ESV Global Study Bible :: Footnotes for Romans 2

Rom. 2:1–29 Most interpreters say that Paul focuses on the sin of the Jews throughout this chapter. Another view is that the sin of the moral person (whether Jewish or Gentile) who judges others is condemned in vv. 1–16, while Jews alone are condemned in vv. 17–29.

Rom. 2:4 Do you presume is probably addressed to Jews who thought that their covenant relationship with God would save them from final judgment. They thought that his kindness and forbearance and patience showed that they were right with him and had no need for Christ. Paul says God’s blessings should have led them to repent of their sins.

Rom. 2:5 A soft and repentant heart is needed to avoid God’s wrath on the day of wrath, the final judgment. Such repentance leads a person to trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. Unfortunately, most people are storing up wrath for themselves on that final day.

Rom. 2:6–11 Paul establishes the principle that God judges according to . . . works. In doing so, he shows no partiality.

Rom. 2:12 All will be judged according to the standard they had. Gentiles will perish (face final judgment) because of their sin (see vv. 14–15) even though they are without the law (the written laws of the OT). Jews, who possess the law, will be judged for their transgressions against it.

Rom. 2:14–16 For Gentiles, God’s law is written on their hearts. Their consciences show what is right or wrong in their behavior. Paul does not imply that the human conscience is always a perfect moral guide (see 1 Cor. 8:7; 10; 10:29). But its existence is enough to make people accountable to God.

Rom. 2:16 my gospel. Not Paul’s alone, but the gospel that he preaches.

Rom. 2:21–24 The Jews fail to practice the law they proclaim. Thus they will face judgment.

Rom. 2:22 rob temples. Robbing temples was a common crime in the ancient world because temples contained expensive items that could be sold for profit.

Rom. 2:24 Because they violated the law, the Jews were exiled by God. Their military and political defeats dishonored God because they were known as his people. Although the Jews did not face exile in Paul’s day, their sins still led Gentiles to dishonor the God they claimed to follow.

Rom. 2:25–26 The Jews tended to believe that they would be spared at the last judgment because of their circumcision (Gen. 17:9–14; Lev. 12:3). uncircumcision. Paul argues, however, that Jews who violate the law are considered by God to be uncircumcised. They are outside the covenant and headed for judgment. Circumcision would be of value for salvation if the circumcised would obey the law perfectly, but no one can do that. Paul takes up the issue of circumcision again in Rom. 4:9–16.

Rom. 2:27 The written code refers to OT laws.

Rom. 2:28–29 In striking contrast to Jewish beliefs of his day, Paul claims that true Jewishness and genuine circumcision are not ethnic or physical matters. Rather, they are matters of the heart. They are the work of the Holy Spirit. This letter/Spirit contrast compares the old era of redemptive history with the new age begun by Jesus Christ.