Romans 2:14

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Romans 2:14

For when - The apostle, in Romans 2:13, had stated a general principle, that the doers of the Law only can be justified, if justification is attempted by the Law. In this verse and the next, he proceeds to show that the same principle is applicable to the pagan; that though they have not the written Law of God, yet that they have sufficient knowledge of his will to take away every excuse for sin, and consequently that the course of reasoning by which he had come to the conclusion that they were... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Romans 2:14-15

Romans 2:14-15. For when the Gentiles That is, any of them who have not the law Not a written revelation of the divine will; do by nature That is, by the light of nature, without an outward rule, or by the untaught dictates of their own minds, influenced, however, by the preventing grace of God, which hath appeared to all men, Titus 2:11; or, the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world: the things contained in the law The moral duties required by the... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Romans 2:1-29

The Jewish world (2:1-29)Not only are pagan Gentiles under God’s condemnation, Jews are also. Jews find fault with their Gentile neighbours, yet they do the same things themselves (2:1). They know that God is just and that he punishes sin. Therefore, when they suffer no immediate punishment for their behaviour, they think that God approves of them and will not punish them. They do not realize that in his kindness and patience he is giving them time to repent (2-4).Those who increase their sin... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - Romans 2:14

the . Omit. by nature . See Romans 1:26 . contained in = of. having, &c . = not having law. read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Romans 2:14

(For when Gentiles that have not the law do by nature the things of the law, these, not having the law, are the law unto themselves; in that they show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness therewith, and their thoughts one with another accusing or else excusing them).These verses reveal the eighth principle of divine judgment, namely,VIII. That God's righteous judgment will take into account the light people had or did not have.Paul never implied in these... read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Romans 2:1-16

1. God’s principles of judgment 2:1-16Before showing the guilt of moral and religious people before God (Romans 2:17-29), Paul set forth the principles by which God will judge everyone (Romans 2:1-16). By so doing, he warned the self-righteous. read more

Thomas Constable

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Romans 2:12-16

The Gentiles do not have the Mosaic Law in the sense that God did not give it to them. Therefore He will not judge them by that Law. The Jews in Paul’s day did have it, and God would judge them by it (Romans 2:12). [Note: See Jeffrey S. Lamp, "Paul, the Law, Jews, and Gentiles: A Contextual and Exegetical Reading of Romans 2:12-16," Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society 42:1 (March 1999):37-51.] It is not hearing the Law that makes a person acceptable to God, but doing what it commands... read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Romans 2:1-29

The Failure of the JewsIn Romans 1 St. Paul showed that the Gentiles were under God’s judgment on account of sin. Now he is about to turn to the Jews. He asserts first, that God’s judgment will fall impartially upon all sinners (Romans 2:1-11). Each man will be judged by the light which he has (Romans 2:12-16). The privileges and knowledge of the Jews only aggravated the guilt of their flagrant disobedience (Romans 2:17-24); and circumcision would not protect them, for God looks at the heart... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Romans 2:14

(14) A sort of parenthesis begins here. Romans 2:16 refers back to the main subject of the paragraph, and not to the particular point on which the Apostle digresses in Romans 2:14-15, the virtual operation of law among the Gentiles as well as Jews.By nature.—Spontaneously; of their own motion; not acting under the coercion of any external rule, but simply by the promptings of their own conscience left to itself.The things contained in the law.—Literally, the things of the law. In this one... read more

William Nicoll

Expositor's Dictionary of Texts - Romans 2:1-29

Judgment Romans 2:5-6 I. Belief in a Judgment is part of our faith in the sanity of the universe. Judgment is not an arbitrary enactment but an inevitable process: the sequel and corollary of our sense of responsibility. If goodness and right are anything more than words, there is Judgment to come out of all that is done on earth. Daniel Webster, the American, when asked what was the greatest thought that ever occupied his mind, replied, 'My personal accountability to God'. And I know of... read more

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