Sermon Tone Analysis

3. The Outline of This Section

In this subsection Paul’s thought flows as follows.

2:1–5.

First, the Jews are under the wrath of God, no less than the Gentiles.

Thus they have no basis for passing judgment on the Gentiles and gloating over their fate.

2:6–11.

Second, God will be partial to no one in the judgment.

He will treat all alike, whether Jews or Gentiles.

The principles of judgment as required by law will be applied to both in exactly the same way.

2:12–16.

Third, under law, the criterion of judgment is obedience alone, not whether or how one possesses the law or knows the law.

It is especially important for the Jews to know that mere possession of the law is no indication of special treatment in the judgment.

2:17–24.

Fourth, Jews who look to the law for salvation are in fact condemned by their disobedience to that law.

They have broken the very law they glory in and rely upon.

2:25–29.

Fifth, true Jewishness is identified not by circumcision but by the inward state of the heart.

Thus the Jews’ reliance upon physical circumcision as the sure measure of salvation is futile.

3:1–8.

Finally, such equal treatment of Jews and Gentiles does not nullify but rather magnifies God’s righteousness.

Those who rail at God because of this equal treatment before the law have misunderstood God’s purpose for Israel and deserve to be condemned for their blasphemy.

Cottrell, J. (1996).

Romans (Vol. 1, ).

Joplin, MO: College Press Pub.

Co.

In 1:18–32, Paul describes those people whom he accuses of perverting their knowledge of God (Gentiles, primarily) in the third person: “they” turned away from God; God handed “them” over.

In chap.

2, however, it is the second person singular, “you,” that Paul uses in making his accusation (2:1–5, 17–29).

This does not mean that Paul is now accusing his readers of these things; were he to do that, the second person plural would have been needed.

Rather, Paul utilizes here, and sporadically throughout the letter, a literary style called diatribe.

Moo, D. J. (1996).

The Epistle to the Romans (p.

125).

Grand Rapids, MI: Wm.

B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

His indictment of the Jew proceeds in two stages (2:1–16; 2:17–29), with 3:1–8 being a parenthetical response to possible misconceptions of what Paul has said.

Both parts of Paul’s indictment accuse the Jews of committing sins (2:1–5; 2:17–24) and then show that those sins are not excused by God simply by virtue of the Jews’ belonging to the people of Israel, e.g., by possessing the law (2:12–16) or by being circumcised (2:25–29).

Just as people in general have turned away from the revelation that God has given in nature (1:20–32), so the Jews have turned away, through their disobedience, from the revelation that God has given them specially (2:17–24).

1 Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges.

For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things.

Contrary to popular Jewish belief, the sins of the Jews will not be treated by God significantly differently from those of the Gentiles.

For God is impartial and judges every person “according to his works” (2:6–11).

Contrary to popular Jewish belief, the sins of the Jews will not be treated by God significantly differently from those of the Gentiles.

For God is impartial and judges every person “according to his works” (2:6–11).

Neither possession of the law nor circumcision marks a person as truly belonging to God.

Only repentance (2:4) and an inner, heartfelt commitment to God (2:28–29)—in a word, faith—ultimately count before the Lord.

Neither possession of the law nor circumcision marks a person as truly belonging to God.

Only repentance (2:4) and an inner, heartfelt commitment to God (2:28–29)—in a word, faith—ultimately count before the Lord.

Moo, D. J. (1996).

The Epistle to the Romans (p.

126).

Grand Rapids, MI: Wm.

B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Moo, D. J. (1996).

The Epistle to the Romans (p.

126).

Grand Rapids, MI: Wm.

B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Moo, D. J. (1996).

The Epistle to the Romans (p.

126).

Grand Rapids, MI: Wm.

B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.

Paul’s indictment of his gospel-less contemporaries moves to another dimension.

He turns to an imaginary listener or interlocutor, who loudly applauds his description of the pagan’s moral failure.

Paul reacts and insists that such a person is no better than the pagan, for in spite of a superior moral culture, which may enable the interlocutor to agree with Paul’s indictment of the pagan, he does not do what is expected of him by that superior status.

He does the same things, evil in all its forms.

As a result, he will not escape the outpouring of divine wrath either.

Fitzmyer, J. A., S. J. (2008).

Romans: a new translation with introduction and commentary (Vol.

33, p. 296).

New Haven; London: Yale University Press.

In developing his argument, Paul treats of six topics.

First, he enunciates the general principle of God’s impartial judgment (2:1–11) and cites the OT to declare that God will recompense all human beings according to their deserts.

Second, Paul shows that knowledge and possession of the Mosaic law are no guarantee against the outpouring of divine wrath (2:12–16).

Third, he announces that it will be manifested against the Jew as well as the pagan because of the way the Jew lives (2:17–24).

Fourth, Paul insists that the Jew is vulnerable in spite of circumcision (2:25–29).

Circumcision has value, if one observes the law, but it does not make the real Jew.

Fifth, Paul answers objections about the privileges of the Jews (3:1–9).

Sixth, Paul affirms that all human beings, Jews and Greeks alike, are sinners and subject to divine wrath.

So runs Paul’s argument at this point in the letter.

Fitzmyer, J. A., S. J. (2008).

Romans: a new translation with introduction and commentary (Vol.

33, pp.

296–297).

New Haven; London: Yale University Press.

In this passage (2:1–11), even before Paul comes to explain his idea of justification by grace through faith in Christ Jesus, which will emerge in 3:21–31, he reckons with the situation that all human beings will have to stand before the divine tribunal and be judged according to their deeds.

This is not the only place in his writings in which he speaks of such judgment; cf.

14:10; ; .

Yet the “judgment” of which he speaks in vv 2, 3, and 5 has to be understood against the background of his major thesis about justification by grace through faith (see Käsemann, Commentary, 58).

Human beings will indeed be judged by God, but in this new phase of salvation history they can share through faith in the justification wrought by the death and resurrection of Christ.

Fitzmyer, J. A., S. J. (2008).

Romans: a new translation with introduction and commentary (Vol.

33, p. 297).

New Haven; London: Yale University Press.

Rather, vv 1–11 form a transition from the indictment of the pagan in 1:18–32 to the indictment of the Jew in 2:1–3:9.

Fitzmyer, J. A., S. J. (2008).

Romans: a new translation with introduction and commentary (Vol.

33, p. 298).

New Haven; London: Yale University Press.

Stott says Paul “seems to be confronting every human being (Jew or Gentile) who is a moralizer, who presumes to pass judgment on other people.”

However, the entire second chapter probably was a warning to the Jews not to assume that their national identity was sufficient to provide them a right standing before God.57

Mounce, R. H. (1995).

Romans (Vol.

27, p. 88).

Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.

Most people find a certain satisfaction in reading about other people’s sins because it makes them feel better about themselves.

So the Jewish Christians must have enjoyed reading Paul’s condemnation of the Gentiles.

But now Paul turns to the guilt of the Jews and uses even stronger language.

There are three parts to Paul’s argument: the truthfulness of God’s judgment on the Jews (2:1–16), the inadequacy of the Law for salvation (2:17–29) and God’s faithfulness toward Israel (3:1–8).

Osborne, G. R. (2004).

Romans (p.