2:4to show that as we trust God, we are saved; we have life both now and forever.
Life Application Study BibleRomansChapter 2
Romans 2
New Living Translation · Life Application Study Bible · Original pages: 1896, 1897, 1898
A few verse numbers on this page were hard to read in the scan and are marked with a dotted underline — compare with the original page image if in doubt.
2Romans 2
Goa’s Judgment of Sin
12 You may think you can condemn such people, but you are just as bad, and you have no 2:1 _ excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning ‘ yourself, for you who judge others do these very same things. 2And we know that God, inhis 2:4 justice, will punish anyone who does such things. 3Since you judge others for doing these Beene. 15 things, why do you think you can avoid God’s judgment when you do the same things? 2:5 4Don‘t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean Ps 1106 nothing to you? Can't you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin? 26 eoet9 5But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terri- I Matt 16:27 ble punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment 2:7 will be revealed. He will judge everyone according to what they have done. 7He will give Bim aid eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. 8But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. 9There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile.* 10But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good—for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. 11For God does not show favoritism. 12When 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. 13For merely listening to the law doesn’t make us right with God. It is obeying the law that makes us right in his sight. 15Even 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. 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. ‘And this is the message I proclaim— that the day is coming when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge everyone’s secret life.
The Jews and the Law
1717You who call yourselves Jews are relying on God’s law, and you boast about your special relationship with him. 18You know what he wants; you know what is right because you have been taught his law. 1? You are convinced that you are a guide for the blind anda light for people who are lost in darkness. 20You 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. 21Well then, if you teach others, why don’t you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal? 22You say it is wrong to commit adultery, but do you commit adultery? You condemn idolatry, but do you use items stolen from pagan temples?* 2 You are so proud of knowing the law, but you dishonor God by breaking it. 24No wonder the Scriptures say, “The Gentiles blaspheme the name of God because of you.”* 25The 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. 26And if the Gentiles obey God's law, won't God declare them to be his own people? 27In 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. 28For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of Jewish parents or because you have gone through the ceremony of circumcision. 29No, 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 achange of heart produced by God's Spirit. And a person with a changed heart seeks praise* from God, not from people.
Textual footnotes
- 2:9 Greek also for the Greek; also in 2:10.
- 2:22 Greek do you steal from temples? 2:24 |sa 52:5 (Greek version).
- 2:29 Or receives praise.
Life Application Notes 10 notes
2:12-15People are condemned not for what they don’t know but for what they do with what they know. Those who know God’s written Word and his law will be judged by them. Those who have never seen a Bible still know right from wrong, and they will be judged because they violated those standards that their own consciences dictated. God’s law is written within them.
2:12-15|f you traveled around the world, you would find evidence in every society and culture of God’s moral law. For example, all cultures prohibit murder, and yet in all societies that!aw has been broken. We belong to a stubborn, sinful race. We know what is right, but we insist on doing what is wrong. It is not enough to know what is right: we must also do it. Admit to yourself and to God that you frequently fail to live up to your Own standards (much less to God’s standards). That's the first Step to forgiveness and healing.
2:17ffPaul continues to argue that all stand guilty before God. After describing the fate of the unbelieving, pagan Gentiles, he Moves to admonish God's people. Despite their knowledge of God's will, they were guilty because they, too, refuse to live by it. Those of us who have grown up in Christian families may know what God’s Word says. But Paul says that if we do not live up to what we know, we are no better off than unbelievers.
2:21,22Paul explained to the Jews that they needed to teach themselves, not others, by their law. They knew the law so well that they had learned how to excuse their own actions while criticizing others. But the law is more than a set of rules—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. As Jesus pointed out, withholding what rightfully belongs to someone else is stealing (Mark 7:9-13), and anyone who even looks at a woman with lust in his eye has committed adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:27, 28). Before we accuse others, we must look at ourselves and see if sin, in any form, exists within us.
2:21-27These verses are a scathing criticism of hypocrisy. It is much easier to tell others how to behave than to behave properly ourselves. It is easier to say the right words than to allow them to take root in our own life. Do you ever advise others to do something you are unwilling to do yourself? Make sure that your actions match your words.
2:23and verse 26 is from Hosea 1:10.
2:24If you claim to be one of God’s people, your life should reflect what God is like. When you disobey God, you dishonor his name. People may even blaspheme or profane God's name because of you. What do people think about God as they watch your life?
2:25-29Circumcision refers to the sign of God’s special covenant with his people. All Jewish males were required to submit to this rite (Genesis 17:9-14). According to Paul, being a circumcised Jew meant nothing if the person didn't obey God’s laws. On the other hand, the uncircumcised Gentiles would receive God's love and approval if they kept God’s law. Paul goes on to explain that a true Jew (one who pleases God) is not someone who has been circumcised but someone whose heart is right with God and obeys him.
2:28,29To be a Jew meant you were in God’s family, an heir to all his promises. Yet Paul made it clear that membership in God’s family is based on internal, not external, qualities. All whose hearts are right with God are true Jews—that is, part of God's family (see also Galatians 3:7). Attending church or being baptized, confirmed, or accepted for membership is not enough, just as submitting to circumcision was not enough for the Jews. God desires our heartfelt devotion and obedience (see also Deuteronomy 10:16; Jeremiah 4:4).
Charts, profiles & sidebars from the printed pages
Study feature · page 1897
SALVATION’S FREEWAY Verses in Romans that describe the way to salvation.
Romans 3:23....... Everyone has sinned.
Romans 6:23....... The penalty for our sin is death.
Romans 5:8........ Jesus Christ died for sin. Romans 10:8-10 To be forgiven for our sin, we must believe and confess that Jesus is LORD. Salvation comes through Jesus Christ.