Module Two: Week Two
Topic: Audience in Rome and the Point of Romans 2:1-11
Prompt: “Set forth your view of whom Paul intended to address in Romans chapter 2:1-11.
Briefly identify the previous context of Romans and the audience in the previous context. Read
carefully Rom 2:1-11 and analyze the passage. What did Paul identify as the reason that those
who judge are without excuse? Why would Paul’s insistence that his intended reader is under
wrath be a shock to the reader? In the large context of Romans, how should we understand Paul’s
statement that God will render to each one according to his works, considering also the intended
audience?”
Response:
Paul’s Audience in Romans 2:1-11
While Paul’s letter to Rome was intended for “All those in Rome whom God loves, who have
been called, who have been set apart for him” (Romans 1:7, Complete Jewish Study Bible), his
indictment, in chapter 2, is directed towards his Jewish brothers and sisters. “While his
reproaches may apply to anyone who smugly judges others, Paul specifically has in mind the Jew
who judges Gentiles.”1 In fact, when one reads the remainder of this chapter, they will find that
Paul directly names those whom he is calling to repentance: “But if you call yourself a Jew and
rest on Torah and boast about God” (Romans 2:17). Paul may even be speaking to those who are
religious leaders in the Jewish-Messianic community, considering his description, thereafter,
when he writes, “and if you have persuaded yourself that you are a guide to the blind, a light in
1 David E. Garland, Romans: An Introduction and Commentary, vol.6, edited by Eckhard J. Schnabel,
(Downers Grove, IL: IVP; IVP Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity Press, 2021), 88.
the darkness, an instructor for the spiritually unaware and a teacher of children” (Romans 2:19-
20). Regardless, it is evident that the apostle’s “primary purpose in this section is ‘to prove that
the Jews are guilty before God, for they have transgressed the revelation they have received, just
as the Gentiles have rejected the revelation they have received (1:18–32).’”2
Paul’s Audience in the Previous Context
Paul’s rebuke of his Jewish brothers, in the second chapter of Romans, stands on the foundation
of what he has already written in chapter one. In Romans 1:18-32, Paul addresses the theme of
God's wrath against human sinfulness, particularly focusing on the Gentile world and its
rejection of God's revelation, leading to moral depravity and idolatry. Here, Paul paints a bleak
picture of the Gentile condition outside of God's grace. Romans, chapter two, on the other hand,
shifts the focus to the Jewish audience. Paul warns against the danger of self-righteousness and
hypocritical judgment among those who possess the Law. He emphasizes that both Jews and
Gentiles are accountable to God for their actions, and he stresses the importance of genuine faith
and obedience rather than mere possession of the Law. Thus, the sin of the Jew, to whom Paul is
writing, “is not that he condemns Gentiles but that he does the very same things, which in the
context can only refer to the sins itemized in 1:19–32. Since God condemns those who practice
such things (1:32), the accusations in 1:18–32 establish a common ground. Both Gentiles and
Jews are ‘without excuse’ (1:20; 2:1).”3 In the words of Jesus, “First, take the log out of your
own eye; then you will see clearly, so that you can remove the splinter from your brother’s eye!”
(Matthew7:5).
2 Ibid., pg. 86–87.
3 Ibid., pg. 88.
“Without Excuse?”
Paul puts all of humanity on trial, when he writes, “For ever since the creation of the universe
[God’s] invisible qualities – both his eternal power and his divine nature – have been clearly
seen, because they can be understood from what he has made” (Romans 1:20). From a baby
being formed in the womb to the stars and galaxies, the evidence of God’s existence is
inescapable. Consequently, Paul’s gospel reveals “God’s anger from heaven against all the
godlessness and wickedness of people who in their wickedness keep suppressing the truth”
(Romans 1:18). While Paul clearly states that all are without excuse, in chapter two of Romans,
Paul notes that the Jew has even less an excuse than the Gentile, for they have been given God’s
Law, His wisdom, and have been “instructed from the Torah […] the embodiment of knowledge
and truth” (Romans 2:18, 20). Therefore, Paul’s rebuke to the Jewish community stands upon
their disregard for the life-giving breath of God (2 Timothy 3:16). The Jew “possesses the truth
in the law (2:20) but does not obey it (2:8). He knows the truth about God’s judgments, but he
does not repent. He compares himself favorably with Gentile sinners and deceives himself into
believing that he is exempt from God’s condemnation because God will judge him by a different
standard.”4 Therefore, Paul clarifies that God's judgment is impartial, based on deeds rather than
ethnicity or religious status. He emphasizes that everyone, both Jew and Gentile, will be judged
according to their actions (Romans 2:6-11), and those who judge others while committing the
same sins are condemning themselves, as they will face God's righteous judgment (Romans 2:1,
3, 5). Paul highlights that God's kindness and patience are meant to lead people to repentance,
but those who judge others instead show contempt for God's goodness (Romans 2:4-5). While
there is no doubt that “God’s righteous judgement will be revealed” (Romans 2:6) to the Gentile,
4 Ibid., pg. 89.
it is clear that “this censurer of others is also ‘without excuse’ (csb) or ‘without defence.’ His
judgment of others turns back on himself (cf. Matt. 7:1–5). He pronounces his verdict on others
that ricochets back and condemns him as well.”5
Shocked by God’s Wrath?
It would seem, according to Paul’s letter, that the Jewish reader is shocked at the idea that they
might endure the same wrath and judgement, from God, as the Gentile. Paul even asks, “do you
think that you, a mere man passing judgement on others who do such things, yet doing them
yourself, will escape the judgment of God?” (Romans 2:3). Why would the Jew believe that they
“will escape the judgement of God?” The opening lines in the second chapter of Romans
underscore several reasons.
Paul begins this portion of his letter by addressing those who pass judgment on others (Romans
2:1). This immediately points to someone who thinks of themselves as morally superior and
exempt from God's judgment. However, Paul challenges this self-righteous attitude by asserting
that anyone who judges others is equally guilty and subject to the same judgment from God
(Romans 2:1-3). “Paul’s aim is to establish Israel’s sinfulness and explode the myth that Israel’s
status at the judgment is impregnable.”6 This, alone, would be shocking to those who considered
themselves as morally upright and immune to divine wrath because of their perceived
righteousness. Furthermore, many of the Jewish Christians, at the time Paul was writing this
letter, believed that their ethnic heritage and possession of the Mosaic Law provided them with a
special status before God. Paul opposes this fable by arguing that merely having the Law or
5 Ibid., pg. 88.
6 Ibid., pg. 89.
being part of a chosen people does not exempt one from God's judgment. Instead, it is adherence
to the Law and genuine righteousness that matter, to God (Romans 2:17-29). Paul’s point, to the
Jew, is clear: “When brought before the bar of the all-knowing judge, they will not be exonerated
because of a favoured-nation clause in the covenant. God’s impartiality results in universal
condemnation according to the standards laid out in the law.”7 “For the real Jew is not merely
Jewish outwardly: true circumcision is not only external and physical. On the contrary, the real
Jew is one inwardly; and true circumcision is of the heart, spiritual not literal; so that his praise
comes not from other people but from God” (Romans 2:28-29).
How should we understand Paul’s statement that God will render to each one according to
his works, considering also the intended audience?
Like all biblical concepts, Paul's statement that God will "pay back each one according to his
deeds” (Romans 2:6) should be understood in the context of his broader theological argument,
made in chapters one and two of Romans. First, considering the intended audience of his letter,
Paul is addressing both Jews and Gentiles, within the Roman church. Thus, by emphasizing that
God will render to each according to their works, Paul is bridging the gap between Jewish and
Gentile believers, dismantling any sense of superiority one group might have over the other, and
instilling unity. Not only does Paul bridge the gap between Jew and Gentile, but Paul also affirms
that “ there is neither slave nor freeman, neither male nor female; for in union with the Messiah
Yeshua, you are all one” (Galatians 3:28). Therefore, in stating that God will render to each one
according to their deeds, Paul underscores the fact that “God is impartial not only in judgment
but also in bestowing gifts.”8 As such, all who believe in Jesus as the Son of God are now “heirs
according to the promise” (Galatians 3:29).
7 Ibid., pg. 89.
In establishing that, because of Christ, all humanity has been offered God’s grace, Paul also
confirms that all humanity is in danger of God’s wrath. In fact, Paul writes, about the gospel, “it
is God’s powerful means of bringing salvation to everyone who keeps on trusting, to the Jew
especially, but equally to the Gentile” (Romans 1:16), but, in contrast, he writes, “Yes, he [God]
will pay back misery and anguish to every human being who does evil, to the Jew first, then to
the Gentile” (Romans 2:9). Paul is emphasizing the impartiality and fairness of God’s judgment,
emphasizing that both Jews and Gentiles are subject to the same standard: God will judge
everyone according to their deeds, without favoritism.
Finally, Paul’s proclamation clearly states that “faith by itself, unaccompanied by actions, is
dead” (James 2:17). “For it is not merely the hearers of Torah whom God considers righteous,
rather, it is the doers of what Torah says who will be made righteous in God’s sight” (Romans
2:13). While the old covenant was under the Law of Moses, God’s new covenant with His
creation is through faith in the Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth, and by the indwelling of His Holy
Spirit. While faith, alone, is the catalyst of righteousness, this indwelling empowers the one who
has faith to do that which is right in God’s sight, for human nature is weak, but the Spirit is eager
to do what is right (Matthew 26:41). “The righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in those
who walk according to the Spirit. Indeed, believers are said to fulfill the law when they walk in
the Spirit (Rom 8:4), which manifests in loving others: ‘Whoever loves others has fulfilled the
law’ (13:8); ‘love is the fulfillment of the law’ (13:10; cf. Gal 5:12–13).”9 Therefore, one’s deeds
—their love for others—are the reflection, or the fruit of their faith and the evidence of God’s
Spirit living in them. Thus, Paul is declaring that all humanity, whether Jew or Gentile, slave or
8 David E. Garland, Romans: An Introduction and Commentary, ed. Eckhard J. Schnabel, vol. 6, Tyndale
New Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: IVP; IVP Academic: An Imprint of InterVarsity
Press, 2021), 91.
free, male or female, will be judged and repaid, either with grace or with wrath, impartially, in
accordance with their love for others.
Replies
9 Sarah Whittle, “Jubilees and Romans 2:6–29: Circumcision, Law Observance, and Ethnicity,” in
Reading Romans in Context: Paul and Second Temple Judaism, edited by Ben C. Blackwell, John K.
Goodrich, and Jason Maston (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2015), 50.
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