Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible · Romans Capítulo 2

Romans 2:1. The representation of the moral state of the heathen world, in the foregoing chapter, is a proof of the necessity of the Gospel, or of a further dispensation of grace or favour, for the salvation of mankind: and how rich the favour wherewith God visited the world! To have destroyed the race of the apostate rebels who had abused their understandings and every gift ofa bountiful Creator, would have been justice; to have spared them, lenity and mercy: but to send his only-begotten Son from heaven to redeem us from all this iniquity and ungodliness by his own blood, is the most wonderful and exuberant favour. Rightly is the doctrine which teaches it called Gospel, or glad tidings: according to its true nature it should have filled the whole world with transports of joy: however, one would think it could not possibly have met with opposition from any part of mankind. But the Jew opposed it: he abhorred the Gentile, and contradicted the grace which honoured and saved him. The Apostle pleads and defends our cause: his business is, to confound the Jew, and to prove that we have as good right as he to all the blessings of the Messiah's kingdom; and by the description of the vicious state of the Gentiles in the former chapter, he has delicately availed himself of the prejudices of the Jew. He endeavours, from the beginning of the epistle, to court his attention; but nothing would please him more than a discourse, in which the Gentiles were reduced to such a vile and abject state. Thus the Apostle rouses his contempt of the Gentiles, and gives him occasion to condemn them:—but it is, that he may the more effectually humble him in this chapter; in which he proves, that the Jews, having in an aggravated manner despised the goodness and broken the law of God, were as obnoxious to his wrath as the Gentiles. How could they,with any conscience or modesty, arrogate all the divine mercy to themselves; or pretend that other men were unworthy of it, when they had done as much, or more, to forfeit it than others? Must they not exclude themselves from being the people of God under the Gospel, by the same reason that they would have the Gentiles excluded? This, however, was an argument highly ungrateful to the Jew: and it would be very difficult to fix any conviction upon his mind: therefore the Apostle first addresses him in a covert general way, thou art therefore inexcusable, O man! &c. not giving out expressly that he meant the Jew, that the Jew might more calmly attend to his reasoning, while he was not apprehensive that he was the man. Secondly, Most judiciously, and with irresistible force of reasoning, he turns his thoughts from his present superior advantages to the awful day of judgment (Romans 2:5-16.), when God, in the most impartial equity, will render to all mankind without exception according to their works. Thusthe Apostle grounds his following argument very methodically and solidly on God's equal regards to men in all nations, who fear him and uprightly practise truth and goodness; and his disapproving, and at last condemning all men in any nation, however privileged, who live wickedly. This is striking at the root of the matter, and demolishing, in the most true and effectual manner, the Jew's prejudices in favour of his own nation, and the unkind thoughts that he had entertained of the Gentiles. For if a Jew could be convinced, that a sober virtuous heathen, fearing God and working righteousness, might, through the infinite merit of the Messiah and the secret influences of the Holy Spirit, be blessed with eternal salvation, he must be persuaded that it was no such shocking or absurd matter, that believing Gentiles should be pardoned and taken into the visible church. Thus the Apostle advances with great skill and with the justest steps in his argument; insinuating himselfby degrees into the Jew's conscience. This passage is also well adapted to encourage the Gentile, humbled by the dismal representationin the foregoing chapter; for he would here see, that he was not utterly abandoned of God; but might, upon good grounds, hope for his mercy and kindness. We may just observe farther, that what St. Paul says of the Jews, in the present chapter, answers to what he had charged on the Gentiles in the first. Forthere is a secret comparison of them one with another, running through these two chapters; which, as soon as it comes to be considered, gives such a light and lustre to St. Paul's discourse, that one cannot but admire the skilful turn of it, and look on it as the most soft, the most beautiful, and most pressing argumentation; leaving the Jews to say for themselves, why they should have the privilege continued to them under the Gospel, of being alone in a national sense the people of God. See Locke, and on Romans 2:29.

That judged— 'Ο κρινων, the judger, is here very emphatical; and the more so, as it is repeated in the latter part of the verse. It denotes more than simply judging: it implies assuming the character, place, and authority of a judge; which would be seen more clearly, if the verse were rendered thus; Therefore, thou art inexcusable, O man! whosoever art a judger; for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou, the judger, doest the same things. There will need no remark, to those who read this epistle with the least attention, to prove that the judging which St. Paul here speaks of, refers to that aversion which the Jews generally had to the Gentiles: insomuch that the unconverted Jews could not bear the thought of a Messiah who admitted the heathen equally with them into his kingdom; nor could the converted Jews be easily brought, for a considerable time, to admit them into their communion, as the people of God, now equally with themselves; so that they generally, both one and the other, at that time judged them unworthy the favour of God and incapable of becoming his people any other way than by circumcision and an observance of the ritual parts of the law;—the inexcusableness and absurdity whereof St. Paul shews in this chapter. Dr. Doddridge observes, that there is a greater delicacy in the Apostle's transition here, than most commentators have imagined. From what he had before said, to prove the wicked and abandoned among the heathens inexcusable in their wickedness, he justly infers, that the crimes of those who had such knowledgeof the truth as to condemn the vices of others, were proportionably yet more inexcusable. This was eminently the case with the Jews. But he does not directly speak of them till the 9th verse; drawing the inference at first in such general terms, as might also comprehend Gentiles, philosophers, and all others who contradicted the moral instructions which they themselves gave. Though the black detail of vices enumerated in the preceding chapter is such as cannot fail to shock the thinking mind; yet whoever will take the trouble to search into the state of religion and virtue among the Jews at the same period will confess, that the Apostle is rather tender than rigid in his accusations. See Joseph. Jewish War, b. 5. 100. 13 b. 7. 100. 8 and Whitby.

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Romans 2:2. Is according to truth— The Apostle is here speaking of the general punishment of sin, in whomsoever it is found. The judgment of God is according to truth against them [—all of them, Jews or Gentiles] who do such things: and he has his eye, not upon the rejection of the Jews, in this world, but upon the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God; Romans 2:5; Romans 6:16.

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Romans 2:4. Goodness and forbearance, &c.— Taylor observes, that goodness is here to be understood of the mercy and goodness of God, which bestowed superior light and advantages upon the Jews. Goodness is used in the same sense with regard to the Gentiles, chap. Romans 11:22. We may observe, that the Apostle uses general terms, that the Jew may not too plainly see that he is speaking to him. When he says, leadeth thee to repentance, the meaning is, ought to lead thee: for it should be carefully noted, that it is very common in the sacred writings, to express not only our Christian privileges, but also the duties to which they oblige, in the present or preterperfect sense; or to speak of that as done which only ought to be done; and which, in fact, may possibly never be done. See Matthew 5:13. 1 Peter 1:6. Hebrews 13:14; Hebrews 13:25.

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Romans 2:6. Deeds— u917?ργα, works; as it is rendered in other places.

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Romans 2:7. By patient continuance— Patient, in this verse, seems to be opposed to contentious in the next: the former referring to the patience of Christians under Jewish persecutions, the latter to the bitter persecuting spirit of the Jews. See Locke.

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Romans 2:8. Do not obey the truth— Though by the truth the Gospel be here meant, yet St. Paul seems plainly to have used the term truth with an eye to the Jews; for, though some few of them received the Gospel, yet even a great part of these few joined with the rest of their nation in opposing this great truth of the Gospel;—that under the Messiah, the Gentiles were the people of God as much as the Jews; and, as such, were to be received by them. In the last words of this verse there seems to be a reference to Psa 78:49 when,speaking of the Egyptians, it is said, He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, indignation, and trouble: and it may intimate with great delicacy, that the Jews would in the day of vengeance be more severely punished than even their Egyptian enemies were, when God made their plagues so wonderful. There should be a full stop at wrath. Tribulation and anguish in the next verse begin a new sentence, which affirms that to be a general rule of God's dealing with mankind at large in judgment, which in the two foregoing verses he seems to mean only of Christians so called, and Jews. The word στενοχωρια, rendered anguish, signifies straitness; and is used by Xenophon to denote a narrow way, which cannot be passed. See Locke, Doddridge, Raphelius, and Elsner.

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Romans 2:11. There is no respect of persons with God— That is, in passing the final sentence he is determined by their real characters. See the note on Acts 10:34. This is perfectly consistent withan inequality in distributing advantages, and opportunities of improvement, according to the sovereign pleasure of the great Lord of all. This assertion of the Apostle, so often repeated, will appear the more important and reasonable, as the Jews thought that no Israelite should be deprived of future happiness, whatever his faults had been, unless he was guilty of apostacy, idolatry, and some few other very enormous crimes. See Jortin's Discourses, page 26.

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Romans 2:12. Without law—without law— Without the law, &c. Those under the law, St. Paul says, shall be judged by the law; and this is easy to conceive: because they were under a positive injunction, wherein life and death were annexed as the reward and punishment of obedience and disobedience. But of the unbelieving Gentiles, who were not under that positive injunction, he says barely, that they shall perish. St. Paul does not use these so eminently different expressions for nothing. See particularly chap. Romans 5:13.

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Romans 2:13. For not the hearers, &c.— This, and Rom 2:14-15 are a comment upon the 20th verse. In Rom 2:13 he remarks upon the latter part of the 12th, that enjoying the advantages of revelation will not save us, unless we dulyimprove them. Rom 2:14-15 he remarks upon the former part of the 12th, and proves that the Gentiles, who have no revelation, are yet condemnable for their wickedness, because they transgress against the light of their dispensation.

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Romans 2:15. In their hearts, &c.— This is the force and stress of the Apostle's argument. He is proving that the Gentiles have a rule of action; and where is that rule?—It is written in their hearts, inscribed upon their mental faculties; a sense of moral good and evil is common to all mankind; and a secret power offered by divine grace to embrace the one and to avoid the other. The last clause literally rendered is, and their reasonings between one another, accusing or else defending. This interpreters in general understand of the workings of the conscience in one and the same person, alternately accusing the actions which are bad, and justifying those which are good. But here it is proper to observe, I. That κατηγορουντων, accusing, and απολογουμενων, defending or answering for themselves, are forensic terms, and correspond to plaintiff and defendant in legal process. Now plaintiff and defendant suppose a disputation, and are correlates, which exist together at the same time; but to say that the single principle of conscience forms two litigant parties in itself, the one accusing, the other defending, is incongruous. Conscience is a law, not a litigant, unless it be with a different principle, lust, (of which the Apostle says nothing here,) but never with itself, or its own reflections upon a person's conduct. II. The copulative και, and, as it stands here, points to a distinct head; "their conscience also bearing witness, that the work of the law is written in their hearts; and their reasonings between one another, accusing or answering for themselves, bearing witness that the work of the law is written in their hearts." This is the proper structure and construction of the Greek. But if this last clause be understood of the workings of conscience, it will be a tautology; for the Apostle must be supposed to say, their conscience bearing witness, and the workings of their conscience, alternately accusing or defending, bearing witness. III. The phrase μεταξυ αλληλων, between one another, denotes the litigant parties, accusing or else defending; and who should those be but the Gentiles, the persons concerning whom the Apostle is arguing? The word 'Αλληλοι, one another, always, it is conceived, denotes parties existing at the same time. But we cannot suppose that litigant parties exist at the same time in the conscience, one accusing, and the other excusing a man's conduct. To whom then does the word αυτων, their, in the preceding clause refer, but to the Gentiles? — And not only the sense, but the like position of the words, directs us to refer αλληλων, one another, to the same antecedent: for the words lie in this order, their consciences bearing witness, and their between-one-another-debates [bearing witness]. IV. The Greek word λογιζω signifies to reckon, reason, debate; (see Mar 11:31. 2 Corinthians 10:5; 2 Corinthians 10:18.); agreeably whereto the original word λογισμων, in the present passage, should have been rendered,—their reasonings, debates, disputes one with another, when one party was plaintiff, and the other defendant. This proves that they both had, and knew they had, a law or rule of action among them: for as plaintiff and defendant necessarily suppose each other, so do they necessarily suppose a law, determining some actions to be true, just, and good; others to be false, unjust, and evil: for if there were no difference of actions, there could be no accusation of wrong, nor defence of right. The Apostle says, accusing or else answering for themselves; because either of these is sufficient to his purpose: either their accusing others of wrong, or defending themselves as in the right, (whichever of the parties was really in the right or in the wrong,) proved that they had a law among them,—a law written in their hearts

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Romans 2:16. The secret of men— Not, we conceive, their secret bad actions, but, agreeably to the preceding discourse, their moral state and circumstances under different degrees of light; which are secrets now to us, or of which we are by no means competent judges. We cannot judge what capacities, opportunities, and advantages every man, in every different age and country, enjoys; nor what use he makes of them; these are things only known to God. This interpretation will be confirmed by observing, that this 16th verse is in connection with the 12th.According to my Gospel refers not to the day of judgment in general, as it the Apostle intended no more, than that he made known a future judgment in his preaching the Gospel.—This was not peculiar to St. Paul's preaching as he was the Apostle of the Gentiles; other apostles and preachers made known a future judgment, as well as St. Paul; therefore it seems rather to refer to God's judging the secrets of men. It might be asked by what rule will he judge them? The answer is, According to my Gospel; that is "according to the nature and extent of the Gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, and which represents all mankind as the objects of the divine beneficence, cognizance, and care through the merit of the great Atonement." According to St. Paul's Gospel, or upon its principles, God is the God, Father, and Judge of all, who has in one degree or other revealed himself to all, who expels a proportionable obedience from all; and consequently will judge, and either reward or punish all the nations of the world under different dispensations, and different degrees of light; and this principle is expressed in the very first words of the first sermon preached to the Gentiles, Acts 10:34-35. See Locke.

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Romans 2:17. Behold, &c.— If the unbelieving Jew was at all disposed to admit evidence and conviction, the Apostle has said enough to awaken his conscience in the preceding part of this chapter; and therefore here he throws off the cover, and openly argues with him in the most plain and nervous manner, that his superior knowledge, privileges, and professions served only to aggravate his condemnation; and that, in fact, he, who, under all his greater advantages, transgressed the law of God, stood condemned by the honest Gentile, who, to the best of his knowledge, obeyed it. In Romans 2:17-20. St. Paul makes use of the titles which the Jews assumed to themselves, from the advantages they had of light and knowledge above the Gentiles, to shew them how inexcusable they were in judging the Gentiles, (who were, even in their own account, so much beneath them in knowledge,) for doing those things, of which they themselves were also guilty. St. Paul says emphatically, thou art called a Jew; for such a Jew as described in the following verses, he insists, was a Jew only in name, not in reality; and so he concludes, Romans 2:28-29. The Greek words Καυχαομαι, καυχημα, καυχησις, are used by none of the New Testament writers except St. Paul and St. James; by the latter thrice, by the former above fifty times. They are favourite terms with St. Paul, probably because of their very expressive and extensive signification. We render them by boasting, glorying, rejoicing, joy; but glorying best suits all the places where they are found. Now glorying, as it gives the sense of those words, denotes being pleased with, and acquiescing in the object wherein we glory, as it is supposed to be an object of joy and delight, of hope and dependence; as being praise-worthy, and reflecting an honour upon us: and such an object may be either in ourselves, or in other things or persons. I. In ourselves; 1 with regard to dependence, Jeremiah 9:23.—2 with regard to honour, Judges 7:2. 1 Corinthians 1:29. Ephesians 2:9; Ephesians 2:0. In other things or persons; 1 with regard to joy, Psalms 5:11.Philippians 2:16; Philippians 2:16.—2 with regard to hope, Pro 11:7 in the LXX.—3 with regard to dependence, Psalms 49:6. Philippians 3:3-4.—4 with regard to what is praise-worthy, 2 Corinthians 5:12. —5 with regard to honour, Jer 13:11. 2 Corinthians 1:14. These several senses the words above mentioned will admit; but commonly more senses than one are implied, and sometimes all the several significations are included in the force of the word: so here, and makest thy boast, or rather, and gloriest in God; that is to say, "You rejoice in him as the object of your hope and dependence;—you praise, or speak well of him; you account it your honour that he is your God, and that you worship him, &c." So Rom 2:23 ch. Romans 5:2; Romans 3:11, &c. See Locke and Mintert.

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Romans 2:18. And approvest the things, &c.— The words Τα διαφεροντα, signify things excellent, convenient, controverted, or differing: in either of these senses the term may be understood here; though the last (namely, their difference in respect of lawful and unlawful) may be pitched on, I think, says Mr. Locke, as most suited to the Apostle's design here; and that which the Jews much stood upon, as giving them one great pre-eminence above the defiled Gentiles. Beza, in this view, translates the passage, And discernest things that differ. See Elsner's Observations, vol. 2: page 7.

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Romans 2:19. Guide of the blind, &c.— Blind,—in darkness,—ignorant,—babes,— were appellations which the Jews gave to the Gentiles; signifying how much inferior to themselves they thought them in knowledge. The word μορφωσις, rendered form, Rom 2:20 seems to mean the same with the word τυπος, ch. Rom 6:17 that is, such a draught, as contained and represented the parts and lineaments of the whole; for it is to be remembered, that the Apostle uses these terms here in the same sense that the Jews spoke of themselves, vaunting over the Gentiles; thereby placing their crime in the strongest light, in judging the Gentiles as they did. See 2Ti 3:5.Locke, Bos, and Beausobre and Lenfant.

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Romans 2:21. Dost thou steal?— Grotius on this text proves from Josephus, that some of the Jewish priests lived by rapine, depriving others of their due share of the tithes, and even suffering them to perish for want: that others were guilty of gross uncleanness: and as for sacrilegiously robbing God and his altars, it had been complained of as early as Malachi's days (Malachi 1:8; Malachi 1:12-13.). See Grotius and Doddridge.

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Romans 2:25. For— It is most evident that γαρ, for, cannot here signify that the following words are a reason for what was asserted in those immediately preceding. It seems little more than an expletive, as the particle now is frequently among us. Circumcision is here put for being a Jew, as being one of the chief, and most discriminating rites of that people: It profiteth, says St. Paul, (or, as it may be rendered, It is indeed an advantage,) if thou keep the law.

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Romans 2:26. The righteousness of the law— Mr. Locke renders the original words δικαιωματα του νομου the rectitudes of the law, in an appropriated sense of the word rectitude! This rule of their actions, all mankind uncircumcised as well as circumcised had, and it is that which the Apostle, in ch. Rom 1:32 calls δικαιωμα του Θεου, the judgment of God; because it came from God, and was made by him the moral rule to all mankind. And this rule of morality, St. Paul says, the Gentile world did acknowledge: so that δικαιωμα του Θεου, the judgment of God, ch. Rom 1:32 signifies that rule of right taken in general; and δικαιωμα του νομου, the righteousness of the law, here signifies the particular branches of it, contained in the law of Moses: for no other part of that law could a Heathen be supposed to observe, or be concerned in; and therefore those only can be the δικαιωματα του νομου, the righteousness of the law, here meant.

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Romans 2:27. And shall not uncircumcision, &c.— The Apostle here supposes that a heathen may be an honest, sober, good, kind, benevolent and holy man through the secret influences of the Spirit of God: for were it impossible for the Gentiles in any sense to fulfil the law of love, it would not be supposable that he should do it; and then the Apostle's argument would be without any foundation. And that he does not here speak of a Heathen converted, or to be converted to Christianity, is manifest from the whole context. Hence it appears, that it was the Apostle's sentiment that a man under the Heathen dispensation might do the will of God by the secret influences of the Holy Spirit, and through the alone merits of Jesus Christ be saved for ever,—not indeed by his works: it is of grace that he is saved. See chap. Romans 3:20. The following words, judge thee, look back as far as the first verse: whosoever thou art that judgest. This judging, as Mr. Locke observes, relates to the unkind erroneous sentiments of the Jews concerning the uncircumcised Gentiles; judging them utterly unworthy of the favour of God, and disqualified from being his people. But here the Apostle, with great force and truth, retorts the censure upon them. "Shall a virtuous and pious Heathen condemn you, wicked Jews, as unworthy of God's favour, and disqualified from being any longer his people?" That this is the Apostle's meaning, appears from the next verse; For he is not a Jew, &c.; and in the following dialogue, concerning the rejection of the Jews, he supposes that the Jews would take this to be his sense; nor could any Jew in those days, acquainted with St. Paul's principles, miss of understanding him thus. In ch. Rom 14:3-4 the word judge is used in the same sense. See Locke, and the note on Romans 2:15.

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