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Rom. 2:12-16
We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can download our service on iTunes or tune in for “The Good Word” each day on AM 1230 WSAL or on Hoosier Country 103.7 FM just after 8am. Having dealt with the truth that no person, Jew or Gentile has any excuse or escape that will justify them before God, Paul continues his thesis on the need for justification of all people. He is going to show now that the real meaning and intent of the Law is not that the Jews have and know the Law; but that because they have/know it, they are expected to obey it. Let’s let Paul continue to teach us our great need for God’s justification on our behalf. He continues with a:
- Comparison of Two Nations– 2:12, 13. First consider the Jews who were directed by the law, v. 1. From a Biblical viewpoint there have been only 2 nations, since sometime around 1,900 BC when God called Abram, telling him God would make of him a great nation. We all know that great nation was, and still is, the Jewish nation. Everyone who is not a Jew is a Gentile. There are gobs of different brands of Gentiles, but Gentiles nevertheless. In Rom. 2:12 Paul makes a very simple statement that explains how God sees all humanity. There are those under the law, and those who aren’t. Paul also mentions the Gentiles were devoid of God’s laws, therefore, He could not judge them using His laws as the standard for their judgment. God could only judge Gentiles on the basis of the understanding and knowledge of God they had received. Ultimately, all people everywhere will be judged by God’s laws, because His laws are the only laws that are perfect! Now Paul addresses a:
- Comparison of Two Natures– 13-16. Paul tells us in v. 13, Conformity Awards Righteousness. When reduced to the lowest common denominator, Paul is addressing the truth that the heart of a person is either dead in sin, or it is alive in Christ. If a person could expunge their guilt before God by simply reciting the Law, salvation would then be by works, not by grace. Paul also tells us a person’s Conduct Admits Recognition (of the law), v. 14. Paul quits preaching here and starts meddling! The charge of un-righteousness against the Jews is such that it eliminates all possible excuses for their disobedience to the Law. In general the unsaved don’t know what God’s law is or demands. Yet many unsaved live their lives without adultery, murder, and theft. In that respect they are “a law unto themselves,” or without knowing it, they are following some of what God’s law requires. Paul continues his indictment telling us a person’s: Conscience Acknowledges Reality. V. 15 16. A person’s conscience is an interesting thing. Perhaps the simplest definition of conscience is stated by one writer when he says conscience means: “I know, I am aware, I am clear about what I have done.” In v. 15 Paul is saying that even though the Gentiles were not given God’s Law as were the Jews, the Gentiles revealed they had an innate or inner awareness of right and wrong because, like the Jews, all people are created in God’s likeness and image. Sin first committed causes us to hide from God; but as we leave it unchecked, and allow its continued presence in our life, our conscience begins to tell us I know, I am aware, I am clear that I have sinned against God; but I am also aware that I have experienced no apparent negative repercussions or consequences for my sin, therefore I am in no danger. Notice there is no period at the end of v. 15, but the thought continues into 16. Paul is finishing his comment concerning the conscience of all people when he says, “you may think you are getting away with something now, but one day you will stand before God and He will judge your secrets! No person anywhere, at any time will ever be able to say to God, “I didn’t know!”
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