Romans 2:12-16

Romans 2:12-16

[12] For  as many as  have sinned  without law  also  perish  without law:  and  as many as  have sinned  in  the law  shall be judged  by  the law;  [13] (For  not  the hearers  of the law  are just  before  God,  but  the doers  of the law  shall be justified.  [14] For  when  the Gentiles,  which  have  not  the law,  do  by nature  the things  contained in the law,  these,  having  not  the law,  unto themselves:  [15] Which  shew  the work  of the law  written  in  their  hearts,  their  conscience  also bearing witness,  and  their thoughts  the mean while accusing  or  else  excusing  one another;)  [16] In  the day  when  God  shall judge  the secrets  of men  by  Jesus  Christ  according  gospel. 

What does Romans 2:12-16 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The Gentiles do not have the Mosaic Law in the sense that God did not give it to them. Therefore He will not judge them by that Law. The Jews in Paul"s day did have it, and God would judge them by it ( Romans 2:12). [1]
It is not hearing the Law that makes a person acceptable to God, but doing what it commands ( Romans 2:13). "Justified" is a legal term that is suitable in this discussion of law observance. Justification is a legal verdict. It reflects a person"s position under the law. The justified person is one whom God sees as righteous in relation to His law (cf. Deuteronomy 25:1). The justified person is not necessarily blameless; he may have done things that are wrong. Nevertheless in the eyes of the law he is not culpable (blameworthy). He does not have to pay for his crimes. Paul said in Romans 2:13 that God would declare righteous the person who did not just listen to the Mosaic Law but did what it required. The Law warned that anything short of perfect obedience to it, even reading or studying it or hearing it preached and taught, which Jews relied on, made a person guilty before God ( Deuteronomy 27:26; cf. Galatians 3:10). Moses therefore urged the Israelites to accept and believe in the promised Messiah (e.g, Deuteronomy 18:15).
Even Gentiles who do not have the Mosaic Law know that they should do things that are right and not do things that are wrong ( Romans 2:14). Right and wrong are the basic elements of the Mosaic Law. Paul did not mean that Gentiles are indifferent to any law except what they invent in their own self-interest. He meant that they have a law that is instinctive, namely, an intuitive perception of what is right and what is wrong. All people have this. One writer sought to explain what Paul did not, namely, how human beings can and do know God"s moral law apart from special revelation. [2]
In addition to this innate sense of morality, Gentiles also have consciences ( Romans 2:15). The New Testament presents the human conscience as a computer-like faculty. It has no pre-programmed data in it, but whatever a person experiences programs his or her conscience. If he learns that lying is wrong, for example, his conscience will from then on bring that information to his mind in appropriate situations. Therefore some individuals who grow up in cultures that value a particular practice that other cultures abhor, such as deception or treachery, have no conscience about being deceptive or practicing treachery. All people grow up learning that some things that are truly bad are bad and other things that are truly good are good. Thus our conscience, while not a completely reliable guide, is helpful as we seek to live life morally. [3] The New Testament speaks of a good conscience ( Acts 23:1; 1 Timothy 1:5; 1 Timothy 1:19), a clear conscience ( Acts 24:16; 1 Timothy 3:9; 2 Timothy 1:3; Hebrews 13:18), a guilty conscience ( Hebrews 10:22), a corrupt conscience ( Titus 1:15), a weak conscience ( 1 Corinthians 8:7; 1 Corinthians 8:10; 1 Corinthians 8:12), and a seared conscience ( 1 Timothy 4:2).
Romans 2:16 completes Paul"s earlier statement that God will judge impartially ( Romans 2:11-13) and forms the end of an inclusio dealing with judgment that began with Romans 2:1-5. Romans 2:14-15 are somewhat parenthetical in the flow of his argument. They qualify his statement that the Gentiles have no law ( Romans 2:12). In Romans 2:16 his point is that God"s impartial judgment will include people"s secret thoughts as well as their overt acts. Both thoughts and actions constitute deeds ( Romans 2:6). Christ Jesus will be God"s agent of judgment (cf. Acts 17:31). "According to my gospel" means that the gospel Paul preached included the prospect of judgment. Throughout this section ( Romans 2:1-16) the judgment of unbelievers (i.e, the great white throne judgment, Revelation 20:11-15) is in view.
In summary, to convict any self-righteous person of his guilt before God, Paul reminded his readers of three principles by which God will evaluate all people. He will judge righteously, in terms of reality, not just appearance ( Romans 2:2). He will judge people because of their deeds, what they actually do both covertly and overtly ( Romans 2:6). Moreover He will judge impartially, not because of how much or how little privilege they enjoyed but how they responded to the truth they had ( Romans 2:11).
This last principle has raised a question for many people. Will God condemn someone who has never heard the gospel of Jesus Christ if he or she responds appropriately to the limited truth that he or she has? Paul later showed that no one responds appropriately to the truth that he or she has ( Romans 3:23). All fail so all stand condemned. He also made it very clear that it is impossible to enjoy salvation without trusting in Jesus Christ ( Romans 1:16-17; Romans 10:9; cf. John 14:6). That is why Jesus gave the Great Commission and why the gospel is so important ( Romans 1:16-17).
". . . Paul agreed with the Jewish belief that justification could, in theory, be secured through works. Where Paul disagreed with Judaism was in his belief that the power of sin prevents any person, even the Jew who depends on his or her covenant status, from actually achieving justification in that manner. While, therefore, one could be justified by doing the law in theory, in practice it is impossible ..." [4]