Romans 2

Romans 2:1

Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.

There are, I know, divers of you so far from being patrons U 2 of sin, that ye are ready to pass severe censures and judgments upon other men for those very sins, whereof, themselves, are secretly guilty; but, O man, whosoever thou art, that judgest another for any offence, know, that thou makest thyself utterly inexcusable, and passest therein sentence against thyself: thine own mouth hath condemned thee, in the person of another.

Romans 2:2

But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.

It is not a verbal profession of thine innocence, or any secret evasion of witty excuse, that can serve the turn: we know assuredly, whatsoever men may pretend, that the judgment of God is according to the truth of men’s actions, and estates; and, therefore, that he will surely punish the doers of wickedness, what colour soever is set upon them and their condition. II. 4, 5. Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? 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. Or, dost thou make an ill use of the rich mercy and patient long-suffering of God, as if he noted not, or regarded not, or would not punish thy misdoings; not considering that his forbearance, all this while, was for thy good, that hereupon thou mightest be moved to repentance? But thou, contrarily, takest occasion, by this means, to harden thyself so much more in thy sins, and becomest obstinately impenitent; and hereby dost aggravate thine own judgment, and addest every day something to that heap of God’s wrath and vengeance, which is laid up for thee, and shall be fearfully executed upon thee in that day, which he hath set for the just revelation and infliction thereof.

Romans 2:11

For there is no respect of persons with God.

For God regardeth not the person of any man, for these outward things; not accepting of any man the more, for his parentage, or country, or wealth, or honour; nor disrespecting any, on the contrary, for meanness of birth, or poverty, or personal infirmity.

Romans 2:12

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;

For as many as have sinned without the knowledge of a written law, shall receive notwithstanding a just judgment for their sin, as being therein convinced by a law of nature; and as many as have sinned, against the written Law of God, shall, according to that Law, receive judgment for their sins: II. 13, 14, 15. (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto

Romans 2:16

In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

I say, so many as have sinned against the light of the Law written shall be judged by that Law, in that great Day of Assize, when God shall judge the secrets of all hearts by his Son Jesus Christ: according as I have declared unto you, in that holy and infallible message, which I have received from God, and delivered unto you.

Romans 2:17

Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God.

Behold, thou hast the honour and privilege to be called a Jew, one of God’s anciently chosen people; and restest in this prerogative, which thou hast above other nations, that thou hast the Law given to thee; and thereupon makest thy boasts of a more peculiar interest in God.

Romans 2:20

An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.

Thou takest upon thee to be a teacher of the simple; as conceiting, that thou hast all the points of the Law laid up in thy breast, and hast full knowledge of all the secrets thereof.

Romans 2:22

Thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?

Thou, that abhorrest idols and erecting of false gods, dost thou profane the Name of the true God, by robbing him of his due?

Romans 2:24

For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.

For the name of God is ill spoken of among the Gentiles, by occasion of your lewd life and wicked behaviour; as it is written by the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel, concerning your forefathers.

Romans 2:25

For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.

But ye say, We are circumcised, and have the seal of God’s covenant in our flesh. Deceive not yourselves: this is but an idle vaunt: in vain shall ye stand upon the outward ceremony of circumcision, while ye do not regard the truth and substance of that which is signified by it: did ye live answerably to the Law of God, ye might seem to have some reason to boast of your circumcision; but, if ye be willing transgressors and violators of the Law, your circumcision gives you no privilege above the uncircumcised.

Romans 2:26

Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?

If he, that is uncircumcised, do carefully endeavour to do those things which are required in the Law, and shall accordingly do the moral duties there specified, shall not that man be all one in account with God, as if he were circumcised?

Romans 2:27

And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?

And shall not that man, which is uncircumcised, if, being only guided by the light of nature, he perform those outward acts of morality which the Law requireth, rise up in judgment against thee, who, being circumcised and having the letter of the written Law to direct thee, yet livest contrary to the Law? II. 28, 29. For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which 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. If there be a privilege in Judaism, certainly it is in the truth and sincerity of that profession; and a man, that is truly and spiritually a Jew or Israelite, must not be esteemed so by the outward mark of circumcision in the flesh; neither is that circumcision worth accounting of, which is only a cutting off an outward skin: But he, that would be a true Israelite, or Jew indeed, must be such inwardly; being cleansed from all corrupt affections, and freed from all superfluity of maliciousness: and that circumcision must be inwardly, in the heart and soul and spirit, in cutting off the unclean foreskin thereof, and not a literal and outward circumcision of the flesh, which shall ever carry acceptance from God: it may be, this bodily circumcision may, amongst men, be deemed a mark of honour;