CHAPTER 2

(A.D. 60)

CRITICS

¹Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whosoever you are who judges (presents this segment as directed to the Jews): for where in you judge another, you condemn yourself (in effect, says that God judges one who judges another in the same manner in which he himself has judged, hence, condemning himself [Mat. 7:1-2]); for you who judge do the same things (in effect, says that the Jews were no better than the Gentiles, whom they constantly berated).

GODS JUDGMENT

²But we are sure that the Judgment of God is according to Truth (proclaims that which is never of presumption) against them which commit such things (proclaims a perfect Judgment, because it comes from Truth).

³And do you think this, O man, who judges them which do such things, and do the same (you, the Jew), that you shall escape the Judgment of God? (Many Jews thought the privilege of birth as a Jew would of itself insure his entrance into the Kingdom [Mat. 3:8-9].)

⁴Or despise you the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering (presents the Jew as holding these things in contempt, thinking that they were worthy of such); not knowing that the goodness of God leads you (trying to lead you) to Repentance?

⁵But after your hardness and impenitent heart (speaks of a hardness toward God, with a refusal to repent) treasured up unto yourself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the Righteous Judgment of God (Judgment was building up, and ultimately exploded over the Jews; we speak of A.D. 70);

⁶Who will render to every man according to his deeds (we reap what we sow!):

⁷To them who by patient continuance in well doing (portrays those who are not trusting in place or position for their Salvation, but rather in Christ) seek for glory and honour and immortality, Eternal Life (this speaks of that which comes exclusively from God):

⁸But unto them who are contentious (carries the idea of contending with God), and do not obey the Truth (attempt to devise a way other than Christ and Him Crucified), but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath (the opposite of Truth),

⁹Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man who does evil (presents the natural results of the unnatural act of sin), of the Jew first (held more responsible), and also of the Gentile (will answer as well!);

NO RESPECTER OF PERSONS

¹⁰But glory, honour, and peace, to every man who works good (presents Gods logic, which proclaims if certain things are done, certain things will follow), to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile (is given again to show the place of prominence respecting the Jew, but which they forfeited):

¹¹For there is no respect of persons with God (literally translated, the Verse reads, for there is not a receiving of face in the Presence of God; it means that God doesnt receive or accept anyones face, irrespective as to whom they might be).

¹²For as many as have sinned without Law shall also perish without Law (while the Lord will not hold the Gentiles accountable to the Law of Moses regarding Old Testament times, this in no way means that He will not hold them accountable for their sin; the fact of sin is not abrogated in any case respecting ignorance): and as many as have sinned in the Law shall be judged by the Law (in effect, places the Jew in a more responsible and even fearful situation);

¹³(For not the hearers of the Law are just before God (the mere having of the Law, or even hearing the Law, saves no one), but the doers of the Law shall be justified (is used by Paul in this manner to make a point; he is not meaning that the keeping of the Law of Moses could actually bring Justification; in fact, due to mans fallen condition, he could not keep the Law).

¹⁴For when the Gentiles, which have not the Law (Law of Moses), do by nature the things contained in the Law (their conscience told them some semblance of right and wrong), these, having not the Law, are a Law unto themselves (at the Great White Throne Judgment, God will Judge the Gentile world which existed before the Law according to that which they did know; once again, this has nothing to do with Salvation; ignorance has never brought Salvation):

¹⁵Which show the work of the Law written in their hearts (means that no one, whomever they might be and wherever they might be, is absent of all Light), their conscience also bearing witness (but which can be seared), and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another (conscience does not prove a reliable guide, as is proclaimed here);)

¹⁶In the day when God shall Judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ (lays to rest any idea that Judgment will be on any other basis; while many other things, such as conscience, may be a witness, still Jesus Alone is the criteria) according to my Gospel (Jesus Christ and Him crucified).

GUILT

¹⁷Behold, you are called a Jew (implying special favor from God), and rest in the Law (presents the picture of a blind and mechanical reliance on the Mosaic Law which could not save, and had never been meant to save), and make your boast of God (glorying in who they were),

¹⁸And know His Will (Israel had the literal Word of God, which no other Nation in the world had at that time), and approve the things that are more excellent (they had proved the Word over and over), being instructed out of the Law (in essence means that they were instructed by the very Mouth of God);

¹⁹And are confident that you yourself are a guide of the blind (the Jews were meant by God to be the guides of the Gentiles, to lead them to the Lord), a light of them which are in darkness (it was always Gods Will that His Word, Will, and Way, be given to the entirety of mankind),

²⁰An instructor of the foolish (the Gentile world was foolish in their worship of their gods of human invention), a teacher of babes (presents the Holy Spirit looking at Greek Philosophers as no more than infants), which have the form of knowledge and of the truth of the Law (the Jews had the Word of God, which put them light years ahead of the balance of mankind).

²¹You therefore which teach another, do you not teach yourself? (The Jews made fun of the Gentile world, but little applied themselves to the Law, at least as they should have.) you who preach a man should not steal, do you steal? (Most of them did!)

²²You who say a man should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? (Many did!) you who abhor idols, do you commit sacrilege? (In a sense, the Holy Spirit through Paul is placing Israel in the same state as the Gentile world.)

²³You who make your boast of the Law, through breaking the Law you dishonor God? (In other words, due to having the Law and not keeping the Law, they were dishonoring God, even more than the Gentiles were.)

²⁴For the Name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you (proclaims the Jews bringing reproach upon the Lord by living in open contradiction to their own profession), as it is written (Isa. 52:5).

²⁵For Circumcision verily profits, if you keep the Law (in other words, Circumcision profited nothing if they were breaking the Law of God): but if you be a breaker of the Law, your Circumcision is made uncircumcision (proclaims the fact that religious rites, no matter how much God-given, contain no properties of Salvation).

²⁶Therefore if the uncircumcision (Gentiles) keep the Righteousness of the Law (through Jesus Christ), shall not his uncircumcision be counted for Circumcision? (This proclaims that ones trust in Jesus satisfies the demands of the Law and, thereby, secures the Righteousness of the Law, which, in fact, is the only way it can be secured.)

²⁷And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the Law, judge you (proclaims the obvious results of the changed life upon Faith in Christ), who by the letter and Circumcision do transgress the Law? (This speaks of the Jews who, outside of Christ, try to keep the letter of the Law by engaging in all of its Rituals, but continue to transgress the Law. In other words, what they are doing doesnt change their lives.)

DEFINITION

²⁸For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly (completely destroys national Salvation); neither is that Circumcision, which is outward in the flesh (the mere Ritual is no true Circumcision at all, and spiritually affords nothing):

²⁹But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly (it is only the work carried out by Christ inwardly which constitutes Salvation); and Circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit (refers to the heart of the individual being changed, which is done in ones spirit and speaks of being Born-Again), and not in the letter (refers to the rules and regulations of the Law of Moses, or even such in the Church); whose praise is not of men, but of God (keeping religious Rituals garners the praise of men, but not of God; men can truly praise God only when they truly accept Christ, which means to truly trust Christ and not mens religious Rituals).