Commentary On The Epistle To The Romans
By Dr. John R. Stone
Romans 2:1-6
Overview:
The book of Romans is a summary of the basic truths of the Christian faith, and in this book Paul has prepared a very logical explanation of the most important things that Christians believe. In chapter 1:17 he stated the theme of this letter to the church at Rome: “The righteous man shall live by faith.” Salvation and the gift of righteousness are received by faith, not by works, and the gospel Paul was sent to preach is the good news that sinners can come to God by grace for the forgiveness of their sins.
First, Paul established in chapter 1:18-32 that every human being is guilty before God, even those who live in distant lands and have never heard the name of Jesus and do not know the law of God. They are without excuse because all creation reveals the existence of a personal God, but through the ages people have rejected that truth and worshiped the creation instead of the Creator.
Next, in chapter 2:1-29 Paul addresses what God says about people who do have God’s law, people like the Jews who know the truth and take great pride in their efforts to earn God’s favor because of their good lives. Paul says the religious person (who knows God) is condemned, just like the ignorant heathen, if that person is trying to earn salvation by good works.
Recognizing a Standard for Judgment
Vss.1-3.
Chapter two begins with Paul’s bold declaration that the Jews, the outwardly good people, are without excuse, just like the ungodly people (in chapter 1:20), because they were condemning people who did not know about the one true God. By condemning others they admitted that a standard of righteousness existed. That standard would apply to them just as it did to others. The Jewish leaders of Paul’s day were hypocrites, and they were guilty of the same things they were condemning in others. Paul agreed with the Jews that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Everybody agrees that somewhere there is a standard by which every person will be judged one day. It is easy for us to see the faults in other people and to be critical of their shortcomings, while at the same time we cannot see things in our own lives that are just as bad. Jesus cautioned us about this proud attitude in Matthew 7:5 when He said that we should take the log out of our own eye before trying to take a speck out of someone else's eye. In verse 3 Paul warns that the hypocrite will not escape God’s judgment. People who are good on the outside but bad on the inside will be punished just as the person who is altogether bad.
Storing up God's Wrath
Vss. 4-6:
Paul gives a serious warning in the next few verses. He says that every time a person experiences God’s kindness without repenting of his sin, a certain measure of God’s wrath is added to that person’s final judgment.God’s kindness, longsuffering, and patience might be ignored by an unbeliever, but that person’s judgment will be greater because of that stubbornness. Verse 5 says people store up wrath for themselves on the Day of Judgment just as a child of God stores up rewards in heaven for obedience to God’s ways.
In James 5:5 God says people who resist His grace and do not repent when He is patient with them are like animals being fattened for slaughter. God’s kindness should lead us to repentance, and anything that leads us to repentance is God’s kindness. Sometimes a person will not repent until a terrible thing happens. Even a tragedy that brings a person to repentance can really be seen as God’s kindness because that tragedy brought repentance to that heart. When a person is stubborn and unrepentant, he is storing up wrath for himself in the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment falls on all unbelievers.
Verse 6 says that God will judge every man according to his deeds. This means that every man will be judged according to who he really is. A person’s life reveals his heart, and God will not be fooled by hypocrisy. Good deeds can sometimes be deceiving, but God also judges the thoughts and the motives of the heart. When all is said and done there will be none who has been good enough to earn God’s favor through human effort. No one is perfect in every way all the time; therefore none can be saved because of personal merit (the good things you have done).
The gospel of grace is the good news that we can be saved from the wrath of God by asking Him to forgive us for our sins. Jesus took upon Himself the wrath we had been storing up for ourselves. His death on the cross made it possible for us to be saved.
—to be continued
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