Romans 2:1-16

Romans 2

God Will Judge What Each Person Does

¹ Therefore, you are without excuse, every one of you who judges someone else, because by judging the other person you also condemn yourself, since you, who are judging, are doing the very same things. ² And we know that God’s judgment on those who do such things is based on the truth.

³ Are you thinking that you will escape God’s judgment, you who judge those who do such things and then do the same things yourself? ⁴ Or do you have so little regard for his rich kindness, his restraint, and his patience, that you ignore the fact that the purpose of God’s kindness is to lead you to repentance? ⁵ As a result of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath, when God will reveal his righteous judgment.

⁶ God “will repay each person according to what he has done” ^[1]— ⁷ eternal life to those who seek glory, honor, and immortality by persisting in doing what is good, ⁸ but furious anger to those who out of selfish ambition are disobeying what is true and obeying what is wrong. ⁹ There will be trouble and distress for the soul of every person who does what is evil—for the Jew first and for the Greek— ¹⁰ but glory, honor, and peace for everyone who does what is good—for the Jew first and for the Greek. ¹¹ For God does not show favoritism.

¹² Indeed, all people who have sinned without law will also perish without law, and all the people who have sinned in connection with law will be judged by law. ¹³ For it is not those who hear the law who will be righteous in God’s sight, but those who do the law who will be declared righteous.

¹⁴ In fact, whenever Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature what the law requires—even though they do not have the law—they are a law for themselves. ¹⁵ They demonstrate the work of the law that is written in their hearts, since their conscience also bears witness as their thoughts go back and forth, at times accusing or at times even defending them.

¹⁶ This will happen on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge people’s secrets through Jesus Christ.