of nature can suffice to bring one to glory even without the influence of divine grace, but that is not the meaning of this passage. To reach this view, there have been translations that take what, in our text, is 'instinctively', as meaning 'naturally.' However, looking at other places where this same word is used leads one to see that it indicates veracity or certainty. (Gal 4:8 - When you didn't know God, you were slaves to things that were by nature no gods. Eph 2:3 - We, too, used to indulge our fleshly desires, showing that by nature we were children of wrath, just like them.) [Mr. Clarke finds both these to reflect a certainty of the indicated condition, and finds the latter verse to have no reference to the natural corruption of man from birth.] One could point out that any light found in nature was put there by God's grace, and so, any understanding coming from that comes from God. Thus, the idea of natural light sufficing to lead to glory might be acceptable, as it could not be found to be apart from the action of God's grace. The final portion of v15 uses a series of legal terms, describing not the actions of conscience, but the conduct of a law suit, and so stands as a proof that they have a law, even though it be not Mosaic. What the Jews had from God on tablets of stone, the Gentiles had in less concrete form from that same God, as His providence and grace provided. Thus their laws, some older than memory, display wisdom and truth.

 

 

Barnes' Notes (4/16/01)

2:12

As demonstration of His impartiality, Paul points out that God's judgment will take degree of light into account. It is a universal rule, applicable to any that have transgressed the law while not having the Law, that they will yet suffer eternal destruction for their ways. The law represents not only the revealed Law of God, but often indicates general revelation (Mt 12:5 - The Law declares the priests innocent in their breaking of the Sabbath to serve in the temple. Lk 2:23-24 - The Law declares every firstborn holy, and requires a sacrifice on their behalf. Lk 10:26 - When asked how to obtain eternal life, Christ asked what the Law declared. Jn 8:5 - Mosaic Law required the stoning of adulteresses. Jn 8:17 - It further declares that when two men's testimonies agree, they are to be considered true. [Oddly, none of these examples seem to support the argument.]) The idea of perishing encompasses loss or destruction of life, reward, and / or wisdom. (Mt 10:42 - He who finds his life shall lose it, and who loses it shall find it. Mt 10:42 - Whoever serves a child a cup of water will not lose his reward. 1Co 1:19 - God will destroy the wisdom of the wise. Mt 9:17 - If one puts new wine in old skins, they will burst and be ruined. Mt 10:28 - Fear not the one who can only kill the body, but Him who can destroy both body and soul. Mt 18:14 - God's will is not that any one should perish. Jn 3:15 - Whoever believes in Christ may have eternal life. Ro 14:15 - When we lead another into what is for him a sin by our behavior, we work to destroy him by our freedoms, even him for whom Christ died. Jn 17:12 - While with them, Christ guarded them all, and not one perished except the betrayer.) It cannot be inferred from this passage that the Gentiles will somehow be saved without law. It says nothing to that point, but simply declares once more their universal guilt, and the universal penalty for it. Yet, their condemnation will not be by the rule of a Law they have not had, but rather by that knowledge that they did have. From that, it may be surmised that their suffering will be less than that of the sinner informed by Law. (Mt 10:15, Lk 10:12 - Sodom and Gomorrah will suffer less on the day of judgment than the city that refuses the gospel, Mt 11:24 - such as Capernaum did.) To complete the claim of impartiality, Paul brings forth the state of the Jews, who had the Law, yet sinned against it. Their judgment will be based upon the Law they were given. Why the difference in terms: perishing for the Gentiles, judgment for the Jews? Perhaps because Paul is still seeking to keep the strong reaction of the Jewish community from shutting their ears to him before his point was driven home. That their crimes against the Law were worthy of the death penalty remains true, and is fully implied in the rule given by which they would be judged. Yet, the idea of judgment seems more palatable than a simple statement of the inevitable outcome. The true outcome of such a judgment would quickly enter the mind of his reader, yet that final step to conclusion would then come from their thoughts and not from Paul's words, bringing a greater clarity to the argument's conclusion. This would show Paul to be using a method quite similar to that Christ Himself was wont to use, as is seen so often in the parables.

2:13

Knowing how pride would swell up in his hearers, that they would quickly throw up their attentive listening to the Law, and their professions of willing obedience to it, as arguments in their defense, Paul stops them before they can start, pointing out that it is the actual obedience that matters, not the claims of willingness. (Jas 1:22 - Be a doer and not a mere hearer, for the latter delude themselves. Mt 7:21 - Not all who claim to consider Christ Lord will enter the kingdom, only he who does the Father's will. Mt 7:24, Lk 6:47 - Who hears and obeys His words, is like the wise man who built his house on a foundation of rock.) The righteousness declared by the Law was only available in total and perfect obedience to its demands, not to simple hearing. (Dt 4:1 - Listen to the statutes you are being taught to perform, that you may live and possess the land. Lev 18:5 - You are to keep My statutes, by which you may live if you do them. Ro 10:9 - If you confess Jesus as Lord, and believe Him raised from the dead by God, you shall be saved.) If one were to be justified by the Law (which none ever was), it would only be by 'entire and perpetual' obedience, thereby avoiding all grounds for condemnation. This countered a particular wrong teaching of many Jewish teachers, who declared that one who heard and listened to the Law would be saved. Respect for truth and religious ordinance is not enough, obedience must follow.

2:14

The situation, then, is no different for the Gentile. He, too, had a law, and he, too, had disobeyed it. Therefor, the same rule of guilt is applied by God, in spite of the difference of revelation. Also in similar form to the Jewish condition, no man had ever been shown willing or able to keep the whole of Gentile law. In many ways, however, their law showed a degree of understanding of the requirements of righteousness. In spite of their lacking the written Law, they yet had much guidance from conscience, reason, and observation of His Providence in action; resulting in their having a relatively clear understanding of right and wrong. When they act in accordance with this understanding, they often are doing precisely what the Law would require of them. Such things as truth, respect, honesty, and chastity were not unknown to the pagan, and his failure to obey the rules of such things often led to just condemnation amongst their own people.

2:15

Inasmuch as the light of reason, not having revelation added, showed them what was required for right living, reason agreed with revelation. Revelation differs in extent, not content. Where both speak to the same issue, they agree. The knowledge of right and wrong was deeply ingrained in their minds in spite of not having the written Law to refer to. Conscience is implanted by God as the ever present tool of judgment, immediately giving expression to the nature of one's actions. Conscience is not a tool of revelation, but gives evidence of prior knowledge of God's Laws. (Jn 8:9 - Hearing Christ's call for the innocent one to start the stoning, all left. Ac 23:1 - Paul declared his conscience before God 'perfectly good.' Ac 24:16 - Having a hope in God, he sought always to live such that his conscience was blameless before both man and God. Ro 9:1 - He spoke truth, his conscience bearing witness in accord with the Holy Spirit. 1Ti 1:5 - The goal is the love of a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.) The fact of their having a conscience comes as testimony that they had some knowledge of the Law. What conscience declared in a moment, their reasoning and opinion reflected on at length, deepening and confirming the conscience's decisions. In discussions, their reasoning showed their understanding of Law, inasmuch as they accused that which the Law would condemn, and excused that which the Law approved, when looking at each others' actions. Thus, both their conscience, and the body of reasoned standards among them served to declare that the rule of right amongst them was from some knowledge of righteousness, and so God is just to judge and destroy them for disobeying.

2:16

Both Jew and Gentile will come before God in judgment. God is Judge, Christ being the administrator of His judgment. (Dt 32:36 - He will vindicate His people. Ps 50:4 - He summons heaven and earth to judge His people. 1Sa 2:10 - Those who contend with Him will be shattered, He will judge all the earth and exalt His anointed. Ecc 3:17 - He will judge both the righteous and the wicked. Ro 3:6 - He will judge the world. Heb 13:4 - Marriage must be honored, as he will judge all fornicators and adulterers.) The hidden desires and motives of each man will be judged as thoroughly as the outward actions. (Lk 8:17 - All that is now hidden will then become evident, no secret remaining unknown in His light. Ecc 12:14 - Every hidden act of good or evil will be judged. Mt 10:26 - Nothing will remain covered or unrevealed. 1Co 4:5 - Don't try to judge before it's time, but wait for the Lord to disclose what lies hidden in men's hearts, and let their praise come from God.) Character is determined by motive and principle, and on such the impartial judgment must be based. This cannot be judged in this life, but only outward conduct. Thus, in the final judgment, those whose treatment was not fit with their character in this life, will find justice fulfilled, for better or worse. That judgment looms the more dreadful as we recognize that all our crafty concealment will be made of no avail in the end. This degree of judgment shows that He is powerful to the searching of our hearts and thoughts. That this power is entrusted to Christ is evidence of His divinity. All will be judged, Jew and Gentile. Scripture gives numerous testimonies to the fact of Christ's being the Judge appointed. (Ac 17:31 - God has determined a day for judgment through the One He appointed, as evidenced by His being raised from death. 2Ti 4:1 - Christ Jesus is to judge the living and the dead. 1Pe 4:5 - The sinner will give account for their actions before Him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. Jn 5:22 - The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son. Jn 5:27 - He gave the Son authority to execute judgment because He is the Son of Man. 1Th 4:16-18 - The Lord will descend from heaven with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ shall rise, and those alive shall join them to be ever with the Lord. Mt 25:31-46 - He will come and separate the sheep from the goats. That God will judge the world by Christ Jesus is a prime article of the gospel.

 

 

Wycliffe (4/17/01)

2:12

With or without the Law, the one who has sinned will perish, he will be punished in accord with the Law, in a fair manner.

2:13

'As far as judgment is concerned, what counts is performance, not the being aware of this or that statute.' The one who has done as the law commanded will be acquitted.

2:14

The doing of the Law is not limited to those who have the written Law, for many Gentiles do what the Law requires by instinct, showing themselves to have some knowledge of God's requirements.

2:15

This internal knowledge that God has put in the Gentile is the standard by which his conscience and reason respond; conscience being the automatic response, and reason the reflective, leading to value judgments. The communicating of such value judgments amongst a group results in decisions regarding the actions of an individual.

2:16

Here, the verse is seen as connected to v13. [Most of the other commentaries have pushed it back to v12.]

 

 

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown (4/17/01)

2:12

By those that have sinned, the context suggests that those found in sin on judgment day are they who are indicated. Those who were not informed by the Law will not be charged with rejecting it, but yet their character will be properly judged. They that had the Law will also be tried, but by the higher standard of the revealed Law.

2:13

To possess the Law will not suffice, obedience must follow.

2:14

To recognize that the Jew who had ever heard the Law, yet was found in sin at the end, as condemned is no issue. But Paul needs to make clear that this is equally true of the pagan who never heard the Law. He does so by pointing to the example of their actions, which showed that they abstained from many of those things that the Law prohibits, and practiced much of what it enjoins.

2:15

Their moral nature, and their conscience both give a witness in concord with the Law. Their thoughtful reflection upon what their conscience reveals will echo and attest to the condemnation that awaits for their sins.

2:16

The secrets of men are those things that the hypocrite and the self-righteous attempt to hide. (Ecc 12:14 - God will judge every act, every hidden thing, whether good or evil. 1Co 4:5 - Don't try to judge before the time to do so, rather wait for the Lord to reveal those things currently hidden in the darkness of the heart; then He will be the source of each man's praise.) That Jesus shall stand as Judge is the teaching Paul preaches as a servant of the Gospel of Christ. (Ac 17:31 - God has determined the day and the Judge who will judge on that day, proving His choice of Judge by raising Him from the dead.)

 

 

New Thoughts (4/18/01)

Respect for truth and religious ordinance is not enough, obedience must follow. That is the message of this passage, and accords nicely with James' view. It is not a matter of works bringing justification, but of works being the necessary byproduct of belief. Belief and obedience are intertwined concepts; often, we see disbelief evidenced by disobedience. The one is the outworking of the other. It's a natural sequence from the inward to the outward. God has told us that our love for Him is shown in obedience to His commands. It seems like an awful lot of effort is spent in these commentaries to determine how treatments are impartial, and how they differ, but in the end, it seems to me that this simple thought is the whole of what needs to be got across. Understanding of obedience and disobedience is universal. Understanding of lawlessness and consequence is universal. As such, the proof already given of universal disobedience needs only to be brought to its proper conclusion - that a universal judgment must result in a universal punishment, and that in doing so, it is universally just. Praise be to God that the story is not ended here! Thank You, Jesus, that this universal penalty has been paid! Thank You, that I can come to You, relying solely on Your work, Your atoning death, and know Your forgiveness - a forgiveness so complete as to make me as though all sin had never occurred. Am I freed by this to live in disobedience? With Paul, I say, may it never be! Yet, I cannot but know my inability to obey in full. In this present life, I know myself caught in the dilemma of ever striving after a goal I cannot reach. But I can press on toward that goal, knowing that You will bring me through to the finish line when time is fulfilled. Help me, oh Holy Spirit, to keep close to my mind the things I ought to be doing, the ways in which I ought to act. In all this time of study, prevent me, dear Lord, from finding satisfaction in knowledge alone, be in me both to will and to work towards a life that actively reflects what You have revealed.