Rom. 2:12. Those who sinned without the law will also perish without the law; and those who sinned under the law will be judged by the law.
Rom. 2:13. (For not the hearers of the law are righteous before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified,
Above he proved that the Gentile is deemed worthy of the same honor as the Jew. Now he proves that at the time of punishment, condemnation will also befall the Jew. The Gentiles, he says, "having sinned without law," that is, not having been instructed by the law, therefore "will also perish without law," that is, they will be punished more lightly, as not having the law as their accuser; for "without law" means: not being subject to condemnation according to the law. On the contrary, the Jew sinned "under the law," that is, being instructed also by the law, and therefore will also receive judgment, that is, will be condemned "by the law," as being subject to the law, which convicts him and subjects him to greater condemnation. How then do you, O Jew, say that you have no need of grace, because you are justified by the law? Behold, it has been proven that you derive no benefit from the law, so that you have a greater need of grace than the Gentile, since you are not justified before God by merely hearing the law. Before men, hearers of the law may appear honorable; but before God it is not so: before Him, the doers of the law are justified.
Rom. 2:14. For when the Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature the things of the law, then, not having the law, they are a law unto themselves:
Rom. 2:15. They show that the work of the law is written in their hearts, as their conscience bears witness to this.
He proves what he says against the Jews, and speaks with wise skill so as not to appear to be saying anything against the law. As if praising and exalting the law, he says that those who do not have the law "by nature," that is, having conviction in their thoughts, are worthy of admiration; for they had no need of the law, and yet fulfilled the law, having inscribed on their hearts not letters but deeds, and instead of the law, using conscience and natural thoughts as witness to the good. He speaks here of three laws: the written law, the natural law, and the law of deeds. "Gentiles, who do not have the law." Which one? The written one. "Do by nature the things of the law." By which law? By the law that manifests itself in deeds. "Not having the law." Which one? The written one. "They are a law unto themselves." How so? Being guided by the natural law. "They show that the work of the law is written in their hearts." Of which law? The law in deeds. Notice the wisdom: he did not strike at the Jews, as the course of his argument demanded. According to the course of his argument, he should have said this: when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do the things of the law by nature, then they are far superior to those instructed in the law. But the apostle did not say this, and expressed himself more gently, thus: "they are a law unto themselves." By this he proves that even in the most ancient times, and before the law was given, the human race was under the same Providence. By this he also stops the mouths of those who say: why did Christ not come to teach the doing of good earlier, from the beginning? The knowledge of good and evil, he says, He implanted in all from the beginning; but when He saw that it was not helping, He finally came Himself.
Rom. 2:15. and their thoughts, now accusing, now defending one another
Rom. 2:16. On the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secret deeds of men through Jesus Christ.
From these words begin a new discourse; for now the apostle speaks about the manner in which all people in general will be judged. On the day of judgment our own thoughts will stand forth, now condemning, now justifying, and a person will need at that tribunal neither another accuser nor another defender. And to increase the fear, he did not say: sins, but: "secret deeds." People can judge only manifest deeds, but God, he says, will judge the secret deeds through Jesus Christ, that is, the Father through the Son, because the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son (John 5:22). You can also understand the words "through Jesus Christ" this way: according to my gospel, entrusted to me by Jesus Christ. Here he suggests that the gospel preaches nothing contrary to nature, but proclaims the very same thing that was originally implanted in people by nature itself, that is, that the gospel also testifies of judgment and punishment.
Rom. 2:17. Behold, you are called a Jew, and rest upon the law, and boast in God,
Rom. 2:18. and know His will, and discern the things that are excellent, being instructed out of the law.
Having said that nothing more is needed for the salvation of a Gentile who fulfills the law, he finally enumerates the advantages of the Jews, upon which they relied and boasted before the Gentiles. First of all, he speaks of the name of Jew; for it constituted a great advantage, as now the name of Christian. He did not say: you are a Jew, but: "you are called"; for the true Jew is the one who is confessed to be a Jew, because Judah means confession. "And rest in the law" — meaning you do not labor, do not go about, do not inquire what must be done, but you have the law, which instructs you in all things without effort. "And boast in God," that is, that you are loved by God and preferred above other people; but to turn the love of God into a means of despising beings of the same nature is a sign of the utmost folly. "And know His will," that is, God's. "And approve the things that are excellent," that is, you determine what must be done and what must not be done. By "excellent" (διαφέροντα) one should understand what is fitting or beneficial for each person.
Rom. 2:19. And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,
Rom. 2:20. An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, having in the law the form of knowledge and truth.
Above he said that hearing the law brings no benefit if doing it is not joined to it; "for not the hearers of the law," he says, "are righteous before God, but the doers of the law" (v. 13), now he says something greater, namely: even if you were a teacher, but if you do not fulfill the law, then not only do you gain no benefit for yourself, but you also bring upon yourself a greater punishment. And since the Jews greatly boasted of their dignity as teachers, from this especially he proves that they are worthy of ridicule. For when he says: "a guide of the blind, a teacher of babes," and the rest, he depicts the arrogance of the Jews, who called themselves guides, a light, and instructors, while those converted from paganism they called those in darkness, babes, and ignorant.
But you have the form of knowledge and truth not in deeds and not in merits, but "in the law," relying on it as on a depiction of virtue. So someone, having a royal portrait in his possession, copies nothing from it himself, while those who do not have it, and without even seeing it, faithfully imitate it.
So then, every teacher writes and imprints in the souls of his students the knowledge of good, and therefore truth itself. If he carries this out in practice as well, he will be perfect; otherwise he will be like those now condemned by the apostle. Some understood "form" to mean a pattern of knowledge that is not genuine. You have, he says, knowledge and piety that is not true, but counterfeit and covered with a false appearance.
Rom. 2:21. Teaching another, do you not teach yourself?
Rom. 2:22. You who preach not to steal, do you steal? You who say, "Do not commit adultery," do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you commit sacrilege?
Rom. 2:23. You boast in the law, but through your transgression of the law, do you dishonor God?
Rom. 2:24. For because of you, as it is written, the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles.
He presents his thought in the form of a question, shaming those who boasted that they were teachers. By sacrilege he means the theft of things dedicated to idols; for although they abhorred idols, yet, being possessed by love of money, they laid hands on things dedicated to idols out of shameful greed. After this he sets forth the gravest charge, saying: "you boast in the law," as one exalted with honor from God through the law, "yet by transgressing the law you dishonor God." Here there are three charges. First: the Jews dishonor; second: they dishonor God, who exalted them with honor; third: they dishonor the law by violating it, when it served to their honor. But lest they think he was accusing the Jews himself, he brought forward the prophet Isaiah as their accuser, setting forth two charges against them. For they not only offend God themselves, but also lead others to do the same, and not only do they not teach others to live according to the law, but they even teach the opposite—they teach others to blaspheme God, which is contrary to the law; for those who see their corruption say: is it these whom God should love? Can a God who loves such people truly be God?
Rom. 2:25. Circumcision is profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a transgressor of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision.
Since circumcision was held in great esteem among the Jews, he did not say about it immediately at the beginning that circumcision is superfluous and useless, but in words he allows it, while in deed he rejects it, and says: I agree that circumcision is profitable, but only when you fulfill the law. He did not say that it is useless, lest they think he was abolishing circumcision; but he proves that the Jew does not have circumcision, saying: "your circumcision has become uncircumcision."
So, he proves that the Jew is not circumcised in heart. He understands two circumcisions and two uncircumcisions: one outward and the other inward. Namely: the outward circumcision is the circumcision of the flesh, when someone is circumcised according to the flesh; the spiritual circumcision consists in the rejection of fleshly passions. And the uncircumcision of the flesh occurs when someone remains uncircumcised according to the flesh, while the spiritual uncircumcision occurs when someone, having a pagan soul, does not cut off the passions at all.