My friend Rudy Ross tells a fun story about a friend from high school. Rudy, being Jewish, would say, “We’re God’s chosen people.” His friend, who was Catholic, would respond, “Oh no, we are God’s chosen people.”
In some ways, they both were right, because as Paul notes: “God shows no partiality” (Romans 2.11).
Jews have a right to believe they’re God’s chosen people because of references like these statements from Deuteronomy and Exodus.
For you are a people holy to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth (Deuteronomy 7:6).
“Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19.5-6).
Later in Romans (chapters 9-11), Paul will demonstrate the role of Jews in the salvation of humanity. At this point in his argument, the emphasis is on the need for all humans – both Jews and Gentiles – for God’s saving grace.
Even though the Jews are God’s chosen, they are in the same need of God’s saving work as Gentiles.
The Law
One of the major boundary markers that distinguished Jews from the rest of the world was the gift of the law. The Hebrews heard God’s voice on Mount Sinai and later through the law.
The law was God’s gift, teaching them how to relate to Him and one another in order to have the best possible life.
The law didn’t have the power to overcome sin. Even though the Jews had the law, God, being impartial, placed Jews and Gentiles in the same category of need.
All who have sinned apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.
For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but the doers of the law who will be justified.
When Gentiles, who do not possess the law, do instinctively what the law requires, these, though not having the law, are a law to themselves.
They show that what the law requires is written on their hearts, to which their own conscience also bears witness; and their conflicting thoughts will accuse or perhaps excuse them
On the day when, according to my gospel, God, through Jesus Christ, will judge the secret thoughts of all (Romans 2.12-16).
To better understand what Paul is saying, here are notes to consider.
(1) Law is introduced into the discussion and will be a dominant theme throughout the chapter. You may want to mark your Bible and underline the word “law” to see how many times Paul references it.
(2) Paul’s main emphasis is that there is no distinction because God is not partial. Judgment does not depend on whether a person starts from within the people of the law or from the outside.
Both will be judged. Sinful humans, in both cases, will be condemned.
(3) Paul’s question involves: who are the righteous, and who can stand in the final judgment? The answer is not people who just have the law or hear the law, but those who do what the law teaches.
Paul is building a case that will conclude with the need of all humanity for the saving grace of God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. At this point in the argument, he is simply saying to us that merely having the law is not enough.
(4) The standard of behavior before our impartial Judge is not outward observance, but the inward aspects of the heart following God’s will from our inner self. Even our inner secrets will be judged by God.
All of this reveals why we need a gospel – a good news story of the saving work of God through Jesus Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
YouTube Discussion
Rudy Ross and I discussed this passage on YouTube today. It is on the Bob Spradling channel.
Real Voices 