Romans 2

2 ¹ So you have no excuse, whoever you are, when you pass judgment on someone else. For in the very act of judging another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge are doing the same things. ² Now we know that our Father's judgment rightly falls on those who do such things. ³ Do you really think, whoever you are, that when you judge those who do such things and yet do them yourself, you will escape our Father's judgment? ⁴ Or do you despise the riches of his kindness and restraint and patience, not realizing that our Father's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? ⁵ But because of your hard and unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself for the day of wrath, when our Father's righteous judgment will be revealed. ⁶ He will repay each person according to what they have done. ⁷ To those who by patient endurance in doing good seek glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. ⁸ But for those who are self-seeking, who reject the truth and follow unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury. ⁹ There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil, for the Jew first and also for the Greek; ¹⁰ but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. ¹¹ For our Father shows no favoritism. ¹² All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law. ¹³ For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous before our Father, but those who obey the law who will be justified. ¹⁴ Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature what the law requires, the law is at work within them, even though they do not have the law. ¹⁵ They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their conflicting thoughts accusing or even defending them. ¹⁶ This will take place on the day when our Father judges the secrets of all people through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares. ^a a v16 Our Father is the judge, yet he judges through his Son — the Father has entrusted all judgment to Jesus.

The Law Will Not Save You

¹⁷ Now you, if you call yourself a Jew, if you rely on the law and boast in our Father, ¹⁸ if you know his will and approve what is excellent because you are instructed by the law, ¹⁹ if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those in darkness, ²⁰ an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth ²¹ —you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? ²² You who say that people must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? ²³ You who boast in the law, do you dishonor our Father by breaking the law? ²⁴ As it is written: "Our Father's name is blasphemed among the nations because of you." ²⁵ Circumcision has value if you obey the law, but if you break the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. ²⁶ So if those who are uncircumcised keep the law's requirements, will not their uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? ²⁷ The one who is physically uncircumcised yet keeps the law will condemn you who, even with the written code and circumcision, break the law. ²⁸ For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. ²⁹ Rather, a person is a Jew inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a person's praise comes not from people but from our Father. ^b b v29 Heart-circumcision: our Father cutting away self-reliance so we respond to his Spirit.