While applauding virtue the enlightened practiced many of the vices of the unenlightened pagan. The enlightened looked upon themselves as "respectable" sinners. It is easy for the respectable person to be indignant at other people's sins and indulgent of his own sins. This action is the height of hypocrisy. A man may deceive others, but he cannot deceive God. The word translated "judge" here may also mean to pick out, separate, approve, determine, pronounce judgment, or condemn (if proper).
In the first few verses of this chapter Paul presents three principles by which God judges sinful men. They are: (1) knowledge (verse 1), (2) truth (verses 2,3) and (3) guilt (verses 4,5).
"But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them who commit such things" (verse 2). All of God's judgment is based upon "truth" or "in keeping with truth." Jesus said (John 5:22), "for the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son." He also said of Himself, "I am the Way, the TRUTH and the Life, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" (John 14:6). Since Jesus is the epitome of truth, He can and will judge according to truth. God's judgments have always been "right" (Genesis 18:25). The only reason that we have "appeals" courts or appellate courts in our land is because the judges did not always make right or just decisions for various reasons. One reason is because the judges are human and thus fallible.
"And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them who do such things, and doest the same that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? (verse 3). The writer appeals to the cultured, sophisticated man to "think" or "consider" his ways. He is to think logically. Is he seeking to judge others while he is committing the same acts of sin? No one can escape the judgment of Almighty God and His Son, Jesus Christ. The same man "who is judging" is also the one "who is doing." One wonders if Paul does not have Psalm 19 in mind here. "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the ordinances of the Lord are true and righteous altogether" (Psalm 19:7-9). God has revealed Himself through nature and His law to point man to the Creator. If man reacts properly, more light will be given to point him to God's salvation. Paul also wrote in II Corinthians 5:10, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."
"Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? (Verse 4). Man in his rebellion against God the Creator despised, or "he considers it beneath his notice" to accept God's goodness, forbearance and patience. God has exerted every effort consistent with His personality to bring man to Himself. Man has consistently "looked down" upon God's wealth of goodness and His self-restraint against man's rejection and God's patience. The "upstart" Jew actually "thinks down on God." Man has "taken lightly" God's attributes and His blessings toward His creation. God showers His blessings (common grace) upon all: His love, His sunshine and His rain are without regard to man's reactions toward Him. Man is haughty and has viewed himself as meriting these blessings. Man is the recipient of these things in hopes they will lead him to repentance toward God.
A good example of man's despite against the goodness of God is the story of Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4. Nebuchadnezzar had exalted himself and done despite to Jehovah God, and Daniel had a message from God, "they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field, and they shall make thee to eat grass like oxen, and they shall wet thee with the dew of heaven, and seven times shall pass over thee, till thou know that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and givest it to whomsoever he will" (Daniel 4:25). To do "despite" is to underestimate the significance of something, to think lightly of it and thus fail to accord to it the esteem that is due. God's goodness is His expressed kindnesses in bestowing favors and withholding punishment. It is true that the enlightened may not have stooped to the horrible sins that the heathen had committed, but he cannot afford to despise the graces (kindness, forbearance and patience) of God.
"But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to every man according to his deeds; to them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life..." (verses 5-7). Man has stubbornly rejected all of God's overtures toward him. He has hardened his heart; he has remained unrepentant. In so doing he is "storing up" or "heaping up" God's wrath against him. The idea here is that the sinner stores up day by day a fresh deposit of wickedness that will be judged one day. Man's heart becomes harder and harder as the days pass, just like the Pharaoh hardened his heart against Jehovah God. When the Pharaoh hardened his heart over and over again, then God begin to harden Pharaoh's heart (Exodus 4:21;7;3,13; 9:12). The wise man wrote, "as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7). Yeager writes, "why is the mind obdurate? Because the flesh lusts after sin (Romans 1:18). Thus the sequence in the cause/result relationship is (1) depraved flesh, which causes (2) suppressed truth and an obdurate mind-set, which will not repent, which causes (3) a hard heart, which results in (4) a pile-up of wrath, which results in (5) damnation" (p. 289).
The word "hardness" here may also be translated stubbornness; it comes from the word sklerotes which is used in the medical field denoting sclerosis - the hardening of the arteries. Hardening of the arteries may take a person to his grave, but hardening of the spiritual heart will take a person to hell (MacArthur, p. 120). To stubbornly and unrepentantly refuse God's gracious pardon of sin through Jesus Christ is the most grievous of sins. It is a condemning sin to reject God's goodness, to presume on God's kindness, to abuse His mercy, to ignore His grace and to spurn His love. Augustine said, "what thou layest up, a little every day, thou wilt find a mass hereafter." The wrath of God is the reaction of His justice and truth against sin.
God's judgment against the unrepentant sinner will be according to or "in keeping with" his deeds or record. Here Paul quotes Psalm 62:12, "for thou renderest to every man according to his work." Every individual will face his own record in the judgment day. What the sinner knows about God and how he reacts to what he knows will be taken into account by the just Judge, and He is the competent Judge. Lest the reader misunderstand Paul's position on deeds or good works, he draws a line between the saved and the unsaved. In verse 7 he focuses upon the deeds of the saved; in verses 8 and 9 he speaks of the deeds of the unsaved and in verse 10 he returns to the deeds of the saved. Jesus spoke of this judgment in (Matthew 16:27), "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he shall reward every man according to his works." Luke sheds light on this subject (Luke 12:48), but he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required; and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more." In connection with the idea of punishment meted out according to light given Matthew 11:20-23 reads, "Then began (Jesus) to upbraid the cities in which most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not. Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you, it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which are exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hades; for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sidon, it would have remained until this day."
In verses 6-16 Paul gives three more criteria that will be employed by God in the final judgment. These criteria are: deeds (6-10), impartiality (11-15), and motive (16). The principle of judgment according to deeds is a cardinal principle throughout the Bible (Isaiah 3:10,11; Jeremiah 17:10; John 5:28,29). The subjective criterion for salvation is by faith alone; however, the objective reality is that salvation is manifested by godly works.
Eternal life is forthcoming to those who seek glory and honor and immortality through God's Son. Paul is in no way here implying that salvation or eternal life can be purchased by good works. Those who trust in the shed blood of Calvary's Lamb will seek to do good works; their behavior, attitude and activities will be of the highest moral standards. They will live sincerely, humbly and honorably before God. They seek the glory that shall be forthcoming; they will attain perpetuity and incorruptibility which are characteristics of eternal or everlasting life. So God not only knows the hypocrite's works but also his character and personal worth. Possibly the hypocrite's judgment will be worse than the unenlightened because his opportunities were so much greater.
"But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Greek; but glory, honor, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek; for there is no respect of persons with God" (verses 8-11). Notice the conjunction "BUT;" but is a conjunction of contrast. To those who are "contentious" or seek to put one's self forward and who rebel against truth and live in lawlessness - their end is indignation or heated anger and wrath or vengeance. Paul uses two words here that are somewhat related. Indignation comes from a word meaning "to be in a heat or frenzy" or "heated anger." Wrath means "to act in vengeance" or something "filled to overflowing." God's wrath is a slow burning, deep-seated indignation that finally flames up into a divine anger; God's anger burns against unrighteousness and finally explodes into flame.
The word "contentious" means to be self-seeking or to have a selfish ambition. Instead of seeking glory, honor and immortality, these individuals seek their own sordid ends. If one does not obey the truth he will surely obey unrighteousness. There is no middle ground. The words "obey not" denote that this disobedience springs from unbelief.
Tribulation (affliction, trouble) and anguish (distress) await those who do evil. These pressures come upon all who disobey God, transgress His laws and continue to live rebellious lives. There will be no distinction; Jew and Gentile will suffer.
Again Paul repeats the characteristics of glory and honor; he also adds peace (safety) to both Jew and Greek or Gentile who do good deeds. Those who see God's goodness as a sign of His grace and accept that grace will be granted further light. Some will continue to reject God's grace and light, but all who receive it will be accepted of God whether Jew or Greek ( Gentile).
God shows no distinction between Jew and Greek, bond or free, intelligent or ignorant, heathen or cultured. Paul uses the same word in Ephesians 6:9 and Colossians 3:25; James uses it in James 2:1. The Revised Standard Version translates the word "partiality." God shows no deference. Every case stands strictly on its own merits.
The word translated "respect of persons" is not just a New Testament word; its basic meaning comes from such passages as: Leviticus 19:15; Job 3:19; Malachi 2:9 and others). "For as many as have sinned without the law shall also perish without law; and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law..." (verse 12). Man who does not have the law or had no knowledge of the Mosaic Covenant will not have to answer (be held responsible for) the broken commandments. But the Hebrews, who were given the Covenant, will be judged by the Mosaic Law. The heathen or pagan had a conscience and saw God's mighty creation, and he will be judged by the light he received by way of conscience and creation. The Jew will be judged by his rejection of conscience, creation and the Mosaic Law. God Who is the righteous Judge knows how each individual has rebelled against Him and His offer of salvation. "Without law" means in ignorance of the Mosaic law or of any law. The words "without law" are used four times in I Corinthians 9:21, "To them that are without law, as without law (being not without the law to God, but under the law of Christ), that I might gain them that are without law." The punishment meted out to those not having the law is natural, just and necessary consequences of unpardoned sin. "Perishing" in this verse and eternal destruction does not mean annihilation but rather an abiding alienation from God, a banishment away from the Lord's presence and the glory of His power.
"(For not the hearers of the law [are] just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified" (verse 13). The King James Version begins verse 13 and ends verse 15 with a parenthesis. Paul is not implying here that the Jew who kept all of the Commandments (if it were possible) would be saved. He is teaching that only the Jew who is a doer of the law and not only a hearer will be justified. The Jew who disobeys God's law is just as guilty as the heathen who disobeys his conscience. Paul later wrote, "Ye are our epistle, written in our hearts, known and read of all men; forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone but in fleshly tables of the heart" (II Corinthians 3:2,3). If the Jew fails to obey the law, even though he knows what the law says, he is no better than the heathen and pagan. Paul mentions "hearers" of the law; that is, those were the people of Israel who assembled in mass as the rabbis read the law in public assembly. The law was read in the synagogue since there were not enough copies for every individual to have one, but there was no actual virtue in just listening. The virtue was in the doing. The "hearers of the law" may be likened to the student who may "audit" a college course. The auditor attends class, but he takes no tests nor does he receive a grade. He listens to what the professor says but is not accountable for what he hears. The Jews are admonished to be doers of the law and not hearers only. They are responsible for what they hear. God recognizes no mere "auditors" of His Divine Word. James, the Lord's brother, had some admonition for the brethren of his day, "For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like a man beholding his natural face in a mirror; for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and immediately forgetteth what manner of man he was" (James 1:23,24).
"For when the Gentiles, who have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves..." (Verse 14). Although the Gentile did not receive the law from Mount Sinai as did the Hebrews, he is a law unto himself because he possesses a conscience. He bears God's image as does the Jew. He knew of God through nature as well as conscience. The heathen who follows his conscience will refrain from the same sins which the Mosaic Law condemns; he will wish to do good deeds which his conscience will commend and refrain from doing evil deeds which his conscience will condemn. What is conscience? Both the English and the Latin languages indicate that the conscience is a knowledge along with (or shared with) the person; that inner sense of right and wrong. Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary defines conscience as sharing another's knowledge or awareness of an inward state or outward fact; a perceiving, apprehending, or noticing with a degree of controlled thought or observation. Conscience is more of a goad than a guide; it is more like God's "watchdog" of the soul. Of course, when we talk about conscience, we must remember that the conscience can be seared over. Paul writes to Timothy saying that "(some have) their conscience seared with a hot iron" (I Timothy 4:2). And some can have a conscience that is defiled (Titus 1:15). How did Joseph know that it would be wrong to indulge in a relationship with Potiphar's wife if there had been no conscience before God that the relationship was sinful. Joseph knew because he had a conscience.
"Who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness and (their) thoughts the meanwhile accusing or else excusing one another)" (verse 15). The heathen's conscience bears witness to his thoughts and deeds - it either accuses him or excuses him. The word translated "to bear witness" means that the conscience is a corroborating witness, a joint witness; his conscience supports what the will decides. The conscience makes a judicial accusation, as in a court of law, or it absolves one of a charge, as in a court of law. At the end of this verse the parenthesis is closed.
"In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel" (verse 16). Now we must read verses 12 and 16 without the parenthesis - "For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law; and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law...in the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to the gospel." On that day (sometime in the future) God shall judge (call in question) the secrets (hidden things from human eyes) by Jesus Christ on the terms of whether a man accepted the gospel (death, burial and resurrection) of the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul points out a definite day in the future when all "skeletons will come out of the closet;" secrets will be revealed. This judgment of secrets is an Old Testament doctrine as well as a New Testament teaching (Ecclesiastes 12:14), "For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." (See also: I Chronicles 28:9 with Psalm 139:1-3; Isaiah 66:18 and Jeremiah 17:10). Paul wrote in I Corinthians 4:4,5, "For I know nothing against myself, yet am I not hereby justified; but he that judgeth me is the Lord. Therefore, judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then shall every man have praise of God."
The Jew, however, has a double witness; he has a conscience and the law of Moses. Had God not given to Israel the law of Moses, He would still have had a proper basis for judgment - conscience and nature. Some see a third witness against the natural man. Alongside the law of nature and the conscience, he sees the memory - "their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them (Boice, Vol.,p. 239). To those who live outside the realm of revealed Christianity, there are two sources of light: (1) the light of nature in which the arbiter is experience, and (2) the light of reason in which the arbiter is conscience.
"But if thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, and knowest (his) will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law, and art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them who are in darkness, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, who hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law--" (Verses 17, 18) The Jew cannot rest in the Mosaic Law; it was never given to save the soul. It was given to show the Jew he could not live up to God's standard of holiness. They had no reason to "glory" or boast or congratulate themselves as God's chosen. Paul uses sarcasm here; Calvin characterizes this part of Paul's sentence as being tinged with ridicule. Sure, they were God's chosen, but it was not because of what they had done. The Old Testament makes the purpose of the law quite clear; the Jews were not to place their trust in outward ceremonies and objects (Jeremiah 7:3-7). Security is not in the Temple or in performing of righteous acts or in boasting of their heritage.
The Jews had the law and through the law knew the will of God in righteous living. They knew what pleased God. From Mount Sinai God had dictated (talked down to them); the requirements of the law were great. God had been their Teacher, yet Jesus condemned the Pharisees and scribes for being blind and leaders of the blind. He said in Matthew 23:23,24 "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier (matters) of the law, justice, mercy, and faith; these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, who strain at (out) a gnat, and swallow a camel." The Jews had always known and should have been able to distinguish between important and trivial matters.
In the giving of the Law to Israel, doubtless God expected the Jews to set the example for the Gentiles. Paul wrote, "you are confident (persuaded) that you are a guide to the blind and a light to those in darkness." Instead of guiding the blind, they were blind and instead of a light to those in darkness the Jews had crucified the Light of the world (John 8:12). Paul implies here in the guide to the blind - be sure that you are a reliable guide. Jesus said of the Pharisees (Matthew 15:14), "they are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch." Of course the Jews viewed themselves as teachers of others.
Paul's biting sarcasm continues in verse 20. The Jews were given many advantages, but they had sinned against their own professed superior knowledge. Yeager writes, "every Christian who reads these lines should give some thought to the difference in his own life between the form and the substance of the knowledge and truth of the law of God, before he enjoys Paul's attack on other hypocrites too much" (p. 311). In viewing themselves as teachers the Jews thus were desiring to proselyte all Gentiles. Jesus, however, condemned the Jews in Matthew 23:15, "For ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves."
"Thou, therefore, who teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? Thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? Thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?" (Verses 21,22). The Jew should "practice what he preaches," and Christians should do the same. The apostle exposes the hypocrisy of the Jews with his sarcasm. If the preacher or deacon teaches and preaches against thievery, they should set the example of being honest themselves. The Psalmist wrote (50:16-20), "But unto the wicked, God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth, seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee? When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers. Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit. Thou sittest and speakest against thy brother; thou slanderest thine own mother's son." Amos (8:5) condemned his hearers for using false or dishonest scales, "(you make) the ephah small, and the shekel great, and (falsify) the balances by deceit?" Jesus, furthermore, condemned the Jews for turning the Temple into a "robber's den" and devouring widow's houses (foreclosing on their property).
The writer continues with other sins - adultery and the worship of idols. God's commandment against adultery applies to all mankind. If idols are abominable to God, they should be so to God's people. God is offended by idol worship and the Jews should not buy the idols from the idol's temples and sell them. They should not traffic in idols. What hypocrisy! Some translators think the words, "dost thou rob temples?" (commit sacrilege, Old KJV) is an incorrect translation since the Jews were beneath this sin, but were they? In Josephus' Antiquities of the Jews, Vol. IV, viii, p. 10, he quotes Moses as addressing the Jews near Jordan, "let no one blaspheme the gods which other cities revere, nor rob foreign temples, nor take treasure that has been dedicated in the name of any god." Furthermore, Deuteronomy 7:25 reads, "The carved images of their gods shall ye burn with fire; thou shalt not desire the silver or gold that is on them, nor take it unto thee, lest thou be snared therein; for it is an abomination to the Lord thy God." Also in the uproar at Ephesus, Paul and others were defended by the town clerk when he said, "ye have brought here these men, who are neither robbers of temples, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess" (Acts 19:37).
"Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonorest thou God? For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written" (verses 23,24). The Jew who prided himself in being a recipient of God's law should keep God's law as near as he possibly could. Most Jews prided themselves (gloried in themselves) in the fact that they are God's chosen - then they should not dishonor God by breaking His law. They could not honor God and break His law at the same time. They would be insulting and cheapening God. The fact that the Jews acted like they did was a stumbling block to the Gentiles. God's name was blasphemed (spoken in slander) when the Jew lived a hypocritical life.
The Jews were led into captivity by heathen nations (Assyria, Babylonia and Egypt), and while in captivity many of them led outrageously sinful lives. So the name of God Whom they were supposed to serve was held up to ridicule. Isaiah 52:2 reads, "(the heathen nations) that rule over (Israel) make them to wail,...and (God's) name continually every day is blasphemed." The world has only contempt for those who profess to be God's people but whose lives are inconsistent with their profession. The reasoning of Israel's captives was: the people behave wickedly; therefore, their god must be wicked also, for people resemble their god. Ezekiel 36:22 may apply more to the Jew while Isaiah 52:5 may apply to the Gentile.
"For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law; but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision" (verse 25). The Jews claimed to be God's people so they should have lived the part. They were circumcised outwardly, but their inward actions were impure. Their hearts were filthy. Goodspeed translates this verse - "Circumcision will help you only if you observe the Law; but if you are a lawbreaker, you might as well be uncircumcised." Whether one is a Jew or Gentile, if he breaks God's law, he must suffer the condemnation of God. Circumcision unaccompanied by obedience to God's holy law is of no value.
"Therefore, if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?" (verse 26). To "keep" means to guard habitually. If the Gentile lives by the law of conscience and strives to keep God's Law, he is better off though uncircumcised than the Jew who has undergone the rite of circumcision but fails to live by the law. "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will punish all them who are circumcised with the uncircumcised; Egypt and Judah, and Edom, and the children of Ammon, and Moab, and all that are in the utmost corners, that dwell in the wilderness; for all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel is uncircumcised in the heart" (Jeremiah 9:25,26).
"And shall not uncircumcision, which is by nature, if it fulfill the law judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?" (verse 27). The Gentile who lives by conscience will condemn, by his righteous life, the Jew who transgresses God's written Law. Paul implies that some Gentiles, who have not the law, live a more exemplary life than some Jews who know the law and do not observe it. Some Gentiles are superior to the Jew with regard to his standing with God.
"For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in
the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the
spirit and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God" (verses 28,29). A true
Jew is one who is pure within (in heart) rather than one who has experienced the rite of
circumcision and is supposedly pure outwardly. So there is a spiritual meaning to the words Jew
and circumcision. All the sons of Abraham physically may not be Jews in a spiritual sense. Paul
uses an elliptical expression here. What he says here substantially is "for not the outward (Jew)
is a (true) Jew, neither is the outward fleshly (circumcision) a (true) circumcision, but the inward
Jew (is a Jew) and circumcision of the heart (is true circumcision). Paul writes in Philippians
3:3, "For we are the circumcision, who worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus and
have no confidence in the flesh." The real Jew is clean inwardly. It is he who observes the
spirit rather than the letter of the law. The Jew who is physically descended from Abraham may
receive the praise of man, even though he fails to keep God's law. The real Jew, one who is
spiritually clean receives the praise of God. God is pleased with those who have been spiritually
and morally transformed. In the story of the publican and the Pharisee, it was the publican who
went down to his house justified although the Pharisee went down to his house dignified. After
all, it is God Who knows man's hearts, and we must seek to please Him.
France, Spain and Germany join with the other nations seeking to exterminate them. Civil war among the Jews accounted for some of their persecution. Their entire history has been a saga of slavery, hardship, warfare, persecution, slander, captivity, dispersion and humiliation. In the Nazi holocaust in the 1930's and 1940's at least six million Jews were exterminated. Anti-Semitism is expressed openly even until our day. Jews in many parts of our world still suffer for no other reason than their Jewishness.
Although they are God's chosen and blessed people, Paul declares that they are not guaranteed spiritual security. Their physical lineage nor their religious heritage assures them of a place in heaven. They must still be saved like all peoples - by placing trust in Jehovah God and the promised Messiah.
So what are the advantages of being a Jew? What benefit comes from circumcision? Paul says, "much every way, chiefly because unto them were committed the oracles of God" (verse 2). Many Scriptures come to our minds - Exodus 19:6; Deuteronomy 10:14,15; 14:2; Psalm 135:4; Isaiah 43:21 and others. In spite of all the adversities of the Jewish nation, Paul lists the advantages of the Jew in Romans 9:4 thus: (1) the adoption as sons, (2) the divine glory, (3) the covenants, (4) the giving (receiving) of the law, (5) the temple worship, (6) the promises, (7) the patriarchs (fathers), and (8) the human ancestry of Jesus Christ. So the Jews had many advantages over the other nations of the world. The oracles of God are the words of God delivered in a dignified manner; they are God's authoritative communication before which men stand in awe and to which they bow in humility. More than likely, Paul must have meant the entire Old Testament, the deposit of revelation in all of Scripture. After all, Scripture itself is a "thus saith the Lord." (See also: Acts 7:38; Hebrews 5:13; I Peter 4:11). Israel is the only nation with a Constitution, as the supreme law of the land, that was written by the God of heaven.
To the Jewish nation the oracles were given. The oracles really were the important sayings or messages (the spiritual utterances) from Jehovah God to Moses and the liberated slaves in the wilderness of Sinai. God revealed Himself and His will to the Hebrew nation in the tables of stone and all the written law. After the nation had wandered for forty years and the old generation had died, a new generation was taught God's oracles. "Now these are the commandments, the statutes, and the ordinances, which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do them in the land to which ye go to possess it; that thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his statutes and his commandments which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that thy days may be prolonged" (Deuteronomy 6:1,2).
"For what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? (verse 3). Beck's translation reads, "What if some were unfaithful? Will their unfaithfulness make God unfaithful?" The word here translated "without effect" also means "abolish," "make void" or "cease." Paul expects a negative answer. Since many of the Jews did not believe God's message to them, did that make God any less faithful? God cannot and will not renege on His promise to Israel. The promise was an unconditional promise! God did not say in the Mosaic Covenant - if you will do so and so, I will do so and so. Because of Israel's rejection of the Messiah, God has offered the Gentiles the same salvation. Because of Israel's rejection, God has turned to the Gentiles temporarily, "I say, then hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people whom he foreknew" (Romans 11:1,2). God is not finished with the Jew! They are still God's chosen people, and they will one day return to God as a nation, and He will take them back (Hosea 1:10-2:1, 19-23). (See also: Zechariah 12:10). Israel's national salvation is as inevitable as God's promises are irrevocable; however, this does not mean that every individual Jew will be saved without trust in God. God wanted to use the Jewish nation to evangelize the world, but they refused. Now He is using the Gentiles for His cause. But the Gentile is not His last and only resort - there is yet a stump, a seed, a remnant, a hope in Israel. Israel will one day be restored, and God's promises will ultimately be consummated in her.
"God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged." (verse 4). Paul uses a strong statement here, "God forbid" or "may it never be so." These two words, ma genoito are the strongest words in the Greek language to express a negative. The Hebrew word carries with it the thought of blasphemy. To question God's faithfulness is tantamount to calling God a liar. In the English, we might say, "Unthinkable," or "Impossible," or "Perish the thought." God can never and will never be unfaithful even though His creation is many times unfaithful. If every man whoever lived said, "God is unfaithful," it would never be so. Paul repeats the phrase, "it is written," (1:17; 2:24) referring to Old Testament Scriptures to reinforce his argument. Although he may not quote each Scripture verbatim, he gives the sense, or he may be quoting from the Septuagint on occasions. He quotes from Psalm 51:4, "that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest." This passage contains the confession of David after he had grievously sinned against Jehovah God. He felt that he was a murderer and an adulterer and needed God's forgiveness. God's word is its own verification, and God's judgment is its own justification. Salvation was never offered to the Jew on the basis of heritage, ceremony, good works, or any other thing than that of faith.
"But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance? (I speak as a man.) God forbid; for then how shall God judge the world? (verses 5,6). The next objection that Paul answers is the attack on the very purity and holiness of God. God cannot be glorified by Israel's sins and rejection. Again he says, "May it never be so." Jehovah God is not unrighteous when He inflicts wrath upon the sinner because of his disobedience. God is never glorified by the sins of His creation. Nor is He the author of sin so that He might manifest His righteousness. When Paul writes, (I speak as a man)" he is speaking of the human logic of the natural mind; that is, the thinking of the opponent. He may even be referring to a Jewish idiom, "according to the language of the children of men," or he may be accommodating himself to the human mode of interrogation and reasoning. Regardless of how his expression is taken - God's justice is not something that may be called in question. It is true that God "is angry with the wicked every day," (Psalm 7:11), but there is no indication that He is happy about it. If God authored sin or encouraged it or even condoned it, how could He in righteousness judge the world. As early as Abraham's day God began the principle of His righteous judgment (Genesis 18:25). Many of the psalms speak of God's righteous judgment (Psalm 50:6; 58:11). All the prophets - major and minor - attest to the righteous judgment of Jehovah God.
"For if the truth of God hath more abounded through my lie unto his glory, why yet am I also judged as a sinner, and not (rather) [as we are slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,] Let us do evil, that good may come? Whose condemnation is just.) (verses 7,8) Paul confronts his critics; evidently they had accused him of teaching that the more wicked a sinner was, the more God was glorified, and the more faithless the sinner, the more God's righteousness shone. His enemies were erroneously charging him with false doctrines. They seemed to think that God's salvation by grace was a cheap salvation and even gave some license to sin. The Pharisees and others wanted to magnify the law as a part of salvation. They were legalists and insisted on the rites and ceremonies of the Jewish religion as a way to heaven. Paul concludes this argument that those who believe what the Pharisees teach will suffer damnation which is just; they will reap their sad reward. Paul was accused of "antinomianism" which is defined as the false doctrine which holds that faith, alone, not obedience to the moral law, is necessary for salvation.