Romans 2:1. Therefore you have no excuse, everyone of you who passes judgment, for in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things.
2. And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things.
3. But do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment on those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God?
4. Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and tolerance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance?
5. But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God,
6. who WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS:
7. to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life;
8. but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation.
9. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek,
10. but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
11. For there is no partiality with God.
12. For all who have sinned without the Law will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the Law will be judged by the Law;
13. for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.
I need to say a few words here. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans was written to the church in Rome in either 57 or 58 A.D. This church, at this time, was made up persons with a wide spectrum of beliefs, and Paul, in his epistle, addresses many of those beliefs. Romans chapter two is specifically addressed to judgmental (v.1), stubborn and unrepentant (v.1) Jews (v. 17) whose confidence in their salvation was the Law. They believed in Jesus, but they were clueless regarding Christian theology. Notice that in this chapter, the Law is mentioned 23 times, and grace is not mentioned even once. Notice also that in verse 6 Paul wrote that God “WILL RENDER TO EACH PERSON ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS,” quoting from Psalms 62:12 and Proverbs 24:12; and verse 7-8 says that God will render eternal life “to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality,” and wrath and indignation “to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness,” Paul is, in this chapter, teaching these judgmental, stubborn and unrepentant Jews that they themselves are sinners with no hope of eternal life, “for it is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified.” Paul is writing to convict these Jews of their need for salvation, and in chapter three, verse 20, he teaches them that “by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin.” He then writes,
3:21. But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been manifested, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets,
22. even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction;
23. for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
(All quotations from Scripture are from the NASB, 1995)