There is no escaping death. Sin leads to death. This includes both those who sin but haven’t hot the Law (Torah), they still perish and it also includes those who have heard Torah (Jews) but break it. They are judged under the Law (v12). Is this unfair? No, because judgement is not concerning whether or not you know the Law but whether you obey it. It’s those who obey god’s Law who are justified, right with God. This will fit with the sense later in Romans 5 that sin brings death into the World, even before Torah is given (v13). It is also just because Gentiles manage to keep at least some of the Law, they know that it is wrong to steal, murder, lie, cheat. Paul says that this proves that they already have God’s Law written on their hearts. It follows through on what Paul has said in Romans 1:16ff, the truth about God and righteousness has been clearly revealed and it’s an active choice on our part to suppress God’s revelation (v14-15). Paul is speaking of the day when Christ will judge. Note that he talks in terms of “my Gospel” here. This is not to suggest that he preaches another/different Gospel. Rather, we are going to see through Romans, the particular emphasis he wishes to make concerning the Gospel once and for all delivered. His argument is that what will happen in judgement day makes sense of everything else, particularly in reference to salvation, justification and reconciliation. This turns on its head the age old question about what God will do with those who haven’t had the opportunity to hear the Gospel. Instead of us attempting to work out what is fair for God to do on judgement day, we can better understand their status now because of how we know God will judge, We know that they will be judged as unrighteous on that day, and so we know that they are without excuse now. This should take away the dilemma I’ve also heard expressed that if I preach to someone who does not know, then I will take away their excuse. Are they better of ignorant?
Romans 2:12-16
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