Feb 17, 2019
Originally Presented on October 15th, 2006
Scripture Reading: Romans 2:12-16
In Romans 2:12-16 we have a statement of God's judgment in verse 12 and an elaboration of this judgment in verse 16. In between these verses we have a parenthetical thought which shows us that God's judgment is right.
In Romans 2:12 the human race is divided into two great parts . . . those who have been given the Law and those who have not been given the Law, i.e. Jews and Gentiles. In either case, all who sin will perish in the day of God's judgment. Their sins must be punished by a God of justice. The idea is that all people stand guilty before a righteous God. Romans 2:16 enforces the idea because God will call on people to account, not only for their actions, but their thoughts and motives . . . "the secrets of men."
In Romans 2:13-15 we have a parenthesis which displays the rightness of God's judgment. God gave to the Jews His Law at Mt. Sinai. It is the Mosaic Law. This law the Israelites have consistently and repeatedly broken.
But what about people who were not given God's Law . . . people in Egypt or Babylon? Today we would say, "What about people in Tibet who have never seen a Bible?" Romans 2:14,15 says that the work of God's Law has been written on the hearts of men. They don’t have the details of God's Law, but they have a sense of morality that is an echo of God's written Law. Their consciences are evidence of this "work of the Law." No one has an excuse in the day of judgment. God's justice is right.