part 2 of 3

Rom 2:9 There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. Rom 2:10 But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile.

When judgement comes both the Jew and the gentile will be judged. By the same laws and by the same Judge. Paul says the Jew first, which means they are at the front of the line. If you have lived an unholy life maybe that will give you a 10 second break before you are judge. I do not see it as a privilege.

Rom 2:11 For God does not show favoritism. Rom 2:12 When the Gentiles sin, they will be destroyed, even though they never had God's written law. And the Jews, who do have God's law, will be judged by that law when they fail to obey it. Rom 2:13 For merely listening to the law doesn't make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in His sight. Rom 2:14 Even Gentiles, who do not have God's written law, show that they know His law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it.

As above same rules same punishment you will not escape it. The verse Rom 2:13 says we cannot just listen to the law we must believe it and act accordingly. Verse 14 was very interesting, even those that do not have the law. I believe that there is an inherent belief we instinctively know.

Rom 2:15 They demonstrate that God's law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. Rom 2:16 And this is the message I proclaim—that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone's secret life. Rom 2:17 You who call yourselves Jews are relying on God's law, and you boast about your special relationship with Him. Rom 2:18 You know what He wants; you know what is right because you have been taught His law. Rom 2:19 You are convinced that you are a guide for the blind and a light for people who are lost in darkness. Rom 2:20 You think you can instruct the ignorant and teach children the ways of God. For you are certain that God's law gives you complete knowledge and truth. Rom 2:21 Will then, if you teach others, why don't you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal? Rom 2:22 You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you commit adultery? You condemn idolatry, but do you use items stolen from pagan temples? Rom 2:23 You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it. Rom 2:24 No wonder the Scriptures say, "The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you." Rom 2:25 The Jewish ceremony of circumcision has value only if you obey God's law. But if you don't obey God's law, you are no better off than an uncircumcised Gentile. Rom 2:26 And if the Gentiles obey God's law, won't God declare them to be His own people? Rom 2:27 In fact, uncircumcised Gentiles who keep God's law will condemn you Jews who are circumcised and possess God's law but don't obey it. Rom 2:28 For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. Rom 2:29 No, a true Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is not merely obeying the letter of the law; rather, it is a change of heart produced by God's Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise from God, not from people.

Life Application New Testament Commentary says:

 THE JEWS AND THE LAW / Romans 2:17-29

Paul knew that among those in Rome who would vigorously agree with his first chapter, there would be legalistic Jews, proud of their heritage as God’s chosen people. But their agreement with his case would surely turn to anger as they realized that they were being included in the judgment, as equal members in the fallen human race. Possessing God’s law increased both privilege and responsibility. Because these Jews knew more, they were expected to do more. At first they thought they were Paul’s allies, but suddenly they were confronted by him.

Those of us who have grown up in a Christian family are the religiously privileged of today. Paul’s condemnation applies to us if we do not live up to what we know.

2:17 Paul pointed out that Jews had God’s law, worshiped the one true God, knew right from wrong, and yet regarded themselves better than all those who didn’t have the law (i.e., were not Jews). “You boast that all is well between yourself and God.” The kind of knowing and boasting described here is a sham without a life that demonstrates the knowledge. Paul was bluntly asking, “If you claim to be Jewish, why don’t you live up to the name?” We who claim to be Christians, do we live up to this name?

2:18 Knowing what God wants and knowing right from wrong are the result of having been taught his law. God’s word is not only a record of God’s will; it is also a guideline to determine what course of action is best for us. Through God’s word we can be trained or instructed in how to appreciate what is good. Yet how often do we, surrounded by a wealth of spiritual resources, live no differently than our pagan neighbors! We need to put our knowledge into action.

2:19 Paul saw these people as dangerously self-confident. It was apparent from their lives that they could not back up their claims. Paul’s sarcasm here parallels Jesus’ words to the Pharisees, “How terrible it will be for you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. For you cross land and sea to make one convert, and then you turn him into twice the son of hell as you yourselves are” (Mat_23:15). A Jew would see himself as a guide for the blind, but Jesus repeatedly called them “blind guides” (Mat_15:14; Mat_23:16; Mat_23:24). They claimed to be a beacon light, but were unwilling to recognize the light of the world (Joh_9:5; Joh_9:39-41).

2:20 The Jews that Paul had in mind considered themselves not only separate from the Gentiles, but also capable of teaching those whom they considered ignorant in spiritual matters. These people knew they had the truth and were proud of it! But assuming the teaching role carries with it heavy responsibility, especially in spiritual training (Jas_3:1). Knowing what ought to be taught is only one part of being an effective teacher. Practicing what is taught is the clearest test of a teacher. If you are a teacher, can you pass this test?

2:21-23 Anyone proud of his spiritual background should take a careful look at himself. The Jews were called to be guides of the Gentiles, and salvation is of the Jews (Joh_4:22), but their response to God’s plan for them had made them arrogant. The Jew of whom Paul was thinking possessed the law and was confident that this position allowed him to teach all those who were ignorant without the law. However, Paul’s questions were designed to force the listener to realize that not all Jews could claim such superiority. Many did not understand God’s law, had false confidence in it, and could not apply it readily to their daily life. Without God’s Spirit and the gospel, they had neither superiority nor all the answers. Having, knowing, and reading the law are not enough.

The Jews needed to teach themselves, not others, by their law. The law is more than legalistic minimum requirements—it is a guideline for living according to God’s will. It is also a reminder that we cannot please God without a proper relationship to him. The general principle is that it is much easier to tell others how to behave than to behave properly ourselves. As Jesus pointed out, even withholding what rightfully belongs to someone else is stealing (Mar_7:9-13); and looking on another person with lustful, adulterous intent is adultery (Mat_5:27-28). Before we accuse others, we must look at ourselves and see if that same sin, in any form, exists within us. The question, do you steal from pagan temples, may be making the contrast between condemning idolatry while in private valuing them so highly that they become worth stealing. By knowing God’s law and then breaking it, the Jews had given God great dishonor. The unmerited honor that God had given Jews by choosing them was being treated with unhealthy pride and outright disrespect.

Each of the questions touches on matters in the Ten Commandments. Theft, adultery, idolatry, and dishonoring God were all prohibited. His assumption is not that every reader would answer yes to each question, but that each reader would find his life spotlighted at least once.

2:24 Those who glory in God’s law and brag about their relationship to him and then live in disobedience bring God into disrepute among nonbelievers. Paul quotes from Isa_52:5, written about Israel’s exile to foreign lands. It was the Jews’ rampant evil and flouting of God’s law that led to the exile. They had boasted about being God’s chosen people, but because of their sin, their nation was destroyed. The Gentiles despised a God who, it appeared, could not save his own people. Paul’s parallel was that Jews were again resting with false confidence on their being “chosen” and their possession of God’s law. Their sins were still causing Gentiles to blaspheme a God who would choose such a nation.

2:25 Circumcision was fundamental to the Jews—it symbolized the covenant between God and Abraham’s descendants (Gen_17:9-14). It was the expression of Israel’s national identity and was a requirement for all Jewish men. Circumcision was a physical reminder to Jews of their national heritage and privilege. Many were confident that it sealed their position with God. But just as having the law did not make a person right before God, neither was circumcision in itself a cause for confidence. To be circumcised was worth something only if you obey God’s law (see Gal_5:3). To be circumcised and yet break God’s law was no better than not being circumcised at all. What God desires is a pure and obedient heart.

Symbols require some sense of reality in order to be significant; otherwise they are empty. Signing a contract does not take the place of doing the work. In fact, signing a contract and then refusing to carry out its terms is considered a serious breach. It is worse than a failure. It is a deception.

2:26-27 Paul had already pointed out that circumcision was a valuable part of a system governed by obedience. Where there was no obedience, circumcision was of no value. By the same logic, when obedience was present, the real objective was accomplished, even though circumcision had not occurred. In other words, Gentiles who obey God’s law are as good in God’s sight as a law-abiding, circumcised Jew and could receive the rights and honors of being God’s own people. A Gentile who kept the law would be in a position to condemn a Jew who broke it, no matter how well that Jew knew the law. The Jew who required strict observance to every letter of the law, but was not a doer of the law, was actually a transgressor of that law because he had missed the point.

We must keep in mind that Paul is dealing here with absolutes. Obedience is not a matter of degrees. James saw this clearly: “The person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as the person who has broken all of God’s laws” (Jas_2:10). The sharp division that the law creates reveals the startling nature of the gospel. The righteousness we might try to create by living up to the law, circumcised or not, leads to hopelessness. Perfect obedience is beyond us.

2:28-29 Paul is adamant: The circumcision that God wanted was not cutting the flesh, and cutting the flesh did not fulfill the law. Paul is not inventing new theology, but urging his readers to re-examine the testimony of the Old Testament Scriptures. To be one of God’s children—a true Jew—was not merely to be a circumcised Jew, but to be one who loved God and followed his laws. The kind of Jews God wanted were not those people tied to a heritage, rather people whose lives were pleasing to God. It was a matter of the heart. The person whose heart is right with God because of God’s Holy Spirit will be of great value to God. A Jew transformed by God’s Spirit would be living up to his name, for he would be praiseworthy in God’s eyes. He would fulfill what the law required but was powerless to produce.