An excerpt from “Doers of the Law,” Part Two of a Deep Dive into Romans 2:1-16, from The Blessed Hope Podcast Season Five Series on the Book of Romans

Paul has stated in Romans 1:18–32 that Gentiles stand condemned because they know God through what has been made. But because of sin, they culpably exchange the truth of God for a lie—the source of all false religion. As a result, God gives them over to the consequences of their sin, depicted by Paul as a downward spiral into ever deeper depths of depravity. In Romans 2:1–16, Paul turns his focus to the Jews, who self-righteously judge the conduct of the Gentiles while doing the very same things they accuse the Gentiles of doing. This leads Paul to affirm one of the main principles of biblical theology—the “works principle.” God promises blessings to those who obey him, while he threatens curses upon those who disobey him. Since all have disobeyed, neither Jew nor Gentile can stand before God on judgment day and claim a righteous standing. They will not be justified. If God gives them what they deserve, they will perish.

Paul also speaks here of the fact that the law of God is written upon all human hearts—both Jew and Gentile. At Mount Sinai, those unwritten but universal commandments were written on two stone tablets and revealed to Israel, then codified and published in a distinctly covenantal context. This context demonstrates God’s will for his people through the Ten Commandments. These commandments are holy, righteous, and good (Romans 7:12). Those who keep these commandments (i.e., “doers”) will be justified. But the inability of the Jews to keep these commandments, along with the inability of the Gentiles to keep the unwritten version of the law inscribed upon their hearts, prepares the way for the coming of Israel’s Messiah—the incarnate Creator-Redeemer—who alone will keep God’s commands and then offer himself as a sacrifice for the sins of those who cannot.

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