Chapter 2                    

Romans: -1- -2- -3- -4- -5- -6- -7- -8- -9- -10- -11- -12- -13- -14- -15- -16- 
  2:1 • Therefore, you are inexcusable, oh man, each one who judges, for by the very thing you judge another, you condemn yourself. Indeed, you practice the very same things you are judging.

2 We are aware, however, that the judgment of God upon those practicing such things is according to truth. 3 Do you suppose, oh man, you who judge those practicing such things and are doing them yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you despise the riches of His kindness, forbearance, and long-suffering, not knowing that • the kindness of God leads you into the complete change of your mind? 5 Moreover, because of your hardness and unrepentant heart, you are treasuring up to yourself angry opposition inside the day of angry opposition and the unveiling of the just judgment of God, 6 who will return to each down to the finest details of his own works. • 7 To those that with patient endurance in working goodness are seeking glory, honor, and immortality – age-unfolding life; 8 to those, however, out of mercenary refusal of the truth have confidence in injustice – opposition and anger. 9 Pressure and distress upon every soul of man producing evil, of Judeans first, and also of Greeks. 10 Glory, honor, and peace to everyone producing good, to Judeans first and also to Greeks.  11 Indeed, there is no partiality with God.

12 For as many as have sinned [e] without law, without law also will perish; and as many as have sinned in law, through law will be judged. • 13 Indeed, it is not the hearers of law who are justly innocent in the presence of God, but the doers of the law will be declared justly innocent. 14 Indeed, when ethnic peoples without law by their own natural inclination do the things of law, these without law are a law to themselves. 15 They prove the work of law written in their hearts, their consciousness bearing witness and between one another, in their thoughts either accusing or defending themselves, • 16 inside the day, when God will judge the secrets of men by the finest details of my gospel through Christ Jesus.

17 More than that, If you name yourself a Judean and rely on law and boast in God, 18 and know His desire and approve superior things, being instructed out of the law, 19 and being persuaded that you yourself are a guide of the blind, a light to those in darkness, 20 an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of infants, having the outward form of knowledge and of the truth in the law – 21 you, then, when teaching another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach not to steal, do you steal? 22 You who say not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you commit sacrilege? 23 You who boast in law, do you dishonor God by deviating from the law? 24 Indeed, the name of God is blasphemed through you among the ethnic families, as it has been written.

25 Circumcision does benefit you if you do the law, but if you walk contrary to the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26 If therefore the uncircumcised keeps and watches over the justice of law, will not his uncircumcision be reckoned into circumcision? 27 And will not those who are by nature uncircumcised yet fulfilling the law, judge you, who having both the written Scripture and circumcision, walk contrary to the law? 28 For he is not Judean who is one visibly, neither is circumcision that which is visible in the flesh; • 29 but he is a Judean who is one secretly, and circumcision is that of heart, in Spirit, not letter, whose praise and approval is not from men, but out from God.
 		  
 
Gospel Comments Notes
• Ruling Verse 5: Paul is driving towards Romans 3:19, guilty and silent in the presence of God. He is taking us to the meaning of “Already crucified with Christ,” Galatians 2:20. For only inside such an ending already accomplished can we know the Jesus inside of Whom we now live.

• Ruling Verse 5: Paul is obsessed with taking us into Galatians 2:20. If you want to connect with God yourself, you must demonstrate perfect obedience every moment, always. It is not our disobedience that changes our minds, however, but the kindness of God in having placed us into Christ Jesus, already.

• Speak Christ: The “secret” inside is our story of self, a continuous flow of words we tell ourselves about ourselves. The judgment of God is to fill our story of self with the speaking of Christ made personal as us, in the heart, in Spirit, looking always to God as our Source and our only Refuge.		 e. The Greek word hamartia means to miss the target in an arrow shooting contest. It’s opposite is entuchago, which means to hit the bulls eye. I translate hamartia in three ways, going from one to the other so that the whole picture becomes evident to the reader. First is the simple word sin. But sin is not something in itself, neither does the word give us a complete picture. By itself “sin” is inaccurate. I also translate that same word as “falling short” of God and as “disconnection from” God. The full meaning of hamartia is conveyed by all three translations together.