Romans 2:12: For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law.
The Jew cannot claim that he will automatically be saved because God has given him the law: he has not kept it! Nor can the Gentile automatically be saved because he never had the law and so did not break it: he sinned against the light he had. People are judged according to the light they have, not according to the light they do not have. So all are caught up in final condemnation. 1
Paul explained that the Jewish Law only made the guilt of Israel that much greater! God did not give the Law to the Gentiles, so they would not be judged by the Law. Actually, the Gentiles had “the work of the Law written in their hearts” (Rom. 2:15). Wherever you go, you find people with an inner sense of right and wrong; and this inner judge, the Bible calls “conscience.” You find among all cultures a sense of sin, a fear of judgment, and an attempt to atone for sins and appease whatever gods are feared. 2
Application
- What one sin will keep you out of heaven?
- How do you plan to justify yourself before a Holy God?
Prayer
Lord, I am so full of sin and You are so full of grace. Thank you for forgiving me…again.
1. Morris, L. (1988). The Epistle to the Romans. Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press.
2. Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
