No One Escapes Our Father's Judgment
Paul turns on the reader who was enjoying chapter one's list. Judging others while doing the same things convicts you, and religious credentials do not exempt anyone — our Father shows no favoritism, and Gentiles who never had the law can keep it by conscience.
2 1So you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you judge another—in judging them you condemn yourself, since you do the same things. 2Now we know that our Father's judgment rightly falls on those who do such things. 3Do you think, whoever judges others for such things while doing them yourself, that you'll escape our Father's judgment? 4Or do you despise the riches of his kindness and restraint and patience, not realizing that our Father's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? 5But because of your hard, unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself, for the day of wrath when our Father's righteous judgment will be revealed. 6He will repay each person according to what they have done. 7To those who through persistent good work seek glory, honor, and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8But those who are self-seeking, reject the truth, and follow wickedness face wrath and rage. 9Trouble and distress for everyone who does evil—the Jew first, then the Greek, 10but glory, honor, and peace for all who do good—Jew first, then Greek too. 11For our Father shows no favoritism. 12Sinners without the law also perish without it; sinners under the law will be judged by it. 13For not those who hear the law are righteous before our Father, but those who obey it will be justified. 14Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature what the law requires, the law is at work within them, even though they do not have the law. 15They show the law's work written on their hearts, their conscience bearing witness, and their conflicting thoughts accusing or defending them. 16This happens on the day our Father judges everyone's secrets through Jesus Christ—so my gospel says. a a v16 Our Father is the judge, yet he judges through his Son — the Father has entrusted all judgment to Jesus.
The Law Will Not Save You
17But if you call yourself a Jew, rely on the law, and boast in our Father, 18if you know our Father's will and approve what is excellent because you are instructed by the law, 19if you're convinced you are a guide for the blind, a light for those in darkness, 20a corrector of the foolish, teacher of the immature, holding in the law the shape of knowledge and truth. 21You teach others—do you not teach yourself? You preach against stealing—do you steal? 22You who tell others not to commit adultery—do you commit it? You who detest idols—do you rob temples? 23You who boast in the law, do you dishonor our Father by breaking the law? 24As it is written: "Our Father's name is blasphemed among the nations because of you." 25Circumcision helps if you keep the law; break it, and your circumcision becomes being uncircumcised. 26So if the uncircumcised keep the law's requirements, won't their uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? 27The physically uncircumcised who keep the law will judge you who, with the letter and circumcision, break the law. 28For being a Jew isn't merely about the outside, nor circumcision merely about the body. 29Rather, one is a Jew inwardly, circumcision being of the heart, by the Spirit, not the written code; that one's praise is not from people but from our Father.
