Romans 2:1-11
Chapter 2
God’s Judgment
For in judging your neighbor, you condemn yourself, because you practice what you judge.Therefore, you have no excuse, no matter who you are, if you can judge others. We know that God’s condemnation will justly come upon those who commit these acts,
and do you think that by condemning others, you will escape God’s judgment, you who are doing the same?
This would be taking advantage of God and his infinite goodness, patience, and understanding, and not recognizing that his goodness is meant to lead you to conversion.
If your heart becomes hardened and you refuse to change, then you are storing up a great punishment for yourself on the day of judgment, when God will appear as the just judge.
He will reward each person appropriately based on their deeds.
He will grant everlasting life to those who seek glory, honor, and immortality, and who persevere in doing good.
But anger and revenge will be the fate of those who do not serve the truth but rather injustice.
There will be suffering and anguish for anyone who commits evil, first the Jew, then the Greek.
But God will give glory, honor, and peace to everyone who does good, first the Jew, then the Greek,
because everyone is equal before God.
Commentaries
God’s Judgment.
Paul addresses his own people. Previously, he had spoken to the pagans in the third person; now he speaks directly to them in the second person, framing it as a debate by imagining a Jewish opponent whose objections he quotes to refute. It appears this Jew had been listening, with an air of self-confidence and approval, to Paul’s earlier condemnations of paganism. As a result, Paul tries to make this person see that he has no special privilege or advantage when it comes to God’s judgment, because everyone—pagan or Jew—will be judged according to their deeds. After all, the law that the Jews boast about is written in everyone’s heart, regardless of religion. The human conscience acts as a law (cf. Prov 6:23). The ultimate goal of the Apostle is to show that both pagan and Jew stand equally before God’s judgment, which is executed through Jesus Christ. Only by recognizing our shared sinfulness can we open ourselves to God’s saving initiative.